University of Tennessee Athletics
Four Downs: NT Game by the Numbers
November 16, 2015 | Football
By Brian Rice
UTSports.com
Each week, UTSports.com takes a look at the numbers from the weekend past and the weekend ahead in Four Downs. This week: Holding up an offense, Kamara leading the ground game and scoring early and often.
First Down: 45 – Yard Line
The Tennessee defense was completely dominant on Saturday against North Texas. So dominant, in fact, that not only did the Mean Green never reach the end zone or even the red zone, they barely crossed the 50.
North Texas had 11 possessions on Saturday, starting with an average field position of its own 21. On only three drives did they cross the midfield stripe. The second drive of the game was their longest, starting at the UNT 4 and advancing 48 yards on 10 plays to the Tennessee 48 before a punt. It would be the only time the Mean Green would cross the 50 in the first half.
A seven-play, 43 yard drive in the third quarter would be the next time UNT would see Tennessee territory, reaching the 45 before a punt. It would be the closest to the goal line that the Mean Green would get.
North Texas’ best starting field position came at the Tennessee 48 following a partially blocked punt. A 1-yard run and a couple of incomplete passes later, UNT would punt back to the Volunteers for the final time.
Tennessee held the Mean Green to 199 total yards, the fewest yards gained by an opponent since UT-Martin had 142 on Sept. 4, 2010. The 92 yards on the ground for North Texas were a season low for a UT opponent, the fewest allowed by the Tennessee defense since Vanderbilt was held to 90 yards on Nov. 23, 2013.
It was the first shutout for the Volunteers since the opening game of the Butch Jones era, 45-0 over Austin Peay in 2013 and the first shutout against an FBS opponent since another 24-0 win, over Middle Tennessee in 2011, also a Homecoming game. It was the first time North Texas had been shut out since 2011.
Second Down: 127 – Kamara Rushing Yards
Sophomore running back Alvin Kamara needed just 15 carries against North Texas to achieve his second 100-yard game of the season. He averaged 8.5 yards per carry and had four plays of 11 yards or longer.
Kamara’s day marked the seventh 100-yard rushing game by a Vol this season. Kamara and Jalen Hurd each ran for 100 yards in the season opener against Bowling Green. Hurd duplicated that performance against Florida and Oklahoma. Joshua Dobbs ran for 100+ yards against Florida and Georgia.
Last season, Tennessee had just five 100-yard games by individual players. Hurd reached the mark in 2014 against Iowa, Kentucky, South Carolina and Georgia, while Dobbs ran for 100 yards against South Carolina.
Kamara also ran for a pair of touchdowns on Saturday, his fifth multi-TD game of the season. He ran for two scores in the season opener against Bowling Green. He had a rushing touchdown and a punt return TD against Western Carolina, two receiving scores against Georgia and a rushing and receiving touchdown against South Carolina.
As a team, the Volunteers now have 23 rushing touchdowns, the most since the 1999 Vols ran for 30. In the time since, UT has had 20 or more rushing TDs just three times. The Vols scored 20 touchdowns on the ground in 2000 and 2014 and 21 in 2004. This marks the first time since 1999-2000 that Tennessee has had back-to-back 20+ touchdown seasons.
Third Down: Quick Hits
237 – Rushing yards. Tennessee ran for 200 yards for the sixth time this season and surpassed its rushing total for all of 2013 with two regular season games and a bowl still to play.
The Volunteers have rushed for 2,103 yards, the most since 2,261 in 2013. Beating the 2013 number would give the Vols the most rushing yards by a UT team since gaining 2,418 in 2004.
0 – Kick Returns. Evan Berry’s assault on the record books will have to wait another week. North Texas pooched the opening kickoff, which was fair caught by Max Arnold. Thanks to the shutout pitched by the UT defense, the Mean Green did not kickoff again.
The game marked the first time since the 2005 Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1, 2005 that Tennessee was held without a kick return. In that game, a 38-7 Tennessee victory, Texas A&M kicker Layne Neumann kicked both attempts, the opening kickoff and following the lone Aggie TD, through the end zone for touchbacks.
17 – First half points. It was the sixth time this season that the Volunteers scored exactly 17 points in the first half. UT previously scored 17 in the first half against Oklahoma, Florida, Arkansas, Georgia and South Carolina. Tennessee has outscored its opponents in the first half, 209-98, and have trailed at the half just once, 24-17 to Georgia.
170 – Yards by the Tennessee offense in the opening quarter. Over the last three games, the Vols have outgained their opponents, 491-83, in the first quarter.
270 – Consecutive games with a point scored by UT, dating back to Sept. 17, 1994. It marks the fourth-longest active streak in FBS, the 10th-longest in history.
5 – Offensive plays of 20+ yards by Tennessee. The Vols have 50 plays of 20 yards or more this season.
100,960 – Average attendance at Neyland Stadium this season, fifth-highest in the country.
34 – Yards on Aaron Medley’s only field goal attempt of the day. Since missing three kicks at Alabama, Medley is a perfect 4-for-4 on field goal tries.
5 – Consecutive non-conference wins in November.
32 – Games called by Dave Neal, who handled play-by-play duties for the SEC Network on Saturday, second-most all time. The game moved Neal past Ron Franklin (31) for second. Verne Lundquist has called the most Tennessee national TV games, with 38, two of those coming this season.
28.4 – Percent of third downs (42 of 148) converted by Tennessee opponents, second in the SEC and sixth in the country.
36.6 – Penalty yards per game for Tennessee, the fifth-lowest in the NCAA this year.
Fourth Down: A Look Ahead
0 – Wins against Missouri in three attempts. The Tigers have won each of the three prior meetings since they joined the Southeastern Conference for the 2012 season.
5 – Consecutive scoreless quarters by Tennessee opponents after the shutout against North Texas and a blank final quarter against South Carolina.
15 – Touchdowns scored this season by Missouri, the fewest in the SEC.
3 – Consecutive wins for Tennessee in November. The Vols are 2-0 this season and won their final game in the month in 2014. The Volunteers are 5-1 over the last two seasons in November.
8 – All-time wins on Nov. 21, the next time Tennessee takes the field. The Vols have won the last four games played on the date and will look to make it five on Saturday when it’s once again Football Time in Tennessee!
