University of Tennessee Athletics
Four Downs: South Carolina
November 09, 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: Dobbs throws, Pearson catches and looking to even the score with an old foe.
First Down: 255 – Dobbs Passing Yards
No matter what the Vols need their junior quarterback to do each week, Joshua Dobbs delivers. Dobbs completed 20 passes for 255 and a pair of touchdowns in the win over the Gamecocks, but the raw numbers only scratch the surface of the performance.
Dobbs hit 250 yards through the air for the second time this season, the other coming in his career-best 312-yard game against Georgia. It was the fourth 250 yard game of his career, after also accomplishing the feat against South Carolina (301) and Kentucky (297) last season.
The two touchdown passes, an 11-yard swing pass to Alvin Kamara and a 37-yard strike over the middle to Von Pearson, represented his fifth multi-TD game this season and second in as many weeks. It was the ninth time in his Tennessee career that Dobbs threw for two or more touchdowns. He now has 13 touchdown passes on the season, two more than his career total entering the 2015 season.
Third down was where Dobbs did the most damage, however. Nine of his 20 completions came on third down, coming on his first 10 attempts on the key down. Seven of those completions went for first downs, including passes to Johnathon Johnson and Von Pearson on the final scoring drive for 24 and 30 yards, respectively.
Over half of Dobbs’ passing yards, 142, against the Gamecocks came on third down, as did the 11-yard TD pass to Kamara.
Second Down: 121 – Pearson Receiving Yards
Senior receiver Von Pearson had his finest game as a Vol against South Carolina, continuing a run of solid performances by Tennessee receivers in recent weeks.
Pearson set new career highs for catches and receiving yards with eight grabs for 121 yards. Each total surpassed the previous high in each category set in the TaxSlayer Bowl victory over Iowa that saw Pearson haul in seven passes for 75 yards.
Pearson’s eight catches were the most for a UT receiver in a game this season. His 121 yards were the most by a Tennessee WR since the Vols’ 2012 meeting with Missouri, when Justin Hunter caught nine passes for 141 yards and Mychal Rivera had 10 catches for 129 yards.
After an 11-game stretch over 364 days without a 100-yard receiver, Tennessee has now had two in the last two games. Josh Malone recorded 103 receiving yards against Kentucky a week ago, which was the first 100-yard game by a Tennessee receiver since Pig Howard’s 109 yards against South Carolina on Nov. 1, 2014. That game was the only 100-yard performance on the 2014 season.
This marked the fourth-straight season that Tennessee has had a 100-yard receiver against South Carolina. In addition to Pearson and Howard, Marquez North had 102 yards in a comeback victory in 2013 and Zach Rogers went for 107 yards in 2012.
Third Down: Quick Hits
49 – Evan Berry kick return yards. Much like Kentucky did a week ago, South Carolina kicked away from Berry whenever possible, limiting him to two returns for 49 yards.
Even with the low total, at least by his standards, Berry moved up two spots on the Tennessee career kick return list. He now has 1,143 kickoff return yards in his tenure as a Volunteer, which moves him past Dale Carter (1,130) and Dennis Rogan (1,133) for sixth. Berry is just 32 yards from David Oku (1,175) for fifth and 164 yards from Corey Larkins total of 1,307 for fourth.
Berry maintained his NCAA lead in kickoff return average with 40.6 yards per return, over six yards better than Rashaad Penny of San Diego State’s 34.3. at (42.6). For his career, Berry’s average stands at 35.7 yards per return, first all-time at Tennessee among players with 25 returns or more.
35 – Joshua Dobbs rushing yards. In addition to his big passing day, Dobbs gained 35 yards on the ground, putting his season rushing total at 473 yards, just 120 yards away from Jimmy Streater’s single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback of 593 in 1978. Dobbs sits at 1,131 career rushing yards, 243 yards from the 1,374 for Streater from 1976-79.
3 – Points for South Carolina in the first half, a season low.
90 – Jalen Hurd rushing yards. Hurd ran for 90 yards or more for the sixth time this season and the 11th time in his Tennessee career.
14 – First quarter points, the fifth time this season the Vols have put up double-digit points in the opening period. UT has outscored opponents, 93-45, in the first quarter this season.
177 – Yards by the Tennessee offense in the opening quarter. Over the last two games, the Vols have outgained their opponents, 321-30, in the first quarter.
269 – 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.
6 – Offensive plays of 20+ yards by Tennessee. The Vols have 45 plays of 20 yards or more this season.
9 – Tackles by Darrin Kirkland Jr., a new career high.
Fourth Down: A Look Ahead
14 – Points scored against North Texas in the teams’ only prior meeting, a 21-14 upset for the Mean Green over the Vols in 1975.
4 – Consecutive non-conference wins for Tennessee in November. This will be the Vols’ first November non-conference game since 2012, a 55-48 victory over Troy.
69 – Homecoming victories in program history. Tennessee will welcome alumni home on Saturday to celebrate the occasion against North Texas.
12 – All-time wins on Nov. 14, the next time Tennessee takes the field. The Vols dropped the last game played on the date to Ole Miss in 2009. UT has won its last three home games on the date, the most recent being the dramatic comeback victory over Arkansas in 1998. They will look to make it four on Saturday when it’s once again Football Time in Tennessee!
