University of Tennessee Athletics
UT-OU Postgame Notes
September 12, 2015 | Football
Sept. 12, 2015
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UT-OU Postgame Notes 
POSTGAME NOTES
Tennessee Tidbits
- Tennessee had a sellout crowd of 102,455 on hand vs. Oklahoma.
- With tonight's sellout, UT has had a least one crowd of 100,000 in each of the past 20 seasons.
- Vol fans set a Neyland Stadium record for the loudest game, hitting 114 decibels in the second quarter.
- UT improved its streak to 262 consecutive games with a score dating back to Sept. 17, 1994. It's the fourth-longest active streak in FBS, 10th-longest in history.
- Butch Jones is 63-41 overall and 13-14 as head coach of the Vols.
- This is the first game at Neyland between ranked teams since Sept. 15, 2012, when #18 Florida beat #23 Tennessee, 37-20.
- Today's game marks Tennessee's first non-conference game at home with two ranked teams since the 2006 opener, as #23 Tennessee beat #9 Cal, 35-18 on Sept. 2, 2006.
Tennessee Captains
- Serving as captains for Tennessee today were Joshua Dobbs, Brian Randolph and Curt Maggitt.
- Tennessee won the toss and deferred to the second half.
- The Vols are now 1-1 on coin tosses this season, and have kicked off in their first two games this season.
- OU won the coin toss in the first overtime period and elected to play defense first.
- OU went on offense first in the second overtime period.
#VFL Legend of the Game
- Anthony Miller (1986-87) was today's VFL Legend of the Game.
- Miller was one of a core group of stellar wideouts that helped UT earn its #WRU moniker.
- Miller amassed 765 yards and five touchdowns on 57 catches in just 17 career games for the Vols.
- The five-time Pro-Bowl selection went on to enjoy a 10-year NFL career, splitting time between the Chargers, Broncos and Cowboys.
For Starters
- Redshirt senior defensive tackle Owen Williams got the first start of his career.
- That makes six players getting their first starts this season.
Vols Making Their Debuts
- Senior receiver Pig Howard made his season debut, catching a pass for eight yards and recording one rush for 12 yards.
Working Overtime
- This was the 17th overtime game in Tennessee history, and the Vols fell to 11-6 in those contests.
- This was the ninth OT game at Neyland Stadium, and the Big Orange is 6-3.
- Tennessee has lost its last three home overtime games since a 27-21 win over Vanderbilt on Nov. 19, 2011.
- This is Tennessee's seventh multiple overtime game, and the Vols are now 4-3 in those games, including 2-2 at home.
- Butch Jones is 2-3 all-time as a head coach in overtime games, including 1-2 at Tennessee.
Vols In Home Openers
- The Vols are 94-19-5 (.818) in home openers dating back to 1892.
- Until tonight's loss, Tennessee had won 20 consecutive home openers, dating back to a 1995 win over East Carolina.
- The last time UT hosted a ranked team in a home opener was the 2006 lid-lifter, when the #23 Vols beat #9 Cal, 35-18.
- Since 1933, when Tennessee joined the Southeastern Conference, the Vols have faced a `Power 5' opponent in 37 home-opening games.
- The Vols are 20-15-3 in those games, including a 7-8-1 mark against current SEC members.
- Tonight's game marks UT's first-ever home-opener on Sept. 12 -- a date on which the Vols are now 2-3 all-time.
UT-OU Series History
- Tennessee and Oklahoma faced each other for only the fourth time in history and the first occasion in Knoxville.
- The Sooners hold a 3-1 lead in the series.
- OU beat UT, 34-10, last season in Norman on Sept. 13, 2014.
- The Vols' lone win in the series came in the 1939 Orange Bowl, a 17-0 win, which sealed Tennessee's 1938 National Championship.
- Tennessee is 9-8 all-time vs. the 10 current members of the Big 12.
How The Vols Scored
- Sophomore kicker Aaron Medley connected on a 19-yard field goal with 9:51 remaining in the opening period to put UT on top, 3-0.
- Junior quarterback Joshua Dobbs hit sophomore receiver Josh Malone on a nine-yard scoring strike with 1:56 to go in the first period. Medley added the PAT to boost UT's lead to 10-0 over the Sooners.
- Dobbs scored a TD of his own from four yards out with 12:14 to go before the half. Medley added the PAT to push the home team's lead to 17-0.
- In the first overtime, Jalen Hurd carried eight yards into the end zone for Tennessee. Medley hit the PAT to give the Vols a 24-17 lead.
Offense
- Dating back to the final game of the 2013 season, Tennessee is 6-2 with Joshua Dobbs starting under center.
- Tennessee was 3-of-3 in the red zone in the first half and 1-of-1 in the first overtime period to improve to 12-of-13 this season.
- Josh Malone caught a nine-yard scoring pass from Joshua Dobbs in the opening quarter, his first TD reception of the season and second of his career.
- Dobbs registered his second rushing touchdown this season and 11th for his career when he scored from four yards out in the second stanza.
- Sophomore running back Jalen Hurd averaged 5.1 yards per carry in the first half and finished with 66 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
- After rushing for three touchdowns last week vs. Bowling Green, Hurd added his fourth of the season, scoring from eight yards out in the first overtime period.
- Redshirt sophomore receiver Josh Smith led the Vols in receiving, snagging four balls for 56 yards with a long of 20.
Hurd For A Hundred
- Jalen Hurd recorded his second 100-yard game of the season, finishing with 106 on 24 carries with a touchdown.
- Hurd now has six career 100-yard rushing games, including the last three games he has played.
- For the season, Hurd is averaging 114.5 yards per game, carrying 47 times for 229 yards and four touchdowns.
Favorable Field Position
- Tennessee started four of its eight first-half possessions at no worse than its own 35.
- Two of UT's drives started at its own 49, with one ending with a field goal and the other a touchdown.
- Another began at the UT 45, and UT scored a TD on that drive as well.
- The Vols had only two such starting points in the second half and overtime (UT 44 & UT 41) in nine offensive opportunities.
Defensively Speaking
- Sophomore strong safety Todd Kelly Jr. came up with the Vol defense's first big play of the day, an interception of a Baker Mayfield pass and a four-yard return to the UT 49 with 13:01 remaining in the first quarter. It was Kelly's and UT's first pick of the year.
- Kelly added his second interception of the night with :34 remaining in the third, when he stepped in front of a Mayfield pass and had a one-yard return. Kelly now has five picks for his career and collected his (and UT's) second INT of the season.
- The last UT player with two or more interceptions in a game was Brian Randolph vs. Western Kentucky on Sept. 7, 2013.
- Kelly also posted a career-best eight tackles vs. Oklahoma. His previous best was six vs. Missouri on Nov. 22, 2014.
- Tennessee now has forced turnovers in 17 of its last 20 games and now has 52 takeaways under Butch Jones.
- The Vols have forced multiple turnovers in 16 of their last 26 games.
- UT's stop-troops held OU to 0-for-4 on third down conversions in the first half until the Sooners finally converted one with 11:06 left in the second quarter.
- For the first half, Oklahoma finished 1-for-8 on third down conversion attempts and 0-for-1 on fourth down tries. They were successful on 8-of-12 the rest of the way to finish 9-of-20.
- Tennessee didn't allow Oklahoma on the scoreboard until 4:56 remained in the first half, as kicker Austin Seibert knocked home a 35-yard field goal.
- Outside linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin led Tennessee with a career-high 21 tackles (13 solo). His previous high for total tackles was 13 vs. Iowa in the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl.
- A.J. Johnson was the last Vol with 20 or more tackles, registering 21 vs. Mississippi State in 2012.
- Sophomore defensive end Derek Barnett was in on a career-best 15 stops. His previous best was 10 vs. Ole Miss on Oct. 18, 2014.
- Reeves-Maybin and Barnett had UT's only sacks of the evening and Reeves-Maybin also forced a fumble.
- UT defenders had five pass break-ups, including two by sophomore cornerback Emmanuel Moseley.
Special Teams
- Aaron Medley's 19-yard field goal put Tennessee on top, 3-0, with 9:51 to go in the first quarter.
- Medley missed from 48 yards out with 13:25 to go in the third.
- He is now 2-of-5 this season and 22-of-31 for his career on field goal attempts.
- Medley kicked off four times, forcing touchbacks three times. He has eight touchbacks this season and 23 for his career.
- Redshirt sophomore Trevor Daniel averaged 50.0 on nine punts, booming kicks of 52, 58, 61, 55 and 51 yards to bump his total to six over +50 this season.
Upon Further Review
- Three plays have been reviewed this season, with two benefitting the Vols and one not affecting Tennessee's situation.
- In the first quarter vs. Oklahoma, sophomore Vols tight end Ethan Wolf caught a pass and was ruled down at the OU one. The play was reviewed and confirmed by the replay official.
- Also in the opening stanza, Sooner quarterback Baker Mayfield's nine-yard completion to Durron Neal at the OU19 was reviewed. The call on the field was overturned, resulting in an incomplete pass.
- Daniel pinned OU at its own six yard-line in the first quarter, marking his second this year inside the 10.
- That punt and two others in the third quarter vs. OU gave him four inside the 20 this season.
- Medley is 3-of-3 on PATs vs. Oklahoma, boosting his totals to 11-of-11 this season and 53-of-54 for his career.
Vols Trending
- OUvsTENN was trending on Twitter.
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