UT-BGSU Halftime Notes

Sept. 5, 2015

Tennessee Tidbits

A crowd of 61,323 made its way to Nashville’s Nissan Stadium for the season opener.
The matchup is the first between Tennessee and Bowling Green.
UT extended its streak to 261 consecutive games with a score dating back to Sept. 17, 1994. It’s the fourth-longest active streak in FBS, 10th-longest in history.
With the temperature recorded at 89 degrees at kickoff, today’s game was the hottest since Sept. 19, 2009, when the mercury reached 89 during a 23-13 loss to Florida in Gainesville.
UT is 5-0 all-time vs. current MAC schools, last beating Akron, 47-26 on 9/22/2012 at Neyland.
UT is 13-1 all-time against teams from the state of Ohio. The Vols lost to Cincinnati, 35-0, on Nov. 16, 1904, in Knoxville for the only setback.
Butch Jones is 23-4 all-time vs. MAC schools (20-3 at Central Michigan).
The Vols are playing at Nissan Stadium (LP Field/Adelphia Coliseum/The Coliseum) for the fifth time in history. They entered today’s game 3-1.
Tennessee is 40-20-4 all-time in the capital city. That mark consists primarily of a 37-18-4 mark against Nashville-resident and SEC rival Vanderbilt.

Tennessee is 88-24-6 (.771) all-time in 118 season openers.
Tennessee has won its last six season-openers and 18 of its last 20 dating back to 1995.
The Vols have won 20 consecutive season openers played in Tennessee, dating to 1986.
Tennessee is 5-1 in season-openers played on Sept. 5. Its only loss came to No. 10 Georgia in 1981.
Saturday’s contest vs. Bowling Green marks the second time the Vols have opened the season in Nashville. UT topped Wyoming 47-7 in the 2002 opener.
UT’s last loss to begin a season came in 2008 when the 18th-ranked Vols dropped a 27-24 decision to UCLA in Pasadena. That game also marked the last time Tennessee opened the year ranked.
The last time Tennessee began a season in a neutral site was 2012. UT opened that year with a 35-21 win over NC State in Atlanta.
Tennessee begins the season ranked for the first time since 2008 when it opened the year ranked No. 18 in the AP Poll.

Serving as captains for Tennessee today were Joshua Dobbs, Brian Randolph, Curt Maggitt and Jaylen Reeves-Maybin.
Bowling Green won the coin toss and chose to receive.

Five players got their first career starts for the Vols on Saturday afternoon.
DB Malik Foreman, WR Jauan Jennings, MLB Colton Jumper and DT Kendal Vickers were in the starting lineup for Tennessee.
On special teams, P Trevor Daniel hit the field for the first time.
Jennings, of nearby Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Blackman H.S.), got the start in his first career game as a Vol and caught a 19-yard pass on the team’s second play of the game.

Eight true freshmen saw action in the first quarter for the Vols, including WR Jauan Jennings, DB Micah Abernathy, DB Darrell Miller, LB Darrin Kirkland Jr., LB Quart’e Sapp, LB Austin Smith, DB Stephen Griffin and RB John Kelly.
Other true freshmen making their debuts included DL Shy Tuttle.
Three other Vols saw their first playing time for the Big Orange, including RB Alvin Kamara, P Trevor Daniel and RB Ralph David Abernathy IV.

UT reserve middle linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. nearly produced a safety by the Falcons in the first quarter, sacking quarterback Matt Johnson inside the one for a nine-yard loss.
Jalen Reeves-Maybin sacked Matt Johnson on third down for an 11-yard loss in the second quarter, short-circuiting a BGSU drive deep UT territory. The Falcons had to settle for a field goal.
Tennessee put the heat on BGSU quarterback Matt Johnson late in the first half, with Corey Vereen deflecting a pass and Danny O’Brien sacking Johnson for a seven-yard loss on successive plays. Cam Sutton came up with a hard hit on a short third-down reception by RB Travis Green to end the drive with BGSU facing fourth and 31 at its own four.

Jalen Hurd had his second consecutive and second overall multiple touchdown game, hitting paydirt three times vs. Bowling Green in the first half. He had two rushing TDs vs. Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl last season.
Hurd’s three rushing TDs are the most by a Vol in a game since Joshua Dobbs had three at South Carolina last season.
Prior to Hurd, Joshua Dobbs was the last player with two or more rushing TDs in the same game, doing so vs. Vanderbilt and then Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl.
Tennessee scored 21 points in an opening quarter for the second straight game. The Vols also lit up the scoreboard for three TDs in the TaxSlayer Bowl vs. Iowa.
Tennessee averaged 5.8 yards per carry in the first half, with Hurd rushing for 87 yards on 14 carries and Alvin Kamara netting 72 on 11 tries.

Sophomore kicker Aaron Medley was five of five on PATs in the first half.
Cameron Sutton had three punt returns for a career-high 102 yards in the first half, setting up three touchdowns.
Sutton set the Vols up in great position for their second TD of the game, returning a 59-yard BGSU punt 47 yards in the first quarter. It was the second longest punt return of his career behind a 76-yarder vs. Vanderbilt last season.
Sutton’s second punt return, a 34-yarder, set UT up at the BGSU 24 for another first quarter Big Orange touchdown.
Sutton had a 21-yard return late in the second quarter to set UT up at Bowling Green’s 29 with 1:04 to go. UT scored on an 11-yard pass from Joshua Dobbs to Ethan Wolf.
Redshirt sophomore Trevor Daniel boomed his second punt as a Vol 62 yards and averaged 47.5 per kick in the first half.