Orange crushed
Tennessee squeezes past Syracuse on last-second FG
Posted: Saturday September 05, 1998 06:20 PM
| |
Successful debut: Despite trouble throwing the football, Martin did what was needed to get the win AP |
SYRACUSE, New York (AP) - It's Tee time at Tennessee.
Tee Martin, understudy the past two years to Peyton Manning,
threw for two touchdowns and ran for one Saturday as the No. 10
Volunteers eked out a 34-33 victory over mistake-prone Syracuse.
Jeff Hall won it with a 27-yard field goal as time expired, but
it was Martin who wouldn't let Tennessee lose.
Brash from the beginning of his first college start despite
completing just 9-of-26 passes for 143 yards, Martin took advantage
of crucial penalties by No. 17 Syracuse all day and committed only
one turnover.
"I think he stepped out of the shadows of Peyton Manning,"
said Peerless Price, who caught scoring passes of 12 and 8 yards
from Martin. "He put a lot of questions about his talents and
skills away."
The toughest call against Syracuse came in the final two minutes
with the Orangemen clinging to a 33-31 lead, and it turned the game
around. Cornerback Will Allen, one of seven new starters on defense
for Syracuse, was called for interference on Martin's fourth-down
incompletion and the Vols had an unexpected new life.
"We had it locked," Syracuse safety Jason Poles said. "The
players were out there playing. Let the players play. It seemed
like we weren't just playing Tennessee today. We were playing
Tennessee and the refs.'
The flag was late falling, and it came from a ref not close to
the play.
"I actually think it took them too long to call it," said
Martin, whose fumble moments earlier had led to Nate Trout's
19-yard field goal that put Syracuse up 33-31 with 2:38 left. "I
started to panic a little bit, but I know it was a good call and it
kept our drive going."
Syracuse, which was assessed eight penalties for 79 yards,
suddenly was reeling, and Martin hit Price with a 17-yard
completion to the Syracuse 26. Jamal Lewis's 13-yard run then set
up Hall's winning kick from point-blank range.
Heisman hopeful: Donovan McNabb completed
22-of-28 passes for 300 yards and two TDs and also ran for a score AP | |
"I think he [Martin] did a good job considering everything,"
Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said. "It was big that he was able
to avoid turnovers except the one."
It was a disheartening loss for Donovan McNabb, who completed 22-of-28 passes for 300 yards and two TDs and also ran for a score.
He did his best to shine in the national spotlight against an elite
team.
"Everyone says I did a great job today, but it really doesn't
matter," McNabb said. "If you look at the scoreboard, we lost. I
thought the game was over [on the fourth-down incompletion by
Martin]. It's just something I think we'll always remember. We
still had the opportunity to stop them, we just couldn't get it
done. Penalties got us down today."
The Orangemen lost despite holding the ball for more than 35
minutes. And they found themselves in familiar surroundings.
Another early-season loss, and now having to prepare for defending
national champion Michigan.
"Things didn't go our way, but we just have to get back and see
what we need to do to win," McNabb said. "The penalties and
mistakes are frustrating. They held us back and we have to correct
them."
It appeared more than once that Syracuse would win in the waning
moments. With the Orangemen trailing 24-13 early in the fourth
quarter and reeling, McNabb hit Kevin Johnson with a 17-yard
scoring pass to pull the Orangemen within 24-19.
That awoke the capacity crowd inside the Carrier Dome from its
slumber and Tennessee sputtered, punting after three plays. But
Martin's 56-yard run on a third-and-10 play quickly silenced them.
If Martin was nervous, it never showed. On his first play from
scrimmage, Martin attempted a 30-yard pass to Price. It was off the
mark, but it didn't dissuade coach Fulmer from trying some more,
and in the end it paid off.
"I never was overexcited coming into the game," Martin said.
"After the first snap I was fine."
Lewis, who scored on a 2-yard run in the third quarter, led
Tennessee with 141 yards rushing on 20 carries, and Price caught
six passes for 87 yards.
McIntosh led Syracuse with 15 carries for 60 yards. Rob Konrad
finished with 10 carries for 48 yards and caught five passes for 63
yards. Kevin Johnson led the Syracuse receivers with six catches
for 92 yards and Quinton Spotwood had five catches for 64 yards.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
| 
MULTIMEDIA
