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Catching on Washington sets single-game receiving mark in Vols' win
Updated: Sunday September 30, 2001 1:44 AM
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Tennessee offense found itself, particularly the big-play receiver it's been missing. In the No. 7 Volunteers' 26-18 victory over No. 14 LSU on Saturday night, Kelley Washington was unstoppable. The 22-year-old freshman who spent four years playing professional baseball in the Florida Marlins system caught 11 passes for a school-record 256 yards and a touchdown, snapping the offense out of a season-long lethargy. All 11 passes were for first downs; five of them came on third down and one covered 70 yards for a touchdown. The 256 yards broke a 35-year-old school record held by Johnny Mills and was the third highest total in Southeastern Conference history. "I think about all the work I've done since I got here. I just feel it paid off tonight," Washington said. "It was just a special night." The Volunteers (3-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) avenged last year's overtime loss to the Tigers (2-1, 0-1) by scoring on their first three second-half possessions, including a 70-yard touchdown pass from Casey Clausen to Washington. "It was a tale of two halves," said Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer. "The defense played great in the first half and kept us in the game while the offense struggled. We started to execute in the second half." The Vols began to take control with an 82-yard drive in 16 plays to open the second half. The drive ended in Clausen's 3-yard run on a quarterback draw and took 7 1/2 minutes off the clock. LSU would have the ball less than eight minutes the entire half. "I was very disappointed in the second half," said LSU coach Nick Saban. "We could never get our defense off the field. Kelley Washington got every play they needed. He played a fantastic game. We could never get him covered. That was the key to the game." Rohan Davey hit Michael Clayton with a 67-yard touchdown pass on LSU's second possession. Between then and Tennessee taking a 26-7 lead early in the fourth quarter, the Vols defense, best in the nation in yards allowed, controlled the game. After it got to 26-7, Davey began to lead the Tigers back. He directed a 75-yard drive in six plays and just 75 seconds, scoring on a 30-yard pass to Josh Reed. A 2-point pass to Reed made it 26-15 with 10:13 left. Reed had seven catches for 125 yards. Davey, who was 21-of-43 for 356 yards and two TDs, drove the Tigers to a 25-yard field goal on their next possession, making it 26-18 with 3:12 remaining. LSU got one more chance, taking over at its 20 with 30 seconds left. A last-second heave into the end zone was incomplete. After Clausen's run gave the Vols a 12-7 lead, the long touchdown pass to Washington made it 19-7 with 2:32 left in the third. Travis Stephens capped a 70-yard drive in 10 plays the next time the Vols got the ball to make it 26-7. Stephens finished the night with 95 yards on 34 carries. The LSU offense moved smoothly at the start, driving into Tennessee territory with the opening kickoff. But Davey, sacked on a blitz, fumbled and Tennessee recovered. The Tigers finished the job on their next offensive play. After a Tennessee punt, Davey hit Clayton with a 67-yard pass on a blown coverage by the Volunteers secondary for a 7-0 lead less than five minutes into the game. The lead could have been greater in the first quarter, when Clausen threw two interceptions and the Vols offense was generally inept. But the Tigers could go nowhere. The Vols closed to 7-6 at halftime on a pair of second-quarter field goals by Alex Walls, covering 42 and 44 yards. Clausen finished 18-of-38 for 309 yards.
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