| |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |
KNOXVILLE, Tennessee (Ticker) -- Tee Martin accounted for 332 yards of offense and four touchdowns before leaving with a wrist injury as sixth-ranked Tennessee knocked off No. 9 Georgia, 37-20, in a key Southeastern Conference East Division contest. The Bulldogs (4-1, 2-1 SEC East) were knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten and fell into a three-way tie atop the division with Tennessee (4-1, 2-1) and Florida. Florida already has beaten Tennessee and can take control of the division with a win over Georgia on October 30 in Jacksonville, Florida. It was the third straight season Georgia entered the Tennessee game unbeaten and the third time the Bulldogs lost. They have lost nine straight to the Volunteers, the worst slide against any opponent in school history, allowing at least 22 points each time. The Bulldogs' last win in the series was a 28-17 triumph in Athens in 1988 and their most recent win in Knoxville was a 16-15 decision behind Herschel Walker in 1980. Tennessee is 17-10-2 all-time against Georgia. "This was a great win tonight," Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said. "We are an improving football team. The team played with passion tonight. We've got to get healthy the next two weeks. We had three very physical games and need a rest." Martin might need the most rest. The sore wrist sidelined him with 10 minutes left. He was icing it on the sidelines and will have it re-examined later in the week. Martin ran for three touchdowns and 49 yards on six carries while completing 21-of-35 passes for 283 yards, one TD and two interceptions. His replacement, freshman Joey Mathews, completed a 10-yard pass in his only attempt. "I was proud of Joey Mathews stepping up tonight," Fulmer said. "Tee had an incredible night." "It felt great to get in there," Mathews said. "Tee was banged up, then they called me in there. I was just trying to do what was best for the team and get first downs. Tee was a warrior." Martin capped a nine-play, 63-yard drive with a three-yard scoring run 4:18 into the game to make it 7-0, but the Bulldogs tied it with 1:57 left when Quincy Carter threw a 27-yard scoring pass to freshman Terrence Edwards. Georgia's drive covered a season-high 90 yards. Martin put the Vols ahead for good with 13:04 left in the second quarter on a 10-yard scoring pass to tailback Jamal Lewis, finishing off an 82-yard march. Lewis also ran for 79 yards on 22 carries. Martin scored on runs of six and one yard in the final 8:18 of the half to push the lead to 28-7. The drives were 65 and 82 yards, respectively. Cedrick Wilson caught eight passes for 107 yards and Eric Parker grabbed a career-high five for 69 yards as Tennesse put up 458 total yards to 282 for Georgia. "We played well as a team," Wilson said. "Tee kept fighting and fighting. He is the strength of our team. He is the key to our success. There is no limit to where we will be by the end of the season with him in there." Carter was 20-of-34 for 228 yards and two touchdowns and also ran for 26 yards on 12 carries. Edwards caught five passes for 95 yards but Jasper Sanks, the SEC's leading rusher, was limited to 37 yards on eight carries. "We are just going to have to go back to the drawing board and see what we can do," said Carter, who has gone 163 pass attempts without an interception. "We are not far away from winning against Tennessee. They are not the measuring stick. They had just lost to Florida. Right now the top teams all have one loss in the conference and we still have to play Florida. We still have some tough games down the line." The Vols built their lead to 23 points with 11:50 left in the third quarter when punter Wynn Kopp had the ball slip through his hands in the end zone. But despite the deficit, Georgia fought back. Carter finished a seven-play, 71-yard march with a four-yard scoring pass to tight end Jevaris Johnson and a missed two-point conversion left the score 30-13 with 14:16 left. On the ensuing possession, Martin was picked off by cornerback Jamie Henderson, who raced 49 yards for a touchdown, closing the gap to 30-20. "I was proud of the way we came back to make it 30-20," Georgia coach Jim Donnan said. However, the comeback was thwarted when freshman Leonard Scott returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. "I finally got a chance to do that," Scott said. "Once I got past the guy who hit my leg, I saw one left and knew I had to set up the block. I went left and juked right and went on by." "The kickoff coverage has been bad all year," Donnan said. "It's depressing for a thing like that to happen. ... Our pride is wounded. We showed a lot of grit, but it was poor when they returned the kickoff. We don't have a good record against the top two (Tennessee and Florida). They handled us on offense and defense. I never get frustrated, but I feel bad for the kids because they work so hard." Georgia was playing its first road game of the season and had its seven-game road winning streak stopped. The streak spanned back to its loss here in 1997. "We were able to play with Tennessee," Georgia defensive tackle Richard Seymour said. "The better team just won tonight."
|
