University of Tennessee Athletics
Volunteers Edge Memphis 19-17
November 04, 2000 | Football
- (audio) Postgame Interview with Coach Fulmer
- Postgame Notes
- Postgame Quotes
- Photo Gallery
- Box Score
- Final Game Stat Book .pdf file
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| Alex Walls is congratulated by Bobby Graham after hitting the game-winning 34-yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining. |
Memphis (4-5) took a 17-16 lead on Scott Scherer's 24-yard touchdown pass to Billy Kendall with 2:56 left to play.
Tennessee's Leonard Scott returned the kickoff 44 yards to the Vols' 48. Travis Henry carried four straight plays to the Memphis 37, and Casey Clausen completed three short passes to David Martin to move it to the 17. Walls kicked the winning field goal on second down.
Tennessee (5-3) rallied to beat South Carolina last week on a touchdown with just 26 seconds left.
The victory was the second straight the Vols have pulled out late against Memphis; last year Tennessee scored with a minute left for a 17-16 win.
It looked as if the Tigers had returned the favor Saturday.
Memphis forced a Tennessee punt with five minutes left and Ryan Johnson returned it 50 yards to the Vols' 36.
Scherer completed a key 9-yard pass to Tripp Higgins on fourth-and-7 with 3:30 remaining. He lofted the 24-yard scoring pass to Kendall, who made the catch despite being interfered with by Tennessee safety Andre Lott, on the next play.
Tennessee had taken a 13-10 lead on a 93-yard drive in five plays in the third quarter. Clausen hit Donte' Stallworth for 60 yards and Martin for 19 before Travis Stephens dived in from the Tiger 1.
The Vols made it 16-10 on Walls' 27-yard field goal with 10 minutes left to play, setting up the hectic finish.
Clausen completed 19 of 30 passes for 224 yards, with an interception. Travis Henry led the Vols' rushing game with 50 yards against a defense ranked third in the nation.
Scherer was 15-of-27 for 137 yards and two touchdowns, the first a 10-yarder to Dernice Wherry in the first half.
The Tigers were held to 184 yards total offense, just 47 rushing.
Scherer completed 5 of 6 passes, including the score to Wherry, in an 82-yard drive in the second quarter to put the Tigers ahead 7-3.
Memphis padded the lead to 10-3 on Ryan White's 43-yard field goal on the last play of the first half. The score was set up when Tennessee's Rashad Baker fumbled a punt return and Wherry recovered.
