DALLAS (Jan. 1, 2001) - Leading 21-14 at the half, Kansas State scored on its first two possessions of the third quarter and held Tennessee scoreless until the final minutes to take a 35-21 victory in the 65th annual Cotton Bowl Classic on a cold and snowy day in Texas.

The Wildcats jumped to a 7-0 first quarter lead, but the Vols rallied to tie the game on a 17-yard pass from freshman quarterback Casey Clausen to wideout David Martin in the second period. Kansas State then parlayed two TD passes from game MVP Jonathan Beasley to wideout Quincy Morgan, 56 and 10 yards, respectively, to lead 21-7 midway in the second quarter.

Kansas State appeared headed for more late in the second quarter, when defensive tackle Chavis Smith tipped a Beasley pass and Jabari Greer took the interception back 78 yards for a score. K-State's 21-14 lead at the half didn't last long once the third quarter started.

The Wildcats' two third quarter scores came entirely on the ground in the first 4:54 of the third quarter. It remained 35-14 until Travis Henry, who ran for 180 yards on 17carries, found daylight on a dash up the middle and outran everybody to the end zone.

The game marked the Vols' first appearance in the Cotton Bowl overall and first since 1990. It was also the Vols' first game against Kansas State.

Scoring Summary

KSU - Beasley, 14 run (Rheem kick)
TENN - D. Martin, 17 pass from Clausen (Walls kick)
KSU - Morgan, 56 pass from Beasley (Rheem kick)
KSU - Morgan, 10 pass from Beasley (Rheem kick)
TENN - Greer, 78 interception run (Walls kick)
KSU - Scobey, 12 run (Rheem kick)
KSU - Scobey, 6 run (Rheem kick)
TENN - Henry, 81 run (Walls kick)