Hardesty SEC's Leading Rusher

Senior tailback Montario Hardesty is finally the feature back in Tennessee's offense after three seasons as a backup. In four starts during the 2009 season, Hardesty has produced the four largest single-game rushing efforts of his career and scored four touchdowns.

The New Bern, N.C., native is averaging 121.3 yards per game and 5.8 yards per carry. He currently ranks eighth in the nation and atop the SEC in rushing yards per game. He is on pace for 1,818 rushing yards in 2009.

Hardesty has reeled off 16 runs of 10 yards or more, including three 20-plus yard treks and a career-long 43-yard touchdown run.

He became the 27th back in school history to eclipse the career 1,500-yard mark with a 140-yard effort vs. Ohio and now ranks 26th in school history with 1,531 yards.

Hardesty rushed for 1,046 yards in his first three seasons and worked primarily as a goal line back in 2008, scoring six touchdowns.

Thanks in large part to Hardesty, the Vols are rolling up an average of 197 yards per game on the ground through four contests and have scored seven rushing touchdowns.

The Vols ranked sixth in the SEC and 31st in the nation in rushing offense.

Berry-Jackson Duo Dominant at Safety

As if having one dominant player roaming the defensive backfield wasn't enough, Tennessee has found a standout true freshman to join All-America junior safety Eric Berry in the UT secondary.

Janzen Jackson has started three games at free safety and registered 12 tackles, a pass break-up and a fumble recovery while quickly earning a reputation as a fearless and bruising tackler.

Berry snagged his 13th career interception vs. Florida, making him the active career leader in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision along with Greg James of Louisiana-Monroe and Morgan Burnett of George Tech.

Berry has been among UT's top three tacklers in three of four games and posted double-digit tackle efforts vs. UCLA and Florida.

He currently ranks ninth in the SEC in tackles with 31 (7.8 per game).

O-Line Breaks In Two New Starters vs. Ohio

Tennessee has battled inexperience and injuries to its offensive line throughout fall camp and the 2009 season. The Vols entered the season with an experienced starter returning in three of the five offensive line positions, but were forced to go with a new lineup vs. Ohio that featured Jarrod Shaw moving from right tackle to left gaurd and redshirt freshman Aaron Douglas earning his first career start in his place.

In all, the three returning lettermen have combined for 56 starts and are led by senior Chris Scott's 30-game start streak. Cody Sullins and Jarrod Shaw are both first-year starters.

Brown Continues to Impress

Complimenting senior tailback Montario Hardesty in the UT backfield is true freshman Bryce Brown, who signed with Tennessee as the No. 1-ranked recruit in the nation in the 2009 class.

This season, Brown has carried 43 times for 215 yards and one touchdown, good for an average of five yards per carry. He has also shown flashes as a pass-catcher with seven catches for 102 yards and a score.

In the Ohio game, Brown led the Vols in receiving yards for the second-straight game and produced 116 yards of total offense (56 rushing, 60 receiving). Through four games, Brown is averaging 6.34 yards per offensive touch.

In the WKU game, Brown and fellow true freshman tailback David Oku became the first freshmen runners to score a touchdown in their debut since Aaron Hayden and James Stewart did so vs. Louisville in 1991.

Vols Need Playmaker to Emerge at WR

Through four games, Tennessee is still searching for its go-to receiver. Quarterback Jonathan Crompton has completed a pass to 14 different receivers, but no receiver is averaging more than two catches per game. Senior Quintin Hancock, who missed the Ohio game with a broken jaw, is the only Volunteer to have at least 10 receptions this season.

Junior wideout Gerald Jones, UT's top receiver in 2008, returned to the regular rotation at Florida and has caught just three passes in two games. Jones missed the season opener with an ankle injury and played sparingly vs. UCLA.

Junior Denarius Moore, UT's deep threat in 2008, caught four passes for 47 yards vs. Ohio after catching only one pass in the first three games. Moore was also hampered by an injury early in the year.

The Vols started true freshmen Marsalis Teague and Nu'Keese Richardson in the Ohio game, and the two combined for two receptions and 19 yards.

Tracking The True Freshmen

Tennessee has played multiple true freshmen in each of its first three games. The Vols played 11 true freshmen vs. Western Kentucky, eight in the UCLA game, nine at Florida and seven vs. Ohio. Among those freshmen in all four games were offensive standouts Bryce Brown, David Oku, Nu'Keese Richardson and Marsalis Teague.

The four are combining to average 208 all-purpose yards per game. All four rank in the top six on the team in individual all-purpose yardage. Richardson averaged 19 yards per kickoff return in four attempts vs. Ohio, while Brown led the team in receiving yards for the second-straight game.

Lincoln Sixth All-Time at UT

After starting off the 2008 season a shaky one-of- four in field goal attempts, UT placekicker Daniel Lincoln has hit eight of his last 10 attempts dating to the 2008 Vanderbilt game.

He converted on a career-long field 49-yard field goal to seal Tennessee's win over Ohio and is six-of-seven on the season.

His two field goals against UCLA moved him into a tie for seventh on the UT career field goals list with 33 conversions and his two makes vs. Florida moved him alone into sixth place with 35 career conversions. He now stands at 37 career makes.

Through his career, Lincoln is averaging1.32 field goals per game, which puts him on pace to kick 63 in his UT career. That number would make him second on the all-time UT list behind Fuad Reveiz's 71 career conversions.

With his two kicks in each of the last three games, Lincoln now has 14 multiple field goal games in his career.

The Ocala, Fla., native earned All-America honors in 2007 after converting 21 of 28 field goal attempts and scoring a school record 112 points.

Kiffin's Defense Strong Through Four Games

Through four contests, the Tennessee defense ranks statistically among the best in the Southeastern Conference and the nation in passing defense, rushing defense and total defense. The Vols are ranked 11th in the nation and third in the league at 146 passing yards per game and 15th in the nation and second in the league at 87 rushing yards per game. Tennessee is eighth nationally and third in the SEC in total defense at 233 yards per game. The Vols also rank second in the SEC in tackles for loss with 30.

The Vols held Ohio to just 21 total rushing yards and minus-1 rushing yard in the first half.

In the UCLA contest, the Vols did not allow the Bruins a first down on six of 13 possessions and posted five tackles for loss and two sacks.

In the season opener vs. WKU, Monte Kiffin's defense allowed 83 yards of total offense and posted 12 tackles for loss and five sacks.

Defensive Line Making Plays

The UT defensive line was expected to be somewhat of a question mark entering the 2009 season, but through two games, the Vols are among the national leaders in sacks and tackles for loss.

Tennessee's 10 sacks and 25 tackles for loss rank in the top 20 nationally. The defensive line is responsible for 10.5 of the TFLs and eight of the 10 sacks.

Chris Walker has emerged as the star of the unit, posting two sacks at Florida to give him four on the season. That mark ranks seventh in the nation.

The unit also features seniors Dan Williams and Wes Brown inside along with juniors Ben Martin and Gerald Williams on the ends. Freshmen Montori Hughes and Willie Bohannon along with senior Andre Mathis provide depth in the group.

UT Defense Stingy in Fourth Quarter

Through four games, the Tennessee defense has allowed just three points to be scored in the fourth quarter. The Vols opened the season by playing 49 fourth-quarter minutes without allowing a point before surrendering a field goal to Ohio.

McCoy Returns to Form vs. Ohio

Rico McCoy tied for the team lead with eight tackles including a shared tackle for loss vs. Ohio. It was the first time this season McCoy has been the Vols' top tackler, though he had done so 13 times in the previous three seasons.

McCoy is currently second on the team with 28 tackles from his weakside linebacker position. He finished the 2008 season second on the team with 87 stops.

Defense Relying on New Faces

UT defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin certainly has leadership and experience he can depend on within his unit. The Vols, however, are also relying heavily on a number of players who have not contributed in past seasons or are new to the program.

The UT participation report from the UCLA game, the Vols' first true test of the season, noted six new starters and an additional 10 backups who had not previously played significant snaps in their careers. Among those 16 players, 10 were either true freshmen, redshirt freshmen or sophomores.

At Florida, the Vols saw another new face step up as true freshman Greg King filled in nicely for an injurued LaMarcus Thompson at linebacker, posting one tackle for loss.

In the Ohio game, Tennessee turned to true freshman Nigel Mitchell-Thornton at middle linebacker after senior and team captain Nick Reveiz was lost for the season with a knee injury. Mitchell-Thornton finished the game with five tackles and a quarterback hurry. King earned his first start of the season and posted six tackles and a PBU. Andre Mathis earned his first career start at defensive tackle but did not make a stop.