McCoy Continues Dominant Play

Senior linebacker Rico McCoy continues to be a factor on the defensive side of the ball despite many of his position mates missing games due to injury. McCoy led the team in tackles for the fifth-straight game vs. South Carolina, posting 10 stops and adding two forced fumbles.

The Washington, D.C., native has notched doubledigit tackle efforts in three of his last four games and has led the team in stops 19 times in his career.

McCoy also has four forced fumbles through eight games, which ranks second nationally and atop the SEC.

He leads the team and ranks third in the SEC with 75 stops (9.3 per game) after posting 87 (7.3 per game) last season.

McCoy also reached the career 300-tackle mark vs. South Carolina. He has 306 in four seasons on Rocky Top and could climb into the all-time UT top 10 in total tackles with 26 more stops this season.

Crompton Continues Solid Play

Senior quarterback Jonathan Crompton has made strides in his last four games after struggling through three of the first four contests this season.

In his last four games, the Waynesville, N.C., native has completed 73 of 130 (.561) passes for 966 yards and nine touchdowns vs. two interceptions. In those four games, Crompton averaged 242 yards through the air and an interception every 65 attempts.

Through the season's first four games, Crompton had completed 62 of 105 (.590) passes for 641 yards and seven touchdowns vs. eight interceptions. Those numbers work out to an average of 160.25 yards per game and an interception every 13 attempts.

In the last four games, Crompton has a quarterback rating of 138.34, while in the previous three games his rating stood at 88.44.

After struggling through the 2008 season and the early portion of the 2009 season, Crompton finds himself in position to become on of UT's top ten passers of all time.

He has 3,004 career passing yards, which ranks 14th in program history. He needs just 367 passing yards in the last four or five games to reach 10th on the all-time list.

Vols Finding Big-Play Potential

Tennessee has produced 20 plays of 20 yards or more in the last four games, and six of those plays have gone for touchdowns. In the previous three games, the Vols managed just eight plays of 20 yards or more.

In the South Carolina and Alabama contests combined, Tennessee posted eight 20-plus yard plays and 13 additional plays that gained between 10 and 19 yards.

The Vols have scored 11 touchdowns in their last three games, and the average number of plays on those scoring drives has been five plays. On six of the 11 scores, UT took five plays or less to find paydirt.

In four games prior to the Georgia contest , the Vols produced only three touchdown drives of five plays or less, and one came off a UCLA turnover in its own red zone.

Moore, Jones Excel after Early Season Injuries

Junior wideout Gerald Jones caught just three passes in his first three games of the season after sitting out the Western Kentucky game due to injury. In the last four games, Jones has caught 21 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns.

He set a career high for receptions with seven in the Auburn and Alabama games and set a career high for receiving yards with 105 in the Georgia game.

Senior Denarius Moore has also overcome early season injuries to become a threat in the passing game.

Moore made only one catch for four yards in the season's first three games, but he has posted 18 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns in the last five contests.

After using three different starting lineups at wide receiver in the first five games, Moore and Jones have each started the last three contests and combined for 25 catches, 380 yards and four touchdowns.

Hardesty Among SEC's Top Backs

In eight starts during the 2009 season, senior tailback Montario Hardesty has averaged 105.1 yards per game and scored eight rushing touchdowns.

He posted 121 yards on 23 carries and scored twice in UT's romp over South Carolina. It was his third 100-yard game this season and his second career multi-touchdown effort.

The New Bern, N.C., native currently ranks 19th in the nation and fourth in the SEC in rushing yards per game. He is on pace for 1,261 rushing yards in 2009, which would rank as the sixth-best single-season performance in school history.

Hardesty has reeled off 26 runs of 10 yards or more, including six 20-plus yard treks and touchdown runs of 39 and 43 yards. His eight rushing touchdowns are tied for second in the SEC.

He became the 27th back in school history to eclipse the career 1,500-yard mark with a 140-yard effort vs. Ohio on Sept. 27. He now ranks 16th in school history with 1,887 yards. Hardesty has scored 21 career rushing touchdowns, which is tied for 10th in program history. Thanks in large part to Hardesty, the Vols are rolling up an average of 172 yards per game on the ground and have scored 12 rushing touchdowns.

Fullbacks...Catching Touchdowns?

Tennessee had two fullbacks catch touchdown passes in the South Carolina game. Sophomore Austin Johnson caught a 38-yard pass for the Vols' first score and junior Kevin Cooper snagged a 2-yard pass for UT's third score of the game.

It had been a total of 59 games and more than 3,700 offensive snaps since a UT fullback caught a touchdown pass. The last UT fullback to do so was Cory Anderson in the first quarter of the 2005 Cotton Bowl vs. Texas A&M.

Vols Dominant in Fourth Quarter

Through eight games, the Tennessee defense is allowing an average of 59.5 yards per game and two points per contest in the fourth quarter. The Vols have allowed just 16 points to be scored in the fourth quarter while scoring 76.

UT opened the season by playing 49 fourth-quarter minutes without allowing a point before surrendering a field goal to Ohio. After giving up a touchdown and a field goal to Auburn in the final frame, the Vols returned to form, giving up 180 total yards and three points while forcing three turnovers in the last three games combined.

Defense's Touchdown Streak Snapped at Two-Plus Games

Tennessee surrendered its first touchdown to an opposing offense in the third quarter of the South Carolina game when the Gamecock's Moe Brown caught a 31- yard TD pass from Stephen Garcia.

Prior to that play, the Vols had played 10 full quarters and more than 175 minutes without allowing an opponent into the endzone.

The Vols have surrendered just eight touchdowns to opposing offenses this season. That mark is tied for second in the SEC and the nation behind Florida (6).

Berry A Standout in New Role

Junior defensive back Eric Berry entered the 2009 campaign in search of the school record for career interceptions and the NCAA record for career interception return yards, but a change in coordinators has forced Berry into a new role playing closer to the line of scrimmage.

While Berry is second nationally among active players in interceptions with 13, he is also second on the team and eighth in the Southeastern Conference in tackles with 57, an average of 7.1 per game. He is also third on the team in tackles for loss with five for nine yards. In his first two seasons, Berry averaged six stops per game and 5.25 tackles for loss per season.

He tied his career high with 14 stops vs. Auburn, and has posted three double-digit tackle games this season and seven in his career.

He returned to his old big-play self in the Georgia and Alabama games, posting a 46-yard fumble return that set up UT's final score vs. Georgia and forcing and recovering a crucial fumble in the fourth quarter at Alabama. He has 101 career fumble return yards on three returns.

Williams Making Strides on D-Line

Senior defensive tackle Dan Williams has posted 22 tackles in the last four games after posting only 16 in the first four games of the season. Williams also has seven quarterback hurries, a sack and two tackles for loss in the last four games.

Williams posted 48 tackles last season, and he is on pace to notch 58 in the 2009 campaign.

Kiffin's Defense Making Mark Each Game

Through eight games, the Tennessee defense ranks 15th nationally in passing defense and 13th nationally in total defense. The Vols are surrendering 173.88 passing yards per game and 281.63 total yards per game. The cumulative stats through eight games are impressive, but the UT defense has produced at least one eye-catching statistic in each game this season.

Western Kentucky: Allowed 83 yards of total offense and posted 12 tackles for loss and five sacks.

UCLA: Did not allow the Bruins a first down on six of 13 possessions.

at Florida: Posted eight tackles for loss and three sacks while holding Gators to lowest passing yardage total of the season.

Ohio: Held Ohio to just 21 total rushing yards and one rushing yard in the first half

Auburn: Held Tigers to their then-lowest point total of the season and allowed just two touchdowns, then a season-low for Auburn.

Georgia: Did not allow Bulldogs into the red zone and surrendered just 85 total yards in the second half.

at Alabama: Did not allow Crimson Tide a touchdown and forced two fourth-quarter three-and-outs.

South Carolina: Forced four turnovers, which was a season high for both the Vols and the Gamecock offense.