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Nov. 17, 2008
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Raycom / Vol Network Stations / XM Radio: 199 / Sirius Radio: 215 / TeamLine / GameTracker / Live Audio / Live Video Streaming
GAME 11: Vols Face Vanderbilt in Final Road Tilt
TENNESSEE-VANDERBILT SERIES HISTORY & NOTESTennessee leads the all-time series with Vanderbilt 69-27-5, and the Vols hold a 34-17-4 advantage in Nashville. Phillip Fulmer is 14-1 in his tenure vs. the Commodores and 7-0 in Nashville. The 2007 contest in Knoxville was won the by the Vols 25-24, thanks to clutch field-goal kicking from sophomore Daniel Lincoln. Vanderbilt's last win in the series was the 2005 game, a 28-24 victory also in Knoxville. Four Vols on the Tennessee two-deep depth chart hail from the midstate area. Freshman fullback Ben Bartholomew, senior defensive tackle Walter Fisher and junior wideout Austin Rogers are from Nashville, while senior defensive back Marsalous Johnson is from nearby Smyrna. BERRY'S STAR BRIGHTENING AS VOLS FIGHT TO FINISHSophomore safety Eric Berry snagged his FBS-best sixth interception of the season in the third quarter of the South Carolina game and added a 45 yard return to it. The pick was the 11th of his career, which tied him for 11th in school history in that category. The return gave him 442 career interception return yards, which extended his SEC record and moved him within 59 yards of the NCAA record held by Terrell Buckley of Florida State (501 yards). He now has 220 interception return yards this season, which is just two yards shy of his school-record total from 2007 and only 24 yards from the SEC season record set by Florida's Joe Brodsky in 1956. Southern California's Charles Phillips set the major college season record in 1974 with 302 interception return yards. The Tennessee record for interceptions in a season is 10, but Berry is just one pick from tying for seventh on that list (7) and three picks from tying for second (9). Berry is tied atop the FBS this season with his six interceptions, but he is the only player on the list with more than 200 return yards. Only 12 other players have more than 100 return yards and just one other player has more than 175 yards. VOLS TIED FOR 11TH NATIONALLY WITH 15 INTERCEPTIONSThrough 12 weeks of NCAA play, Tennessee ranks tied for 11th nationally among FBS teams and second in the SEC with 15 interceptions. The Vols are averaging 1.5 interceptions per game and 24.2 yards per return. Seven different Vols have recorded picks thus far, but sophomore safety Eric Berry and senior cornerback DeAngelo Willingham lead the way with six and three interceptions, respectively. THREE MEMORABLE VOL PERFORMANCES vs. VANDERBILTIn Tennessee's 101 previous clashes with Vanderbilt, there have been some memorable Vol performances. Here are three of note: Tackling Tony?: Tony Thomspon, 1990 Not So Fast My Friend: Comeback, 1987 No Soup For You: Tennessee Defense, 1988 FOSTER TIED FOR THIRD ON CAREER RUSHING LISTSenior tailback Arian Foster moved into a third-place tie on the Tennessee career rushing chart during the South Carolina game. Foster carried 14 times for 56 yards in Columbia to improve his career rushing total to 2,852 yards, tying him with Johnnie Jones (1982-84) on the school's all-time list. Foster needs 38 yards to tie James Stewart (1991-94) for second place at 2,890 yards, and would need another 188 yards to pull even with Travis Henry (1997-2000) at 3,078 yards. The San Diego native also stands third on Tennessee's career all-purpose yardage list with 3,751. Stanley Morgan (1973-76) owns the school record with 4,642 yards, followed by Willie Gault (1979-82) at 4,035. FOSTER BOASTS TWO BIG GAMES VS. VANDYArian Foster has posted two of his best career games vs. the Commodores. He gained 140 total yards in the 2007 game (106 rushing, 34 receiving) and 263 total yards in the 2005 game (223 rushing, 45 receiving) while scoring two rushing touchdowns. VOLUNTEERS APPROACHING 775th ALL-TIME VICTORYOne of the winningest college football teams in America, Tennessee is just one win shy of notching its 775th all-time victory. Since the program's inception in 1891, UT has recorded 774 total victories. The Volunteers will become the ninth team ever (and second SEC team) to reach the 775-win milestone. Through games of Nov. 15, Michigan leads the nation with 872 wins. Notre Dame, Texas, Nebraska and Ohio State all have more than 800 win in their history. ROGAN CLIMBING KICK RETURN CHARTSSophomore defensive back Dennis Rogan returned three kickoffs for 80 yards vs. Wyoming and now stands in fifth place on UT's career kickoff return list with 1,022 total yards. Rogan's career average of 26.37 yards per kickoff return ranks 10th among all active FBS players. For his career, the Knoxville native has 1,229 combined kick and punt return yards and that mark puts him in ninth place on the Tennessee career list. Rogan is averaging 24.76 yards per kickoff return this season after posting the third-best single-season mark in school history last season at 29.5 yards per return. DEFENSE AMONG NATIONS BEST STATISTICALLYThrough 10 games, the Tennessee defense ranks among the nation's best in several statistical categories. The Vols are in the top 30 nationally in five categories.
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