It took two overtimes, but the Tennessee Volunteers (2-2, 0-1 SEC) left the field Saturday in a blaze of glory after a 32-29 double overtime victory over the UAB Blazers (1-3, C-USA 0-1).
Vols quarterback Matt Simms completed 19-for-34 passes and threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning 25-yard strike to receiver Denarius Moore in the back of the end zone to clear the sidelines.
“I just tried to put it in a place where he could go up and get it and jump over the corner, and that is exactly what he did,” Simms said.
“Every overtime is unique, depending on how the game went,” Vols coach Derek Dooley said. “I think I’ve been in two now, I guess, as a head coach.”
The overtime thriller was Derek Dooley’s second career overtime game, with the other a loss at the hands of Hawaii, 45-44, during his tenure at Louisiana Tech on Sept. 8, 2007. In spite of his teams struggles, the UT head coach credited his team with never letting up.
“We’ve got to keep fighting and that’s all we can do,” Dooley said. “We won. I told the team I’ve got a policy that I’m never not going to celebrate a win, because they’re hard to come by.”
The Vols scored a season-high 23 points in the first half, and it appeared the Big Orange had control of the game heading into the locker room after Prentiss Wagner’s 9-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the second quarter gave the Vols a 23-7 lead at the half.
The Blazers came out aggressively in the second half, though, and slowly chipped away at the lead.
UAB quarterback David Isabelle found senior wideout Frantrell Forrest in the back of the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown pass, cutting the deficit to 23-13. UAB capped the score with a two-point conversion to put itself back in the game, 23-15.
Isabelle’s mobility and teammate Brian Ellis’s pocket presence were UAB’s offensive weapons.
Ellis completed 29-of-55 passes for 373 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while Isabelle completed 4-for-5 throws for 56 yards and a touchdown and ran 16 times for 73 yards. His 6-yard touchdown run to cut the Vols’ lead to 23-21 in the fourth quarter was followed by a successful two-point conversion, which tied the game at 23 with 9:12 in regulation.
Dooley credited the “field goal gods” for “pushing the ball around” on UAB kicker Josh Zahn, who missed all five regulation kicks he attempted, including a potential game-winning kick with 55 seconds left. He finished the game 2-for-7.
UT senior Daniel Lincoln’s leg, however, ended the Vols scoring drought in the first overtime. He finished 2-for-2 on the day.
The first quarter featured lots of firepower. The Vols’ offense got to work quickly on the scoreboard in the opening quarter, going 59 yards in nine plays and four minutes, and Simms capped the drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Denarius Moore to give UT the early 7-0 lead.
The Blazers missed a field goal, but after a defensive stand, Ellis found receiver Mike Jones for a 49-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at seven with 2:36 in the first quarter. Thirty seconds later, Simms hit Zach Rogers down the sideline for a 72-yard touchdown to give UT the lead back 14-7 with 2:13 to go.
The fireworks calmed down in the second quarter as both defenses picked up, and the only offensive scoring the Vols could manage was a 47-yard field goal by Lincoln. The senior is 3-for-3 on attempts beyond 45 yards this season.
