Tyler Bray’s first start at quarterback proved successful for Tennessee as the Vols (3-6, 0-5 SEC) cruised to a 50-14 win over the Memphis Tigers in Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
Bray threw for 325 yards and completed touchdown passes to five different receivers, all of which came in the first half. The freshman set the record for most passing yards in a half at Tennessee with 308 yards, and his accuracy picked apart the Memphis secondary for most of the night.
The Tigers (1-8, 0-5 C-USA) came into the game with some offensive woes of their own and a defense that had been playing sub-par, ranking second to last in the nation in pass defense. The Tigers still managed to open the gates in a frenzy, stunning the Volunteers early.
Bray and the white-clad Vols took the field for the first drive of the game but could not come up with points, turning the ball over on downs to Memphis with a stuffed Tauren Poole run up the middle on fourth-and-2. This gave the ball to the Tigers on their own 38, which they used as an opportunity to go right down Tennessee’s throat on a well-crafted eight-play, 64-yard drive resulting in a 4-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Williams to Marcus Rucker.
“Yeah, they punched us in the mouth that first quarter,” said UT coach Derek Dooley. “They came out, and we didn’t finish a drive. Then, they went right down the field.
“We were a little bit rattled. I had to calm them down. They were starry-eyed and jumpy. And then we settled in and did a good job. We got turnovers, which is what we’ve been needing all season. And, when we get turnovers, like any team, we play well.”
Rucker, who also caught a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, would be the Tigers’ only receiver to score in the game. Williams 18-of-27 for 221 yards on the night, surprising the orange and white fans who came out in heavy numbers to see the Vols snap a four-game losing streak.
The stat of the night was the Volunteers’ offensive production at the midway point. Tennessee amassed 398 total yards of offense and saw touchdown catches of 14, 22 and 9 yards — all in the second quarter — from Bray to Denarius Moore, Da’Rick Rodgers and Gerald Jones respectively. The Vols’ offense scored on every possession in the first half except the first.
Jones, a senior wide receiver and veteran leader for the Volunteers, raved about the offensive production and efficiency his young quarterback possessed throughout the game.
“That’s his forte, that’s what he does,” Jones said, referring to Bray’s long-ball capability and distributing passes around the field. “Tyler makes the game easy.”
Jones went as far as to say he would come back to Tennessee and play four years all over again if he had the chance to play alongside Bray.
“He kind of makes me wish I could start my whole Tennessee career over again and be a freshman and play under him for four years, but I can’t,” Jones said. “He’s going to be a really good player as long as he keeps up with (what) he is doing, and his receivers should be very happy to have him as a quarterback.”
Poole, the Vols’ leading rusher this season, ran for 104 yards on the ground on 16 carries, including a 21-yard rushing touchdown. The play before, the Vol defense stopped a Memphis fourth-down conversion attempt with an interception by defensive end Malik Jackson, who returned 35 yards to the Memphis 21-yard line with 5:56 left in the third quarter.
Jackson, a junior defensive tackle and transfer from USC, joked after the game that he finally proved to Dooley he possesses “soft hands” and was run down behind only because “the other player was really fast.” Jackson and defensive end Chris Walker each registered two sacks in the game, with Walker’s two standing as his first and second sacks on the year.
The rest of the Volunteer defense forced five turnovers and held the struggling Tiger offense to 308 yards on the day, 80 of which came late in the fourth quarter on a 10-play drive, which ended in Rucker’s second touchdown catch. The Tigers’ totaled just 64 yards on the ground on 31 carries.
Tennessee’s Matt Simms took over the offense with 4:20 to go in the third quarter and finished the night 3-of-5 passing for 54 yards. The former starter may appear in a backup role for the rest of the season, as Dooley announced after the game that even if the Vols had faced Oregon on Saturday, Bray would have started the contest.
The Vols welcome Ole Miss this Saturday at 12 p.m. in Neyland Stadium for UT’s 2010 Homecoming game.
