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Westbrook Leads Lady Vols Past Presbyterian in Opener

Posted on November 11, 2018

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Sophomore guard Evina Westbrook’s career-high 20 points and seven steals propelled No. 11/12 Tennessee past Presbyterian, 97-49, in both teams’ season opener Sunday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena.

The Lady Vols (1-0) forced 39 turnovers in the victory, which is the most since Charlotte committed 40 miscues on Dec. 2, 1992. Tennessee also registered its most steals (22) since compiling 22 vs. ETSU on Dec. 2, 2015.

Overall, Tennessee had six players scoring in double figures, as redshirt senior forward Cheridene Green notched her third career double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. The other Lady Vols with 10 or more points included freshman guard/forward Rae Burrell (14), freshman guard Zaay Green (13), senior guard/forward Meme Jackson (11) and sophomore center Kasiyahna Kushkituah (10). Tennessee recorded 44 points off turnovers and 60 points in the paint while shooting 47 percent from the floor in the win.

After a slow start, the Lady Vols scored seven points in 37 seconds to take their first lead of the game through four minutes of play. Tennessee forced six turnovers in its 16-0 run to end the first quarter. The Lady Vols notched 17 points off turnovers, seven steals and shot 45 percent from the floor en route to a 24-12 lead. Westbrook and Green led Tennessee through the first 10 minutes with a combined 16 points.

Once again in the second stanza, the Lady Vols were slow out of the gates, as they went on a two-minute scoring drought at the five-minute mark. Tennessee, however, relied on the charity stripe to provide its points. The Lady Vols went 9-of-10 from the free throw line, which is where nearly half of their second quarter points were generated. After forcing three turnovers in the final 1:24 of the quarter, Tennessee took a 46-29 lead into halftime.

Defense remained the name of the game for the Lady Vols in the second half, as the squad went on a 10-0 run to start the third quarter behind six steals and two blocks. Still, a three-minute scoring drought followed for Tennessee, which didn’t allow a field goal from the Blue Hose (0-1) until the 4:14 mark of the third quarter. A Jackson deep ball broke the Lady Vols’ drought and sparked a 15-3 run to end the quarter. Tennessee held Presbyterian to 11 third-quarter points and went into the fourth quarter with a 74-40 lead.

The Lady Vols took a game-high 40-point lead at the 7:42 mark of the final quarter after a pair of free throws from Burrell, igniting a 9-0 run from Tennessee. The Blue Hose proceeded to turn the ball over six more times over the next five minutes, helping improve the Lady Vols’ run to 15-3. Tennessee held Presbyterian to just nine points on 4-of-13 shooting in the final frame to round out the afternoon.

Up Next: Tennessee hosts UNC Asheville at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Fans attending the game can take part in WINSDAY, a Tennessee Athletics promotion in which a variety of prizes will be given away throughout the game, by registering at the FanHQ table on the concourse level. The game is available for streaming on SECN+.

A Tale of Turnovers: The Lady Vols forced 39 turnovers against Presbyterian, the most turnovers forced by a Tennessee team since Dec. 9, 1992, when Charlotte had 40. The Lady Vols converted those turnovers into 44 points vs. Presbyterian while committing only 15 turnovers of their own.

Block Party: Tennessee blocked nine shots on the day, with six players getting in on the action. Cheridene Green led the team with three blocks, tying her career high.

Freshman First: Zaay Green logged her first career start in her rookie debut, becoming just the 22nd Lady Vol to start in the season opener as a freshman. She finished with 13 points, five steals, four assists and a blocked shot in 22 minutes.

Sharp Shooters: UT shot 55.6% from behind the arc, going 5-of-9 on the afternoon. Jackson, Westbrook and Zaay Greenall knocked down at least one three-pointer, with Green’s 3-for-4 day leading the team.

Balanced Attack: Every active member on the Tennessee roster scored at least two points against Presbyterian, and six Lady Vols ended the day in double-digit scoring. The last time UT opened a campaign with six in double figures was on Nov. 14, 2014, when UT had half a dozen vs. Penn.

Success In Season Openers: The Lady Vols are 41-4 in season openers over the past 45 years, including 26-3 at home, 8-0 at neutral sites and 7-1 on the road. UT is now 6-1 in season openers under Holly Warlick, including 4-0 at home and 2-1 on the road. Tennessee has now won 13 season openers in a row at home.
UT Athletics

Darrell Taylor Named National Defensive Player of the Week by Walter Camp

Posted on November 11, 2018

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Tennessee redshirt junior outside linebacker Darrell Taylor was named Walter Camp National FBS Defensive Player of the Week on Sunday following his outstanding four-sack performance to lead Tennessee past No. 11-ranked Kentucky, 24-7, on Saturday.

The Walter Camp Football Foundation National Player of the Week honors are presented by Generation UCAN.

Taylor had seven tackles to go along with his four sacks and added a forced fumble and a fumble recovery as the Vols held the Wildcats to their lowest point total of the season and second-lowest outputs in rushing (77) and total yards (262).

Taylor is the sixth Tennessee player to earn Walter Camp National Player of the Week honors since 2004, and the first since quarterback Joshua Dobbs on Nov. 6, 2016.

His seven sacks on the season are tied for sixth in the SEC and his three forced fumbles are tied for third in the league.

Temple’s Ryquell Armstead was named the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week.

UT Athletics

Jimmy’s blog: Pruitt challenges team to go unbeaten in November

Posted on November 11, 2018

By Jimmy Hyams

Shortly after Tennessee upset No. 12 Kentucky 24-7 at Neyland Stadium, Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt had a point to make.

“We’re 2-0 in November,’’ Pruitt said. “That’s a good thing.’’

Indeed it is.

The month didn’t start very promising. The Vols snoozed through a 14-3 victory over Charlotte, sending the homecoming crowd home with a bad taste in its collective mouth after a wickedly bad offensive performance.

But that changed Saturday, when Tennessee outrushed, outplayed, outhit and outcoached Kentucky.

Even with some late fumbles, it was Tennessee’s most complete game of the season and the offensive line’s best performance.

When the scoreboard read 24-0, UT quarterback Jarrett Guarantano wasn’t sure what to think.

“It felt good,’’ he said. “We weren’t used to it.’’

Darrell Taylor, who had four sacks against Kentucky, was elated with the huge lead.

His thoughts: “Our offense is doing their thing.’’

The defense did its thing as well, holding Kentucky to one touchdown and 262 total yards, 77 on the ground. Benny Snell, who had 180 rushing yards and three touchdowns against UT last year, rushed for 81 yards and no touchdowns.

After going 0-8 in SEC play last season, the Vols are 2-4 with Missouri and Vanderbilt left on the SEC schedule.

In contrast to last year’s team, which threw in the towel late and was outscored 122-51 in the final three SEC games, Pruitt’s first team is hungry to finish strong.

“The coaches were telling us all week, in November, we’ve got to go undefeated,’’ running back Tim Jordan said.

Tennessee went undefeated in November in 2015 and 2010. Those are the only unbeaten Novembers in the past decade.

The first task towards remaining unbeaten this month is Missouri, which is 6-4 after 33-28 victory over Vanderbilt. The Tigers won at Florida 38-17 the week before.

Missouri’s offense has been a mismatch for UT’s defense the past two years. In those games, Missouri has scored 87 points, rushed for an astounding 853 yards and totaled 1,399 yards.

Tiger quarterback Drew Lock has thrown for 537 yards and five scores with three interceptions in the past two meetings. But he is also under 50 percent passing – 34 of 71.

Saturday night, Pruitt wanted to enjoy his first home win against a ranked opponent.

So when asked post game about facing an explosive Missouri offense led by Lock, Pruitt wasn’t having any of it.

“I don’t want to think about Drew Lock tonight,’’ Pruitt said. “I’d like to be able to sleep.’’

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Tennessee Dominates No. 11 Kentucky, 24-7

Posted on November 11, 2018

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee used a balanced offensive attack and stifling defense to take down #11/12/12 Kentucky, 24-7, on Saturday night for the Volunteers’ 17th-straight victory over the Wildcats at Neyland Stadium.

“We challenged our players this week that we wanted to have the most rushing yards, and I think we did,” head coach Jeremy Pruitt said. “I thought for the first time, we had a little bit of physicality for the entire game. It wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely very positive. I know those guys are enjoying that in the locker room. I thought defensively, we kept them from creating explosive plays. We kind of made them one dimensional and it’s a lot easier to guard the pass if you make them one dimensional.”

The Vols, who led 17-0 at the half, put 24 points on the scoreboard against a defense ranked eighth nationally with just 15.3 points allowed per contest. They also surrendered their fewest points to an SEC opponent since Oct. 18, 2008, when UT won 34-3 versus Mississippi State.

The triumph was UT’s second over a ranked foe this season, following a 30-24 road win over #21/21 Auburn on Oct. 13. The Vols improved to 5-5 overall and 2-4 in the SEC. UK, meanwhile, dropped to 7-3 overall and 5-3 in league play as a crowd of 95,258 looked on.

Pruitt became the only head coach of the 14 current SEC head coaches to have two wins over ranked opponents in his first regular season as a head coach. Pruitt also is the first Tennessee head coach with multiple wins over a ranked team in his first season since Phillip Fulmer in 1993.

Redshirt sophomore quarterback Jarrett Guarantano completed 12 of 20 passes for 197 yards and two scores on the evening and broke a UT record along the way. On an incomplete pass attempt to redshirt junior wide receiver Jauan Jennings with 1:48 left in the third quarter, Guarantano threw his 144th-consecutive pass without an interception, breaking the previous Vols record of 143, set by Casey Clausen in 2003. Guarantano’s streak now stands at 146.

UT rolled up 215 yards on the ground against a defense that was surrendering only 133.2 per contest. Only Georgia (331) had more yards on the ground against the Wildcats this season. Sophomore running back Ty Chandler led the Vol rushing attack, carrying the ball 16 times for a game-high 89 yards. Classmate Tim Jordan added 63 yards and a score on 15 attempts, while sophomore wide receiver Jordan Murphy added 59 yards on one rush.

Defensively, the Vols held Kentucky to its second-lowest rushing total of the season at 77 yards on 35 carries. The Cats had been averaging 199.6 per game on the ground. Highly-touted running back Bennie Snell was kept in check, gaining only 81 yards on 20 carries.

UK managed 185 yards through the air, but Tennessee’s defenders were disruptive to the Cats’ passing game all night long. The Vols recorded five sacks for minus 40 yards, with redshirt junior linebacker Darrell Taylor tallying a career-high four for 33 yards in losses and sophomore linebacker Deandre Johnson recording one for minus seven. Taylor’s four-sack effort was only the third in UT history, with Reggie White and Corey Miller also accomplishing that feat.

Junior corner Marquill Osborne contributed a pair of second-half interceptions to end Kentucky drives. Freshman corner Bryce Thompson had three pass break-ups, while sophomore safety Theo Jackson had two. Junior linebacker Daniel Bituli led all defenders with eight tackles, including six solos. Taylor and senior safety Micah Abernathy added seven stops each.

After neither team could move the ball on their first possession, the Vols got on the scoreboard the second time around. An 18-yard Marquez Callaway punt return and a 38-yard pass from Jarrett Guarantano to Jordan Murphy served as catalysts. Sophomore placekicker Brent Cimaglia provided the finishing touch, booting a 19-yard field goal to cap an eight-play, 55-yard drive that put the Big Orange on top, 3-0, with 5:09 remaining in the first quarter.

After UK went 42 yards in 15 plays on its next series, UT’s defense stiffened and forced a field goal try. Chance Poore’s 51-yard attempt sailed wide right, and the Vols retained their three-point advantage early in the second quarter.

Tennessee pushed its lead to 10-0 with 2:05 left in the second stanza, as Jordan rumbled in from three yards out and Cimaglia added the PAT. UT’s six-play, 81-yard drive was aided by a 29-yard rush from Chandler as well as Guarantano completions of 11 and 34 yards to Jennings and Jordan, respectively.

The Vols managed to find the checkerboard one more time in the first half. After forcing a UK punt, Tennessee had exactly one minute with which to work, starting at its own 28. The Big Orange used every second of it, striking for their second touchdown of the half as Callaway out-leaped a crowd of defenders and teammates in the end zone for a 39-yard reception from Guarantano as time expired. Cimaglia added the PAT to make it 17-0 at the break after Callaway’s first receiving TD of the season.

UT pushed its lead to 24-0 midway through the third period. Murphy carried the ball 59 yards on a reverse, and Jordan rumbled up the middle for 11 yards, helping move the Vols deep into Kentucky territory. Guarantano finished the eight-play, 85-yard drive, finding junior tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson all alone in the back of the end zone for a two-yard scoring strike. Cimaglia tacked on the extra point.

The Wildcats finally got on the scoreboard with 1:56 remaining in the third period. UK marched 60 yards in 2:04, completing a five-play drive with a 19-yard toss from Terry Wilson to tight end C.J. Conrad. Poore added the PAT to make it 24-7, Vols.

Kentucky put itself in position to make it a two-possession contest, lining up for a 30-yard field goal with 11:58 remaining in the game. The Wildcats fell to 0-for-2 on field goal attempts for the night, however, as senior nose tackle Shy Tuttle burst up the middle to block Poore’s kick and preserve UT’s 17-point lead.

The Cats tried to capitalize on UT’s first turnover of the evening, with Chris Oats pouncing on a Chandler fumble at the UT 48 with 10:04 remaining. Three plays later, however, Taylor recorded his third sack of the game, dropping Snell for a loss of seven yards and recovering the loose ball at the UT 36 to end the threat.

Osborne thwarted another UK scoring threat with 4:52 remaining, picking off Wilson and returning the ball 12 yards to the UT 26. His interception came two plays after Taylor recorded his fourth sack of the night, dropping Wilson for a 13-yard loss.

The Vols play their final home game of the season next Saturday, as they welcome the Missouri Tigers to Neyland Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS.

-UT Athletics