Sunday, January 2 Vols overmatched by Nebraska again
By Mel Reisner Associated Press
TEMPE, Ariz. -- There were no happy returns for Tennessee in
the Fiesta Bowl. Not with an opponent like No. 3 Nebraska.
Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin, left, wrapped up his college career with a 22-3 mark as a starter.
Playing on the same field where they won the national
championship last year by beating Florida State 23-16, the Volunteers (No. 5 ESPN/USA Today; No. 6 AP) fell to Nebraska 31-21 on Sunday night.
The Cornhuskers (12-1) moved the ball almost at will, clinching
the victory with 96- and 99-yard touchdown drives in the second
half. And, despite Tee Martin's 19-for-34, 223-yard passing game,
the Huskers controlled the damage with breathtaking defensive
speed.
Martin finished his career 22-3 as a starter, and is the
fourth-best passer in Tennessee history in yardage (4,592) and TD
passes (32).
He also ran for more scores (16) than any Tennessee quarterback.
But he threw only one of two scoring passes for his team against
Nebraska -- a 9-yard strike to Donte' Stallworth that cut the
Huskers lead to 17-7 at halftime -- and had two passes intercepted.
"I knew it was big in their game plan to keep me in the pocket,
not allow me to get outside," Martin said. "It was good on their
part for a game plan. I got tripped a couple, grabbed a couple more
times. Their guys just play hard, crawling, scratching, whatever
they have to do."
When Stallworth made his second scoring catch, with 7:25 left in
the game, it was thrown by wide receiver Cedrick Wilson after a
lateral from Martin.
"First of all, we took the running game away from them, and
they began passing the ball a lot," Huskers cornerback Mike Brown
said. "They had good schemes where they were able to make some big
plays, but we stopped some of them."
The game might have been tailback Jamal Lewis' last for
Tennessee. He is considering leaving school early for the NFL.
Stallworth said Travis Henry, who had 31 yards on 10 carries,
and redshirt Travis Stephens could fill in if Lewis leaves.
"He's a great leader," Stallworth said. "I kind of consider
him a brother. But If we lose him, that's where recruiting comes
in. Whenever you lose someone of Jamal's caliber, you've got to
have someone step up, and Travis (Henry) stepped up last year when
Jamal went down."
There was disappointment for Tennessee after the 1997 season,
when Nebraska won a share of the national title by beating the Vols
42-17 in the Orange Bowl.
Coach Phillip Fulmer said good things came out of the
experience.
"Two years ago we took a lesson from Nebraska, came back and
had an awful fine year," Fulmer said. "Maybe we can do the same
thing."
Last year, a new formula for determining champions kicked in,
and Martin led the Vols to a 13-0 record and the second national
crown in school history.
Cedrick Wilson throws a TD to Donte' Stallworth on the double pass.