ShareThisBy RON HIGGINS
Monday, November 06, 2006
The post-game questioner tried to bait Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer into saying how good it felt for him to beat his old coaching nemesis Steve Spurrier.
But late Saturday night, tucked away in an interview room at Williams-Brice Stadium after No. 8 Tennessee's 31-24 victory over South Carolina, a tired and happy Fulmer wasn't going to take the bait.
"He's a good coach, and I don't know where all that gets started," said Fulmer, now 4-8 against Spurrier, who previously coached Tampa Bay in the USFL, Duke, Florida and the NFL's Washington Redskins before resurfacing in the college game last season at Carolina. "There's been times we should have won and didn't, and times he probably should have won and didn't. That's just the way it is. I'm just glad to get the win to go to 7-1."
For the second straight week, the Vols had to come up with a big fourth quarter to battle back for the victory that keeps them in the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division race. Tennessee, 3-1 in the East, is tied with Florida for the division lead, though the Gators hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their 21-20 victory over the Vols on Sept. 16.
At this point, the Vols aren't looking at BCS rankings or polls or division standings. It's getting into November, and there are a lot of aches and pains in the Tennessee locker room.
Add Erik Ainge and running back Arian Foster to the list of walking wounded with sprained ankles. Both had their ankle re-taped after injuring them against the Gamecocks.
Fulmer said in his Sunday teleconference that Ainge and Foster should be ready for Saturday's game against 13th-ranked LSU, 6-2 overall and 2-2 in the SEC's Western Division. An MRI and X-rays of Ainge's ankle were negative.
Vols receiver Jayson Swain, who sprained his ankle Oct. 7 at Georgia and who re-sprained it Oct. 21 against Alabama, wasn't supposed to play against Carolina. He didn't practice all week.
But by the second quarter, Swain was in the game. He finished with three catches for 45 yards, including a 21-yard grab on third and 15 from the Carolina 33 early in the fourth quarter that set up Ainge's 12-yard TD pass to Bret Smith to put UT up for good.
"I hadn't practiced all week and my ankle was sore," Swain said. "I was glad to help as much as I did and make few plays to help my brothers."
Robert Meachem, the other half of one of the Division 1-A's best receiving duos, also had a huge play late in the game. His fade rout turned into a 62-yard gain to set up a 21-yard James Wilhoit field goal for a 31-17 lead with 5:09 left to play.
"That was huge," Ainge said. "At the time, we needed to get some points, whether it was a touchdown or a field goal. My line gave me time and Meachem had a true freshman guarding him. I like that matchup."
Another game-changing play for the Vols was Jonathan Hefney's 65-yard punt return to the Carolina 5. It set the stage for tailback Arian Foster's 5-yard TD run with 10:25 left as the Vols scored two touchdowns in a span of 2:45.
"I thought I could make a play if I got my hands on the ball," said Hefney of his mindset as he waited for the Carolina punt.
Fulmer didn't mince words about the importance of Hefney's return. Hefney moved to first in the SEC in punt returns and fourth nationally.
"It was the biggest play of the game," Fulmer said of Hefney's return. "I don't know if I've seen one blocked any better. Meachem kept the first guy off Jonathan and he picked up a whole bunch of blocks and did a good job of getting down the sideline. It was a shame he didn't score it himself."
One area of concern for the Vols is a defense that gave up 395 yards total offense, including 315 by Carolina quarterback Syvelle Newton.
Newton ran for 85 yards (more than Tennessee's team rushing total of 71 yards) on 14 carries and scored once, and completed 16-of-29 passes for 230 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
"We let Syvelle find a way to sneak out and make plays," said Vols defensive back Jonathan Wade, who killed a Carolina first-quarter drive with an end zone interception.
The Vols did not move up in the BCS rankings. They are still 11th heading into Saturday's home game against LSU in a battle of the conference's two best offenses.
"We'll have to play our best game of the year this week," Fulmer said. "It's our biggest challenge of the year."
