No. 8-ranked Tennessee won the first-ever meeting between the two schools and in the process ended Michigan’s streak of four straight Jan. 1 bowl victories with a 45-17 win on New Year’s Day. Tennessee scored the first 17 points of the game, then added another 21 unanswered points to start the second half.
B.J. Askew was named the Michigan Offensive MVP and senior linebacker Larry Foote garnered the Defensive MVP by the media. Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen
was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
Askew gained 71 rushing yards on nine carries and added a 14-yard touchdown on a screen pass. Marquise Walker caught five passes for 100 yards and junior/sophomore quarterback John Navarre completed 21-of-39 passes for 240 yards and two TDs.
Foote recorded a team-high nine tackles and two pass breakups with outside linebacker Victor Hobson adding eight stops.
Tennessee jumped out to a 17-0 lead on a 32-yard field goal by Alex Walls, a three-yard slant to Kelley Washington and Clausen’s one-yard scramble to begin the second quarter.
Michigan trimmed the deficit to 17-7 as Navarre completed a 14-yard screen pass to Askew for a touchdown.
The punt rush team set up UM’s best field position of the game by forcing a six-yard punt by the Volunteers.
Tennessee answered on the ensuing possession as Clausen scored his second straight touchdown on a oneyard keeper.
Utilizing their two-minute offense, the Wolverines moved
inside the 10-yard line but settled for a 28-yard field goal by Hayden Epstein with 37 seconds left in the half.
The Volunteers struck quickly in the third quarter as Clausen completed a 64-yard TD pass to Witten that
gave UT a 31-10 lead.
Tennessee scored a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter as Washington caught a 37-yard TD reception and Travis Stephens scored on a three-yard run.
The Wolverines found the end zone with 9:32 remaining as Navarre completed a 24-yard TD pass to wide receiver Calvin Bell.
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SCORING
T Walls 32-yard field goal
T Washington 3-yard pass from Clausen (Walls kick)
T Clausen 1-yard run (Walls kick)
M Askew 14-yard pass from Navarre (Epstein kick)
T Clausen 1-yard run (Walls kick)
M Epstein 28-yard field goal
T Witten 64-yard pass from Clausen (Walls kick)
T Washington 37-yard pass from Clausen (Walls kick)
T Stephens 3-yard run (Walls kick)
M Bell 24-yard pass from Navarre (Epstein kick)
Team Stats UM UT
First Downs 20 22
Rushed-Yards 31-103 37-97
Passing Yards 240 406
Passes 39-21-1 35-27-0
Total Offense 70-343 72-503
Sacked-Yard Lost 4-18 4-22
Punts 7-277 5-159
Return Yards 139 121
Fumbles-Lost 4-2 3-1
Penalties-Yards 6-42 3-32
Third Down Conv. 6-16 7-13
Time of Possession 25:47 34:13
Rushing — (M): Askew 9-71; Perry 17-39; Bell 1-11;
Navarre 4-(-18).
(T): Stallworth 2-44; Stephens 16-38; Scott 1-21;
Fleming 2-5; Davis 3-4; Bartholomew 1-1; Tinsley 1-(-1);
Houston 2-(-1); Clausen 9-(-14).
Passing — (M): Navarre 39-21-1-240.
(T): Clausen 34-26-0-393; Washington 1-1-0-13.
Receiving — (M): Walker 5-100; Joppru 5-45; Seymour 4-35;
Bell 2-29; Askew 2-23; Perry 2-3; Butler 1-5.
(T): Stallworth 8-119; Witten 6-125; Washington 6-70;
Graham 2-28; Brown 2-5; Parker 1-22; Stephens 1-19;
Finlayson 1-18.
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