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2008 TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS FOOTBALL Contacts: Bud Ford (cell 865-567-6287) Assoc. AD-Media Relations John Painter (cell 865-414-1143) Assoc. SID P.O. Box 15016 Knoxville, TN 37901 Phone: (865) 974-1212 Fax: (865) 974-1269 [email protected] [email protected] 2008 TEN N ESSEE SC H EDULE Game 7 Date Opponent Time/Result Tennessee Volunteers vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs Sept. 1 at UCLA (ESPN) (OT) L 24-27 Sept. 13 UAB (RAYCOM) W 35-3 Oct. 18 Neyland Stadium (102,038) 7 p.m. ET VideoSeat Pay-Per-View Sept. 20 *Florida (CBS) L 6-30 Sept. 27 *at Auburn (CBS) L 12-14 TENNESSEE MISSISSIPPI STATE Oct. 4 Northern Illinois (PPV) W 13-9 UTsports.com Web Site MStateAthletics.com Oct. 11 *at Georgia (CBS) L 14-26 2-4, 0-3 SEC Record 2-4, 1-2 SEC Oct. 18 *Mississippi State (PPV) 7 p.m. ET Not ranked / Not ranked Ranking Not ranked / Not ranked Oct. 25 *Alabama Phillip Fulmer (Tennessee, 1972) Head Coach Sylvester Croom (Alabama, 1975) Nov. 1 *at South Carolina 149-49 (.753, 17th year) Overall Record 19-34 (.358, Fifth year) Nov. 8 Wyoming (PPV) 1 p.m. ET 149-49 (.753, 17th year) Record at School 19-34 (.358, Fifth year) Nov. 22 *at Vanderbilt Tennessee leads 27-15-1 All-Time Series Nov. 29 *Kentucky Dec. 6 SEC Championship (CBS) 4 p.m. ET SERIES HISTORY & NOTES * Southeastern Conference game Tennessee leads the all-time series with Mississippi State 27-15-1, dating to 1907. The Volunteers hold a 12-7 edge in 2008 MISSISSIPPI STATE SC H EDULE Knoxville, and UT head coach Phillip Fulmer boasts a 5-1 career mark against the Bulldogs. The Vols have won their last five games against MSU, and a Tennessee victory Saturday would mark the longest win Date Opponent Time/Result streak in the series by either team (UT also won five straight from 1925-34). Aug. 30 at Louisiana Tech (ESPN2) L 14-22 The 43 games in this series have been spread among four different cities, including Starkville (nine games), Knoxville Sept. 6 Southeastern Louisiana W 34-10 (19 games), Memphis (14 games) and Atlanta (the 1998 SEC Championship Game, which UT won 24-14). Sept. 13 *Auburn (ESPN2) L 2-3 Sept. 20 at Georgia Tech (RAYCOM) L 7-38 Just two players on Tennessee’s 2008 roster—Josh McNeil (Collins) and Victor Thomas (Olive Branch)—hail from the Sept. 27 *at LSU (ESPN2) L 24-34 state of Mississippi. McNeil has started every game for UT this season, and his older brother, Chris, played offensive line Oct. 11 *Vanderbilt W 17-14 for the Bulldogs from 2002-05. Oct. 18 * at Tennessee (PPV) 7 p.m. ET Numerous MSU staffers have Tennessee ties. For a complete list, see Page 5. Oct. 25 Middle Tennessee Nov. 1 *Kentucky FULMER APPROACHING 200TH CAREER GAME AS HEAD COACH Nov. 15 *at Alabama Saturday’s game against Mississippi State marks Phillip Fulmer’s 199th career game as a head coach—all at his alma Nov. 22 *Arkansas mater, Tennessee. The Winchester, Tenn., native played for the Volunteers as an offensive guard from 1968-71 before serv- Nov. 28 *at Mississippi (RAYCOM) 11:30 a.m. CT ing as either a student coach or full-time assistant on Rocky Top for 14 more seasons before taking the program’s reins. Dec. 6 SEC Championship Game (CBS) 4 p.m. ET All told, Fulmer has been on the Tennessee sideline for a total of 420 football games dating to 1968. * Southeastern Conference game WHAT’S INSIDE FULMER’S NEXT TRIUMPH PUTS TENNESSEE IN ELITE COMPANY Phillip Fulmer’s next win will be his 150th triumph as Tennessee’s head coach, allowing him to join Gen. Robert R. Media Services 2 Starter Thumbnails 17-21 Neyland (173) as just the second Vols coach to reach that victory plateau. UT then will stand alongside Michigan as the Notes on the Vols 4-8 Game Reviews 22-23 only schools with two different coaches owning 150-plus victories at their respective school. Bo Schembechler (194) and Coach Phillip Fulmer 9 2008 Statistics 25-33 Fielding Yost (165) passed the 150-win mark during their tenures for the Wolverines. UT Scouting Report 10 Career Stats 34-37 Tennessee also is one of just five schools with three different coaches owning at least 100 victories in the program, Depth Charts 11 The Last Time 38-39 Johnny Majors having captured 116 wins during his Vols career. Other schools are Oklahoma with four different coaches and Southern California, Georgia Tech and Michigan with three apiece. See Page 6 for a complete chart. TELEVISION VideoSeat Pay-Per-View IN 20TH CAREER GAME, BERRY BREAKS SCHOOL INTERCEPTION-RETURN YARDAGE RECORD Play-by-play: Randy Smith Sophomore strong safety Eric Berry ascended to the top of Tennessee’s career list for interception-return yardage in just Analyst: Pat Ryan his 20th career game when he returned a pick 54 yards out of the Georgia end zone on Oct. 11. Sideline: Mike Stowell The 54-yard runback brought his career total to 325 yards, giving him the Tennessee all-time record and placing him third RADIO on the Southeastern Conference’s all-time chart. The NCAA career record for interception-return yards is 501 by Florida State’s Terrell Buckley (1989-91). Vol Network In 2007, Berry intercepted five passes for a UT single-season record of 222 return yards. That figure also was the sec- Play-by-play: Bob Kesling ond-best season total in SEC history. This year, Berry has added four more interceptions for 103 yards to give him nine all- Analyst: Tim Priest time picks for 325 career return yards. To see where Berry sits in the UT career records book, see chart on Page 5. Sideline: Mike Stowell VOLS TIED FOR THIRD NATIONALLY WITH 11 INTERCEPTIONS XM Satellite Radio Through seven weeks of NCAA play, Tennessee ranks tied for third nationally among FBS teams and tied for first in the UT Feed: Channel 201 SEC with 11 interceptions. The Vols are averaging 1.8 interceptions per game and an average of 19.8 yards per return. Seven different Vols have recorded picks thus far, but sophomore safety Eric Berry and senior cornerback DeAngelo Sirius Satellite Radio Willingham lead the way with four and two interceptions, respectively. UT Feed: Channel 217 UT’s 2008 opponents own a combined 44-32 (.579) record so far this season ... Tennessee is ranked 20th among FBS teams in rush defense (100.2 ypg) ... 1 TENNESSEE FOOTBALL MEDIA SERVICES SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT Phillip Fulmer Show Game Replay Media Day SEC Teleconference Practice Walkthrough Gameday Noon & 6:30 p.m. ET 8 p.m. (SportsSouth) 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Fulmer 11:28 a.m. ET 4:25 p.m. ET Neyland Stadium 7 p.m. ET Fulmer Teleconference Coaches only after 4:30 p.m. ET 5:30 p.m. ET Vol Calls* Practice Players Teleconference practice Practice 7:45-8:45 p.m. ET 8-9 p.m. ET statewide 3:55 p.m. ET 1 p.m. ET Limited player availability No player availability Big Orange Countdown* Game Replay Practice 7-8 p.m. ET statewide 11:30 p.m. ET (SportsSouth) 4:20 p.m. ET TENNESSEE MEN’S SPORTS INFORMATION * - Vol Network Radio Practice times subject to change; BUD FORD ADDITIONAL SID STAFF For daily practice times, call Clint Dowdle in the football office at (865) 974-3109 Associate AD - Media Relations Tom Satkowiak - Assistant SID Office: (865) 974-1214 Office: (865) 974-4947; [email protected] TUESDAY (cont.) Cell: (865) 567-6287 Fulmer Press Briefing Live Uplink - Each Tuesday prior to every game, Coach [email protected] ADDRESSES Fulmer is available by live uplink from 12:30 - 1 p.m. ET. Satellite coordinates are: Mailing KU Band, Horizons 2, Transponder 16 Lower 11980 Vertical P.O. Box 15016 Knoxville, TN 37901-5016 UT Football Preview Feed - Each Tuesday during the season, a preview of the JOHN PAINTER Overnight upcoming UT game will be available on satellite. The feeds are from 4:15-4:30 p.m. ET. Associate SID - Football Contact Men’s Sports Information Satellite coordinates are: KU Band, Horizons 2, Transponder 16 Lower 11980 Vertical Office: (865) 974-1097 1720 Volunteer Blvd. Cell: (865) 414-1143 Knoxville, TN 37996 WEDNESDAY [email protected] SEC Weekly Teleconference - The Southeastern Conference conducts a weekly tele- conference with the SEC head coaches each Wednesday. The call begins at 11 a.m. ET, with each coach assigned a seven-minute time period. Media should contact the SEC Media Relations Office (205-458-3000) for the confidential media phone number. Coach Phillip Fulmer participates from 11:28-11:35 a.m. ET each Wednesday. SUNDAY Coach Fulmer’s Teleconference - Coach Fulmer will be available on Sundays fol- Players’ Weekly Teleconference - The UT Sports Information Office has weekly tele- lowing Vols games (including open dates) via teleconference beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET. conferences with 2-4 players available. This service takes place Wednesday during the Call (212) 812-4494 and enter 8934 8710 to join the call. season at 1 p.m. ET. Please make player requests to the Sports Information Office at (865) 974-1212. UT Foootball Game Highlights - Highlights for all UT games are available on satel- Call (212) 812-4494 and enter 8934 8710 to join the teleconference. lite each Sunday morning from 9-10 a.m. ET. A system test will be made at 8:45 a.m.