As the fourth quarter began late Saturday afternoon, Tennessee fans probably were wishing they could hit a rewind button.

The appeal was obvious. A fast rewind offered so much more promise than the mundane reality of the approaching victory over Marshall.

The rewind date was obvious, too. Go back to Sept. 2 when the Vols were leading ninth-ranked Cal 35-0.

The glow of that lead and eventual 35-18 victory faded in a 31-30 nail-biting victory over unheralded Air Force. It faded further in a 21-20 loss to Florida.

And it was fading further still in a game that the Vols couldn't put away for three quarters against Marshall, whose highlight to date had been a rousing victory over I-AA Hofstra.

Then came a bolt of lightning that had nothing to do with the nasty weather, and everything to do with a running game that once again was sputtering to a near standstill. The strike came from redshirt freshman tailback LaMarcus Coker, who raced 89 yards for a touchdown to bust open a 16-7 game and help the Vols pull away to a 33-7 victory.

Coker's sprint did more than spark UT's 17-0 finish. It also offered hope to fans who sat through the on-and-off rain as well as an uneven performance that highlighted flaws already apparent in this young season.

Golfers could appreciate the uplifting finish. It was akin to a 250-yard drive down the middle on the last hole of an otherwise forgettable round.

A UT team that had failed to finish strong in its first three games suddenly had found a finishing kick, thanks to a big-play running back who has struggled for playing time behind Arian Foster and Montario Hardesty.

Until Coker's run and UT's strong second wind that followed, this was a continuation of the loss to Florida, albeit against an inferior opponent that already had lost to West Virginia by 32 points and to Kansas State by 16.

"Offensively, I think we are still a work in progress," UT coach Phillip Fulmer said.

He could have gotten an "amen" from every wet head in Neyland Stadium.

But it wasn't just UT's spotty running game that contributed to the day's prevailing gloom. UT's defense also struggled against Marshall's rushing attack, which made little headway last week against Kansas State.

Although Marshall netted only 126 yards rushing, keep in mind that it had 43 yards in losses, including 22 on an errant snap in the game's opening minutes.

In the second quarter, the Thundering Herd drove 92 yards for a touchdown on 13 plays. Two personal-foul penalties figured prominently in the drive, but so, too, did the consistent play of Marshall's offensive line and running backs.

The third quarter brought more of the same. UT had the ball for all of five plays in the quarter, as Marshall dominated the time of possession with 11- and 12-play drives.

One drive ended in a mysterious call by coach Mark Snyder. Another ended with a fumble by quarterback Bernard Morris.

But before those mishaps, UT fans watched Marshall whip their Vols at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Remember: That's Marshall, not Florida.

Snyder's call was as damaging to Marshall's chances as the fumble. With the Thundering Herd facing a fourth-and-one at the UT 29, he called for a 46-yard field goal that might have cut the lead to six points.

Anthony Binswanger missed so badly, you probably wondered what was Snyder thinking, particularly given his team's second- and third-quarter success.

So UT got help from an opposing coach and an opponent's turnover. Next, it got hope from Coker's 89-yard run down the sideline.

By then, it was ready to fast-forward to brighter days.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.