Cajuns singing Vols' praises

Louisiana-Lafayette coach Rickey Bustle scored as many touchdowns directing a team at Neyland Stadium as he did as a player - one.

Bustle caught a touchdown pass for Clemson playing against the Vols in 1974.

Saturday, tailback Tyrell Fenroy had the only score for Bustle's team as UT rolled to a 59-7 homecoming victory over the Ragin' Cajuns at Neyland Stadium.

Bustle said he'll watch the tape and correct mistakes from the game. As for his TD with the Clemson Tigers, that one is in the memory banks.

"I remember it,'' Bustle said. "It was 29-28 (A UT win) and then there were 12 men on the field on a two-point play for them. Condredge (Holloway) told me before the game (Saturday) there was.''

Bustle probably felt like the Vols' offense had 12 men on the field throughout Saturday's game as UT piled up 466 yards.

"Defensively, we couldn't get any stops,'' Bustle said. "Tennessee is a heckuva football team. They have great speed and one of the best quarterbacks in the country. We couldn't get off some of the blocks.''

ULL defensive line coach Shawn Quinn, a graduate assistant with the Vols from 1999-2001 after coaching under George Quarles at Maryville High School from 1996-98, said he's used to leaving Neyland Stadium on the other side of the score.

"It was fun to be back in town, but obviously, I'm disappointed with the game,'' said Quinn, who's in his sixth year with the Ragin' Cajuns. "I think up front (offensively) and at running back, UT is better than they were last year. They were much better than South Carolina at those spots; much more physical.''

Quinn said Vols' quarterback Erik Ainge makes UT hard to stop.

"We tried to do a lot of different things to keep them off balance,'' Quinn said. "But he (Ainge) did a great job of checking off.''

ULL lost to South Carolina 28-14 in its season opener Sept. 1.

Trailing UT 17-0 just before the half, the Ragin' Cajuns had a chance to keep things close.

But a Michael Desormeaux screen pass bounded off a receiver's hands, and Vols' defensive end Antonio Reynolds plucked it out of the air and returned the interception 70 yards for a TD.

"We had a chance right there,'' Bustle said. "That was a big play.''

Desormeaux drew a bead on Reynolds, but the Vols' defensive end put a stop-and-go move on him along the sideline en route to the end zone.

"I was trying to take him out; they'd been doing that to me the whole game, so I was trying to get one back,'' the 200-pound Desormeaux said jokingly. "That (move) is just a testament to the athletes they have on that team. To have a defensive end that can do that is pretty impressive.''

Desormeaux said the Vols changed how they played the Ragin' Cajuns option in the second half.

"Early on, they truly were trying to play the read (pitch), but in the second half they just sat and were making us give,'' Desormeaux. "Tennessee moved as well as anyone we played. To defend that (the option), you have to see it often, and they don't see it in the SEC.

"They don't defend it the same way a lot of teams in our conference do.''

ULL finished with 234 yards rushing after having 252 yards rushing against South Carolina.

Fenroy, a 190-pound tailback, said the Vols' defense impressed him more than the Gamecocks.

"Tennessee has a faster defense than South Carolina,'' Fenroy said. "and they are a little bigger.''

Stat Fact: When Fenroy opened the second half with a 25-yard run for ULL the Ragin' Cajuns had 197 yards on 38 plays while UT had 193 yards on 38 plays to that point.

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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