Foster, Taylor are one-two punch for Vols : govolsxtra.com

STARKVILLE, Miss. - It's far too early to dub Arian Foster and Lucas Taylor thunder and lightning.

It'll take many more performances like Saturday's performance before nicknames are in order.

But against Mississippi State, Foster and Taylor were Tennessee's weapons on offense as the Vols beat the Bulldogs 33-21.

Taylor had a career high 186 yards on 11 receptions, including a 51-yarder that was his career long, the longest completion of the season by senior quarterback Erik Ainge and the longest play of the year by a UT receiver.

"It was a big play for us," Taylor said of the second quarter score. "It set the momentum for the game."

Taylor's play capped an emotional week. Named a captain for the first time in his career, Taylor was playing in front of his mother, who made a rare trip from Carencro, La., to see her son play.

"I was really proud of him and his effort," UT receivers coach Trooper Taylor said.

Almost as proud as Lucas Taylor was when he was named a game captain.

"Every one of them stood up and clapped," Trooper Taylor said. "It was a loud cheer."

Lucas Taylor certainly didn't earn his captainship by speaking up. The soft-spoken junior isn't that type of leader.

"I believe it's the way he works," Trooper Taylor said. "He doesn't take any days off."

Perhaps that work ethic is why Taylor hasn't dropped a pass this season. Perhaps that's why he's UT's leading receiver with 41 catches for 618 yards.

Foster headed up the ground attack, rushing for 139 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.

Those yards didn't come easy for Foster, who specializes in running inside - into the strength of State's defense.

"Those are some tough guys on the other side of the ball," said a visibly exhausted Foster. "My hats off to them.

"Man, I'm hurtin'."

Many of Foster's yards came after cutbacks, possibly surprising a State defense that was prepared for a straight-ahead runner. Foster said the cutbacks are a result of experience.

"The more and more I get the ball on this level, the more the field opens up and the more I can see it," Foster said.

The cutback runs had Foster harkening back to years past, when he played youth football.

"I wasn't always the big guy in the back field," he said. "I used to be the little scat back. I guess it's kind of tricking them (defenses) because I'm big but I can cut back at the same time."

With Foster's cutbacks and Taylor's catches, UT knew who to turn to when it needed a game-clinching drive.

The Vols drove 68 yards to the State 9 in the fourth quarter, setting up a field goal for a 30-21 lead. Foster (27) and Taylor (15) accounted for 42 of those 69 yards on the 14-play, decisive drive.

"That was a big, big drive," Foster said. "We felt like we had to do that one for the defense."

The Vols outrushed Mississippi State's vaunted ground game 211 yards to 135. The same running game that State coach Sylvester Croom said would take nine men in the box to contain.

Foster admitted he was surprised by the final stats.

"Yeah that's satisfying," Foster said. "I didn't know that."

With 211 yards rushing and 259 yards passing, the Vols once again achieved the offensive balance that eluded them in September as they lost two games.

"It can be real dangerous," Taylor said of being a balanced offense. "It's a big part of our game."

Now, with that balanced attack resulting in two consecutive SEC wins in October, Ainge expects more of the same - especially from Foster and Taylor.

"What Arian did today and what Lucas did today, that's what we expect every week," Ainge said. "Those guys have proven themselves to be big-time SEC football players."

Foster, Taylor are one-two punch for Vols

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