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BERKELEY, Calif. - Looking for highlights in Tennessee's loss Saturday to Cal? Try special teams.
Both teams turned in long returns as the Golden Bears beat the Vols 45-31.
Cal's DeSean Jackson turned in the biggest play when he returned a Britton Colquitt punt 77 yards for a touchdown and a 21-14 lead in the second quarter.
"It wasn't supposed to be kicked to him," UT coach Phillip Fulmer said. "We were kicking out of bounds. Britton just didn't get it over there enough."
That would be the last time Jackson - who won the inaugural Randy Moss Award last season as the nation's top returner - would beat the Vols in special teams.
UT didn't kick to Jackson for the remainder of the game, instead punting either low line drives or directional punts out of bounds.
The Vols showed the ability to turn in big plays in the return game as well. Junior tailback Arian Foster returned a kick 68 yards to the Cal 24-yard line in the first quarter. The return would set up a touchdown that tied the game at 14-14.
Foster's return was the longest by a Vol since Mark Jones returned one 82 yards for a touchdown against Alabama in 2002.
"We've been emphasizing just getting on guys really all camp," Foster said. "We put it to work today. They stopped kicking it to us. I think that's out of respect."
"We made it a point to try to make plays in that area."
UT averaged over 25.5 yards per kick return in its first game under the new kickoff rules, which moved kicks from the 35 to the 30.
"It affected both teams," Fulmer said. "We've got a long way to go to get to where we want to get to."
While UT's return game turned in a highlight, it's coverage team allowed 24 yards per return.
Taylor's Take: UT receivers coach Trooper Taylor admitted it was frustrating playing against Cal's defense, which was committed to playing a deep zone and allowing only short, underneath passes.
"You take what the defense gives you and then you've got to make a play," Taylor said.
Other than a drop by Josh Briscoe and Lucas Taylor failing to reach the end zone after a long reception, Taylor said he was pleased with his group.
UT only played one of its highly rated incoming receivers: freshman Denarius Moore.
"I was going with what was working," Taylor said. "I tell those guys all the time, I'm not a guy that will play eight or nine guys.
"It was just about getting completions and knowing where guys are supposed to be.
Up Front Update: UT offensive line coach Greg Adkins said he was mostly pleased with the pass protection.
"I though we did a pretty good job protecting Erik (Ainge)," Adkins said.
Adkins was not as pleased with UT's running game.
"There were too many peaks and valleys in the run game, not as consistent as we need to be," he said.
The Vols averaged 4.1 yards per carry.
No Complaints: Fulmer said he had no reason to think the officials made an incorrect call in the first quarter when Cal returned an Ainge fumble for a touchdown.
"I haven't seen the replay," Fulmer said. "They said his arm never came forward. They reviewed it. I would think if you review it, you should get it right."
Fulmer was close to discussing a complaint with the officials but stopped short, saying, "I shouldn't say anything."
Injury Report: UT strength and conditioning coach Johnny Long said the long flight could have contributed to two defensive starters, safety Jonathan Hefney and linebacker Jerod Mayo, suffering from calf cramps in the first half. Neither seemed bothered by the ailment in the second half.
UT flew to California on Thursday, instead of Friday, when they traditionally travel to away games.
Defensive end Xavier Mitchell suffered a head or neck injury late in the Cal game. The senior had to be strapped to a backboard and carted off the field. Mitchell will undergo further testing. He was able to wave to his teammates as he was taken off the field.
There was no immediate update on his condition.
Visitor: Former UT defensive end Parys Haralson was in Memorial Stadium for the game. Haralson is now with the NFL's San Francisco 49ers.
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Posted by jawbreaker on September 2, 2007 at 7:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't care how good the opposing team's punt returner is (and Jackson is a great one), the Vol punt coverage team should be good enough to not have to plan on kicking the ball out-of-bounds on every punt! Unfortunately, however, every kick the Vols cover is time for nail-biting and breath-holding. Also, on kick-offs, when sketchy kick coverage is coupled with the kicker's inability to kick the ball deeper than the 10 to 20 yard lines, it is going to give future opposing teams field position (35 to 40 yard line) that is just too advantageous.
Posted by johnlg00 on September 2, 2007 at 9:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
With all due respect, I think Jackson is about the best returner I have ever seen! He did win the Moss award last year. The only way we could have covered him was to kick it high and relatively short and have about three guys standing around him when he caught it. With his incredible speed and shiftiness, he is all but impossible to tackle in any kind of open-field situation. I was disappointed in the depth of our kickoffs. Britton might be the answer there when his leg is fully healed. I just hope we don't see any more returners like Jackson this year.
Posted by cervin on September 2, 2007 at 12:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Was it just me or were there at least three uncalled blocking in the back penalties on the Cal punt return? I know the block on Cottam could have gone either way, but it appeard two guys over on the left and one in the center of the field were hit in the back.
Posted by andy112382 on September 2, 2007 at 2:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Our kick returns were much better than they have been. I think we can all agree on that. Plus, I was pleasantly suprised by Daniel Lincoln and his FG kicking and extra points, no problems there last night. I always get somewhat on edge when a freshman kicks his first attempt on the road, but he looked solid so far! GO VOLS!!!
Posted by invisiblekid on September 3, 2007 at 6:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I said at the beginning of Fall camp that I would be satisfied if we simply broke even on special teams this year. It didn't happen last night. They averaged 77 yards on 1 punt return, we averaged 6 yards on 1 punt return. They averaged 24 yards on 6 kick returns, we averaged 25.6 yards on 7 kick returns. Most importantly, they scored a TD and we didn't.
Lincoln did come through and look solid on extra points and the FG and Colquitt did what he was asked for the most part leaving 2 punts inside the 20. However, when a team seems to go by the mantra of living and dying on one or two plays, the mistake by Colquitt to kick to Jackson and the pathetic attempt at tackling after he received the kick was obviously crucial.
Posted by invisiblekid on September 3, 2007 at 6:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I said at the beginning of Fall camp that I would be satisfied if we simply broke even on special teams this year. It didn't happen last night. They averaged 77 yards on 1 punt return, we averaged 6 yards on 1 punt return. They averaged 24 yards on 6 kick returns, we averaged 25.6 yards on 7 kick returns. Most importantly, they scored a TD and we didn't.
Lincoln did come through and look solid on extra points and the FG and Colquitt did what he was asked for the most part leaving 2 punts inside the 20. However, when a team seems to go by the mantra of living and dying on one or two plays, the mistake by Colquitt to kick to Jackson and the pathetic attempt at tackling after he received the kick was obviously crucial.
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