Tennessee Stat Book
UCLA Bruins
They're three time zones and 2,200 miles apart. Culturally, they have little common ground. It's barbecue vs. sushi.
That hasn't stopped Tennessee and UCLA from having a whiz-bang college football series.
When the Vols open the 2008 season in Pasadena on Monday night, it marks the 14th renewal of a long-distance relationship that began with a 1965 barn-burner in Memphis, of all places.
Distance aside, the Bruins have become Tennessee's most frequent non-SEC rival of the modern era with two exceptions: Georgia Tech, whom UT has not played since 1987, and Memphis.
"I do like the series,'' UT head coach Phillip Fulmer said this week.
"It's two traditional rivals. Going to the Rose Bowl is really special. And I just think of all the great players and coaches and from our standpoint, you remember a lot of the plays that were made.''
Fulmer remembers being in high school in Winchester, Tenn., and driving to the highest point in the county to catch the Vol Network broadcast of the games in the 1960s.
He played in a 28-17 win over the Bruins in 1970.
"I wanted to play in the Rose Bowl but they came to Knoxville that year,'' he said.
Tennessee leads the series 7-4-2.
The Vols were 0-2 against the Bruins in the Los Angeles Coliseum, 2-1 since UCLA moved to the Rose Bowl.
Tennessee is 4-1-2 against the Bruins in Knoxville.
The Vols played against a Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Gary Beban, in 1967. They have also encountered two Outland Trophy winners, Jonathan Ogden and Kris Farris, plus All-Americans such as Kenny Easley, Cade McNown and Mel Farr.
Monday the teams meet for the first time since 1997, when senior Peyton Manning led the Vols to a 30-24 season-opening victory.
Manning's previous trip to Pasadena is more memorable. His collegiate debut came in the 1994 opener, after starting quarterback Jerry Colquitt was injured on the opening possession.
Colquitt was a fifth-year senior from Oak Ridge. Like Jonathan Crompton this season, Colquitt was finally getting his turn after backing up Heath Shuler for two years.
His turn, however, lasted only seven plays. Trying to convert a third-and-7, Colquitt felt his knee pop before he was even hit by a UCLA defender.
It was a torn ACL. That was it.
"It was really sad,'' Fulmer said, "because of what he went through, the loyalty he had shown to us.
"I was excited about his play but also the person he was and his leadership. The team had really rallied around him.''
Manning played only one series. It was future baseball star Todd Helton who rallied the Vols from an 18-0 fourth-quarter deficit, only to fall short, 25-23.
Tennessee's 1989 trip to UCLA bore more parallels to this year than '94 did.
In '89 the Vols had a junior quarterback, Sterling Henton, taking the reins from departed senior Jeff Francis, a three-year starter.
But like the 2008 team, the '89 Vols also had a new offensive coordinator - Fulmer.
Fulmer had been promoted from offensive line coach by head coach Johnny Majors to replace Walt Harris.
Fulmer's debut was a closer-than-expected 17-14 win over Colorado State in Neyland Stadium. Hardly an offensive tour de force.
So the Sept. 9 visit to No. 6-ranked UCLA was a big game for the new coordinator.
Tennessee's first two possessions went nowhere, but on the third, a roughing-the-punter penalty against UCLA was the break the Vols needed. They went on to finish a 15-play, 90-yard drive for a 7-0 lead.
In the third quarter, an 81-yard drive made it 14-0. Four of the nine plays were handoffs to Reggie Cobb, the final three to Chuck Webb.
"That's pretty good play-calling,'' Fulmer said with a laugh.
The unranked Vols scored a convincing 24-6 upset, thanks to 247 rushing yards and efficient passing by Henton, who would eventually lose his job in midseason to Andy Kelly.
"It was a big win for us,'' Fulmer recalled. "I remember we ran the ball very well in that ball game and protected our defense well.
"That was a big victory for a young offensive coordinator at the time.''
Vanderbilt 93, Tennessee 79, Feb. 9…
Tennessee 69, South Carolina 57 men's…
Vanderbilt 65, Tennessee 47, Jan. 24…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 48
dvols writes:
gerald was here!
CT_VOL writes:
2nd
utkedu writes:
'89 was the beginning of a great run for UT. I remember questioning where the program was headed after the '87 dibacle. I was lucky enough to watch the TN-UCLA game on the first TN appearance on Pay per view (I believe). The beginning of what looked like would be a dominiant Cobb-Webb backfield before Cobb's injury. Truly one of my favorite UT teams.
utkedu writes:
General - Oops, mistyped - meant '88. Thank you for the heads up.
utvol2002 writes:
Has anyone else noticed that this weekend's Labor Day Circuit City commercials feature a Richmond Sypders player screenshot on the HDTV in their ads? Omen? Maybe. Too much time on my hands? Definitely.
JohnnyU writes:
2000volgrad,
That was one of my favorite teams as well, but Cobb was not injured, he was kicked off the team for positive drug tests. Would have been an utterly dominant running attack if that hadn't happened, but it was tough enough with Chuck Webb, who I think is the best Vol RB ever, even though he himself had a short career.
burntorangeVOLffle writes:
Yeah dvolfan, Schaeffer set the world on fire at Ole'Miss. If only we could have kept him.
I don't even remember where Stewert transferred to so that says a lot about his career post UT.
bobbarbilly writes:
Cobb-Webb was a tandem to remember.
VOLINCALI writes:
burntorange, Stewart went on to start for Texas A&M for two unproductive seasons.
volengr#233707 writes:
First!
downfromthedoor#207426 writes:
...Unproductive?....I belive Mr. Stewart went on to win a Big 12 championship....over a certain KState team that was battling with UT for a spot in the '98 Championship game. At the least, UT fans owe Stewart a nod of thanks.
rbhobbs73#226545 writes:
Brandon Stewart did what he was recruited to do...help Tennessee win a National Championship. He just did it by playing for A&M and knocking off K-State, which changed our Fiesta Bowl opponent from K-State to Florida State.
nafslov is back as dvolfan. Everyone feel free to go back to ignoring his racist, ignorant drivel.
Caspian writes:
peppervol - Yeah, I remember that season. The UCLA game, my dad and I listened to it on an old transistor radio sitting at the kitchen table. I was just a kid, and the game seemed so far away - almost mystical. 20-16 was the score, if I remember right, and I'm pretty sure I do. I was so pumped up about the Orange Bowl against Oklahoma. I think OK was ahead at the half 17-0. Things looked grim. But then Karl Kremser had about a 38-yard attempt with 5 seconds left and the score 26-24. About 3 feet wide right. I was so bummed out I had a hard time sleeping that night.
That 1967 team had some great players. Dewey Warren, Richmond Flowers, Charlie Fulton, Richard Pickens, Albert Dorsey, Steve Kiner, Jack Reynolds, etc.
A few years ago, I saw Doug Dickey 3 rows in front of me at an NCAA tournament game in Sacramento that TN was playing in. At halftime, I walked over and introduced myself to him. I thanked him for all the great memories he and his 1967 team had provided for a young kid (me) and my dad (the radio at the kitchen table). He seemed very pleased with that, and pleasantly nostalgic about his 1967 Tennessee team.
Vol_N_Texas writes:
dvolfan: Does the "D" stand for dumb? The soon to be greatest QB in NFL history and you think he should have warmed the bench? Pull your head out!
john#208876 writes:
peppervol at 11:36 p.m. OK I'll bite, tell me the rest of the story on the orange bowl game, sounds like you have a 'whale of a tale' to tell. I would often ride my bike or take the bus to campus, a kid in those days, and get run out of every athletic facility. One day though in Stokley got to clown around with many of the athelets while the indoor track was set up and got a high jumping lesson from Kremser, who was also a world class jumper. Was on the sideline in Neyland stadium during the last practice before the 67 team left for Miami, they were sky high, and I was sure they would wind up #1! Had to wait 21 more years. 10 and counting this time around. Go Vols, win it all again!
john#208876 writes:
Make that a 31 year wait, I'm getting so old I can't count any more!
seaplane#216536 writes:
I remember one of those games in Knoxville when a UCLA player broke his neck and was paralyzed. Anybody remember when that happened? Seems like it was in the late 60's. It was a great game except for the tragedy.
chelseavol#206134 writes:
How can one write an article about the UCLA series without saying a word(except for Beban) about the 1967 game in Memphis with the Swamp Rat as the hero?
CoverOrange writes:
Didn't Todd Helton admit some years later that he was totally unprepared to play that day? Amazing what he did not having watched film or studied the defense.
Germany, ignore him, please. Responses only encourages him.
ctownvol writes:
Seriously. Who let nafslov back in?
ctownvol writes:
Good morning General. How are ya this morning? How's Dupree?
hcjournals#206623 writes:
We are drinking the Koolaid. All of us. But we remind me of the Dallas Cowboys this year. We have the guns. The Cowboys have the guns. Crompton says we have the best players at each position of anyone in the country. Williams is 6'4" and made 146 tackles last year......Eric Berry..........Demetrice............Offensive line.........Receivers 6 or 7 deep...................Defensive ends.............Ellix.........Rico................................Arian...............Montario......................Tauren...................Lennon.....................Brandon....................I'm going for it................I'll be as ready to do my part Monday night as I ever have been..........I know you will too......National stage............EVERYONE watching............Perfect scenario....................Two storied programs..............LA Baby................................Yep..........I'm on the Koolaid bandwagon......................All the games today are gravy..........Two more days........It's time to mentally prepare for this game........You true fans know what I mean...........Thanks for coming out............
cleVOLand writes:
There's something in his kool- aid...
drwfocus writes:
In 1965 I was on a guided missile cruiser in the middle of the Med listening to the game on the ships PA system. For some reason most of the crew was yelling for Tennessee. I seem to remember Tommy Protho being the UCLA coach and the game being played in Memphis. On one drive a Tennessee player was hit down and rolled out of bounds on the UCLA side lines and either Protho or a UCLA player kicked him. It inspired the Vols who charged on to victory. I think Dewey Warren was our QB and the game play by play was by Lindsey Nelson - ??? - on Armed Forces Network. I enrolled at UT the next year on the GI bill and was at the game when the UCLA player (center) got his neck broken and was severely parylized when run over by Mike Jones on a TD interception return. He was at the UT hospital for a long time and the UT players and fans frequently visited him and he became a big UT fan. I think the game was in '67 or '68. Then again at my age and as many VOLS games as I have seen I could be totally confused!!!
oldvolsarge writes:
SEAPLANE I was at the game. Can't remember if it was 68 or 69. I was either on my way to Nam or just got back, can't remember which. The guy that broke his neck was the UCLA center who make the tackle after we picked off a pass. If I'm not mistaken, UT paid for his mother to stay with him and paid all of his hospital bills. He was in the hospital in Knoxville for something like a year. They brought him back to Knoxville a few years back, still in a wheel chair, to watch a game. Class all the way as usual by the BIG ORANGE.
orangebloodgmc writes:
We have had some great games between these two teams, and I think this will be another.
Go4Two writes:
Hey Bama fan enjoy the G Dome tonight you want play there again until the Peach Bowl
TommyJack writes:
RichRollin 9:47: How is that term disrespectful?
Who do you think introduced that name into society? Ease up on the PC. Ridiculous.
pj_ladyvolnMI writes:
I remember the opening game of my freshman year, 1974, being against UCLA on national TV...and being scared spitless to mess up in my first halftime show. Not 'cause anyone would know who I was, but 'cause of the trouble I'd get in. They don't show halftime much anymore on TV. Anyway, it was a 17-17 tie. Remember those?
philfan writes:
Even as I write this, I am listening to ESPN go on and on about the wonder and beauty and perfection of Tim Tebow. Just once, could they profile some other player besides him? What about Eric Berry, Crompton, or another SEC player? It is just too much to stomach on a beautiful day for football!
VOLINCALI writes:
downfromthedoor,
52% Career completion percentage
26 career TD's
10 TD single season high
1904 yards passing single season high
4300 career yards
All in three years.
Brandon Stewart = Unproductive
Go4Two writes:
I'm suprised McCain didn't pick Tebow for VP.
thesavageorange writes:
General_Watermelon , what happened to Jerry after college?I know he was drafted by Carolina in one of the late rounds, and played a yr or 2 in NFL Europe ,but I'm not sure after that.I remember how excited I was for him going into that season.I don't think any Vol fan didn't shake their head that day and say "you got to be kidding".Actually ,when Holbert got hurt the 1st person that came to mind was J Colquitt.
writer#358485 writes:
The trick with ESPN is to watch the game live, but turn the sound off so you don't have to listen to the constant drivil. As I remember the UCLA game in Memphis, it wasn't that someone kicked one of our players out-of-bounds, but that we were running an interception or a punt/kickoff back for an easy touchdown and someone came off the UCLA sidelines and tackled him. Of course, they may have kicked him then, but I don't remember that. I also remember Protho made some kind of ridiculous remarks to the media after the game. He thought UCLA was the class of the country then and couldn't imagine coming to Tennessee and losing a game--blamed the referees and everyone else. But then, like some others on here, I'm age-challenged. Go Vols Monday night!
Smokey91 writes:
Prothro's statement after the game was, he was "ashamed to be from the south." What a loser. I love kicking the Bruins butt because of their connection to him. Of all the non-SEC teams we play, I hate losing to them the most.
1manningfan writes:
Lee Corso and Kirk H. said on college gameday a few minutes ago that Tenn is going to win BIG!!! 72% of the country has Tenn winning. Kirk H. said Tenn is overlooked in the SEC and teams better watch out. GO VOLS!!!
1manningfan writes:
Beanie Wells the running back for OSU is down and hurt bad! Rumor is dislocated ankle and possibly out for season, he was in pain bad couldnt even walk off the field. I hate OSU but i never wish bad things on any athlete. Get healthy Beanie, Vol fans lets say a prayer for out beloved Vol players for a safe trip to pasedena.
I WILL GIVE MY ALL FOR TENNESSEE TODAY!!!
GO VOLS!!!
GO BIG ORANGE!!!
GO SEC!!!(except BAMA)
Colliervol writes:
Oh yeah dvolfan, that Brent Shaffer turned out to be some kind of talent, didn't he? Warming the bench at Ole Miss behind a third string walk-on. Couldn't play for an SEC bottom feeder. Yep, that's who I'd like for my QB. And Brandon Stewart was a nice kid but he didn't exactly set the world on fire at Texas A&M, did he?
Please try to bring better than that when you come in here. But I forget, it is nafslov we are talking about. Never mind. He's incapable of it so why bother.
utkedu writes:
JohnnyU - Thank you for the reminder. It was Chuck Webb who go injured the following year opening the door for Tony Thompson. Cobb had the off the field problems.
TNfaninMS writes:
VIRGINIA TECH LOST TO EAST CAROLINA????
HA HA HA HAHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA Well that is one team ahead of us that has lost!!
GO VOLS!!!!!! beat the s### out of the bruins. Cant wait for FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE!!!!!!!!!
TNfaninMS writes:
That ought to help recruiting a bit!
rjgovols#326932 writes:
AHHHH!!! Collage Football is here and the Vols are on Monday night in the Rose Bowl and I'm one lucky fan to live here in No. Cal. who will be there Monday Night to see REVENGE against a PAC TEN team. I was there last year as the Cal Bears beat us bad. I sat in thier booster section on the 35 yard line. But that was last year and now the VOLS will get thier turn to beat these baby blue bruins in thier back yard. Foster run all over this team and prove to those nagh sayer's that yes "TENN" football is back.My daughter and son-in-law both Trojan fan's will be there with me and yes they are rooting for THE VOLS. I've my ticket in hand and I'll be the loud VOL fan in Orange in section 27 with the other 20 to 30,000 fans here yelling ROCKY TOP all night long. Revenge is sweet so here goes VOLS 34 Baby Blue Burins 13. GO VOlS Go ORANGE Nation!!!!!
volfaninbulldogland writes:
Where will any of you vol fans that are going to the game on Monday going to be prior to game time? Tailgating anyone? Is there a place vol fans are meeting up prior to the game or at game time, etc.?
JohnnyU writes:
SEAPLANE,
I was at that game you are talking about. My Dad took me to that game in October or early Nov. of 1968, it was my first Tennessee game. UT 42-18. The UCLA player injured was John Crestman. He lay on the field for a long time, it seemed like 30 minutes. I have often wondered how he did, I have Googled it but have never found anything. Maybe I'll look again. That was before they had the protocol down for on the field spinal cord injuries, I wonder how he did.
seaplane#216536 writes:
Thanks Oldvolsarge and Johnny U. I thought it was late sixties because I was still in school. It would be intersting to see how he's doing these days.
Ralph_Crampton writes:
Johnny U...You have the correct year and score. The UCLA player remained in Knoxville for a couple of weeks in hospital. He was visited by Vol players, and especially Richmond Flowers, the great Vol back. His mother flew in from California..it was touch and go for awhile..as the Bruin player gradually got better and stronger. Coach Dickey, in a class act had one of the assistant coaches tool the woman back and forth to hospital from her hotel...even let her drive his car the final week or two that she was here. She tearfully upon leaving with her son back home said Tennessee people were the best folks she had ever been around. Way to go Vols.
JohnnyU writes:
bigfan502...Thanks for that followup. That's a good story, hope the guy made a good recovery. I hope he continued to improve. Thanks
AtLeastMyTeamHasPerfectSeasons writes:
7-6-2 is the record after 2009.
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