Crompton fourth nationally in TDs

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Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton (8) during action against Memphis Saturday, Nov 7, 2009 in Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. Tennessee running back Montario Hardesty (2) is blocking.

If you can't remember seeing a better half of football by a Tennessee quarterback than you saw Saturday night, well, you're right.

Jonathan Crompton's 305 passing yards in the first half of a 56-28 win over Memphis were unsurpassed.

The previous UT mark for a half was 285 yards by - naturally - Peyton Manning, in a Citrus Bowl win over Northwestern on Jan. 1, 1997.

"He really missed one throw in the game,'' head coach Lane Kiffin said Sunday night. "Other than that, he played almost perfect.''

Ready for another surprising stat?

After five touchdown passes against Memphis, Crompton has 21 on the season. Only three quarterbacks nationally have more.

Case Keenum of Houston has 28, Kellen Moore of Boise State 27 and Russell Wilson of N.C. State 24.

Crompton is among a handful of quarterbacks with 21. He has done so in 264 pass attempts, compared to 458 for Keenum, 268 for Moore and 293 for Wilson.

Over the past four games, Crompton has thrown 14 TD passes and only two interceptions. That compares to seven TDs and eight interceptions in the first four games.

He is climbing up the pass-efficiency ratings. His mark of 139.75 ranks 35th nationally and fourth in the SEC, a fraction behind third-place Jordan Jefferson of LSU (139.78).

"He has great confidence right now,'' Kiffin said. "After practice Thursday night I was watching the film and it's like he was a JUGS (radar) gun. Wherever he pointed, that's exactly where it went.''

Early Birds: Kiffin welcomes the noon (Eastern) kickoff at Ole Miss, which will be 11 a.m. Central. In two 12:21 p.m. starts, the Vols have outscored Western Kentucky and Georgia by a combined 108-26.

"It's an hour earlier for (Ole Miss) than for us, their time,'' Kiffin said.

"I like it, especially to go on the road to a place that could be very loud. It's always harder for places to get going that early.''

Lathered Up: Kiffin said redshirt freshman Herman Lathers graded well in his first start at middle linebacker.

"He missed a couple of tackles, but he aligned us really well,'' Kiffin said. "He's really, really fast.

"He has all the tools to be a great linebacker. He's just got to put it all together.''

Defensive Toll: Memphis tagged Tennessee's defense for season-highs in points (28) and first downs (27). The previous highs were 26 points and 24 first downs by Auburn.

The 403 yards allowed was the second-most behind Auburn's 459.

Most of Memphis' damage came against reserves after UT had posted a 49-7 lead.

UT's defense slipped three spots to rank 16th nationally, allowing 295.11 yards per game.

Poole Sent Off: Sophomore running back Tauren Poole was sent to the locker room Saturday night after a display of unhappiness on the sideline.

Poole's only action was on special teams.

"I don't expect kids to agree with our decisions on playing time,'' Kiffin said. "I expect them to think they're the best guy at their position.

"But they need to respect those decisions and not let their feelings show.''

Kiffin said there had been no previous problems with Poole, who has seven rushing attempts on the season.

Fumble Streak: Dennis Rogan's turnover on a muffed punt return against Memphis was UT's first lost fumble since the Auburn game.

The Vols have lost only five fumbles: two by defensive backs, two by Crompton and only one by a skill-position offensive player. That was Montario Hardesty on a pass reception in the first quarter of the opening game.

Getting Votes: UT moved up from three votes last week to 12 votes in the new Associated Press Top 25. The Vols were sixth among teams also receiving votes.

Ole Miss Notes: According to the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was "barely" half its capacity for the Rebels' 38-14 win over Northern Arizona on Saturday night. The announced attendance was 38,184. Capacity is 60,580. . . . Although the Rebels are 6-3 they are not yet bowl-eligible. You can only count one win over a Football Championship Subdivision opponent toward eligibility. Ole Miss has beaten two FCS teams, Southeastern Louisiana and Northern Arizona. . . . Ole Miss rested all-purpose offensive weapon Dexter McCluster against Northern Arizona. McCluster was used as a decoy several times but didn't touch the ball. McCluster might have been banged up after getting more than 50 combined touches against Arkansas and Auburn the previous two games.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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