Stage fright? Memphis looks for answers

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Tennessee's Willie Bohannon stops Memphis running back Curtis Steele (26) on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2009 at Neyland Stadium.

It was a tale of two halves for Memphis.

The one that decided the game gave the Tigers the blues.

"I challenged the team at halftime to try to win the second half, and they did,'' Memphis coach Tommy West said. "I don't know if we got stage fright or what happened in the first half.''

Tennessee's starters dominated the Tigers en route to a 42-7 halftime lead, threatening to score the most lopsided victory in the schools' 22 football meetings.

Instead, UT (5-4) settled for a 56-28 victory over Memphis (2-7) before the homecoming crowd of 94.636 at Neyland Stadium Saturday night.

UT coach Lane Kiffin came out playing aggressively, going for three fourth downs in the first half with his team up 14-0.

"I don't take offense to that at all,'' said West, who played tight end for the Vols from 1973-75. "He's trying to win the game, and it was up to us to stop them. It's the same thing I would have done.''

West quickly admitted it didn't seem to matter what the Tigers did in the first half. UT out-gained Memphis 382 yards to 104 through the first 30 minutes.

The biggest point spread in the series - 39 points in a 55-16 UT win in 1969 - appeared in reach for the Vols with the Tigers' struggling.

"We didn't get anything done in the fist half that we came into the game to get done,'' West said. "Offensively, defensively, or special teams, and we turned the ball over twice in the first half which certainly didn't help.''

Vols' quarterback Jonathan Crompton was 21-of-27 passing for 331 yards and five touchdowns when he was pulled midway through the third quarter with Tennessee leading 49-7.

"We came in playing to make the quarterback beat us, and he did,'' West said. "I thought if we could get after the back (Montario Hardesty) and not let him break runs we could get them in some down-and-distance.''

The Tigers didn't stop Hardesty, but they managed to contain him, limiting the UT senior to 60 yards on 13 carries. Vols' backup Bryce Brown had 55 yards on 11 carries.

"They're better than I thought they were throwing the ball,'' West said.

The Tigers came into the game playing a three-deep zone concept with the idea of keeping the Vols' receivers in front of their defenders, according to West.

"I've never been in a game like this where we couldn't cover them,'' he said. "We played man (-to-man coverage), zone, two-deep, three deep. ... I wish I had another coverage, but we tried everything.''

Memphis came alive in the second half, pitting its no-huddle offense against the Vols' starters for a series before Kiffin entered the second-team defense.

The Tigers finished with 403 total yards, including 209 rushing, and outscored UT 21-14 in the second half.

"If we started the first half like the second half,'' Memphis linebacker Jamon Hughes said, "the outcome would have been a lot different.''

Reagan Busy: Former Bearden High School standout Matt Reagan had a busy night for the Tigers. Reagan averaged 42.8 yards on four points and converted four extra-point kicks.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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