There was a mystery man wearing No. 93 on his Tennessee jersey during the Vols' 31-16 victory over Vanderbilt on Saturday night at Neyland Stadium.
He ran onto the field after UT's first touchdown and booted the point-after-touchdown kick. He surely wasn't the Vols' other No. 93, 6-foot-4, 312-pound freshman defensive tackle Montori Hughes.
This No. 93, Devin Mathis, is 5-foot-10, 180 pounds. He wasn't listed on UT's game-day roster, but was on the UT football Web site's roster.
Mathis was 4-of-4 on PAT kicks against Vanderbilt and kicked a 25-yard field goal.
UT coach Lane Kiffin had a good one-liner when asked about Mathis after the game.
"That's the kicker, right?" Kiffin said. "You almost had me for a second."
Mathis' whereabouts these past few weeks are still somewhat a mystery. Mathis first said he approached UT's coaching staff after the Oct. 24 Alabama game, then said it was before last week's game at Ole Miss.
"A few weeks ago we saw there was a need for a kicker," Mathis said. "There was an opening and I'd been here before so I thought maybe I'd see if I could take another crack at it and I went for it again."
Kiffin said: "He was with us at one point, and then I don't know. We didn't see him for a while. I really don't know what happened. You can ask Eddie Gran (special teams coordinator). We hadn't seen him and all of a sudden last week we saw him and he practiced last week and the guy started kicking the ball.
"And then, that was two weeks ago, I said, 'Eddie, this guy is kicking the ball.' I guess he wasn't eligible yet. I don't know what the ruling was. We thought about playing him two weeks ago and I don't think he was eligible yet. Something happened and he was eligible this week so we rolled him out there and he kicked it."
Mathis was an all-state soccer player for Chattanooga Baylor in 2006. He was redshirted at UT in 2006 and was on the practice squad the past two years. He kicked a field goal in a UT spring game.
After spending the 2009 spring semester in Mexico learning to speak Spanish fluently - one of his double majors is Spanish - Mathis returned to the U.S. this past summer and got ready for school.
"I just played soccer in a couple of leagues and just tried to be a normal student for the fall," he said.
Mathis got the start in place of the two place-kickers listed on UT's depth chart: juniors Daniel Lincoln and Chad Cunningham.
Lincoln, the starter, has been bothered by a quadriceps injury - and a case of blocked kicks (three of them). Lincoln had two kicks blocked at Alabama - including the potential game-winner - and had another attempt blocked last week at Ole Miss.
Cunningham, who got the start for Lincoln against South Carolina, had a field-goal attempt blocked in that game.
"We looked at it during practice, during the week," Kiffin said, "and Mathis was kicking the ball high and the ball was getting up and he was doing great and it kind of went all the way till this morning (whether Mathis would kick).
"Eddie (Gran) did a great job. He kept coming to me saying, 'I tell you, this guy is kicking the ball well, we should let him go.' I said, 'Has this guy ever kicked in college?' and he said no, he's never kicked anywhere."
Mathis learned Saturday afternoon he would get the start.
"I was blown away," Mathis said. "That's what I wanted the last few years and I didn't think I'd get it. This is a new coaching staff looking to give a walk-on a look. I'm just really grateful."
Dave Link is a freelance contributor.
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Comments » 45
VolinUtah writes:
Rudy, Rudy, Rudy !
Grim1 writes:
Look out Detroit Lions...here he comes!!!
vol98champ writes:
I've been saying for several weeks that there has to be someone on campus who can kick the ball better than "low and away".
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Geezsus!
Congrats lad, as someone said, wish he been in vs Bama.
98reax writes:
Hey, Dave Link, a decade ago I knew you were a 'heckofa' sports writer. Nice to see you can punch out the ones that count most. Great job on a feel good story.
6MillionDollarPumpkin writes:
Hey Lincoln, I hear Maryville College needs a place kicker, you can try out for that job in the spring. When Palardy gets here, both you and Mathis are done...... Kudos to Mathis, he did a great job.
thevoice writes:
This guy deserves the second place MVP behind Hardesty.
DownTheField writes:
you have got to be kidding me! this sounds like one of those stories we hear about, like, the 1929 squad or something like that
rocky_topper writes:
Glad he's on the team! He might have made a difference in Tuscaloser!
volsfannsc writes:
Thought he did well, we need to see how far he can kick though.
TommyJack writes:
No sense in hatin on Lincoln. FHCPF rurned him.
RTB writes:
Good job young man!
gohawks1 writes:
Please keep him out of the film archives... hate to see him start shooting line drives.
givehim6 writes:
Mathis your the man! Just wish you would have appeared sooner,like befor the Bama game. Now we need the same thing to happen to our linebacking corp.
Madkels writes:
Good story for Devin, but shame on the coaching staff for not knowing more about this young man.
vick3333 writes:
Please stop calling Lincoln's kicks "blocked kicks"! hitting the defensive lineman in the armpit, chest, and groin are "low kicks"...Lincoln's almost passive attitude during his approach to the ball was ridiculous...congrats to a real kicker.
Oklahoma_Vol_Fan writes:
Muy Bueno Mathis, Muy Bueno!!!
Ringside writes:
Nice story. Good luck youngster.
gracias!
elbtenn#502977 writes:
I sure hope that comment by CLK "something happened and he became eligible" doesn"t come back and bite us in the butt!
roloyo writes:
Yeah, that one kinda bothered me a bit too.
beaus27 writes:
Good job Mathis! Way to step up and help out your team!
Now,does anyone know if Ethan Ingham is still on the team or at least how good/terrible is he?
jhayes0926#638474 writes:
I'm guessin you were one of the first to bust Crompton in the chops 2 months ago too. Why you have to be such a loser, these are kids doing the best they can. If you only kept the best ones, we'd have about 30 players on the team.
WhitePineVol77 writes:
Como un milagro...
WhitePineVol77 writes:
Like a miracle...
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Probably nothing more than getting back a favorable report about his eligibility from the Admissions and Compliance offices. Since he just sort of wandered off after the spring, his name wasn't on the original list of players who needed to have their eligibility verified to play this year. Kiffin wouldn't necessarily know all those details; that's one reason why dozens of people work on those matters in the UTAD.
rockytopatl writes:
Got a kicker! Now it's time to try out a few linebackers and suit 'em up on Saturday!
Rugby2 writes:
Yeah! Let's all pile on Lincoln. He had those three kicks blocked on purpose; to hurt the team and get Coach Fulmer back. Just like Gerald Jones dropped that TD pass on purpose. It's a conspiracy(?) thats what it is. A dag gum conspiracy. The officials made all those lousy calls to get rid of Kiffin and get Fulmer back. Damn you Fulmer!
VOL03_NC writes:
Beggers cant be choosers...
Now do it again at KU
Cldvols1 writes:
A great story of perseverance and the Will to never give up. Good luck Mathis and Go Vols!!!
steelersman42 writes:
amen, brotha!
AceVentura writes:
I know this guy. I knew he was a walk-on but I had no idea he was a kicker. I thought he was just another punching bag. But it was great to see him out there. Good job.
bill#1374014 writes:
Four extra points and a 27 yard FG. He's the next great UT kicker!
pammyvol1000 writes:
Yeah.. would have been nice knowing Lincoln was injured to have him 3 games ago.
VOLbackfromKorea writes:
CLK's comments on the whole thing are a little wierd. I guess he let's his coaches make changes without much micro-management...I guess Gran did mention Mathis at least before he dressed him and gave him the start in an SEC game...
VOLbackfromKorea writes:
Oh, I forgot to say GOOD JOB KID! The season that could've been continues...
6MillionDollarPumpkin writes:
I happen to know that Maryville College is in need of a kicker, so it seems it would be a perfect fit. Once Palardy gets here, I think we all know that the job will most likely be his. I Didnt say he got them blocked on purpose but we all know they were terrible attempts. I have seen High school kickers do a lot better than what he did. I have not forgotten his Freshman year, he was great but somewhere along the line, he lost it. He did not look good last year and has had his struggles this year. As for Jones, I made no reference to him but, that pass could have been caught by a pee wee player, it should have been caught. I will agree with your last comments........Damn you Fulmer!
6MillionDollarPumpkin writes:
Actually No! I have never busted Crompton's chops on this sight and am proud to have him as our QB. I think it is true that when Palardy gets here, it is his job to lose. Yes, these kids are doing the best they can but we are playing in one of the elite conferences in the nation and need 85 of the BEST. As for the loser comment.........Su_K it!
dowhatsright writes:
Good story. The importance of the kickers seems to be taken for granted until we need one. But we can see how important it is when we play against a great punter or a great field goal kicker. Seems to me it would be a good idea to have several. I'll bet we could get some great kickers who don't have to be on scholarship. 5 for 5 is good.
dvols writes:
si
SummerfieldVol writes:
Better keep him around for about 2 or 3 years. At least he get the ball in the air ( No blocks), 4 for 4 on pats and 1 for 1 on FG's not bad, 100% can't get any better than that. I also wish he had been around for the Alabama game , might have ended in a different score.
midnite__VOL writes:
Wow...from the streets to the leading scorer for UT against Vandy..who would have "thunk" it..
vol4gzus writes:
tacky and uncalled for! Glad that he is not your son because I think he would be overwhelmed with your encouragement.....
ncvol17 writes:
KU?? I thought we were playing UK and not Kansas. Are we actually TU?
ncvol17 writes:
Isn't Lincoln semi injured? A leg injury correct? Hmm..maybe something to do with his kicking ability...glad this Kid was ready, willing, and able to come to our rescue and fill a need. well done kid...
volfaninutah writes:
I hope this guy has 4 years of elgibility left. He looks good. He follows thru on every kick and they have good height and trajectory. I don't know what Lincoln did but he is not the same. He looks as though he is practicing his form and not really going thru the ball. Better work on this kid, I know we have a good one coming in next year, but it wouldn't hurt to have two of them competing. Go Vols.
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