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AMY SMOTHERMAN BURGESS/NEWS SENTINEL Tennessee coach Derek Dooley leaves the field after the Vols' 51-48, four-overtime loss to Missouri on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.
The story Saturday could have been Tennessee's surprising defensive resurrection.
The story could have been an unsung local kid, Tyler Drummer, carving a niche in Vol lore with an overtime touchdown.
The story could have been a team rallying to pull out a victory for an embattled coach whose tenure was on the ropes.
Instead, the story was just another Tennessee failure in a season of failures.
Missouri will long remember its first trip to Neyland Stadium as an SEC member, a 51-48, four-overtime victory that plunged one more dagger into Vol Nation's heart.
"That was a hard one,'' said a somber UT coach Derek Dooley. "We had every opportunity to win the game in all phases and didn't get it done.''
Didn't get it done again. The Vols are 4-6, on the verge of being eliminated from bowl consideration with Vanderbilt and Kentucky left.
They're 0-6 in the SEC for the second consecutive year and Dooley is 4-18 in SEC games in his three seasons.
Missouri (5-5, 2-5 SEC) was dominated in the first half but dominant in the second.
Dooley saw his team surrender a 14-point third-quarter lead as Missouri quarterback James Franklin scrambled around on fourth-and-12 and threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to wide-open Dorial Green-Beckham to tie the score at 28-28 with 47 seconds to play.
"This just proves we can play at this level, that we belong in the SEC and that we are ready to play,'' said Mizzou tailback Kendial Lawrence, who changed momentum with a 77-yard touchdown run to start the second half.
The Vols had one last-gasp chance to respond in regulation, but facing third-and-10 at the UT 39, Dooley kept two timeouts in his pocket and let the clock run out to force overtime.
"I just had confidence we could go beat 'em in overtime,'' he said. "I didn't have confidence we could get the third-and-10.''
So the overtime kings of college football lined up to give an announced crowd of 89,272 some bonus football.
Missouri and Tennessee stood alone in the FBS with 10 all-time overtime wins. Now Missouri has 11, becoming the first of seven overtime opponents to beat the Vols in Neyland Stadium.
Both teams scored touchdowns on their first three overtime possessions. By that point, UT's first-half defensive prowess had long since evaporated.
Tennessee took a 42-35 lead in the second overtime when Drummer, a walk-on from Powell who is the holder for kicks, ran 5 yards for a touchdown on a fake field goal.
Then the Tigers tied it on Franklin's third TD pass of the game.
UT had a chance to win in the third overtime after Justin Hunter's 13-yard TD catch tied the game at 48-48.
Missouri had earlier failed on its two-point conversion try, a mandatory rule in a third overtime.
All the Vols needed was a conversion. But Marlin Lane was stopped short of the end zone after catching a pass from Bray.
The Vols went on offense in the fourth overtime. After a 7-yard completion to Lane, Bray threw three incomplete passes. The final one came on fourth-and-3 at the 18, as Dooley eschewed a field-goal try for a potential three-point lead.
"I didn't have a lot of confidence we'd stop 'em on the other side,'' Dooley said.
Moments later, a field goal won it for the Tigers.
Throughout the first half — seemingly hours ago — Tennessee had been stopping 'em.
The Vols led 21-7 at halftime, but that didn't tell the story of how one-sided the first 30 minutes had been.
Tennessee had 383 yards of offense, Missouri a mere 64.
The Vols were on fire, interrupted only by an 87-yard kickoff return score by Missouri's Jimmie Hunt.
Whatever changes the brain trust had made since giving up 721 yards and 48 points to Troy a week earlier, they were working.
Then on the first snap of the second half, things changed. Lawrence sprinted 77 yards for a touchdown and Tennessee's old defensive demons came roaring back.
"Momentum doesn't fall out of the sky,'' said Missouri coach Gary Pinkel. "You get it because you make plays.''
The Vols went back up 28-14 on Bray's 16-yard TD pass to Alton Howard, but it wasn't nearly enough.
Missouri gained 317 yards in the second half to UT's 125.
UT's offense, up 28-21, had two chances in the fourth quarter to ice the game. First Michael Palardy missed a 43-yard field goal. Then the Vols went three-and-out, a 39-second possession.
"We felt the momentum shift when they hit us with that big run,'' said UT cornerback Justin Coleman.
"We tried to keep the momentum on our side but they obviously took advantage of it.''
Said Hunter, who had his first SEC touchdown catch of the year, "We wanted to help our defense.''
Bray was 37 of 54 passing for 404 yards and four TDs.
"Everybody was trying to make plays,'' he said. "Sometimes it just doesn't happen.''
For the longest time Saturday, it was going to happen. But in the end, it didn't.
"It's tough,'' said Lane. "Just like before, we are just going to have to live with it and fix all the mistakes.''
Mike Strange may be reached at strangem@knoxnews.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/strangemike44 and http://blogs.knoxnews.com/strange
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Comments » 15
rocky_topper writes:
Dooley, you sure did a heck of a job leaving your footprint on the defense this week. You are in over your head and are NOT a SEC-caliber coach. Now, get the hell out before we hate your guts to the point that we will never get over!
arkansasvol1975 writes:
Great another loss to an SEC team. Why would Dooley change defenses on his 3rd year, which many think was his make it or break it year? It is just dumb, for someone who is a lawyer and is thought of to be smart, it was a dumb move. Cost him his job, but hell, he is gonna get paid over $5 million. The man has no ties to UT, why should he care. He and his family are set for life, he doesn't have to work again. Yall think about that for a minute. I love Tennessee, born and raised in Knoxville. It pisses me off watching what is taking place and hearing morons say give this idiot another year. Apparently, we know have to score 60 points to win a game. I never, never thought i would see UT like this and in the bad of position. And for all yall that claims Dooley was left with a "depleted roster", go look at Hugh Freeze and Ole Miss and get back with me on what that coach is doing. Ole Miss was lucky to get 1 star recruits and is out there winning and competing against the big boys. COACHING IS EVERYTHING!
asand211 writes:
What in the world gave him confidence they could win in OT when he didn't have confidence they could convert a third down?
bigdaddy37821 writes:
Dooley wouldnt make a good peewee football coach. I think he ran out of water for the bamboo LMAO. NAH NAH NAH HEY LOSER GOOD BYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ULTIMATEVOLUNTEER writes:
Man if your life depends on football games played by 18-22 year old kids to the point that you "hate" a coach..you may need to make some adjustments.
arkansasvol1975 writes:
Well Mr. bandwagon, we who have followed UT all of our life, went to UT, have season passes, go to practice, bleed f**king orange.....yeah it does mean something to us. Why don't you go follow one of those MAC or SunBelt teams.
govols0463 writes:
Any win out believers still out there? Wow! I said 5-7 in July and I've posted it on here every week since. The only thing that worries me is none of 'em giving a da*n against KY to make it 4-8. Get this clown out of Knoxville, so we can begin to get our football program back. 10 consecutive weeks of horrendous clock management, horrendous defensive scheme, and having to call timeout on punts and PAT's! I feel sorry for our offensive linemen because they are special. PLEASE hire a Division 1 head coach this time! PLEASE! This is embarrassing. Having to go for it on 4th down because you self admit that you can't stop the 112th offense in the nation. However, that's all the more reason to try to win the da*n game in regulation and not go in OT to begin with. He totally contradicted himself. We had the ball with 40 seconds left and 2 timeouts. Our defense was on the sidelines DUMB*SS, which is where we need them to be when the game is on the line, so why didn't you try to score in regulation to avoid having to depend on them in OT? What an idiot!
byrd writes:
Dooley simply does not know how to win. A winner would see 40 seconds and two time outs as an opportunity. Bray and the receivers provide realistic opportunity. But you have to expect to win or even thirst to win to see it. Dooley does not picture the win. He has never won a big game as HC. The players are good enough for a respectable winning season. Coaches cannot get it done. I am no longer watching the games this season.
Southland writes:
this team can not beat vandy. I hate saying that, man do I hate saying that. I am old timey Vol and remember that you are supposed to hate two things in life, bama and vandy. Florida joined the list to make it three. The jerk at vandy will outcoach dooley in every way possible. I dont see how we can lose to UK but that was the same last year so who knows. I expect and hope to hear that Coach Dooley is fired no later than Monday morning. I hope the DC is fired before this night is over
Enki_Amenra writes:
Go Vols!!!
I know everyone is sick about where this team measures up against the standards we hold our Vols to. No doubt it is nowhere the players and fans deserve to see it.
I know that there are not many, if any Volunteer football players who read this type of stuff, but in the off chance you are a current player and you are reading this;
You players are awesome. Every single true Vols fan can see that you guys are laying everything you have out there on the field. We can tell you believe in your coaches, your team mates, your die hard fans, and yourselves.
You guys make me proud to be a Vol! Please don't think for a moment that your fans believe you have any responsibilty, beyond a few plays here and there, for the current health of UT football.
Personally, I still love watching UTK games, even though quality wins have been AWOL. I get excited to watch you guys play, because I know I'll see all of you giving everything you have for your team and the fans.
We love all the players who make up our Vols.
Aside from wanting the program to win for our entertainment, we also want to see our Vols develop the best players in the country. We want you to have the best opportunity to succeed academically and athletically.
Your fans want to see you succeed, so we can live vicariously through you and so we can show you off to all the rivals.
Thank You for your committment and hard work to reach the high standards required to be a University of Tennessee Volunteer.
Keep up that committment and loyalty and you will be rewarded for your unwaivering effort to be 'All-Vol'.
GO VOLS!!!
JV67 writes:
Fire him now! This game was the most blatant example of the Vols getting outcoached every week. The athletes on the field obviously have the talent to compete. We've been in every game we've lost only to see it flushed down the toilet by the coaching staff's inability to adjust to what the opposing coach throws at us.
Vols4life77 writes:
Very well written post and I agree with you. I do feel bad for these young men as they played their butts off. I don't agree with letting the time run out at the end of regulation and I was screaming at the TV but I won't get on here and call names as the situation will take care of itself. Dooley has gotten the program in better shape, he has instilled a character that had been lacking for sometime. I have been a Dooley backer but it's hard to defend his coaching decisions. In a Dooley firing I mostly feel the worst for jay graham and Sam Pittman. The O-line and the RB have been vastly improved. I know it may receive backlash and it the losses have been tough to absorb but I appreciate and thank you Dooley for getting the program in stable grounds as far as talent and discipline. I just want to see the big orange back on top where I lose sleep and it ruins my day. Losing makes me mad but it's a different feeling now because it's become routine. That's why there needs to be a new coach to revive this proud university.
tmcretired writes:
Dump Dooley can not imagine he still has a job this morning.
MEDIA_OCRITY writes:
Truthfully, I thing CDD checked his voicemail this morning and had no message from Hart and began to laugh. Looked at his wife and said, "Not fired yet, NO S**T"...and then they went shopping.
Volumnus writes:
"0" FOR THE SEC!!!!! Dayyyyaaammm! that is a record I never though we would achieve! We should go ahead and send the staff to the Football Hall of Fame now!!!! No really, just buy'em a Greyhound ticket and send'em on up there, they can never top this. The Commode Doors and the Ky Kitties are licking there chops. The admin should be fired for letting this debacle continue. Assemble a team of 10 area high school coaches and let them coach the last 2 games, it is not like we are going to win them anyway.
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