No. 15 Tennessee fends off Ohio upset bid
The Sports Xchange
Sep 17, 2016
Senior quarterback Joshua Dobbs threw two touchdown passes to junior receiver Josh Malone as No. 15 Tennessee sidestepped an upset bid by Ohio to post a 28-19 victory on Saturday in non-conference play at Knoxville, Tenn.
Malone's second touchdown grab early in the fourth quarter capped an 11-play, 90-yard drive that assured the Volunteers (3-0) wouldn't become the first ranked team to lose to the Bobcats in the program's 122-year history.
Dobbs was 19-of-27 passing for 203 yards and one interception. Malone caught five passes for 69 yards and junior running back Jalen Hurd added a rushing touchdown.
Redshirt freshman Louie Zervos kicked four field goals for the Bobcats (1-2), who fell to 0-27 against Top 25 teams. Senior quarterback Greg Windham completed 23 of 46 passes for 230 yards and one touchdown and senior receiver Sebastian Smith caught nine passes for 156 yards for Ohio.
Junior linebacker Quentin Poling racked up 14 tackles for the Bobcats.
The 20-yard touchdown reception by Malone with 11:07 remaining gave Tennessee a 28-19 lead and finally asserted the Volunteers' dominance.
Tennessee's defense received the signal as it limited Ohio to gain 40 yards on 13 plays over the Bobcats' final two drives.
The pesky Bobcats refused to go away after the Volunteers took a 21-12 lead on Dobbs' 13-yard run with 4:57 remaining in the third quarter.
Instead of being deflated by the nine-point deficit, Ohio crisply moved 75 yards on eight plays to get back within two on Windham's 4-yard scoring pass to senior receiver Jordan Reid with 1:09 left in the stanza.
Tennessee answered with the 90-yard backbreaking drive that changed the complexion of the contest and clinched the program's ninth straight victory dating to last season.
The Volunteers started slowly in each of their first two games but needed just 38 seconds to score in this contest. Dobbs hit Malone on a 20-yard scoring pass to cap a three-play, 55-yard drive for the early 7-0 lead.
Zervos booted field goals of 38 and 29 yards to move the Bobcats within one. Tennessee responded with Hurd's 1-yard run 22 seconds into the second quarter before Zervos kicked two more field goals -- both from 30 yards -- to pull Ohio within 14-12 with 6:02 left in the half.
NOTES: Tennessee sophomore MLB Darrin Kirkland Jr., senior DE LaTroy Lewis and junior WR Josh Smith all missed the game with ankle injuries while senior OLB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (unspecified), redshirt freshman LB Quart'e Sapp (knee) and senior CB Cameron Sutton (ankle) were lost during the contest. ... Ohio drops to 2-12 all-time against SEC programs. ... Volunteers senior CB Malik Foreman was suspended for a violation of team rules. Tennessee announced his suspension shortly before kickoff. ... The Bobcats rushed for just 88 yards one week after rolling up 329 in a victory over Kansas. ... Tennessee's nine-game winning streak is the program's longest since a 14-game winning streak that included the school's 13-0 national championship season in 1998 and a season-opening victory in 1999.
Sep 17, 2016
Senior quarterback Joshua Dobbs threw two touchdown passes to junior receiver Josh Malone as No. 15 Tennessee sidestepped an upset bid by Ohio to post a 28-19 victory on Saturday in non-conference play at Knoxville, Tenn.
Malone's second touchdown grab early in the fourth quarter capped an 11-play, 90-yard drive that assured the Volunteers (3-0) wouldn't become the first ranked team to lose to the Bobcats in the program's 122-year history.
Dobbs was 19-of-27 passing for 203 yards and one interception. Malone caught five passes for 69 yards and junior running back Jalen Hurd added a rushing touchdown.
Redshirt freshman Louie Zervos kicked four field goals for the Bobcats (1-2), who fell to 0-27 against Top 25 teams. Senior quarterback Greg Windham completed 23 of 46 passes for 230 yards and one touchdown and senior receiver Sebastian Smith caught nine passes for 156 yards for Ohio.
Junior linebacker Quentin Poling racked up 14 tackles for the Bobcats.
The 20-yard touchdown reception by Malone with 11:07 remaining gave Tennessee a 28-19 lead and finally asserted the Volunteers' dominance.
Tennessee's defense received the signal as it limited Ohio to gain 40 yards on 13 plays over the Bobcats' final two drives.
The pesky Bobcats refused to go away after the Volunteers took a 21-12 lead on Dobbs' 13-yard run with 4:57 remaining in the third quarter.
Instead of being deflated by the nine-point deficit, Ohio crisply moved 75 yards on eight plays to get back within two on Windham's 4-yard scoring pass to senior receiver Jordan Reid with 1:09 left in the stanza.
Tennessee answered with the 90-yard backbreaking drive that changed the complexion of the contest and clinched the program's ninth straight victory dating to last season.
The Volunteers started slowly in each of their first two games but needed just 38 seconds to score in this contest. Dobbs hit Malone on a 20-yard scoring pass to cap a three-play, 55-yard drive for the early 7-0 lead.
Zervos booted field goals of 38 and 29 yards to move the Bobcats within one. Tennessee responded with Hurd's 1-yard run 22 seconds into the second quarter before Zervos kicked two more field goals -- both from 30 yards -- to pull Ohio within 14-12 with 6:02 left in the half.
NOTES: Tennessee sophomore MLB Darrin Kirkland Jr., senior DE LaTroy Lewis and junior WR Josh Smith all missed the game with ankle injuries while senior OLB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (unspecified), redshirt freshman LB Quart'e Sapp (knee) and senior CB Cameron Sutton (ankle) were lost during the contest. ... Ohio drops to 2-12 all-time against SEC programs. ... Volunteers senior CB Malik Foreman was suspended for a violation of team rules. Tennessee announced his suspension shortly before kickoff. ... The Bobcats rushed for just 88 yards one week after rolling up 329 in a victory over Kansas. ... Tennessee's nine-game winning streak is the program's longest since a 14-game winning streak that included the school's 13-0 national championship season in 1998 and a season-opening victory in 1999.
