TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Vols Defense Knew It Had To Step Up For Victory

ADVERTISEMENT

By ADAM ADKINS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 2, 2008

TAMPA - John Chavis knew it at the end of the third quarter. At that time, it was as comfortable as Tennessee's defensive coordinator had been during Tuesday's Outback Bowl.

The eyes of his defensive players said they were ready to put the game on their shoulders. And Chavis was confident they would deliver.

"There's no doubt. For the first time, when we talked on the sideline at the end of the third quarter, I could see they were ready for that challenge," Chavis said. "Really, it's easy to say now, but at that time I felt like our guys could do what they needed to get done."

Tennessee's defense bent but never broke when the game was on the line late, twice turning away Wisconsin's offense in the fourth quarter when the Badgers were deep in Vols territory. That included Antonio Wardlow's interception with 28 seconds remaining, which sealed the Vols' 21-17 victory Tuesday in front of 60,121 at Raymond James Stadium, Tennessee's first bowl win since the 2005 Cotton Bowl.

To make it more impressive was the fact the Vols defense was without linebacker Rico McCoy and defensive tackle Demonte' Bolden, two starters who were ruled academically ineligible for the bowl game.

"It was the same attitude we had in the LSU game, the same attitude we had in the Arkansas and Georgia games," said junior linebacker Jerod Mayo, who led the Vols with 13 tackles. "We just felt like we needed to get the job done."

The first big Vols' stand came at a time Tennessee desperately needed it.

If Wisconsin's block of Daniel Lincoln's 29-yard field-goal attempt with 9:40 left in the game didn't swing the momentum into the Badgers' favor, P.J. Hill's 50-yard run to the Vols 18 two plays later certainly did. And the next time the Vols huddled defensively, a message was spread.

"Our offense was sputtering at that time, and we just knew that if we were going to win this game we were going to do it on defense," said junior defensive end Xavier Mitchell, who tallied one of the Vols' three sacks. "The fact that we were up, we said to each other that if we lost this game, it would be on us."

Mitchell and his teammates came up with the plays, ending the Badgers' drive four plays later at the 10 by forcing Wisconsin's Tyler Donovan to throw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-2.

However, the Vols offense was unable to run the remaining time off the clock, so the defense was forced to make one last stand with 1:26 left.

Donovan hit on three consecutive passes to march the Badgers down from their own 12 to UT's 41, and an encroachment penalty put the Badgers at Tennessee's 36 with 45 seconds left. But on the next play, Wardlow came through with his heroics, snagging Donovan's pass intended for Paul Hubbard at the Tennessee goal line to seal the win.

"When it got down to the nitty-gritty and everything towards the end, we were just able to make plays and stop them," senior linebacker Ryan Karl said.

Reporter Adam Adkins can be reached at (813) 657-4533 or aadkins@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT