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Dores’ second-half rally comes up short 11/20/2004
Dores’ second-half rally comes up short NASHVILLE — The Commodores football team lost its season finale today to the No. 16 Tennessee Volunteers, 33-38. Final Stats | Photo Gallery The Volunteers brought with them their marching band, three mascots, a platoon of cheerleaders, a cadre of fans wearing more orange than the construction barricades that line I-40, and they brought their A-Game. However, they almost let a 28-6 second-quarter lead slip away. The Commodores would fight back, and eventually rally to within five points late in the fourth quarter. But it wouldn’t be enough. Vanderbilt got on the board in the first quarter when quarterback Jay Cutler connected with Marlon White for a touchdown, marking the first time the Commodores scored against the Volunteers since 2000. Until that play, Tennessee had scored 124 unanswered points against the Black and Gold. And, for the second consecutive week, Vanderbilt missed the extra point. Cutler’s touchdown pass was the 36th in his career, earning him sole possession in Vanderbilt’s record book of third all-time. At the end of the day, Cutler was three touchdowns shy of tying Greg Zolman and Whit Taylor’s team-leading record of 41 career touchdown passes. The first quarter ended with the Volunteers ahead 14-6. Two minutes and 35 seconds later, the Vols would find the end zone again, making the score 21-6. Vanderbilt would fumble deep in Big Orange territory on its next possession and turn the ball over, which would result in another Tennessee touchdown. But the Dores fought back. On the first play from scrimmage, down 28-6, Culter connected with Brandon Smith for an 80-yard touchdown. The pass was a career-long for both Cutler and Smith, and the eighth longest in school history. The two-point conversion was successful, making the score 28-14. Smith would go on to have a career-high 160 receiving yards today. On the next possession, Commodore cornerback Dominique Morris intercepted Rick Clausen’s pass. Vanderbilt’s ensuing drive, which began on their own 23-yard line, would culminate in another Commodore touchdown, and another failed extra-point kick, making the score 28-20. With 2:01 left in the half, the Vanderbilt defense forced Tennessee to punt for the first time of the game. The Volunteers took their first drive of the second half to the Vanderbilt 17. And, thanks to a third-down pass broken up in the end zone by strong safety Andrew Pace, the Vols were forced to settle for a field goal. On the next possession, scrambling to his left with three Volunteers on his heels, Cutler threw his first interception in 177 attempts. The turnover led to an eventual Volunteer touchdown. The Dores answered with a rushing touchdown by Jeff Jennings on their first possession of the fourth quarter. It was the second time the Commodores put points on the board in the fourth quarter all season. The two-point conversion failed. Jennings’ two touchdowns were a career high, as was his offensive output of 35 total yards. Commodore linebacker Kevin Joyce came up with a key interception on the next Tennessee possession, giving the Commodores an opportunity to close the 12-point deficit with 12 minutes left to play. But, a three-and-out and a short punt gave the ball back to the Vols on their own 38. Vanderbilt’s defense was without leading tackler as linebacker Moses Osemwegie, who was injured during last week’s game against Kentucky, watched the game from the sidelines. The defense struggled throughout the game on stopping third-down conversions, giving up 10 of 16 attempts. But, with 7:11 left on the clock, Joyce once again came up big, forcing Clausen to throw the ball away. The Dores took over at their own 13-yard line. Vanderbilt receiver Marlon White — who also had a career day with 118 yards — caught a tipped pass that was intended for Smith and ran it for a 62-yard completion. On the same possession, Cutler would throw a three-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dustin Dunning. Punter Abtin Iranmanesh kicked his first career point-after attempt, bringing the Dores within five points with 4:30 left to play. Iranmanesh then came back on for an onside kick, which Tennessee recovered on the Vanderbilt 43. The Dores had one more chance on offense, but Cutler’s second interception of the game effectively ended their season. Vanderbilt’s 420 yards of total offense (a season high), would be virtually neutralized by turnovers. Tennessee would score 21 of its points off two Vanderbilt fumbles and one of the two interceptions. The Commodores had two receivers (White and Smith) with 100-plus yards for the first time since 2001. The attendance was 32,312. This game closes out the Commodores’ 2004 campaign. |
