Sept. 27, 2009

Final Stats

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.-Ohio quarterback Theo Scott threw for a career-best 319 yards, but it was not enough as the host Volunteers held off the Bobcats 34-23 Saturday evening at Neyland Stadium.

Ohio dropped to 2-2 overall, while Tennessee improved to 2-2.

Scott completed 30 of 52 passes, while throwing one touchdown pass and one interception. His output helped offset the Ohio rushing attack, which could muster just 21 yards on 17 carries.

Wideouts LaVon Brazill and Taylor Price combined for 182 yards receiving.

Tennessee was powered by running back Montario Hardesty’s 140 yards rushing and one touchdown, while quarterback Jonathan Crompton completed 17 of 34 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns with one interception.

Denarius Moore led the Vol receiving corps with four catches for 47 yards, while running back Bryce Brown had two grabs for 60 yards and a score.

Defensively, Ohio’s Kris Luchsinger and Noah Keller both amassed a game-high nine tackles to go with Keller’s sack, interception and pass breakup. Linebacker Errik Ejike also had a fine performance with five tackles, one sack and two forced fumbles.

Tennessee’s Rico McCoy and Nick Reveiz combined for 16 stops, two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a pass breakup.

After an early UT score, senior running back Chris Garrett sent shockwaves through the stadium with an electrifying 95-yard kickoff return for touchdown, the third such score in his career. Garrett had a school-record 221 kickoff return yards during the contest, which helped him become Ohio’s all-time leader in kickoff return yardage (1,854 yards), surpassing Keith Crawford’s 1,845 yards (1985-87).

The Bobcats took a 14-7 lead when Scott hit Brazill for a two-yard touchdown toss, following Keller’s interception off a tipped ball by safety Donovan Fletcher.

The Vols then put up a pair of touchdowns to wrest the lead back from the Bobcats before Matt Weller’s 36-yard field goal, the first of three for the freshman kicker, sliced the UT margin to four (21-17) with 40 seconds left in the half. Vol kicker Daniel Lincoln answered, however, with a 38-yard boot as time ran out for the halftime margin of 24-17.

Weller’s 18-yard field goal cut the lead to 24-20 with 6:40 remaining in the third quarter, but UT’s Brown took a swing pass and scampered 26 yards into the end zone to put the hosts up 31-20.

Weller’s third field goal, a 31-yarder, made it 31-23 with 10:38 to go, but Lincoln answered with a career-long 49-yarder at the 6:00 minute mark for the final margin.

Tennessee only outgained the feisty Bobcats by 59 yards (399-340).

Scott’s passing yards are the eighth-highest total for a Bobcat quarterback in a game, while his completions tie for fourth and his attempts are fifth.

Ohio will be back in action Saturday at Bowling Green for a 4 p.m. kick.