University of Memphis Athletics
Tigers to Host Vols Saturday Morning on ESPN
Sep 29, 2006 | Football
Sept. 29, 2006
MEMPHIS, TENN. -
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The University of Memphis Tigers will host an early game with the 15th-ranked Tennessee Vols on Saturday. The game will be broadcast by ESPN and kick-off is slated for 11 a.m.
Sean McDonough will provide the play-by-play call, while Chris Spielman will provide the color commentary. Rob Stone will serve as the sideline reporter.
Fans are reminded that this is also the last weekend of the Mid-South Fair and they are advised to arrive early for the game. Fair admission is free with your game ticket, and U of M students can show their school ID for free admission to the fair.
The Sept. 30 game will be the 21st overall meeting between the two schools on the gridiron. Tennessee holds a commanding 19-1 lead in the series. The last time the Tigers and Volunteers met was last year, with Tennessee pulling out a narrow 20-16 victory in Knoxville.
Tennessee holds an 8-1 series advantage in games played in Memphis. The Volunteers won the last encounter at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, a 19-17 win in the 2000 campaign. The Tigers' lone victory in the series came at home in 1996 when they upset the Volunteers 21-17. UT was ranked sixth nationally in that meeting.
Since the series began in 1968, Tennessee has been nationally ranked entering the meeting in 10 of the 20 games. They have been in the top 10 in seven meetings, with a high ranking of No. 4 in 1985 in which the Vols won, 17-7 in Memphis.
WOULDN'T A WIN BE GREAT ON THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY?
This Saturday's meeting with Tennessee marks the 10th anniversary of the stunning upset victory for the Tigers over the Vols. In the 1996 game, the Vols came to town ranked sixth nationally and a record-setting crowd of 65,885 was on hand to witness the Tigers defeat the Vols, 21-17. Two key Tiger plays in that game that will forever be remembered were Kevin Cobb's 95-yard kick-off return for a TD to tie the score at 14; and the touchdown pass from Qadry Anderson to Chris Powers with six minutes left in the game to seal the win. Cobb received an ESPY for the return and the play was also selected as college football's play of the year. And another interesting note - Sean McDonough, who will serve as the play-by-play announcer for Saturday's game, was also on the broadcast crew in the 1996 game.
RECENT CLOSE CALLS
In-state rivalries usually bring out the best in both teams, so it's no surprise that recent battles in the Memphis-Tennessee match-up have been close. Of the eight meetings since 1991, six have been decided by 11 or fewer points. To take it further, five of those six contests were decided by single digits. The average margin of victory in the last eight games is 9.5 points (76 total points).
ANOTHER ODD, EARLY MEETING
On Sept. 16, the Tigers played East Carolina -- a game that usually takes place in November. Well, Memphis and Tennessee also are doing the same on Sept. 30 with a rare early game between the two in-state rivals.
Of the 20 previous encounters, 14 were played in the month of November. The last time Memphis and Tennessee played in the month of September was the 1999 season, and the Volunteers squeaked out a 17-16 victory in Knoxville.
The other years the Memphis-Tennessee game did not take place in November were 1988, 1981, 1972, 1969 and 1968.
U OF M STAFF VS. THE ALMA MATER
The Sept. 30 Memphis-Tennessee game will be the second of three contests this year where it will pit a member of the Tiger coaching staff against his alma mater. The Sept. 30 match-up will have Memphis mentor Tommy West coaching against his alma mater (1976 UT graduate) at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
Later on this season, assistants Tim Keane and Kenny Ingram will face their alma mater, Arkansas State, on Oct. 14. Then, in late November, Clay and Tyson Helton will coach Memphis against their alma mater, Houston.
TALK ABOUT STATE REPRESENTATION
In the Sept. 30 game, the state of Tennessee will be well represented on the playing field when Memphis meets Tennessee. A combined 89 players (48 Memphis, 41 Tennessee) from the state are listed on the team's two rosters.
ON THIS DATE... The Tigers have a 4-4 record when they have played on Sept. 30 in the program's history. The last time Memphis played on Sept. 30 was the 2000 campaign when the Tigers fell to then-No. 21 Southern Miss 24-3 in Hattiesburg.
