Tennessee preparing to face nation's top rusher

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Posted 6:03PM on Thursday, November 10, 2005

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Tennessee's defense against the run has been the most reliable aspect of the team in a season full of meltdowns. No opposing tailback has been able to post a 100-yard game against the Volunteers (3-5) this year. They will face their biggest threat Saturday when the Division I-A rushing leader comes to town. Memphis' DeAngelo Williams is averaging a nation-best 184.5 yards a game. Tennessee's rush defense ranks fourth in the country in allowing just 80.8 yards a game. ``They are probably as good against the run as anybody I have seen in a while. They have great recovery speed. You see some holes open, but they are closed really quickly,'' said Memphis coach Tommy West, a Tennessee graduate and former assistant coach. ``We have to be able to throw the ball some. ... Then we just have to find a way to run the ball against them, and nobody really has.'' The run game figures to be integral for both teams. The Tigers (4-4) are averaging 274.75 yards on the ground as a team, which ranks fourth in the country. Tennessee has struggled offensively all season, including rushing the ball. Even though the Vols are ranked 101st in averaging 110.5 yards a game, Arian Foster has rushed for over 120 yards in each of the last two games. Tennessee leads the all-time series against Memphis 18-1 with the lone loss coming in 1996. Both teams are vying to become bowl eligible. The Tigers only need to win two of their final three games while the Vols have to beat Memphis, Vanderbilt and Kentucky to reach the postseason. Georgia is the only team to rush for 100 yards or more against Tennessee this season. The last time a player broke 100 yards was last season. UNLV's Dominique Dorsey had 121 yards and Auburn's Carnell Williams had 100 in the Southeastern Conference championship game. DeAngelo Williams was held to only 85 yards in the opener against Mississippi but since then he has not run for less than 130 yards. He has four games of more than 200 yards. ``That's a humongous challenge. We have to find a way to contain him,'' Tennessee cornerback Jonathan Wade said. ``They will have some kind of way of trying to slow our rush defense down. We can expect some tricks and some big plays. Having a rusher like DeAngelo, I look for the play action because they run you to sleep. The next thing you know ... the ball is over your head.'' The Tigers are on their fourth starting quarterback after the top two broke their legs early this season. The third-stringer didn't work out, and West decided to go with senior receiver Maurice Avery, a quarterback in high school. Avery was 16-of-22 for 187 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in the Tigers' 37-20 loss to UAB on Nov. 1. The Vols beat UAB 17-10 in their opener. Williams hurt his left ankle in the first quarter. He finished with 167 yards but had only 48 in the second half. West said this week that Williams' ankle is fine after sitting out of practice last week. ``He does a great job with his vision and speed. He's a strong back and a tough guy,'' Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said. ``They get the ball to him in a lot of different ways a real challenge for our defensive football team. Memphis' defense has not been as good against the run. The Tigers are allowing 147.8 yards a game. UAB's Corey White, who was held to 33 yards at Tennessee, had a career-high 200 against Memphis. ``That's what Tennessee is going to try to do. They will run it right at us and try to hit play-action passes over our heads. That's what they have done for 100 years,'' West said. ``So, we know what we have to stop.'' On the Net: Memphis football: gotigersgo.collegesports.com Tennessee football: www.utsports.com (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Tennessee preparing to face nation&#39;s top rusher

Tennessee preparing to face nation's top rusher