NCAAF Game Recap - Charlotte at Tennessee
Sat Nov 3, 2018 4:00 PM EDT

Bama
29
LSU
0
F
Lou
16
Clem
77
F
ND
31
NW
21
F
PSU
7
Mich
42
F
UGA
34
KY
17
F
Okla
51
TxTch
46
F
Neb
31
OSU
36
F
Temp
40
UCF
52
F
Cal
13
WaSt
19
F
WVU
42
Tex
41
F
MIZ
38
Fla
17
F
Utah
20
AzSt
38
F
Hou
31
SMU
45
F
UtSt
56
Hawaii
17
F
Iowa
36
Purd
38
F
Fres
48
UNLV
3
F
LT
3
MissSt
45
F
Syr
41
Wake
24
F
Pitt
23
UVA
13
F
BC
31
VaTec
21
F
TxAM
24
Aub
28
F
MiaOH
42
Buff
51
F
Kent
35
BGSU
28
F
Ball
13
Toled
45
F
Ohio
59
WestMI
14
F
NIU
36
Akr
26
F
W Ky
10
MidTN
29
F
Colo
34
Ariz
42
F
Rut
17
Wisc
31
F
SCar
48
Miss
44
F
IASt
27
Kans
3
F
OkSt
31
Bayl
35
F
MSU
24
MD
3
F
C Mi
7
E Mi
17
F
Mem
59
ECU
41
F
AF
14
Army
17
F
GATec
38
UNC
28
F
JMU
24
UNH
35
F
SJSU
9
Wyo
24
F
TxSt
40
GASt
31
F
UT-M
14
JacSt
21
F
GaSo
25
ULMon
44
F
SoAl
14
ArkSt
38
F
Marsh
24
SMiss
26
F
SamHu
26
(N/A)
43
F
ULLaf
16
Troy
26
F
K St
13
TCU
14
F
UTEP
34
Rice
26
F
MIN
31
Ill
55
F
Tul
41
SoFL
15
F
FlaSt
28
NCSt
47
F
Lib
59
UMass
62
F(2OT)
Navy
0
Cin
42
F
AlcSt
42
NMS
52
F
UNCC
3
Tenn
14
F
App
23
CoCar
7
F
UConn
19
Tuls
49
F
Duke
20
MiaFL
12
F
UCLA
21
Oreg
42
F
UTSA
3
UAB
52
F
FlAtl
49
FLInt
14
F
Stan
23
Wash
27
F
USC
38
OreSt
21
F
SDSU
31
NM
23
F
BYU
16
Boise
21
F
Kent
14
Buff
48
F

Nov 3, 2018, 4:00 PM EDT

Final

1

2

3

4

T

Charlotte (4-5)

0

3

0

0

3

Tennessee (4-5)

14

0

0

0

14

Tennessee bowl hopes alive with 14-3 win over Charlotte
Sat Nov 3, 2018 8:43 PM

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Marquez Callaway knew if he could just get to the edge, there was a good chance he could score.

The junior wide receiver returned a punt for a touchdown and Tennessee's defense nearly pitched a shutout as the Vols defeated Charlotte 14-3 in their final nonconference game of the season Saturday.

In the first meeting between the programs, Tennessee (4-5) kept its bowl hopes alive while snapping a two-game losing streak in front of a paltry announced homecoming crowd of 86,753 at Neyland Stadium.

Callaway's first-quarter score was one of the few offensive bright spots for UT, which struggled to run the ball yet again and was held scoreless for the final three quarters.

Getting a bit of a running start, Callaway sprinted a career-high 82 yards for his second career punt return for a touchdown to give the Vols an early 7-0 lead.

"It was good to get into the end zone," said Callaway, who scored for the first time this season. "The team was probably happy for me more than I was, especially a punt return because they always tell me if I can get to the edge we got our man and we promise you are going to make it."

If Tennessee was hoping for a confidence-boosting offensive performance against a non-Power 5 opponent, the Vols didn't find it against Charlotte (4-5).

The Vols were limited to just 192 total yards and equaled their season-low in points scored.

Charlotte entered the game ranked sixth in the FBS in rushing defense (88.9 yards), and improved its standing against an SEC opponent. The 49ers held the Vols to only 20 net rushing yards on 26 attempts for a 0.8 average per rush. Until UT's final offensive drive in the fourth quarter, the Vols were in negative rushing yardage.

"We didn't make any explosive plays and we really struggled to be consistent running the football. That is not a good recipe for success," Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt said. "We did find a way to create a positive play on special teams and that probably was the difference in the ball game really."

After Callaway's punt return, UT quarterback Jarrett Guarantano found Josh Palmer for a 16-yard touchdown pass to increase the lead to 14-0. The 14 points were the most UT has scored in the first quarter this season.

But the early production wasn't a sign of things to come as the Vols offense bogged down for the remainder of the game. The Vols had only 93 yards of total offense in the first half, including 0 rushing yards. Charlotte held its fourth straight opponent to 21 points or fewer.

"I really thought we were able to control the line of scrimmage. I really wasn't sure of that coming into the game. Our guys up front played really well, and I was really proud of the tackling in the open field," Charlotte head coach Brad Lambert said. "That is thing you worry about playing against an SEC team. I thought they tackled well and did a nice job getting them behind the chains."

UT's defense kept Charlotte from posing a serious threat for a comeback. The Vols recorded three sacks in the second half, and a fourth-down stop late in the fourth quarter secured the victory.

Guarantano completed 16 of 21 passes for 172 yards. Palmer had four catches for 71 yards. UT tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson had career highs in catches (3) and yards (53).

Charlotte quarterback Evan Shirreffs completed 13 of 25 passes for 152 yards and threw an interception in the final minute. Charlotte's Benny LeMay rushed 24 times for 81 yards.

"I think a lot of us underestimated Charlotte," Callaway said. "They're a great team on offense and defense. I think we were ready to get onto Kentucky, and before doing that we had to take care of Charlotte and Charlotte really showed up and proved to us that we can't overlook them."

THE TAKEAWAY

Tennessee: It wasn't pretty, but the Vols did what was expected by beating their third non-Power 5 opponent this season. UT has won 30 straight against non-Power 5 opponents. But the Vols won't be happy with the lackluster performance on both sides of the ball. They will need to bring more energy as they return to SEC play next weekend for the final three games of the regular season.

Charlotte: The 49ers are still searching for their first win over a Power 5 opponent. Charlotte fell to 0-4 all-time against Power 5 programs, including 0-2 against SEC opponents. But the 49ers can take some confidence from their defensive performance. Redshirt sophomore punter Kyle Corbett booted a punt a school-record 75 yards in the fourth quarter that landed at the UT 3-yard line.

ANOTHER EJECTION

UT freshman defensive back Alontae Taylor was ejected for targeting for the second time this season when he lunged at Shirreffs in the first quarter while Shirreffs was sliding. The Vols have been penalized for targeting three times this season. Linebacker Daniel Bituli was ejected in the second half against Auburn.

"I have no idea if it was targeting or what," Pruitt said. "But I obviously don't know what targeting is.... I don't think anybody knows to tell you the truth."

UP NEXT

Tennessee: hosts Kentucky on Saturday

Charlotte: plays at Marshall on Saturday

Passing

UNCC Att Cmp % TD-Pa Yds-Pa LgPa Int Rat
E. Shirreffs 25 13 52.0 0 152 28 1 54.1
Tenn Att Cmp % TD-Pa Yds-Pa LgPa Int Rat
J. Guarantano 21 16 76.2 1 172 45 0 115.6

Rushing

UNCC Att Yds-Ru Avg LgRu TDRu
B. LeMay 24 81 3.4 12 0
A. McAllister 5 10 2.0 6 0
Tenn Att Yds-Ru Avg LgRu TDRu
T. Jordan 4 18 4.5 9 0
C. Fils-Aime 1 10 10.0 10 0

Receiving

UNCC Rec Yds-Rc Avg LgRc TD-Rc
R. Arnold 5 55 11.0 17 0
W. Kofa 3 41 13.7 28 0
Tenn Rec Yds-Rc Avg LgRc TD-Rc
J. Palmer 4 71 17.8 45 1
D. Wood-Anderson 3 53 17.7 33 0

Fumbles

Tenn F FL
J. Guarantano 1 0

Returning

UNCC KR Avg KRTD LgKR PR Avg TD LgPR
M. Quattlebaum 0 0 0 2 5.0 0 10
A. McAllister 2 16.0 0 17 0 0 0
Tenn KR Avg KRTD LgKR PR Avg TD LgPR
M. Callaway 0 0 0 3 32.7 1 82
B. Thompson 1 29.0 0 29 0 0 0

Punting

UNCC Punt Yds Avg LgPu
K. Corbett 7 322 46.0 75
Tenn Punt Yds Avg LgPu
J. Doyle 7 281 40.1 60

Takeaways

Tenn Int Yds InTD
B. Thompson 1 18 0

Team Stats Comparison

UNCC Tenn
Points For 3 14
Total Yards 244 192
Rushing Yards 92 20
Passing Yards 152 172
Passing Completions / Attempts 13/25 16/21
Turnovers 1 0
Interceptions Thrown 1 0
Fumbles - Lost 0/0 1/0
First Downs 13 10
Penalties - Yards 8/55 4/55
Time Of Possession 13:13 47:47
Third Down Conversions/Attempts 5/15 4/12
Fourth Down Conversions/Attempts 0/2 0/0
Punts - Average Yards 7/46 7/40

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter UNCC Tenn
Tenn 07:18 TD Marquez Callaway 82 yd punt return (Brent Cimaglia kick) 0 7
Tenn 14:43 TD Josh Palmer 16 yd pass from Jarrett Guarantano (Brent Cimaglia kick) 0 14
2nd Quarter UNCC Tenn
UNCC 14:43 FG Jonathan Cruz 20 yd FG 3 14
3rd Quarter UNCC Tenn
No scores this quarter
4th Quarter UNCC Tenn
No scores this quarter

Game Information

Stadium: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee
Attendance: 86,753
Game Time:
Weather: