The Tennessee Volunteers held off the Troy Trojans' attempt at an upset by winning a 55-48 shootout on Saturday afternoon in Knoxville, Tenn.
Troy vs. Tennessee final score: Volunteers escape with 55-48 victory
Tennessee and Troy combined for more than 1,400 yards of total offense and 103 points in Saturday’s slugfest, which was won late by the Volunteers behind a herculean effort from quarterback Tyler Bray.
Troy put fear into the hearts of the Tennessee faithful by taking a late lead when quarterback Corey Robinson found wide receiver Eric Thomas for a 67-yard touchdown pass at the 3:14 mark in the fourth quarter. Robinson hit Thomas again to complete the two-point conversion attempt, putting Troy up by seven.
Tennessee answered quickly behind quarterback Tyler Bray, who threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Justin Hunter to tie the game at 48 apiece. Then, the Vols got a rare stop on defense, holding Troy to a three-and-out and getting the ball back with more than two minutes remaining, which was plenty of time for Bray to lead Tennessee down the field with a six-play, 66-yard drive. Running back Marlin Lane capped it off with a nine-yard touchdown run to put the Vols on top for good.
Even in the loss, Troy's effort will not go unnoticed in the record books. Behind the quarterback duo of Robinson and Deon Anthony, the Trojans put up 722 yards of total offense, which is the most any team has ever gained in a single game against Tennessee.
Box Score Hero: The quarterbacks on both sides were absolutely on fire. Robinson and Anthony combined to throw for 496 yards and three touchdowns for the Trojans. Meanwhile, Bray racked up 530 yards and five scores through the air for the Vols.
The running backs were outstanding as well; Troy’s Shawn Southward picked up 102 yards and two scores on the ground, while Tennessee’s Lane gained 132 yards and scored twice as well. And, with over 1,000 combined passing yards in the game, some gaudy numbers from wide receivers are to be expected. Tennessee’s Justin Hunter was the best of the bunch, catching nine passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns.
But Did They Cover? Tennessee entered the game as 18 1/2-point favorites. The Vols obviously didn’t cover. However, the over/under of 69 1/2 was easily surpassed.
To view point spreads from other games from around the country, visit OddsShark.com.
For More On This Game: For additional coverage on Tennessee, be sure to visit Rocky Top Talk. Further analysis on the game from both teams’ perspective can be found at SB Nation’s college football hub.
Next Week’s Schedule: Tennessee: Nov. 10 vs. Missouri; Troy: Nov. 10 vs. Navy
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