Lady luck smiled down on the Voles during the very first game of the season. Jeff Hall's 27-yardfield goal gave the No. 10 Tennesse the win. The outcome almost didn't come down to Hall's talented foot.
On there way to the winning kick, the Vols survived some anxious monment. Their chances at winning seemed wiped out when quarterback Tee Martin, making his first career start, threw an incomplete pass on fourth down during the game-winning drive. However, Syracuse was penalized for pass interference with less than two minutes left, giving Tennessee new life.
The Vols capitalized.
"We had it locked," Syracuse safety Jason Poles said. "it seemed like we were playing Tennessee and the refs."
Martin, playing in the shadow of theh departed Peyton Manning, threw two touchdown passes to peerless Price and ran for another. The jury was still out on Manning's successor at this point. Martin's fumble in the forth quarter led to an Orangemen field goal that put them up 33-31. Martin went 9 for 26 for 143 yarads, but as he went on to show all season, he had a knack for making the big play.
His 17-yard completion and Jamal Lewis' 13pyar run set up Hall's heroics. Lewis opened the season with 140 yards on 20 carries.
