Originally posted by orange+white=heaven@Sep 30, 2005 6:59 AM
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]Clausen says he gets too much credit for Tennessee's win
By ELIZABETH A. DAVIS, Associated Press
September 30, 2005
Tennessee quarterback Rick Clausen says he's getting too much credit for the No. 10 Volunteers' comeback win over LSU.
Clausen replaced Erik Ainge at the end of the first half and led the team back from 21 points down to win 30-27 in overtime Monday night.
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"I'm only one piece of the puzzle. A lot of people are kind of giving me a lot of credit where it's kinda not due. C.J. Fayton, all those receivers, Chris Hannon, Robert Meachem, Jayson Swain, Bret Smith, Josh Briscoe. Those guys played phenomenal. The offensive line did a great job. The running backs, fullbacks, tight ends blocked and made plays. I just started off. Those are the guys that make the plays," Clausen said.
The Vols (2-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) host Mississippi (1-2, 0-2) on Saturday.
Clausen went into the game after Ainge had a turnover. Ainge was being tackled in his own end zone and instead of taking the safety or throwing the ball out of bounds, he tossed the ball back toward the goal line. An LSU player caught it and scored. Ainge crashed into the goal post at the end of the play.
"I don't think anybody really said anything to me. I just saw Erik down. At first I thought he was bummed out about the play he just made, things like that. But I looked up on the Jumbotron and saw where he hit his head pretty hard on the goal post," Clausen said. "I just grabbed my helmet."
Teammates have said one of Clausen's attributes is his calm demeanor in the huddle. He even cracks jokes.
It's unclear if the one Swain recalls from Monday was meant to be funny.
With Tennessee trailing 21-0 after a horrible first half, during one huddle Clausen told his teammates, "'Why all the long faces? We're going to go down here and score,'" Swain said. "That's why I thought it was a joke."
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NEW DECALS: The Vols have two new decals on the backs of their helmets.
For the LSU game, Tennessee had black decals in the shape of a map of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama in honor of the hurricane victims. Arkansas' assistant equipment manager, Cory Jacobs, came up with the design, and his boss, Tim Cheney, distributed the decals to other SEC schools.
LSU and Arizona State have also worn the decals.
A few players have been wearing black mortarboard decals. School officials hope it will be a new tradition to honor players who have already earned their bachelor degrees. Clausen, cornerback Jason Allen, receiver C.J. Fayton, center Richie Gandy, linebacker Jason Mitchell and walk-on Sam Wantland have the decals.
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IN SHAPE: Coach Phillip Fulmer gave a game ball on Monday night to Johnny Long, the Vols head strength and conditioning coach.
The temperature at kickoff was 91 degrees in Baton Rouge, La., and the heat index was above 100. As the game wore on, some LSU players went down with cramps, and Tennessee players appeared to have more energy.
Running back Gerald Riggs said he was surprised the Tigers were tired.
"They were gassed," he said. "We were able to take over I think because we were in better shape."
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BIG COMEBACK: Some are comparing Tennessee's rally from a 21-point deficit at LSU to the Vols' "Miracle at South Bend."
Offensive coordinator Randy Sanders said he would rate the Vols' win at LSU with the 1991 victory at Notre Dame. "There haven't been many like that," he said.
Tennessee trailed 31-7 in the Notre Dame game before the Vols blocked a field goal and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown to start their comeback.
The Fighting Irish tried a field goal with 4 seconds remaining, but it was blocked. Tennessee won 35-34.
Tennessee also rallied from a 21-0 deficit in 2001 at Kentucky. Rick Clausen's older brother, Casey, led the Vols to a 38-35 win.
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PRONUNCIATION: The Clausen family must have cringed every time ESPN commentator Bob Davie talked about Rick during Monday's telecast. Davie, the former Notre Dame coach, pronounced Clausen like "CLOW-sen," rhyming with clown, instead of the correct way, which is "CLAW-sen."
Casey Clausen went to a summer camp at Notre Dame in 1999 but he said the Irish were looking for a quarterback to run the option. Notre Dame did not offer Clausen a scholarship. Davie was the coach at the time.
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SMOKEY SEZ: "I guess perseverance pays off," said quarterback Rick Clausen when asked about his rollercoaster season of moving back and forth from starter to backup.
