Lightning struck three times in Neyland Stadium, once when the host Tennessee Volunteers came out on a bolt of emotion and electrified the home crowd with complete early dominance of their highly-touted visitors. Tauren Poole looked brilliant, running for 111 yards the first eight times he touched the ball, breaking free over the left side for 31 on his first carry. Then the UT special teams forced a fumble on their first kickoff, stripping Kenjon Barner after he burst out to the 45. The Vols struck with two early field goals. Oregon was down 6-0 before their offense even took the field.
The Ducks then got a huge break when officials had to call a lightning warning. Play was delayed for an hour while a severe storm passed over, and the long break in play gave Oregon time to regroup while tempering the emotional current flowing between the fired-up Volunteer players and their home crowd.
When play was resumed the Ducks put together a drive that Tennessee turned back at the 19, making a field goal to close the gap to 6-3. Coach Derek Dooley's offense still felt in command, however, and responded with a 5-play, 69-yard touchdown drive. Behind his big offensive line Poole tore lose for 14, then 23, then quarterback Matt Simms found Justin Hunter on a long pass near the goal line for 31. Poole and his line punched it in on second down, and the Ducks were reeling on the road, Smoky IX was howling, the crowd was rocking, and the score was 13-3 with less than a minute gone in the second quarter. The UT defense looked swarming and aggressive, knifing to the ball. It lit up message boards and TV cut-ins all over the country: Oregon was laying another egg in their road opener, a potential debacle like Boise State.
Then lightning struck the other way.
The rest of the way it was all Oregon. The defense stiffened and made some critical adjustments. Tennessee's possessions after their touchdown were: punt, punt, end of the half; then for the second half, punt, pick six, punt, punt, punt returned for TD, punt, punt. Three of their last four possessions were three and outs. Poole broke free once in the second quarter for 17 yards, but nothing longer than six after the half. It looked liked the short-handed offensive line lost their steam.
Meanwhile, Oregon's potent attack got untracked. With 1:55 to go before the half Thomas found David Paulson for 16 yards on a middle screen, then the Volunteers got a costly personal foul penalty for "leading with the helmet on a defenseless player" after an incomplete pass. Replays didn't show much contact, but the foul stood. Thomas tossed a four-yard pass to Kenjon Barner to get the ball to the Vol 27, then looped an artful touch pass under pressure to Paulson, who had a step on the defender at the goal line and made the catch for a tying score, 13-13 after the point.
In the second half, three bolts rattled the night sky for the Ducks, turning the game from a brewing upset to a competitive game to a blowout.
Oregon got three first downs running inside on zone blocking plays on their first drive after the break, but the drive stalled at midfield. Jackson Rice booted a smart, well-placed punt to the six. Rice is emerging as a defensive weapon for the Ducks. He pinned the Vols inside the 20 four times, once at the five, then here at the six.
The Vols got one first down on a fourteen-yard-pass from Matt Simms to Zach Rogers, one of only three they would make in the second half. A batted pass, a dropped pass, and a completion short of the first down markers and the Vols had to punt again.
Good coverage, and Oregon took over on the 28. A TV timeout.
On first down James swept right into a crowd of Volunteers. He put on the brakes, cutting left against the grain, shedding a tackler in the backfield, outrunning five Vols at the line, scampering down the sideline, free of the pursuit now, feeling it, breaking two more tackles, picked up blocks from Maehl, his quarterback Thomas, Davis, then Tuinei, diving into the end zone from the three, 72 yards for a touchdown and Oregon's first lead of the game. The air went out of the crowd. Tennessee was beaten, then beaten again in the next series when Cliff Harris jumped an out route on third and 13 and sprinted 76 yards for another score.
Two lightning plays, and a completely different ball game.
Just after the start of the fourth quarter Thomas added a gutsy strike to Lavasier Tuinei, Tuinei with a clutch catch for his first career touchdown, snaring the ball over a defender, twisting his body to adjust to the ball. Now the Ducks were running away. Kenjon Barner added a nifty 80-yard punt return, and The Gentleman Remene Alston capped the scoring with a two-yard plunge, carrying most of the load on a 10-play, 51-yard drive that ate up six minutes and 26 seconds of a game by now out of reach.
The long plays by James and Harris, within four minutes of each other on the clock, crushed the Volunteers, and took all the energy out of a promising start. The Vols wore down, and the Ducks emerged. Oregon is a talented football team with a promising future, but only if they continue to apply themselves and grow in character and cohesion and skill. They can build on this road victory, but only if they remember its lessons.
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