CBS SportsLine wire reports
Sept. 5, 1998

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- It's Tee time at Tennessee.

Tee

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Martin, understudy the past two years to Peyton Manning, threw for two touchdowns and ran for one Saturday as the No. 10 Volunteers eked out a 34-33 victory over mistake-prone Syracuse.

Jeff Hall won it with a 27-yard field goal as time expired, but it was Martin who wouldn't let Tennessee lose.

BRASH FROM THE BEGINNING of his first college start despite completing just 9-of-26 passes for 143 yards, Martin took advantage of crucial penalties by No. 17 Syracuse all day and committed only one turnover.

"I think he stepped out of the shadows of Peyton Manning," said Peerless Price, who caught scoring passes of 12 and 8 yards from Martin. "He put a lot of questions about his talents and skills away."

The toughest call against Syracuse came in the final two minutes with the Orangemen clinging to a 33-31 lead, and it turned the game around. Cornerback Will Allen, one of seven new starters on defense for Syracuse, was called for interference on Martin's fourth-down incompletion and the Vols had an unexpected new life.

"We had it locked," Syracuse safety Jason Poles said. "The players were out there playing. Let the players play. It seemed like we weren't just playing Tennessee today. We were playing Tennessee and the refs."

THE FLAG WAS LATE FALLING, AND IT came from a ref not close to the play.

Syracuse QB Donovan McNabb did his best to keep Tennessee out of reach, but penalties spelled doom for the Orangemen. (AP)

"I actually think it took them too long to call it," said Martin, whose fumble moments earlier had led to Nate Trout's 19-yard field goal that put Syracuse up 33-31 with 2:38 left. "I started to panic a little bit, but I know it was a good call and it kept our drive going."

Syracuse, which was assessed eight penalties for 79 yards, suddenly was reeling, and Martin hit Price with a 17-yard completion to the Syracuse 26. Jamal Lewis's 13-yard run then set up Hall's winning kick from point-blank range.

"I think he (Martin) did a good job considering everything," Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said. "It was big that he was able to avoid turnovers except the one."

It was a disheartening loss for Donovan McNabb, who completed 21-of-27 passes for 298 yards and two TDs and also ran for a score. He did his best to succeed in the national spotlight against an elite team.

"EVERYONE SAYS I DID A GREAT JOB today, but it really doesn't matter," McNabb said. "If you look at the scoreboard, we lost. I thought the game was over (on the fourth-down incompletion by Martin). It's just something I think we'll always remember. We still had the opportunity to stop them. We just couldn't get it done. Penalties got us down today."

The Orangemen lost despite holding the ball for more than 37 minutes. And they found themselves in familiar surroundings -- another early-season loss, and now having to prepare for defending national champion Michigan.

"Things didn't go our way, but we just have to get back and see what we need to do to win," McNabb said. "The penalties and mistakes are frustrating. They held us back and we have to correct them."

It appeared more than once that Syracuse would win in the waning moments. With the Orangemen trailing 24-13 early in the fourth quarter and reeling, McNabb hit Kevin Johnson with a 17-yard scoring pass to pull the Orangemen within 24-19.

THAT AWOKE THE CAPACITY CROWD inside the Carrier Dome from its slumber and Tennessee sputtered, punting after three plays. But Martin's 56-yard run on a third-and-10 play quickly silenced them.

If Martin was nervous, it never showed. On his first play from scrimmage, Martin attempted a 30-yard pass to Price. It was off the mark, but it didn't dissuade Fulmer from trying some more, and in the end it paid off.

"I never was overexcited coming into the game," Martin said. "After the first snap, I was fine."

Lewis, who scored on a 2-yard run in the third quarter, led Tennessee with 141 yards rushing on 20 carries, and Price caught six passes for 87 yards.

McIntosh led Syracuse with 15 carries for 60 yards. Rob Konrad finished with 10 carries for 48 yards and caught five passes for 63 yards. Kevin Johnson led the Syracuse receivers with six catches for 92 yards and Quinton Spotwood had five catches for 64 yards.