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KNOXVILLE -- Sophomore quarterback Nick Stephens helped the Tennessee football team bring its early-season losing streak to an end in his first career start Saturday night.

But he couldn't do much to revive an increasingly anemic offense.

Stephens threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to Denarius Moore and made just enough plays to help the Volunteers rebound from back-to-back Southeastern Conference losses by squeaking out a 13-9 victory over Northern Illinois at Neyland Stadium.

An announced crowd of 99,539 greeted Stephens with enthusiastic applause before watching Tennessee (2-3) allow the Huskies (2-3) to stay in the game until the final minutes.

Stephens completed 10 of 17 passes for 156 yards, delivered a perfect strike to Moore for what proved to be the game-winning score and was responsible for only one turnover, a fumble on a third-quarter sack that set up the last of three Northern Illinois field goals.

Still, the Vols finished with only 225 yards of total offense -- their third consecutive game with fewer than 300 yards -- and rushed for 69 yards on 32 attempts.

"We found a way to win," UT offensive coordinator Dave Clawson said. "But it wasn't pretty."

It was far from the confidence-building blowout UT needed heading into a season-defining, three-week stretch that starts with a trip to No. 11 Georgia on Saturday and concludes with a home game Oct. 25 against second-ranked Alabama.

"I think we're still very much a work in progress," Fulmer said. "I thought we made some strides tonight of running the offense at times. We're still terrible on third down. ...

"We've had a real difficult time being as consistent as we need to be offensively."

The Vols failed to convert a fourth-and-2 at the Northern Illinois 19-yard line with 13 seconds left, giving the Huskies a chance to try one last play full of desperation laterals.

The game finally ended with the Huskies throwing an illegal forward pass near their own end zone.

"It was extremely disappointing that we didn't make that first down to finish the game without any other drama," Fulmer said.

The Huskies, who had averaged 34.5 points in their four previous games, otherwise had little success moving the ball. They finished with a season-low 198 yards against a UT defense that again came to the rescue of its struggling offense.

It didn't help that starting quarterback Dan Nicholson suffered an injury on Northern Illinois' final offensive play of the first half and didn't return.

"I think we made a lot of progress in not allowing big plays and giving up points," Vols defensive coordinator John Chavis said.

The mistakes mostly came on offense, and they started from UT's opening possession.

Stephens quickly converted a third-and-10 with a 14-yard pass to receiver Josh Briscoe and again connected with Briscoe three plays later for an apparent first down on third-and- 9. But Northern Illinois cornerback Melvin Rice ripped the ball out before Briscoe could tuck it away, and linebacker John Tranchitella scooped up the fumble near midfield.

Eight plays later, Mike Salerno's 25-yard field goal put the Huskies ahead 3-0 with 2:53 left in the first quarter.

An interception early in the second quarter by sophomore safety Eric Berry set up UT's only points of the first half, a 36-yard field goal by Daniel Lincoln that clanged off the left upright with 6:50 left before halftime.

The Vols took the lead for good on Lincoln's 36-yard field goal, which was set up by a 43-yard pass from Stephens to Gerald Jones, on the opening possession of the second half.

Stephens hit Moore in stride on the first play of UT's next possession for a 13-3 lead, but the Vols didn't pick up a first down on either of their next two drives and squandered another scoring opportunity with a missed 32-yard field goal by Lincoln with 6:39 left.

"At times, I feel like we stopped ourselves," Stephens said. "We left some points on the field."