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From Staff Reports

KNOXVILLE -- Despite Tennessee's 56-28 thrashing of Memphis, UT coach Lane Kiffin said he was somewhat depressed by how the Vols played in the second half, especially on defense.

"We lost the fourth quarter," he said. "It doesn't matter who is in (the game). There are no excuses. We need to play better."

Heading into the contest, the UT defense had surrendered only eight touchdowns in eight games this season, but the Tigers managed four TDs on Saturday night, the first time since the loss to Auburn that an opposition offense got into the end zone more than once in a game.

Three of the Tiger scores came against the Vols' second-team unit, but Kiffin took no comfort in that.

"We need more depth, as we saw today, and we need to recruit," he added.

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DOMINANT: The Volunteers improved their record against Memphis in Knoxville to an unbeaten 12-0. The blowout also gave Lane Kiffin his first winning streak as head coach -- two straight victories. UT now leads the series with the Tigers 20-1, with the only loss coming in 1996 in Memphis with Peyton Manning under center and Phillip Fulmer at the helm.

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SWEET MONTH: Tennessee kicked off its traditional "easy month" of November by blasting the Tigers. The Vols will next travel to Ole Miss, host Vanderbilt and close out the regular season at Kentucky. With the win over Memphis, UT is now 66-11 in November. Seven of those 11 losses came during the Fulmer regime.

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LOW POINT: Attendance at the instate clash, 94,636, was the lowest since Neyland Stadium's expansion in 2006. Many fans left at halftime, and by the fourth quarter, only friends, relatives and non-season ticket holders were still on hand.

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DAWG FEET: Memphis' senior kicker is a Bearden High product. Matt Reagan became the third Bulldog kicker to earn a Division I scholarship. The others were Dustin and Britton Colquitt, who both punted for UT.

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HEADED WEST: Memphis guard Malcolm Rawls was a Volunteer before he transferred to Memphis in 2006. Rawls, one of UT defensive lineman Dan Williams' close friends, spent 2005 as a redshirt at Tennessee. Rawls and Williams led Memphis East High to the state playoffs in 2003 and 2004. Current UT assistant coach Ed Orgeron recruited Williams when Orgeron was head coach at Ole Miss.

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WEST A VOL: Memphis head coach Tommy West is a UT graduate and a former member of the Volunteer football team. West had 16 catches for 233 yards as a senior tight end for the Vols. He served as UT running backs coach in 1990.