Second Quarter
At the beginning of the second quarter, Tennessee had the ball at its 19-yard line, facing a second down and ten. On the first play of the quarter, Tennessee ran an end-around to Kendrick Jones, who ran the ball for 76 yards, giving the Volunteers a first down at the Virginia Tech five-yard line. Three plays later, running back Jay Graham crossed the goal line for the first Tennessee touchdown of the second quarter. The extra point was good, and with 13:23 remaining in the first half, Tennessee took a 21–0 lead.
Following Tennessee's post-touchdown kickoff and a short kick return, the Virginia Tech offense began at its 24-yard line. The first Tech play of the quarter, a run up the middle by Edmonds, resulted in a 17-yard gain and a first down. Dwayne Thomas followed Edmonds' run with one of his own, advancing the ball to the 50-yard line. He pushed into Tennessee territory on the next play, a five-yard run that gave the Hokies a first down at the Tennessee 45-yard line. DeShazo then ran nine yards, and Tech gained a first down on the next play. Inside the Tennessee 35-yard line, however, the Volunteers' defense stiffened. DeShazo passed for a seven-yard gain, but the Hokies were unable to gain a first down until DeShazo scrambled for a 13-yard gain on fourth down. The run kept the Tech drive alive as the Hokies now had a first down at the Tennessee 14-yard line. Tennessee forced another third-down play, but the Hokies gained a first down at the Tennessee three-yard line with a pass from DeShazo to Thomas. Four plays later, the Hokies scored their first points of the game as Thomas dove across the goal line on fourth down. The subsequent extra point was good, and the Hokies cut Tennessee's lead to 21–7 with 5:17 remaining in the first half.
Virginia Tech's kickoff was returned to the Tennessee 26-yard line, and the Volunteers' offense returned to the field. Instead of Peyton Manning, backup quarterback Branndon Stewart came on the field to lead Tennessee. On the second play of the Tennessee drive, Stewart gained 24 yards on a quarterback scramble, giving the Volunteers a first down at the Tennessee 49-yard line. On the next play, he completed a 27-yard pass to Kent for another first down. Two plays later, James Stewart broke free for an 18-yard run that gave Tennessee a first down at the Virginia Tech one-yard line. One play later, Stewart crossed the goal line for Tennessee's second touchdown of the quarter. The extra point was good, and Tennessee's lead was again 21 points, 28–7, with 3:22 remaining in the quarter.
The Volunteers' kickoff was returned to the Tech 22-yard line, and the Hokies began another drive. On the first play of the drive, however, Maurice DeShazo scrambled for a ten-yard gain but fumbled the ball. The loose ball was recovered by a Tennessee defender, and the Volunteers took over on offense from the Tech 32-yard line. Branndon Stewart came out onto the field in place of Manning, and completed an eight-yard pass to James Stewart to begin the drive. James Stewart then ran to the 20-yard line for a first down. On the next play, Tennessee executed a trick play in which James Stewart received the ball via a hand-off, imitating a running play, but threw the ball instead. The pass was caught by James Kendrick for a touchdown, and after the extra point, Tennessee had a 35–7 lead with 2:08 remaining in the first half.
The kickoff was returned to the Tech 27-yard line, and the Hokies began the final drive of the second quarter. Antonio Freeman caught a six-yard pass from DeShazo, then DeShazo completed a five-yard pass to Shawn Scales. DeShazo completed a four-yard pass, then Ken Oxendine had a seven-yard catch from DeShazo at the Tech 49-yard line. On the next play, Oxendine caught a short pass that pushed the Hokies to the Tennessee 45-yard line, then DeShazo threw his first incomplete pass of the drive. The incompletion stopped the clock with 37 seconds remaining, allowing time for DeShazo to complete a 26-yard pass to Bryan Still on the next play. Now inside the Tennessee red zone, the Hokies continued to move the ball via short passes. Tech gained a first down at the Tennessee six-yard line, and used a timeout to stop the clock in order to have a chance to earn a touchdown before halftime. On a subsequent play, however, Tech committed a five-yard penalty, and Tech head coach Frank Beamer ordered kicker Ryan Williams into the game. Williams' 27-yard field goal attempt was good, and Tech cut Tennessee's lead to 35–10 at the end of the first half.
Read more about this topic: 1994 Gator Bowl, Game Summary
Famous quotes containing the word quarter:
“I was able to believe for years that going to Madame Swann’s was a vague chimera that I would never attain; after having passed a quarter of an hour there, it was the time at which I did not know her which became to me a chimera and vague, as a possible destroyed by another possible.”
—Marcel Proust (1871–1922)
“Like the water, the Walden ice, seen near at hand, has a green tint, but at a distance is beautifully blue, and you can easily tell it from the white ice of the river, or the merely greenish ice of some ponds, a quarter of a mile off.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)