By: Matt Laws (matt.laws@averyjournal.com)
Avery Journal-Times
KNOXVILLE, TN- Tennessee desperately needed better quarterback play just as badly as they needed a victory. On Saturday night, they finally got both as they defeated Northern Illinois 13-9 at Neyland Stadium.
“We'll take the win,” Tennessee Coach Phillip Fulmer said. “We've been on the short end of a couple of those like that. It was a good football team we played tonight.” 
The Volunteers named Nick Stephens the starter on Friday night, and he did not disappoint the coaching staff.
“He was extremely poised,” Fulmer said. “There are still a couple of things. The clock was really close a couple of times managing it. It was his first big game. Early especially, I thought he was really in rhythm. I thought he did a nice job.”
Stephens ended the game 10 of 17 for 156 yards with one touchdown. Stephens’ 52-yard strike to Denarius Moore was the only offensive touchdown of the game, and was also the longest play of the year for the Volunteers. Stephens also found Gerald Jones for a 43 yard strike that electrified the Tennessee crowd.
“Like everyone in the stadium pulling for Tennessee, I was very excited about the two big plays we made (offensively),” Coach Fulmer said. “Great play, great throw, outstanding call. It's something for us to build on.” 
Despite Stephens’s successful debut, the offense still struggled to find a rhythm.
“Offensively, we made some steps, I think, in the right direction,” Coach Fulmer said. “We're still not as efficient as we need to be. It seems like everything we do is really hard for us.”
The Volunteers only managed 69 yards rushing with a majority of that coming in the closing quarter, and only had 225 total offensive yards. Foster led the way on the ground for the UT as he had 73 yards, but the team recorded losses of 34 yards to Northern Illinois. The offense only had nine first downs in the game.
Despite the offensive woes, the Tennessee defense stepped to the plate and once again played an outstanding game as they only allowed 190 offensive yards, and had four sacks.
Despite the lower attendance, Coach Fulmer was quick to thank the fans that were in Knoxville on Saturday.
"First of all, I want to say a really special thank you to all the fans,” Coach Fulmer said. “At the Vol Walk, I was taken aback at the encouragement and energy of that group and really appreciate the same thing all night long.”
The attendance was announced at 99,539, almost 2,500 short of a sellout. The Volunteers must get ready as they must travel to Athens to take on Georgia on Saturday. Coach Fulmer knows it will be a tough game.
"We'll take the film, look at it, correct it, learn from it,” Coach Fulmer said. “And obviously we've got a big challenge next week at Georgia."
