Poles Makes His Points, Tennessee Routs Temple : Volunteers: Fullback scores three touchdowns as No. 11 team tunes up for next week’s game against Notre Dame.

Roland Poles didn’t run far, but he ran far enough to get into the good graces of Tennessee Coach Johnny Majors.

“I don’t know when I’ve been fonder of a player,” Majors said after the 240-pound senior fullback scored three touchdowns Saturday to lead the No. 11 Volunteers to a 41-20 victory over Temple.

“Roland is as fine a leader, as far as his example on the practice field and in games, as any player I can recall,” Majors said. “I don’t know when I’ve been around a player that would lay it on the line every day, every play, from Monday through Saturday like he does.”

Poles gained only 19 yards in nine carries, but scored twice from the one-yard line and once from the three.

Tony Thompson rushed for 120 yards and scored twice for Tennessee (5-1-2).

“This win is a steppingstone to the Notre Dame game (next Saturday),” Thompson said. “It was a good step from the Alabama game. After all, when you put that many points on the board, some things have got to be going right.”

Tennessee’s Andy Kelly rebounded from a poor performance against Alabama to complete 15 of 21 passes for 264 yards. His favorite target was Carl Pickens, who caught six passes for 144 yards.

Tennessee took a quick 14-0 lead and appeared ready to make it a rout, but quarterback Matt Baker rallied Temple (4-4) before being forced from the game in the third quarter with an ankle injury.

Baker was hurt during a drive capped by Bob Wright’s field goal that cut Tennessee’s lead to 27-13 with 5:17 left in the third quarter.

Tennessee led, 41-13, before the Owls scored on a 29-yard pass from Anthony Richardson to George Deveney with 36 seconds left.