GATOR BOWL : Stewart Runs, Passes Tennessee to 45-23 Victory

Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer kept saying Tennessee looked like a Top 10 team, even if the Vols were unranked.

Tennessee didn’t do anything to change his mind Friday night, routing Beamer’s 17th-ranked Hokies, 45-23, in the Gator Bowl.

“They are a good football team, but we helped them be great with our turnovers and defense,” Beamer said. “You can’t give a team like that as many opportunities as we did tonight.”

James Stewart ran for three touchdowns and threw a 19-yard scoring pass to Kendrick Jones to spark the Vols’ victory.

“We felt in sync from the beginning,” said Tennessee freshman quarterback Peyton Manning. The son of former Mississippi and NFL great Archie Manning completed 12 of 19 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown.

Both teams finished the season with 8-4 records, but the unranked Vols won their last five games--scoring 162 points in their last three victories--while No. 17 Tech lost three of its last four.

The 68 points scored by the two teams was a Gator Bowl record.

Stewart, the Vols’ career rushing leader, scored twice on one-yard runs and hit Jones with a halfback option pass that gave Tennessee a 35-7 lead with 2:13 left in the half. Stewart’s final touchdown, a four-yard run early in the fourth period, gave the Vols a 42-16 lead.

“Tennessee’s offensive line is real strong and they come right at you,” said Virginia defensive end Cornell Brown. “They just wore us down.”