Vols capture first-ever BCS national championship

Top-ranked Tennessee claimed the undisputed national championship Monday night, capping a perfect season with a very imperfect 23-16 victory over Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Volunteers received all 70 first-place votes in the final Associated Press media poll. Ohio State was second, followed by the Seminoles.

Under the new Bowl Championship Series format, Tennessee was crowned national champion in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll immediately after the game.

''We had to prove to everybody we were the No. 1 team in the nation,'' said quarterback Tee Martin, who stepped in for Tennessee folk hero Peyton Manning and led the Volunteers to their best record ever, 13-0.

AP PHOTO Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin's two touchdown passes spearheaded the Volunteers' first national championship since 1951.

''We had a chip on our shoulders. We won all our games. We were 12-0 and we still didn't get our respect.''

They have it now. The Volunteers were the only team from a major conference to finish undefeated, winning their first national championship since 1951.

This one wasn't easy.

Martin threw two touchdown passes, including a 79-yarder to Peerless Price with 9:17 to go to put the Volunteers ahead 20-9. But the Seminoles (11-2), despite their own turnover and penalty problems, wouldn't quit.

After Jeff Hall kicked a 23-yard field goal to extend the lead to 23-9 with 6:01 left, Florida State cut the lead to 23-16 on Marcus Outzen's 7-yard TD run with 3:42 left. The play was set up by his 39-yard pass to Ron Dugans on a third-and-seven.

Sebastian Janikowski's onside kick after the score was recovered by Florida State, but the ball hit the kicker's hand after it traveled only 7 yards and the Volunteers took possession.

And when it looked like Tennessee would score again to put the game out of reach, linebacker Brian Allen recovered Travis Henry's fumble at the 10 to give Florida State one more chance.

Outzen, though, was overmatched in just his third start. On Florida State's first play after the recovery, his long pass intended for Peter Warrick was tipped by Deon Grant and intercepted by Steve Johnson, who returned it 20 yards to the Florida State 45.

The Volunteers ran out the clock, the sideline emptied and Fulmer ran to midfield with his daughters in tow.

''We congratulate Tennessee for the national championship they deserve,'' Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said.

Martin made the most of his opportunity to do what Manning couldn't - win a national title. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder from Mobile, Ala., was 11-of-18 for 278 yards and two TDs, while Price caught four passes for 199 yards and was voted the game's MVP.

''Nobody believed us,'' Price said. ''I'm happy to be able to make some plays for my team.''

Florida State clearly lacked offensive punch, and the Volunteers were all over Warrick, who managed a 51-yard punt return but caught only one pass for 7 yards.

Outzen was 9-of-22 for 145 yards with two interceptions, and he was sacked four times. He also ran 18 times for minus 1 yard.

Florida State was penalized 12 times for 110 yards, while Tennessee was penalized nine times for 55 yards.

It took 15 minutes of sloppy play by both teams before the Volunteers warmed up briefly in Sun Devil Stadium, where a record crowd of 80,407 - many of them in the burnt orange of Tennessee - showed up.

After a scoreless first quarter that featured two fumbles, shanked punts, a missed field goal by the normally reliable Hall and 59 yards in penalties, Tennessee struck for two touchdowns in 25 seconds.

First, Martin hit fullback Shawn Bryson on a 4-yard touchdown pass.

On Florida State's second play after the kickoff, cornerback Dwayne Goodrich stepped in front of Outzen's pass intended for Warrick and ran 54 yards for a touchdown with 13:40 left in the half.

Outzen, who stepped in after Chris Weinke was lost for the season with a neck injury on Nov. 7, was 4-of-10 for 35 yards in the first half.

Despite eight penalties for 67 yards, the Seminoles still managed to close the gap to 14-9 by halftime.

After Derrick Gibson's 43-yard interception return gave Florida State the ball at the Tennessee 3, the Seminoles needed three plays before fullback William McRay bulled over from the 1 with 8:59 left in the half. Janikowski's point-after attempt was blocked by Shaun Eland.

Janikowski's 34-yard field goal with 1:17 left made the score 14-9 at the half.

01-06-99