Arian Foster rushed for 89 yards and Chris Brown caught two TD passes from Ainge, who wore a white wrap on two fingers of his throwing hand after injuring his pinkie during practice this week. The senior was exceptionally sharp while completing 14 of his first 15 throws, but Tennessee’s no-huddle offense finally bogged down in the fourth quarter.

“We came in knowing that we were going to have to score some points,” Ainge said. “Our defense did a great job down the stretch getting us the ball back. We just weren’t able to capitalize when we were finally given the chance.”

The Volunteers also had a scare with 4:10 to play when starting defensive end Xavier Mitchell left the field on a stretcher with his neck immobilized after a hard tackle. Fulmer said Mitchell was conscious with movement in his limbs, and the team hoped to get him on the charter flight home after a precautionary trip to the hospital.

The Bears spent the past year chafing at the memory of their season-opening loss, mentioning it constantly in team meetings and repeatedly watching tape of their follies. Tennessee jumped to a 35-0 lead in the third quarter in Knoxville, dealing a humiliating blow to the Bears’ quest for national respect.

The 72,516 fans at Memorial Stadium did their best to provide a homefield advantage resembling Neyland Stadium’s edge, packing Strawberry Canyon well before kickoff and easily outshouting the 10,000-plus Tennessee fans on the south end.

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Cal got started with a bang when linebacker Worrell Williams returned a fumble 44 yards for a score just 1:51 into the game. Jackson, the junior receiver with almost unearthly returning skills, broke free early in the second quarter with a dizzying series of lateral moves before outsprinting Tennessee to the end zone.

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Robert Jordan and Lavelle Hawkins had TD catches from Longshore, with Hawkins catching seven passes for 90 yards.

Cal led 38-21 early in the third quarter, but the Volunteers pulled within seven points on Daniel Lincoln’s field goal in the opening minute of the fourth. Forsett’s TD run with 9:10 to play pushed Cal back to a comfortable lead, and the defense finished off the Bears’ eighth straight home victory since 2005.