All the Phillip Fulmer haters -- and there are a few in the state -- pretty much have to shut up for now. Despite the team's flaws, Fulmer has managed to maneuver the Volunteers into the Southeastern Conference championship game.

In one of the wildest games in school history, Tennessee clinched the East Division title with a 52-50, four-overtime win at Kentucky on Nov. 24. The 4-hour, 39-minute epic wasn't settled until Antonio Reynolds tackled Andre Woodson from behind on a two-point conversion try at the 3-yard line on the last play.

Had the Volunteers lost, particularly after giving up a 31-14 second-half lead, the leadership qualities of Fulmer would have again become grist for the rumor mill. Instead, the facts are that Fulmer rallied this team from a 1-2 start to a division title and a chance at a Bowl Championship Series bid.

"What a way to make a living, huh?" Fulmer rhetorically asked.

Tennessee made its living off the right arm of Erik Ainge, who shrugged off three interceptions, including one that could have cost it the game in the second overtime, and the left hand of Dan Williams.

Ainge threw for 397 yards and a school-record seven touchdowns, including a 40-yarder to Quintin Hancock in the fourth overtime that -- when teamed with a two-point pass to Austin Rogers -- served as the game-winner.

Williams allowed the Vols to survive Ainge's gaffe when he blocked Lones Seiber's 35-yard field goal on the second overtime's final play.

So it's on to Atlanta for Tennessee, where it will face LSU this week.

"We need to play our best game in Atlanta," Ainge said.

--QB Erik Ainge had the game of his life in the program's most important game since he's been there. The senior threw for 397 yards and a school-record seven touchdowns, including the game-winner to Quintin Hancock in the fourth overtime. Those who say Ainge isn't a leader who can inspire his teammates might want to look at this game as proof that he can.

--FS Jonathan Hefney finished with nine tackles in his 48th consecutive start. Hefney can now set the all-time school record for career starts with 50, thanks to Tennessee's East Division title and its subsequent bowl appearance.

GAME BALL GOES TO: QB Erik Ainge -- There were other big performances, such as TB Arian Foster's 216 total yards from scrimmage and LB Jerod Mayo's 19 tackles, but Ainge broke a school record by throwing for seven touchdown passes. His three interceptions can be forgotten because of that and Tennessee's 52-50, four-overtime win.

KEEP AN EYE ON: TB Arian Foster enjoyed a terrific all-around game, rushing 27 times for 118 yards and catching nine passes for 98 yards, including a 65-yard TD on the game's first play. Foster went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season, fulfilling his vow to return a better player after a sophomore slump.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "It was a desperation block." -- DT Dan Williams, after snuffing out Lones Seiber's 35-yard field goal on the second overtime's last play, keeping the game tied at 38-38 and allowing Tennessee to go on to a 52-50 win in four OTs.

LOOKING GOOD: WR Quintin Hancock's two touches resulted in two touchdowns, including the game-winning 40-yard catch in the fourth overtime. What didn't show up in the stat sheet was Hancock's block that sprung Austin Rogers loose for a game-tying 13-yard TD reception in the third OT.

Tennessee actually discovered a pass rush, sacking Kentucky QB Andre Woodson six times with the help of blitzes. Backup SS Ricardo Kemp dumped Woodson twice and helped hassle him into a mediocre performance for most of the first three quarters.

WR Lucas Taylor enjoyed another good game with six catches for 103 yards, giving him 71 on the season for 975 yards. A big game against LSU next week could allow him to set single-season school records for catches and yards.

STILL NEEDS WORK: As much as the offense did to help win the game, it would have been at fault if the Volunteers had blown this one. It did little to help the defense in the second half, producing just seven points and getting three-and-outs twice, leaving the defense out there too long and tiring it at the end.

Tennessee had a rare breakdown in discipline with a season-high 99 penalty yards. TB Arian Foster's foolish unsportsmanlike conduct call at the third overtime's end, when he angrily flung the ball out of the end zone after getting stopped on a game-winning two-point conversion try, could have cost the team dearly in the fourth OT.

Tennessee's defense allowed Kentucky to convert 10 of 20 third-down situations and also dropped three potential game-clinching interceptions on the last possession of regulation. It was fortunate that didn't come back to bite it.

ROSTER REPORT: Freshman WR Gerald Jones continues to see more action in key spots. Jones made a terrific 10-yard TD catch in the first overtime, his first career touchdown. The coaching staff likes his toughness and ability to make yardage after the catch, a quality not every Vols receiver possesses.

LB Jerod Mayo was helped off the field twice with leg injuries, but returned each time. CB Brent Vinson hurt his shoulder again in overtime, but he also returned. Vinson will have an operation on the shoulder when the season ends.