The No. 12 Volunteers improved from the last game they played in, but Fulmer believes some changes will be needed to make them even better.

Casey Clausen threw two touchdown passes and Jabari Davis ran 44 yards for another score as Tennessee beat Fresno State, 24-6, in the season opener yesterday at Knoxville, Tenn.

"We could have knocked them and should have knocked them out quicker than we did," Fulmer said.

The Vols were determined to show an improved offense from the one that sputtered last year to an 8-5 record, which included an embarrassing 30-3 loss to Maryland in the Peach Bowl.

Tennessee racked up 433 yards of total offense, the most since a six-overtime win over Arkansas last October, and 274 yards rushing behind a stronger and healthy offensive line. Cedric Houston led Tennessee with 161 yards on 19 rushes.

Tennessee seemed to have an answer for everything Fresno State tried on offense, holding it to minus-1 yards rushing and 117 yards of total offense.

Fresno State's Rodney Davis, who had a school-record 1,586 yards rushing last season, was held to 16 yards on 13 carries yesterday.

Jeff Grady, who replaced an injured Paul Pinegar at quarterback, was sacked three times and went 13 of 24 for 118 yards for Fresno State.

"Tennessee controlled the line of scrimmage," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. "We had only one of eight offensive linemen who played in a Division I game. Jeff Grady was throwing off his heels a lot."

Fresno State plays at Hawai'i on Oct. 11.

• Florida 65, San Jose State 3: The Gators (1-0) blocked one punt to set up a touchdown, returned interceptions for two more, and quarterbacks Ingle Martin, Gavin Dickey and Chris Leak all threw touchdown passes in a victory over the Spartans (1-1) at Gainesville, Fla.

Jermaine McCollum blocked a punt at the Spartans 2 to set up Florida's first touchdown. Ran Carthon ran for a pair of 2-yard scores and Kelvin Kight caught two touchdowns. On defense, Guss Scott scored on a 38-yard interception return and Tre Orr had a 73-yard pick for a touchdown. The defense, under new coordinator Charlie Strong, allowed only 185 yards and 11 first downs.

Hawai'i plays at San Jose State on Nov. 1.

• Alabama 40, S. Florida 17: Shaud Williams ran for 98 yards and scored three touchdowns as the Crimson Tide gave new coach Mike Shula his first victory by beating the Bulls at Birmingham, Ala.

After falling behind 17-7 in the second quarter, Alabama scored 33 unanswered points for the victory.

Shula took the helm after an unsettling nine months at Alabama. Last year's coach, Dennis Franchione, unexpectedly left for Texas A&M in December.

Alabama settled on Washington State's Mike Price, but he was fired before ever coaching a game with the Tide for his conduct at a strip club and hotel during a weekend golf tournament in Pensacola, Fla.

Alabama plays at Hawai'i on Nov. 29.

• Minnesota 49, Tulsa 10: Marion Barber III ran for three touchdowns and Asad Abdul-Khaliq threw for two other scores to lead the Golden Gophers to a season-opening win over the Golden Hurricane at Minneapolis.

It was a rough night for Tulsa quarterback James Kilian, who inherited the starting job when Tyler Gooch transferred to Oklahoma to pursue a baseball career this summer. Kilian was 18 for 32 for 171 yards.

Eric Richardson, Tulsa's leading rusher for the past two seasons, was held to 28 yards on the ground and caught three passes for 38.

Hawai'i plays at Tulsa on Oct. 4.

• Arizona 42, UTEP 7: Mike Bell ran for 119 yards and a touchdown, leading the Wildcats' best rushing output in two years as they routed the Miners in the season opener for both teams at Tucson, Ariz.

The Miners didn't score until 14:49 left in the game, when Joe Fieskoski picked off Ryan O'Hara's wobbly pass and took it 39 yards to the end zone.

UTEP plays at Hawai'i on Oct. 25.

• Houston 48, Rice 14: Freshman Kevin Kolb threw for two touchdowns and rushed for two more to lead the Cougars over the Owls at Houston in the opener for both teams.

Kolb, named the starter ahead of sophomore Blade Bassler shortly before kickoff of the annual Bayou Bucket game, finished 17 of 22 for 246 yards and no interceptions in the opener for both teams.

Rice plays at Hawai'i on Sept. 27.

• Nevada 24, Southern Utah 23: Linebacker Logan Carter recovered a fumble for a touchdown, intercepted a pass and blocked a potentially game-tying extra point attempt to lead the Wolf Pack over the Division I-AA Thunderbirds in the season opener for both teams at Reno, Nev.

Chance Kretschmer, who led the nation in rushing in 2001 but missed all of last season with a knee injury, rushed for 170 yards for Nevada.

Hawai'i is at Nevada on Nov. 15.

• Texas Tech 58, SMU 10: B.J. Symons threw for three touchdowns in his first start as the Red Raiders beat the Mustangs in the opener for both teams.