The Series: With the 30-3 victory, Tennessee defeated Carolina for the third consecutive time and leads the all-time series 3-1.
Inactives: The following seven players were inactive for the Panthers: tight end Richie Brockel, quarterback Jimmy Clausen, running back Mike Goodson, cornerback Brandon Hogan, defensive tackle Frank Kearse, linebacker Jason Phillips and tackle Lee Ziemba.
Good Gamble: Cornerback Chris Gamble became the Panthers' all-time leader with 26 interceptions with a third-quarter interception of Tennessee quarterback Matt Hasselbeck. He broke a tie with Eric Davis, who picked off 25 passes from 1996-2000. Gamble also ranks second in team history with 326 interception return yards and is tied for second with two interception returns for touchdowns behind Mike Minter with 418 interception return yards and four interception returns for touchdowns. Gamble has led or tied for the team lead in interceptions in five of his seven seasons with Carolina since being selected in the first round in 2004 and is tied for first this year with two.
Sakrete Sacks: The Panthers collected one sack against Tennessee. Second-year defensive tackle Andre Neblett notched his first career sack, dropping Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck for an eight-yard loss in the third quarter.
During the 2011 season, Sakrete, a leader in concrete and concrete-related products, is donating $100 to the BVC Playground Build for every sack Carolina records. Through nine games, the Panthers have gathered 17 sacks, raising $1,700.
Takeaway/Giveaway: Carolina forced one turnover on an interception by cornerback Chris Gamble. The Panthers turned it over twice on a fumble and an interception to finish with a minus-one turnover ratio. The one takeaway resulted in three points for Carolina, and the two giveaways led to 14 points for Tennessee. The Panthers have a negative-four turnover ratio this season, compiling a 2-0 record when having a positive turnover margin, an 0-4 record when being even in turnover margin, and an 0-3 record when having a negative turnover margin.
Newton By Air: Rookie quarterback Cam Newton completed 23-of-40 passes for 212 yards and no touchdowns with one interception to compile a 61.7 quarterback rating. This marked only Newton's second game this season without a touchdown pass, also occurring at Atlanta (10/16/11).
The starter in all nine games, Newton has completed 197-of-327 passes for 2,605 yards and 11 touchdowns with 10 interceptions to post an 84.0 quarterback rating. He has passed for 300 or more yards in three games, producing three of the top four single-game passing totals in team history. Newton threw a touchdown in each of the first five games - the longest streak by a rookie quarterback in team history - bettering Chris Weinke's four consecutive games with a touchdown pass in 2001.
Newton By Ground: Rookie quarterback Cam Newton posted a team-high 55 rushing yards with a long of 26 yards on seven attempts. The 26-yard run marked the longest in team history by a quarterback, surpassing a 25-yard scramble by Newton versus Washington (10/23/11).
Newton has rushed for 374 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns on 70 carries this season. The 374 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns are the most in a season by a Panthers quarterback, eclipsing the previous highs of 128 yards and six touchdowns by Chris Weinke in 2001.
Offensive Line Paves The Way: Behind an offensive line featuring Jordan Gross at left tackle, Travelle Wharton at left guard, Ryan Kalil at center, Geoff Hangartner at right guard, and Byron Bell at right tackle, the Panthers accumulated 113 yards rushing on 19 attempts - an average of 5.9 yards per carry.
The front five has helped Carolina total more than 100 yards rushing in seven consecutive games, also exceeding 100 yards on the ground with 107 versus Jacksonville (9/25/11), 169 at Chicago (10/2/11), 162 versus New Orleans (10/9/11), 142 at Atlanta (10/16/11), a season-high 175 versus Washington (10/23/11) and 140 versus Minnesota (10/30/11).
On The Receiving End: Wide receiver Legedu Naanee paced Carolina with a single-game career-high eight receptions for 75 yards. He surpassed his previous best of five catches, achieved three times - most recently for Carolina versus Minnesota (10/30/11). In his fifth NFL season, Naanee ranks third on the Panthers with a career-high 30 catches for 314 yards.
Streaking: Tight end Jeremy Shockey and wide receiver Steve Smith extended their consecutive game streaks with a catch. Shockey finished with one reception for 19 yards and has caught a pass in all 130 regular season games he has played. Smith, meanwhile, registered five catches for 33 yards and has made a catch in 68 consecutive games, equaling the second-longest streak in team history - previously accomplished by himself from 2002-06. Wesley Walls holds the team record with a 70-game streak from 1996-2001.
The Specialists: Kicker Olindo Mare connected on one-of-two field goal attempts - converting from 29 yards and missing wide left from 50 yards. He has been successful on 18-of-19 extra point opportunities and 14-of-18 field goal attempts for a team-leading 60 points this season. Mare ranks 15th in NFL history with 342 made field goals and 16th with 1,480 points scored.
Mare reached the end zone on one-of-two kickoffs with one touchback. The kickoff that did not reach the end zone was an onside kick to start the second half. He has placed 36-of-44 kickoffs in the end zone with 28 touchbacks this season. Since 1997, Mare leads the NFL with 266 touchbacks.
Punter Jason Baker generated a season-high gross average of 45.6 yards and net average of 32.8 yards with one inside the 20, no touchbacks and long of 56 yards on eight punts. His gross average increased to 41.5 yards and his net average improved to 32.5 yards with 13 punts inside the 20, four touchbacks and long of 56 yards this season.
Baker is the Panthers' all-time leader with 543 punts and 163 punts inside the 20. He ranks second with a 43.95-yard gross punting average behind Todd Sauerbrun's 45.54 average.
Claw Marks: The loss marked the first time since 2007 that the Panthers lost the game after their bye week. Carolina owns an all-time 8-9 record following a bye....Carolina (12 penalties for 99 yards) and Tennessee (nine penalties for 92 yards) combined for 191 penalty yards on 21 penalties. The 191 yards penalized matched the third most penalty yards by both teams in a Panthers game, previously accomplished twice - most recently by Carolina at Dallas (11/23/03). The most combined penalty yardage is 288 yards by Carolina at Tampa Bay (9/14/03).
Parthenon: Titans wide receiver Marc Mariani returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. It represented the third punt return touchdown against the Panthers this season, previously accomplished by Patrick Peterson for Arizona (9/11/11) and Devin Hester for Chicago (10/2/11). The three punt return touchdowns are the most allowed by Carolina in a single season, surpassing the previous high of two in 1997...Mariani returned six punts for 103 yards, equaling the third most punt returns in a game by an opponent - previously accomplished three times, most recently by Mewelde Moore for Minnesota (9/17/06.
