KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- For 52½ of the 60 minutes, Wyoming went nose-to-nose with Tennessee (No. 2 ESPN/USA Today, No. 2 AP) and played the Vols to a standoff.

Unfortunately for the Cowboys, those other 7½ minutes were devastating.

	Tennessee QB Tee Martin completed 14 of 21 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns.

The defending champion Volunteers scored four touchdowns during that stretch in the second quarter, and it was enough for a 42-17 victory.

"The second quarter seemed to last two and a half hours," Cowboys coach Dana Dimel said. "That was a long quarter."

Jamal Lewis returned from the knee injury that ended his '98 season to score three touchdowns and gain 159 yards in 25 carries. He also fumbled twice.

Coach Phillip Fulmer said he gave Lewis a game ball and told him three things: welcome back, good game, "and carry it around for the next couple of days."

"I think that game was probably really good for us, having to continue to fight through the fourth quarter," he said. "Obviously Jamal is back, and that's great news for our team."

Tee Martin threw touchdown passes of 55 and 16 yards to Cedrick Wilson, and linebacker Eric Westmoreland scored with a fumble recovery.

The Volunteers began defense of their national title with a big day by the defense, which had a school-record 13 sacks, four turnovers and one touchdown.

"I don't think it was the defensive line as much as it was the whole defense," said defensive end Will Overstreet, who had three of the sacks. "We've been talking about getting all of our jobs done all week."

Lewis scored on runs of 25 and 32 yards in the first half, and added a 1-yard TD with 22 seconds left in the game.

Martin hit Wilson with scoring passes of 55 and 16 yards in the first half and a 64-yard play to set up Lewis' last touchdown. Martin was 14-of-21 for 264 yards. Wilson had seven catches for 183 yards.

The Cowboys won the first and third quarters and played the favored Vols to a virtual standoff in the fourth, but could not overcome the second-quarter outburst.

Tennessee gained 522 yards but fumbled the ball away three times. Despite the sacks and the loss of starting quarterback Jay Stoner in the first half, the Cowboys' innovative Triple Shoot offense was good for 203 yards.

Wyoming led 10-7 early in the second quarter when the Volunteers defense took over the game for a time.

Stoner left with a shoulder injury with the Cowboys trailing 21-10. The Cowboys had minus-21 yards and two turnovers during the decisive four-touchdown stretch by the Vols, including the fumble that Westmoreland ran in from 18 yards.

Stoner was 6-of-9 passing for 65 yards before being injured. Matt Swanson came in and finished 16-of-21 for 130 yards, with a touchdown and two interceptions.

Tommy Nash, brother of former Tennessee receiver Marcus Nash, led the Cowboys with four catches for 41 yards.

The Cowboys were held to eight net yards rushing.