SB Nation - Montario Hardesty

Tennessee Football All-Decade RB

Will — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:59:08 -0000

If Montario Hardesty keeps his current pace in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, this decade will have seen the two greatest single-season rushing performances, and the two greatest career rushing performances in Tennessee Football history...turned in by four different players.

These four players bookend the decade, with the careers of Travis Henry and Travis Stephens coming to a close in 2000 and 2001, and the careers of Arian Foster and Montario Hardesty coming to a close in 2008 and 2009. In between, we give an honorable mention nod to Cedric Houston and Gerald Riggs, and especially to the 2004 season, in which both of them ran for over 1,000 yards. However, the single season and career accomplishments of Henry, Stephens, Foster and Hardesty separate them from the rest of the pack, and we present them to you as the nominees for the Tennessee Football running back of the decade.

Casey Clausen ran away with the All-Decade QB vote over Erik Ainge, with almost two-thirds of the vote. This time, I think the vote will be much more competitive. As we'll continue to do throughout the month, we breakdown the candidates and ask you to decide...

Travis Henry

So, the trick in doing these all-decade things is being able to separate the careers of players like Henry, who was also a feature back in Knoxville in 1998 and 1999. And of course with Henry, so much of his legend at Tennessee revolves around his performance in that 1998 National Championship season. In voting for the best of this decade, we're only going to look at Henry's performance in his 2000 senior season.

However, the entire body of Henry's work left him as Tennessee's all-time leading rusher, a record he still holds with 3,078 yards (including 970 in 1998 and 790 in 1999, sharing the load in both of those seasons). In 2000, Henry was finally the primary option at tailback from start to finish, and playing with Joey Matthews, AJ Suggs and Casey Clausen at quarterback, Henry was the primary option for the entire offense.

As a result, The Cheese turned in the fourth best season in Tennessee Football history with 1,314 yards (a number Montario Hardesty will pass with just nine yards in the bowl game). He put Tennessee on his back in The Jabar Gaffney Game, with 175 yards against the vaunted Gators. The 2000 Tennessee-Florida game is one of the very few exceptions to the rule of the team that wins the rushing battle will win the game. Henry took the Vols close to the end zone several times, but an inability to punch it in and convert a critical fourth quarter first down led to Florida's eventual game winning drive.

But Henry continued to pound away in 2000, getting a career high with 214 yards against Arkansas to go along with 180 yards in a loss to Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl, a performance that included an 81 yard touchdown run. His 15 career 100+ yard games is a Tennessee record. Henry went on to great professional success and personal struggles after leaving Tennessee, but he remains the benchmark by which all other career performances are measured, the only back in Vol history to run for more than 3,000 yards in a career.

Travis Stephens

Perhaps the most patient of all Vol tailbacks, one of many qualities he shares with Hardesty, Travis Stephens played his part in the Vols' 1998 National Championship season, then was asked to redshirt the following season when the Vols' backfield included Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, and Onterrio Smith. It didn't seem fair, but Stephens put his head down and went along with it.

After backing up Henry in 2000, Stephens finally became the feature back in 2001. Some questioned his size, especially in comparison to Lewis and Henry. But in the second game of the '01 season, questions about his durability ceased: in a game that was delayed more than an hour for driving rain and lightning, Stephens carried the ball a school record 41 times for 206 yards. He was robbed of what should've been one of the all-time great moments of the Fulmer Era, as his screen pass for a score in the final minute of the Tennessee-Georgia game was negated by The Hobnailed Boot.

But Stephens kept coming, every week. He played his way to the final cut for the Doak Walker Award, rushing for 162 against Alabama in Tennessee's final win of a seven year streak. His season would finish as the greatest in Tennessee history, and is the mark Hardesty will chase in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl: 1,464 yards for the year, as the Vols went 11-2. Stephens struggled in the SEC Championship game and lost a costly fumble, and that must be taken into account.

But by far, Stephens turned in the greatest individual football performance of the decade in the decade's biggest win: the postponed 2001 Florida game, featuring the #4 Vols and #2 Gators, where Stephens ran for an unbelievable 226 yards, leaving Florida's defense in his wake and leading Tennessee to a 34-32 victory.

Arian Foster

Some Vol fans may question Foster's inclusion on this list, but the reality remains that he trails only Henry in career rushing yards at this university (by only 114 yards), a feat that we tip our hats to regardless of the rough process of getting there.

Foster was one of the few bright spots in the dismal 2005 season, replacing an injured Gerald Riggs in the middle of that season and running for 100+ yards in everyone of his starts as a freshman, finishing with 879 yards in just five starts. This raised the bar on the rest of Foster's career, a career that saw some of his greatest accomplishments go unappreciated for one reason or another; Foster ran for 223 yards against Vanderbilt in his freshman season, but the Vols lost the game.

Foster would split time with Hardesty and LaMarcus Coker over the next two seasons, running for only 322 yards in 2006. But he bounced back bigtime in 2007, running for 1,193 yards and 12 touchdowns in the Vols' SEC East Championship run. The Clawfense was no friend to anyone on the Vol offense, and that included Foster, who seemed like a sure thing to get Henry's career record at the start of the '08 season. But instead, he finished with only 570 yards and one touchdown.

Foster's best performances came in his freshman season, and though he really didn't fumble an excessive amount, the times he did put the ball on the turf were incredibly costly. As such, Foster caught more heat from the fanbase than any other player outside of Jon Crompton. His best moments weren't fully appreciated and his worst moments were highly magnified...but his career numbers will always speak for themselves.

Montario Hardesty

Hardesty has turned in the most consistent performance of the decade this season: he hasn't played a bad game all season, his lowest numbers coming as a result of the Alabama defense and a huge hole against Ole Miss. He hasn't fumbled all season. He was the only option at the start of the season, and turned in gutsy performances in losses to UCLA, Florida, and Auburn. And he was the best option at the end of the season, running for 171 against Vanderbilt and 179 and the clincher at Kentucky.

All of this comes after Hardesty was banged up, redshirted, and waited for four years to get this chance. There were flashes of brilliance, including a sensational touchdown run against Cal in 2006. But Hardesty kept waiting behind Foster, kept getting talked about less than Coker and Lennon Creer, and then had to listen to everyone talk about Bryce Brown. Hardesty stayed quiet, went to work, and has rewarded everyone with a sensational 2009 season.

Hardesty needs 159 yards in the final game of the decade to pass Stephens' single-season mark, currently sitting at 1,306 yards. With 2,352 career rushing yards, he will almost certainly move into 8th on Tennessee's all-time rushing list in the bowl game. And he has been the most outstanding player of Lane Kiffin's first year.

Poll

Who is the Tennessee Football RB of the decade?

Get to Know Your Soon to be Vanquished Foe: Tennessee

furrer4heisman — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:30:13 -0000

Regular Season: Tennessee went 7-5 and 4-4 in the SEC this year. However, the Vols are one of the hotter teams in college football right now having won four of their last five regular season games. Tennessee didn't have much success away from Neyland Stadium in 2009. The Vols played well in road losses to Florida and Alabama, but were crushed in Oxford by a mediocre Ole Miss team, 42-17. The Vols got their lone road win in their last game, a 30-24 overtime win over Kentucky. Tennessee was a very inconsistent team this year, but Lane Kiffin appears to have it ahead of schedule on its way back to competing for the SEC title.

Head Coach: Kiffin has been a polarizing figure in his first 12 months on the job at Tennessee. The youngest head coach in FBS did two things when he arrived in Knoxville, both aimed at winning the recruiting war. He assembled a top-notch staff around him and starting poking the bear. Kiffin's verbal jabs at nearly everyone in the SEC may be seen as petulance from the junior member of the SEC coaching fraternity. But to me, Kiffin is just hustling. He knows winning in college football has a little to do with how well he coaches and a lot to do with getting the best football players in the country to come to Knoxville. Hockey has a term for guys like Kiffin. He's a shit disturber. Of the highest order. Talking shit to the coaching royalty of the SEC gets him and his team noticed. I have no problem with that. After all, if Kiffin's good enough for my boy Weezy, he's good enough for me.

Player to Watch on Offense: This has to be Jonathan Crompton. Look, Montario Hardesty's a great player. But that's the reason he's not the player to watch on offense for the Vols. He's going to get his yards and he's going to get into the end zone. But Crompton is the guy who's going to determine if the Vols win this game. If the Crompton we saw against Georgia shows up to the Peach Bowl, we're screwed. But if the catfish with a helmet shows up, we should win this game. Maybe even win it easily.

Player to Watch on Defense: It couldn't be anyone other than Eric Berry. The kid is a game-changer on defense and special teams and he's going to be making a lot of money next year. He needs 15 interception return yards to break the NCAA record and I'm sure he'll be doing everything he can to get it. Berry is a force to be reckoned with, but isn't putting up the same numbers he did when he first arrived in Knoxville. The reason is the same reason Kam Chancellor has struggled his last two years in Blacksburg. Chancellor was moved from rover (which for Tennessee fans reading this site is our strong safety, a hybrid DB/LB) to free safety where he has been forced to drop back more into pass coverage. When Chancellor played rover, his job was to cause havoc and destroy everything in his path, which he was pretty good at. Berry as been moved from free to strong safety, which has him more in a havoc-causing role (which he's still pretty damn good at) instead of roaming around the defensive backfield making interceptions. While Berry may or may not get his interception record against Tech, he will be a key factor in trying to stop Ryan Williams.

Tennessee in the Blogosphere: Considering SB Nation's Tennessee blog is run by one of my bosses at the mother ship, please visit Rocky Top Talk now. And then visit there again every day between now and the bowl game. It's far and away the best destination for Vol news and opinion. However, if you're feeling so inclined you can also check out these fine blogs: Gate 21, 3rd Saturday in Blogtober, Losers with Socks, Fulmer's Belly.

Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech: Chick-Fil-A Bowl Opening Thoughts

Will — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:30:12 -0000

More photos » by Don Petersen - AP

Dear Hokies: if you promise not to wear these, or those ridiculous all-white Nike uniforms, we promise not to wear black.

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Note: We'll have furrer4heisman from Gobbler Country on our podcast tonight, 9:00 PM EST

I moved from East Tennessee to Southwest Virginia in June 2006, 75 miles west of Lane Stadium in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech is to this area what Tennessee is back home: with no professional teams around and no other local collegiate competition, the Hokies dominate the landscape and the conversation every day. Maroon is the color of choice even an hour away, and I've come to appreciate and respect their passion, because it's very familiar.

As such, my excitement for this matchup is off the charts. This is a huge opportunity for Tennessee to end the season on its highest note, and for Lane Kiffin to get the biggest win of his young career. This is a very big football game, and based on the flow of this season, Vol fans should be more excited about this bowl game than, really, any other since the National Championship. We've played in more prestigious bowls than the Chick-Fil-A in the last eleven years, but end of season losses have tended to put a damper on those environments. But now, with the reset button having already been pressed on our expectations in Kiffin's first year, the 7-5 Vols are exactly where they should be, in a season we can feel good about, against a Top 15 opponent. This is one to be very excited about.

And know this: Tennessee fans may not care about Virginia Tech. But the majority of Hokie Nation does not like Tennessee. This is a big deal to the Hokies. It needs to be a big deal to the Vols.

I'm not an expert on Virginia Tech - just someone who's been paying more attention to them than the average Tennessee fan for the last four years. I usually make it out to VT's Thursday night home games, and went to the VT-Miami game in September this year. So as we officially begin the countdown to New Year's Eve, here are a few (okay, several) thoughts on the Vols-Hokies matchup...

People who are overly worried about Tyrod Taylor probably haven't seen Virginia Tech play

Tyrod is one of those guys with name recognition value among most college football fans. But through three seasons, his street cred is better than the actual on-field result. Virginia Tech, true to form, isn't looking to pass first - Taylor averages only 175 yards passing per contest. Take a look at Taylor's passing numbers against bowl teams this season:

Alabama: 9 of 20, 91 yards
Nebraska: 12 of 27, 192 yards, 1 TD
Miami: 4 of 9, 98 yards, 1 TD
Boston College: 7 of 10, 126 yards, 2 TDs
Georgia Tech: 10 of 14, 159 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
North Carolina: 11 of 23, 161 yards
East Carolina: 17 of 30, 137 yards

For the season, Taylor completes only 55% of his passes. It's an offense that's designed to minimize risk - Taylor has thrown only four picks this season - but also designed to take advantages of defenses that load up to stop the run at key times.

And in stopping the run, again, it's not Taylor that causes problems there necessarily - Tyrod runs for only 28.6 yards per game. And while Taylor's decision making has improved greatly from last season in terms of interceptions, he still made plenty of questionable decisions in terms of run/pass situations: the Hokies allowed 30 sacks this season, 90th in the nation.

All of us who saw what Dexter McCluster and/or Auburn did to Monte Kiffin's defense are automatically on guard anytime we play a team that runs some gimmicky stuff. And yeah, Virginia Tech is going to run out of some pistol and shotgun sets, as well as maybe a few Wild Turkey looks. VT's rushing attack is 16th nationally at over 200 yards per game. And the Hokies have tight ends and wide receivers that know how to block. But the reason for the offense's success isn't about Tyrod Taylor.

People who aren't overly worried about Ryan Williams definitely haven't seen Virginia Tech play

It's not gimmicky, it's not trickeration, and it hasn't happened because teams were too worried about stopping Tyrod Taylor: Ryan Williams might be the best running back Tennessee has faced all season.

I know about Mark Ingram, and I remember what McCluster did to us (which isn't to suggest that Williams is going to run for 250 yards against us...I hope). But Ryan Williams has better numbers than both of them.

The redshirt freshman (that's right) ran for 1,538 yards and 19 touchdowns this season - his 128 yards per game make him fifth in the nation in rushing. And he's first in the nation in highlight reel runs. Don't believe me? Here's a fantastic look at every big play he's made this season from hokiehivpi:

I challenge you to find ten minutes worth of material from any other running back in the nation with a better wow factor.

You know who Ryan Williams reminds me of? Montario Hardesty. They're both explosive, hard runners with a knack for when to make the right move, both have incredible balance...Hardesty hasn't fumbled all year, and Williams has only one - a costly one against UNC - that I can remember.

Virginia Tech grows these guys on trees: Williams follows in the footsteps of Lee Suggs, Kevin Jones, Branden Ore and Darren Evans, and like Evans before him, wasn't supposed to be the feature back this season. But when Evans tore an ACL in preseason, Williams immediately stepped in and became a huge difference maker, and ultimately was named the ACC Freshman of the Year. Sidenote: both of these guys in the backfield together next year? Look out.

Stopping Ryan Williams straight up is enough of a challenge. It's in reintroducing the stuff that changes up a defense that it becomes even more complicated. Make no mistake: containing Williams is the first and most important key to victory.

The tight end has disappeared from Virginia Tech's passing game

Last year, Greg Boone caught 22 passes and was thought to be an emerging threat in VT's limited passing game. But this year, Boone has only 7 receptions, as Tyrod Taylor has almost exclusively gotten the ball to his three leading receivers (Jarrett Boykin, Danny Coale, Dyrell Roberts) and Ryan Williams. Boone and the other tight ends have combined for only 12 catches on the season.

Given Tech's offense, it's going to be highly improbable that Eric Berry gets the interception he needs to break the record, unfortunately. But it's going to be highly probable that Berry is up at the line of scrimmage, one last time, helping slow down Tech's run game. Getting lined up right and knowing assignments, as always, will be critical. But it won't be the pass or the other skill players that beat Tennessee - again, it starts and ends with Williams.

Virginia Tech's defense does what it does

For a primer, check out the progression of VT's defense from Chris Brown at Smart Football, written during the offseason. Bud Foster's name will once again get thrown around with various openings around the country...but Foster loves Blacksburg, there's a restaurant that bears his name in town, and I'm not sure he's going anywhere. Tech's numbers again this year are very good: 11th nationally in scoring defense (15.8 ppg allowed), 14th in total defense (300.1 ypg allowed). In their four game win streak to close the season, the Hokies gave up 3, 9, 10, and 13 points. The opposition may not have been the greatest (ECU, Maryland, NC State, Virginia), but that's still impressive, and none of those teams got 300 yards of total offense.

There has been separation in Tech's ability to stop the run (52nd nationally, 138 ypg allowed) and the pass (5th nationally, 161 ypg allowed). Tech's secondary has more interceptions (10) than touchdown passes allowed (8) this season - you'll want to watch out for Rashad Carmichael back there, and Jason Worilds up front in the pass rush. But the teams that beat VT got it done on the ground: 268 rushing yards for Alabama, 309 from Georgia Tech, 181 from North Carolina.

The other common thread in VT losses: containing Williams. Alabama and UNC held him under 100 yards, and even though Georgia Tech didn't come close - 100 yards on only 14 carries - it's the second part of that equation that made the difference: GT built a lead that made Tech go away from its game plan somewhat in the fourth quarter, in part because they ate time of possession alive in that game at +17 minutes. If the Vols can't stop him, our offense needs to grind it out with our own talented tailback. Throwing excessively against VT this year has been more risk than reward.

The over/under on blocked kicks in this game is 1.5

Or at least it should be.

There's no bigger nightmare scenario than Tennessee's special teams, minus the recently departed Eddie Gran, against BeamerBall. The Vols have allowed two kickoffs to be returned for touchdowns, missed an extra point, and had four field goals and a punt blocked this season. Perhaps Daniel Lincoln - who missed two crucial kicks in the Georgia Dome, the horrors of which we'll discuss more fully some other day, in the 2007 SEC Championship Game - will be healthy enough to retake the job from late season walk on Devin Mathis. Lincoln has made big kicks before, but his altitude on the ball is begging for the Hokies to feast on him.

Tech's blocked kicks are always game changers, and Tennessee can't afford to give VT any help or short fields in this matchup. Everyone will look at this aspect and point to it as a key - and everyone will be right.

Don't put too much emphasis on the Virginia Tech-Alabama game

Simply because that was 14 weeks ago. Despite the fact that Alabama put a balanced 498 yards on the vaunted lunchpail defense, and VT picked up only 155 yards of offense (this, by the way, was a Virginia Tech offensive performance to a T: look horrific statistically, and still have a chance to win against a great team in the fourth quarter), Virginia Tech is a different - and better - football team now than they were then. We can both bask in the faded glow of almost beating the eventual National Champions and trade war stories...but I wouldn't look at that game and pull any real expectations from it.

That said...

Virginia Tech has not played well recently against the SEC

Last four meetings:

2004 Auburn: 16-13 L, Sugar Bowl
2006 Georgia: 31-24 L, Chick-Fil-A Bowl
2007 LSU: 48-7 L, Baton Rouge
2009 Alabama: 34-24 L, Atlanta

Granted, three of those four teams either had undefeated seasons or won the National Championship. But it's also worth nothing that the last time Tennessee and Virginia Tech met, the Vols blasted the Hokies 45-23 in the 1994 Gator Bowl.

The SEC is the best conference in college football, everybody knows it, and nobody knows it more than we do. Georgia and South Carolina - two teams the Vols beat by three possessions - just got done taking care of the ACC's two best teams. This is a statement game for not only Tennessee and Virginia Tech, but the ACC.

This game should be a good one.

The Montario Hardesty vs. Ryan Williams matchup alone is worth the price of admission. Bud Foster and Monte Kiffin are two of the very best at what they do. Will Jonathan Crompton or Tyrod Taylor make a decision that costs their team the victory, or make a play that wins it? Will Eric Berry have a shot at the record one more time?

Two teams, 220 miles apart, and what feels like a rivalry just waiting to happen. Whether it's another 15 years before we meet again or not, this game is huge for both teams. For Virginia Tech, it's ACC validation, 10 wins and a statement victory. For Tennessee, it's the biggest win of Kiffin's first year. The final game of 2009 could turn out to be one of its best.

One Season, One Game

Will — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:45:58 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

Through losing and winning, interceptions and touchdowns, emotional abuse from the fans and physical abuse from the head coach...Kiffin and Crompton, still together.

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Take a minute to consider our achievement.

With the win Saturday, the Vols are 7-5 in Lane Kiffin's first season. Based on the majority of projections, the Vols will not only play in a bowl game after missing one last season, but play in a traditional January 1 bowl, a right reserved for a select few. The Vols are second in the SEC East, two spots higher than preseason projections. And while 7-5 is not a number we're traditionally proud of, this year it is a number that looks better on closer examination - not just because it's Lane Kiffin's first year, but because of how we got there.

The Depth of The SEC

This isn't the best SEC of all-time, but it might be the deepest. In the modern/divisional era, there have been several years where the league placed a bunch of teams in the Top 10 (3 in the Top 7 in 2001), the Top 25 (7 teams ranked in the final AP poll in 1999), or demonstrated their dominance in bowl games (undefeated before Nebraska shredded Tennessee in 1997).

But top to bottom, has there ever been a better year for the SEC?

Detractors would point out that a league that has six teams at 7-5 is, by definition, average. But the SEC counters that argument behind and before. At the top are the two best teams in the country, who will play a second chapter of Armageddon Saturday in Atlanta. And aside from our friends in Nashville, who live only to enhance the conference's GPA, there are no bad teams in this league.

The SEC has 10 bowl eligible teams, a conference record. You could argue that the only reason it's not 11 is that Mississippi State scheduled both Georgia Tech and Houston in their non-conference. The Big 12 has 9 bowl eligible teams, but three of them are 6-6, while all of the SEC's bowl eligible teams are 7-5 or better. No other conference has more than 7.

There was no greater evidence of the SEC's dominance than what 7-5 Georgia and 7-5 South Carolina did to the two teams that will play for the ACC Championship on Saturday, bookending the ACC/SEC matchups with what Alabama did to Virginia Tech thirteen weeks ago. Watch this league in bowl games - we're going to put up an incredibly strong win-loss record, en route to our fourth straight National Championship.

When fighting amongst ourselves, the depth was just as evident, even at the top. #1 Florida and #2 Alabama went an incredibly impressive 16-0 combined in SEC play, but half of those wins came in games decided by 10 points or less. Which brings the point home to us:

Who Tennessee Beat & Who Beat Tennessee

We said we would be satisfied with 8-4. But when we lost to UCLA and Jonathan Crompton looked like Jonathan Crompton, it felt like everything took a giant step backward. It remains the game that two consecutive coaching staffs would most like to have back, and could have been the beginning of another long year.

But as this team has come together, we've watched them grow in both talent and confidence. Of the other four Vol losses, two can be directly or indirectly tied to the kicking game (Alabama and Auburn), and two were against the two best teams in the country, by a combined 12 points. We said when Ole Miss ran all over us that we'd have to wait and see how the Vols played against Vanderbilt and Kentucky before we knew if this team really wasn't that good, or if the Ole Miss performance was simply the combination of lots of things having gone wrong that week. Two weeks and two wins later, I like our answer.

So the Vols have two early season losses, two losses to the two best teams in the nation, and an additional loss on the heels of arrests, suspensions, and injuries. There's no shame in losing to Florida and Alabama this year, much less on the road in competitive games. The loss to Ole Miss is more understandable given the outside circumstances, and the UCLA and Auburn losses came while this team was still finding itself.

Who did Tennessee beat?

You can say what you want about the quality of the teams Georgia and South Carolina fielded this season...but what I do know is that after the Florida and Alabama games we were always supposed to lose, those were the two most important games out there. And the Vols won them by a combined 44 points.

Tennessee beat an Ohio team that finished 9-3 and will play for the MAC Championship on Saturday. And while the Vols also beat 2-10 Vanderbilt, 2-10 Memphis and the worst team in FBS from Western Kentucky, they did so by a combined 100 points, showing dominance over teams they're supposed to dominate.

The Vols played nine bowl teams this season, and the losses and wins correspond well with the stories of:

Jonathan Crompton & Montario Hardesty

Two seniors who have seen it all from 2005-2009, and two captains that needed each other for Tennessee to succeed.

Hardesty, for all his greatness this season, couldn't beat UCLA, Florida or Auburn by himself. He needed Crompton and Tennessee's passing game to become a factor. And once it did, Hardesty returned the favor, giving Crompton and Kiffin a steady option in the running game, and coming through in the clutch in the final games of the season where he came up short in September.

Crompton's story will be remembered for a long time - whatever he does in the bowl game will only serve to make it more interesting. It has been the most compelling on-field storyline in Kiffin's first season, one that Crompton finishes with more than 2,500 yards, 26 touchdowns, and the respect of everyone in the Tennessee family. His remarkable turnaround is a credit to both the player and the head coach, one of the biggest reasons Kiffin has earned the confidence of the fan base in his first year.

Hardesty needs 159 yards in the bowl game to become Tennessee's greatest single-season rusher of all-time, a number that seems more likely now than ever before after #2 picked up 71 carries for 350 yards in his last two games combined. What's more: Hardesty hasn't fumbled this season. Ever.

Tyler Bray and Bryce Brown have lots of hype...but we're going to miss these two.

Facing Adversity

Aside from the arrests of three players and the dismissal of Nu'Keese Richardson and Mike Edwards before Janzen Jackson's charges were dropped, the Vols also showed Brandon Warren the door, and spent September trying to get the WRs and OLs healthy just in time to spend the rest of the year trying to find bodies on defense. We've heard Kiffin's mouth and Slive's responses, hated and loved our quarterback and learned the names of half a dozen players we never thought we'd need this season.

And week to week, with the exception of the Ole Miss game...Tennessee has gotten better.

The Season in One Game

Which is why it was so fitting to see all of these factors on display last night in Lexington.

Make no mistake: Kentucky has become a solid program that's accustomed to winning. UK's rise is one of the biggest factors in the SEC's increased depth. In the old days, when UK was your third biggest win of the season, things probably didn't go well. But this isn't the old days...and after all, Kentucky was our single biggest win of the season last year.

And make no mistake that, once again, last night they thought they had us.

Adversity came to play early, with a pick six that invoked memories of Evil Crompton. For me, I immediately thought of the 2002 Alabama game, when the Vols had won seven in a row (where seven in a row over Alabama is probably equal to twenty-five in a row over Kentucky). On UT's opening drive in that game, the Vols saw a turnover returned for a touchdown, a play that felt like it let everyone in the stadium know that things were going to be different on that night, an eventual 34-14 Alabama victory.

But Crompton and Hardesty came to play too. Our quarterback rebounded with 220 yards, no more turnovers and every key throw we needed, including two more to Luke Stocker. Adversity didn't make Crompton worse, it made him better.

With the LB corps depleted, Tennessee's secondary made the three biggest defensive plays of the night: a welcome back sack from Janzen Jackson, an incredible game-saving tackle from Dennis Rogan on UK's final drive of regulation, and an OT TFL takedown from Eric Berry to push UK towards a 48 yard field goal they wouldn't make.

And how fitting that the game's final play involved a five-star effort from guys like Cody and Cory Sullins, opening up an unfathomable hole for this season's best player, who was happy to oblige with one more touchdown.

7-5 has never felt this good. 8-5 in January will feel even better.

Tennessee Volunteers 30, Kentucky Wildcats 24: a new broken heart for you

Joel — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:26:57 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

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On the podcast earlier this week, Will wondered if Tennessee, after twenty-four years, had finally run out of ways to break Kentucky's heart. The guy with the carrot on the TV broadcast wasn't so pessimistic, using the improbable tailgating prop to demonstrate how we were going to dangle the promise of reward out to the Wildcats just before taking it away from them just like we always do.

For much of the game, I wondered if Will's worry was well-founded. Initially, when Jonathan Crompton threw a pick six on Tennessee's first possession to give Kentucky an early seven point lead, I thought it odd that Crompton's throwing the other team a touchdown pass didn't immediately resurrect a bunch of long dead feelings of futility. It just seemed like a simple mistake that we'd be able to overcome. Especially when Montario Hardesty carved up the Kentucky defense and tied the game by capping off a three-play drive.

But then Randall Cobb started carving up our defense, and despite Hardesty again tying the game, a creeping dread set in. Would we be playing catch up the entire game due to that early mistake? And when Kentucky took a 21-14 lead into the locker room, I was just hoping the team would leave the carrot in the locker room and return to the field with a big sharp stick. Which is exactly what they did.

Tennessee scored ten points in the third quarter to go up 24-21 and all the while seemed like they were going on a post-Thanksgiving binge, eating nearly all of the second half clock themselves. Really, it looked like we had actually run out of ways to break Kentucky's hearts and settled on just doing it the old boring way: by running them to death and gradually putting distance between them and their goal until time mercifully expired.

But then the drama returned. After Tennessee forced Kentucky into five futile second half drives ending with a forced fumble and four punts, Luke Stocker (use the Force, Luke!) coughed up the ball on our own 37 yard line and gave the 'Cats one last chance, down by three, and already in field goal range.

Re-enter a re-energized Randall Cobb. For 13. For 9. For 2. And for 3, which put Kentucky within ten yards of the end zone on second and seven, where they could win just by continuing to give the ball to Cobb in the Wildcat formation. Yet they went back to their traditional offense, and Derrick Locke was stopped for two yards, bringing up third and five, and Morgan Newton then tried to make the right corner on the next play, but Dennis Rogan fought off a block and made a fantastic open field tackle on Newton, getting him on the ground five yards from the first down. Instead of putting the game away with mere seconds remaining, Lones Seiber kicked the field goal and sent the game to overtime.

Tennessee won the toss and then used that stick they brought out for halftime to force Kentucky to go first. Kentucky began overtime essentially already in range of making a 42-yard field goal. But after a Wildcat incompletion, Eric Berry fought off his own block and made a terrific play to drop Locke for a loss of six yards. After one other incompletion, Seiber came on to try a 49-yard field goal instead of the 42-yarder he'd have tried had the offense simply gone nowhere, and he missed. No points in overtime for you.

So all Tennessee had to do to win the game is hold on to the ball, not go backwards, and kick a 42-yard field goal. But just for dramatic effect, Tennessee was called for a holding penalty on the first play, and they immediately found themselves ten yards in the hole. A one yard gain by Hardesty on first and twenty didn't help matters much, but Crompton's 14-yard completion to Gerald Jones did, and it set the Vols up at the Kentucky 20 on third and five. All they really needed was to square up the angle and send their new placekicker onto the field for a 37-yard attempt. Worst case, they would miss and take their chances in a second overtime.

So Crompton handed off the ball off to Hardesty, and -- OH MY LOOK AT THAT HOLE!

It was a thing of beauty, really. My dad and I yelled it at the same time, just seconds before the TV announcer echoed. LOOK AT THAT HOLE! It was absolutely huge, and Hardesty darted into the end zone untouched.

And yes, the Vols not only won, they in fact found yet one more way to break the hearts of the Kentucky Wildcats.

Kentucky 24, Tennessee 30 (OT) -- Postmortem

Truzenzuzex — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:36:21 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

Montario Hardesty romped all over the Wildcats.

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Having just returned from a family meeting, it feels like a great burden to have to write this. Despite a game effort, Kentucky fell for the 25th straight time to Tennessee.

Congratulations to the Volunteers, who now join UK at 7-5 for the season. Tennessee played a very good football game, and Montario Hardesty was the realization of my worst fears about Kentucky coming into this game. The Volunteers played determined, if not particularly inspired, football. In the end, they were just a little bit better than the Wildcats.

What we saw tonight is what we have seen for the last four years -- a lack of true depth at positions killing us. What killed us tonight was the injury to John Connor, which resulted in Moncell Allen trying to replace him. Moncell did his best, but when it comes to blocking, Connor is the very best in the SEC. That's why Randall Cobb was less efficient in the second half. That's why Joker Phillips went more to the pass. That's why Derrick Locke saw far less of the football. Without Connor to block for them, the going got much tougher.

I must say that I am quite depressed to have lost this game. I really thought we had a chance to win in overtime. But for one of the few times this year, UK could not avoid either penalties or turnovers, and as we all are aware, Kentucky has a relatively small margin for error against the more talented SEC teams, of which Tennessee certainly is one.

More after the jump.

Many of you will be jumping down Phillips' throat for not running more of the Wildcat, but it was far less effective in the second half due to the absence of Connor. My bigger complaint was that every Wildcat play seemed to be a Randall Cobb run, and you would think that Kentucky could mix that up with more Derrick Locke.

But truth be told, Randall Cobb was not at his best tonight. He made several questionable decisions with the football, and uncharacteristically fumbled the football twice. He did score a touchdown and made several big plays, but it just seemed to me like the edge was not really there for him. Maybe it was, and he just didn't play to the top of his ability, but in the end, the result was the same.

The real problem with this game was that Tennessee dominated both our offensive and defensive lines. Our defensive line has been weak all year, but tonight, it was simply not up to the task. Hardesty ran through them like a hot knife through butter. It has been a recurring problem for the Wildcat defense to be weak against the run, and given the talent we are graduating, I don't have much hope for a strong defensive front next year. But that is for later.

Here were my other observations:

Morgan Newton was simply not up to the task tonight. He did his best Mike Hartline impersonation by throwing the football over everyone's head.
Sam Maxwell disappeared after the interception. Where did he go?
Great game by Micah Johnson. He seemed to be in on every play. But he could not cover the tight end at all.
The pressure on Crompton was simply not good enough.
The defense, overall, was poor. Tennessee pretty much did what they wanted. The only way they didn't was when they got a penalty or a big negative play.
The Kentucky offense was very predictable, and I think we did not give Locke the ball enough in either half.
Special teams play was generally not very good. Tydlacka made a couple of very poor punts, UK kicked a ball out of bounds or line drives that could be returned on kickoffs, and just generally did not do that well. The only bright spot was Randall Cobb's punt returns.
UK's passing game was almost non-existent. I can remember Cobb catching a couple of balls, and Matthews catching one long pass. But did any of the other wide receivers ever catch a football?
How many times must Wildcat fan's hearts be broken before we dispose of this particular nuisance?

Well, that's about all I have for now. I haven't looked at the stats, and I haven't really looked at anything else. The game (what I saw of it) was largely lost on penalties and turnovers, something that Kentucky has feasted on for most of the year. It was bound to catch up to us sooner or later.

KENTUCKY vs. TENNESSEE: It Doesn't Get Any Bigger Than This

Ken Howlett — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:24:15 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

Kentucky running back Derrick Locke will hopefully show his backside to the Volunteer defenders.

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We all know about the streak. We all are embarrassed by the streak. We're all tired of the streak. Afterall, losing 24 straight to any school, in any sport, is repulsive to most sports fan's sense of fair play. It's simply no fun playing the nail, opposite Tennessee's (6-5, 3-4) ball-peen hammer.

But this game tonight (7:00 PM) isn't about the streak. It isn't about 24 years of blowouts, near-misses, and overtime heartache. Rather, this game is about second place in the SEC East. Nothing else matters. All the pontificating about streaks are merely window dressing compared to the importance of the game at hand ... the importance of Kentucky (7-4, 3-4) overcoming major injuries to star players, the preseason loss of All-SEC defensive end Jeremy Jarmon, of having to play 11 straight games, and of losses that should have been wins ... for this program to still rise to a high level of accomplishment in spite of the adversity speaks volumes about the character of the young men wearing the blue and white, and about the elevated level of talent Rich Brooks and staff have brought to Lexington. And in a year where most predictors of such events had the Wildcats finishing considerably south of second place, for UK to play in the Outback or Chick-Fila Bowl would certainly be an attention-getter both nationally, and within the borders of the Commonwealth.

Four straight bowl games, and a 31-20 record over the last four years, topped off by a second place finish in arguably the most gruesome division in college football, would certainly qualify as a continuance of the Brooks building process. And for this group of 'Cats to continue to build on the unique accomplishments they are responsible for this season -- Winning three straight SEC road games since 1909-'12, beating Auburn for the first time since 1961, and beating Georgia between the hedges for the first time since 1977 -- adds to the legacy of Rich Brooks, but more importantly, enriches the perception of the Kentucky football program throughout the high schools of the south and beyond. Putting the Wildcats that much closer to the goal at-hand -- Becoming a football program that consistently competes at the highest level.

In order for Kentucky to take the next step, they must first conquer the demons in orange. Here is thine enemy:

Unit Comparison (SEC Rank in Parenthesis)

- Scoring Offense -- UT 30.6 points per game (5): UK's coring defense -- 22.2 points per game (7).
- Scoring Defense -- UT allows 20.7 points per game (t5): UK's scoring offense -- 26.5 points per game (7).
- Total Offense -- UT averages 390.8 yards per game (6): UK total defense -- 355.4 yards per game (8).
- Total Defense -- UT allows 313.2 yards per game (5): UK total offense -- 342.9 yards per game (10).
- Rush Offense -- UT rushes for 164.7 yards per game (7): UK rush defense -- 179.3 yards per game (11).
- Rush Defense -- UT allows 141.3 yards per game (6): UK rush offense -- 196.2 yards per game (5).
- Pass Offense -- UT throws for 226.1 yards per game (3): UK pass defense -- 176.1 yards per game (6).
- Pass Defense -- UT allows 171.9 yards per game (5): UK pass offense -- 146.7 yards per game (11).
- Sacks By -- UT has executed 19 sacks (9): UK sacks against -- 14 (5).
- Sacks Against -- UT has allowed only 11 sacks (1): UK sacks By -- 15 (12).
- Third Down Conversion -- UT is at 39.3% (6): UK third down conversion defense -- 39.0% (12).
- Third Down Conversion Defense -- UT allows a 34.4% conversion rate (5): UK third down conversion -- 39.8% (4).
- Turnover Margin -- UT is a + 4 (5): UK is a +3 (6).
- Red Zone Offense -- UT converts 41-46 (89.1%) of their RZ attempts (5): UK red zone defense -- 28-37 (75.7%) (5).
- Red Zone Defense -- UT has allowed 30-35 (85.7%) RZ scores: UK's red zone offense -- 33-40 (82.5%) (8).

The Tennessee Offense

Jonathan Crompton -- 6'4", 228 lb senior quarterback: This season the formerly embattled UT signal-caller has stepped-up his game considerably. He has completed 196 of 335 passes (58.5%) for 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Comparing Crompton's numbers last season -- 86-167 (51.5%) for 889 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions -- to those of this year reveals a much-improved quarterback who has been trusted with the reins of the Tennessee offense.

Crompton has thrown only one interception in the last four games (122 passes). His two best games this season -- Versus Georgia, he threw for 310 yards and four touchdowns on 20-27 passing; Against Memphis, Crompton was 21-27 through the air for 331 yards and five touchdowns. Last season versus UK, Crompton was an 6-8 for 101 yards and one touchdown.

Montario Hardesty -- 6'0", 199 lb junior running back: Hardesty's production is another reason for UT's success this season. He's rushed for 1,127 yards (102.5 yards per game) on 225 carries (5.0 yards per carry), and nine touchdowns. He's also caught 19 passes for 212 yards (11.2 yards per reception), and one touchdown.

Last week in UT's 31-16 win over Vanderbilt, Hardesty rushed for a season-high 171 yards on 22 carries (7.8 ypc), and one touchdown. Hardesty has scored at least one touchdown in eight games this year, and he's ran for over 100 yards four times: WKU, Ohio U., South Carolina, and Vanderbilt.

Bryce Brown -- 6'0", 215 lb freshman running back: Brown has carried the ball 98 times for 452 yards (4.6 ypc), and three touchdowns. He's also caught 10 passes for 137 yards (13.7 ypr), and one touchdown.

Coming out of high school last year, Brown was rated the No. 1 running back, as well as the No. 1 overall prospect in the nation by Rivals.

David Oku -- 5'10", 186 lb freshman running back: Oku has rushed for 94 yards on 23 carries (4.0 ypc) and two touchdowns. Oku has caught two passes for 13 yards (6.5 ypr). He's also returned 30 kick-offs for 780- yards (26.0 yards per return).

The Oklahoma native recorded 154 all-purpose yards in UT's game versus Ole Miss. Coming out of high school last year, Oku was rated the No. 1 all-purpose back in the nation by Rivals, and the No. 30 running back by SuperPrep.

Gerald Jones -- 6'0", 190 lb junior wide receiver: In 10 games, Jones, UT's top receiver, has caught 36 passes for 497 yards (13.8 ypr) and four touchdowns. Last season versus UK, Jones caught a touchdown pass in the Tennessee victory.

Jones went for over 100 receiving yards versus Georgia -- Five catches for 105 yards, and two touchdowns. He also had strong outings against Auburn (seven catches for 75 yards), and Alabama (seven catches for 72 yards), but he's caught only one touchdown pass in the last three games (versus Memphis).

Denarius Moore -- 6'1", 190 lb junior wide receiver: Moore has made 35 catches for 455 yards (13.0 ypr), and six touchdowns.

Moore has scored four of his six touchdowns in the last three games.

Quintin Hancock -- 6'3", 207 lb senior wide receiver: In only eight games, Hancock has made 27 catches for 298 yards (11.0 ypr), and two touchdowns.

Marsalis Teague -- 5'10", 180 lb freshman wide receiver: Teague has 13 receptions for 147 yards (11.3 ypr), and two touchdowns.

Teague was rated the No. 4 prospect in the state of Tennessee out of high school by Rivals, as well as the No. 28 athlete in the nation, also by Rivals.

Luke Stocker -- 6'6", 240 lb junior tight end: Stocker has been an integral part of the UT offense, catching 22 passes for 292 yards (13.3 ypr), and four touchdowns.

The Tennessee Defense

Eric Berry -- 5'11", 203 lb junior corner back: Berry has made 75 tackles (49 solo), 5.0 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and six pass breakups.

The First Team All-SEC selection is UT's defensive force in the secondary, although UT defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin has been bringing Berry up support the run defense. Don't be surprised if Berry is asked to contain Randall Cobb in tonight's tilt.

Rico McCoy -- 6'1", 220 lb senior linebacker: McCoy leads the Vols with 99 tackles (59 solo). He's also posted 2.5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, four forced fumbles.

In 2006 versus UK, McCoy forced the first fumble of his career.

Dan Williams -- 6'3", 327 lb senior defensive tackle: Williams has recorded 56 tackles (28 solo), and he's tied for the team lead in tackles for loss with 8.5. He's also has 2.0 sacks, and a team-leading nine quarterback hurries.

In UT's four overtime victory over UK in 2007, Williams had a game-changing field goal block. Well, it wasn't so much as a block, as the ball being kicked directly into his face mask. There is no doubt that Williams is a defensive force that must be dealt with by the UK offensive line. They must keep him away from Morgan Newton, and run away from him in the ground game.

Chris Walker -- 6'3", 232 lb junior defensive end: Walker has made 34 tackles (16 solo), and he's tied for the team lead with 8.5 tackles for loss. He leads UT with 6.0 sacks, and he's also recorded two interceptions and one pass breakup.

Dennis Rogan -- 5'10", 178 lb defensive back: Rogan is third on the team with 56 tackles (35 solo). He's executed 4.0 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and five pass breakups. He's also recovered two fumbles. Rogan will also return punts. This season he's returned six punts for 46 yards (7.7 yards per return), and two kick-offs for 52 yards (26.0 ypr).

In 2007 versus UK, Rogan returned three punts for 24 yards (8.0 ypr), and two kick-offs for 48 yards (24 ypr). He had three tackles, including his first tackle for loss.

Chad Cunningham -- Cunningham serves as UT's punter and kick-off artist -- He's punted 44 times for a 41.5 average. He's kicked-off 64 times, and has only four touch-backs.

Daniel Lincoln, Cunningham, and Devin Mathis have all kicked field goals for the Vols this season -- Lincoln is 10-16 (62.5%), Cunningham is 1-2 (50.0%), and Mathis is 1-1 (100%). Lincoln missed last weeks Vanderbilt game.

The three have combined to miss only one field goal under 40 yards.

Tennessee Wins (Teams in bold represent common opponents)

63-7 over WKU, 34-23 over Ohio U., 45-19 over Georgia, 31-13 over South Carolina, 56-28 over Memphis, and 31-16 over Vanderbilt.

Tennessee Losses

19-15 to UCLA, 23-13 to Florida, 26-22 to Auburn, 12-10 to Alabama, 42-17 to Ole Miss.

CliffsNotes Analysis

Tonight's battle represents two teams vying to succeed in the same areas -- Even though UK's two biggest play-makers are banged up (Cobb's shoulder, and both of Locke's knees), after Ole Miss running back Dexter McCluster gashed the Vols for 282 yards on 25 carries (11.6 ypc) and four touchdowns, the 'Cats will look to gain the bulk of their yardage on the ground.

Although UT quarterback Jonathan Crompton has proved to be much improved over last year, because of UK's weak run defense, look for a steady diet of UT running backs looking for holes. Hardesty, Brown, and Oku will get a healthy dose of carries in an attempt to control the clock, and bury UK with a ground game suited to do just that.

Look for Randall Cobb to have a big day. Although Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin wasn't in place during Cobb's recruitment, I expect Cobb will be highly motivated to display to his hometown team what they are missing.

It's really pretty simple -- UK must run the ball to the tune of at least 4.5-5.0 yards per carry, and Morgan Newton must continue to come through in the clutch with on-target throws if UK hopes to come out victorious. Recently Newton has been excellent at not turning the ball over ... that trend must continue.

Likewise, UK's defense must find it within themselves to stop the run. UT's three primary ball-carriers are legitimate, dangerous weapons. The Vols rushing for 200 + yards will surely spell doom for the 'Cats.

Field position will also play a big role in tonight's outcome. With UK in possession of two of the best return men in the SEC (Cobb and Locke), this category seems to be a plus for the 'Cats.

Last week versus Georgia, UK saw first-hand the advantage gained by creating turnovers (they were +4). The 'Cats must continue to hit hard, hit often, and hit with a purpose. If the UK defense comes to play, I like the 'Cats chances of partying like it's 1984 -- UK's last victory over the Vols.

Fearless Prediction

Kentucky - 27 Tennessee - 24

For Tru's take on the game, and a listen to a podcast interview we did with the guys from Rocky Top Talk, please scroll down.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats, beat the Vols!

Tennessee 31 Vanderbilt 16 - Survive and Advance

Will — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:33:28 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

On senior day, two guys who've been here since 2005 and seen all the ups and downs helped the Vols get bowl eligible. Hats off to Crompton and Hardesty.

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The best and worst of Tennessee's 2009 season were on display at different points tonight, but in the end the Vols did just enough good to keep Vanderbilt at bay, and Wes Brown put the nail in the Commodores' coffin.

Tennessee's 31-16 win over their in-state rivals makes the Vols bowl eligible, a guaranteed improvement over last year and a nice start for Lane Kiffin. It will get even nicer if the Vols can win at Kentucky next week, with the SEC's bowl outlook cloudy but still leaving plenty of solid options for a 7-5 Tennessee team.

On senior day, Tennessee's seniors carried the load on both sides of the ball. The Vol defense also featured plenty of brand new faces, as a unit decimated by injuries at linebacker and still struggling to find itself without Janzen Jackson struggled at times. But Monte Kiffin's bend-but-don't-break style continued to pay off, as the Vols kept Vandy out of the end zone at every crucial juncture in the second half.

We'll take any win we can get this season, even when we don't play quite as well as we'd like against Vandy. The ups and downs of tonight's game:

The Good

Jonathan Crompton didn't put on his Peyton Manning mask this week, but was more than fine in his final Neyland Stadium performance: 20 of 34, 221 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT that wasn't his fault. Crompton's decision making continues to impress in comparison to where it was in September (and all of last year), and his ability to put the ball exactly where it has to be also led to...
Luke Stocker's incredible touchdown catch, one of five on the night for Stocker to lead the team. Seriously, quit throwing to this guy, because the NFL is going to notice.
Montario Hardesty, on senior day, finally got the sort of workload we thought he'd see all season, and delivered the expected results: career highs with 32 carries for 171 yards. Hardesty now has 1125 yards on the season, and yes, it's a longshot, but if he does that again against Kentucky and in the bowl game, he'll give Travis Stephens' single season rushing record a run for its money. Hardesty needs 339 yards in the final two games...and even if he doesn't get there, he's had a fantastic season.
The 4th quarter hit by Stephaun Raines and Shane Reveiz, two guys who've had to step in to fill holes in Tennessee's defense. Their one-two shot in the red zone drew "OOOOOOOHHHH"s from the crowd and helped hold Vanderbilt to a field goal on the drive.

The Bad

Ole Miss flashbacks on defense. The Vols didn't break, but did bend just enough to make you worry. Vanderbilt may not have had the offensive weapons to fully exploit Tennessee's defense (Warren Norman gets 91 yards of offense), but Derrick Locke and Randall Cobb are putting on a show in Athens right now. If you just look at the box score, the numbers don't show a huge cause for concern - Vols outgained Vandy 422-297 - but there were enough plays where the Commodores had guys running free and breaking tackles against our banged up defense that you have to be concerned about UK.
Season-long flashbacks on special teams. Hats off to Devin Mathis for literally coming out of nowhere and making his first field goal. But when the Vols would rather go for a first down (that they wouldn't get) than kick a 40 yard field goal to ice the game, you know we've got problems. The Vols went for it three times on fourth down instead of kicking field goals, and only converted once. When the Vols called a fake punt, a penalty negated it. When Vandy punted, the Vols got called for the incredibly rare snapper interference penalty, and I'll add my name to the list of people who've never, ever seen that called in a game before. Which leads us to:

The Ugly

Penalties. Of Tennessee's 9 penalties for 95 yards - remember when we saw the fewest flags in the conference? - some were deserved. We got one replay of that snapper interference call, but I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt on that one - it's so rare, I'm not even sure what I'm supposed to be looking for. But two pass interference calls might cause Lane Kiffin to break out his checkbook in the next 48 hours: one in the first half was completely phantom on Rico McCoy, who made absolutely zero contact and was, in fact, a full step behind the intended target when the ref threw the flag. The second was potentially much more damaging, negating Dennis Rogan's end zone interception that would've sealed it with the Vols up 24-13 late, which again looked to be completely phantom on a slant route. I've never seen such inaccuracy on two pass interference calls in a single game - this wasn't even "well there was contact, but...". There was no contact, twice. And if Vanderbilt was more capable of taking advantage, it could've really cost the Vols. Instead, Vandy got only a field goal, the Vols almost ran out the clock, and then...

The Beautiful

Wes Brown is a senior with bad knees, and therefore no real football future. We've been hearing the "this guy can barely practice" line since fall camp. But playing next to senior Dan Williams (who also had a big night tonight), Brown picked up the rare DT interception last week at Ole Miss, then topped himself with the game-sealing DT pick six tonight, carrying a Commodore the final ten yards for the end zone. Bonus points for Lane Kiffin decking Jonathan Crompton during the sideline celebration.

It's hard to feel great about beating Vanderbilt, and though you'd better take seriously a Kentucky team that's going to win in Athens tonight, it'll be hard to feel great about beating Kentucky for the 25th year in a row. But while beating the Cats in Lexington will be no small task, doing so should send Tennessee to a bowl game where they'd play a bigtime opponent, giving this team one more chance to win a big one and end the season on a very high note. It may not have been pretty on every play tonight, and the Vols may have serious defensive depth issues...but Tennessee got the job done tonight, surviving Vandy and advancing to postseason play. What's become a big test at Kentucky comes next, with a chance to make a good bowl now fully back on the table.

Tennessee Senior Day 2009: Montario Hardesty

Will — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:20 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

about 1 month ago: Tennessee's Montario Hardesty (2) gets away from South Carolina's DeVonte Holloman (21)during the second half of a NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009 in Knoxville, Tenn. Tennessee won 31-13. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

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We've mentioned this before, but it's worth mentioning again: although Arian Foster, LaMarcus Coker, Lennon Creer, and Bryce Brown were all talked about more than he was, Montario Hardesty has outperformed them all.

Hardesty has 956 rushing yards thru the first ten games of the season, and will almost certainly become the first Vol to run for 1,000 yards in a season since Gerald Riggs and Cedric Houston both did it in 2004. If he can pick up 334 yards in the final three games, he'll have one of the five best individual seasons in UT history. And he is currently 13th on UT's all-time rushing chart, where those same 334 yards would get him into the Top 10 all-time. He has already joined an elite club of Vols to run for over 2,000 yards in their collegiate careers.

What makes Hardesty great?

The final nail in Cal's coffin, way back in 2006:

The big run against Georgia:

Setting the tone this season:

The Spin Move:

Hardesty's name takes its place in the great tradition of Tennessee running backs, a tradition that felt broken in these last few years, but one #2 has worked hard to restore this season.

Post-game awards: Tennessee Volunteers at Ole Miss Rebels

Joel — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:08:07 -0000

by Michael H. Miller - AP

Hey, Ed! Thanks for Dexter!

View full size photo »

Worst where'd-the-wind-go. The first failed fourth down conversion, with the Vols down 21-17 and driving with momentum in their sails. After that, we punted, had a field goal blocked, and failed on another fourth down conversion while Ole Miss scored four additional touchdowns.

Biggest skeptic. Me, when Kiffin said that the team wasn't distracted because when you see a team that's distracted, you see a team that's not ready to play and a team that gets blown out early, and "that wasn't the case at all." Maybe not blown out early, but McCluster certainly blew through early and often.

Best continuation of an argument. Lane Kiffin, who said that the defense simply missed Janzen Jackson that much, because the Tennessee was, prior to the last weeks, No. 1 in the country in least explosive plays given up, and "that was because the guy back there in the middle third hardly every missed a play." Maybe he has a point.

Worst start, I. Tennessee's special teams, who pushed the opening kickoff out of bounds.

Worst start, II. Tennessee's defense, who let Ole Miss take the opening drive 60 yards in four plays in 1:31 for a TD.

Best sack. Ben Martin on a stunt to swallow up Jevan Snead, driving him back into Chris Walker, who was rushing from the other side.

Best coverage. Dennis Rogan, who, on one of Tennessee's early punts, beat everyone down the field and perfectly timed a perfect tackle.

Best run, I. Montario Hardesty, who navigated dense traffic at the line, hurdled over a grounded defender beyond the line, stiff-armed another defender in the secondary, and absorbed a late hit out of bounds for a bonus 15 yards on to what would have been a 23-yard run.

Best potential tongue-biting. Kiffin, who said of McCluster's second touchdown that what we all thought was partially due to a blatant holding penalty that wasn't called, "We've got perimeter issues there as you can see." I don't think this was a veiled shot at the officials, but the beauty of it is that it could be construed that way.

Worst defense. Ours, on McCluster. Pick a play.

Silverest lining. Jonathan Crompton, who went 20-37 for 176 yards and two TDs.

Best second wind. Tennessee, behind David Oku's 41-yard kickoff return to start the second half.

Best trick play. Crompton to Gerald Jones for 14 yards on the first drive of the second half. Crompton faked a hand off to the right, then turned and threw to a wide open Jones on the other side of the field. Where's the trick? Jones got so open by falling down on purpose during the fake handoff.

Worst stall, I. Tennessee's first drive of the second half, which ended with a field goal to make it 21-17 instead of what might have been 21-21.

Best play, defense. Wes Brown, who refused to go down on a cut block and intercepted an attempted screen pass from Jevan Snead, giving the Vols field position, momentum, and a shot at a 24-21 lead.

Best block. Crompton, on a reverse to Jones. Crompton sent the first defender to sniff out the play and start chasing Jones sideways cartwheeling through the air.

Worst stall, II. Tennessee's next drive, which ended on the 37-yard line when the Vols failed to convert on fourth and four.

Best quote, I. Kiffin: "Yeah that was a first for me. I've never thrown a screen and lost ten yards before."

Worst I'm-not-surpised. Daniel Lincoln's blocked field goal attempt from 45 in the fourth quarter.

Worst way to silence the home crowd. Having LaMarcus Thompson carried off the field on a stretcher.

Best quote, II. Kiffin again, who responded to the fan-submitted question of what adjustments one can make against someone like Dexter McCluster by saying that they're sending him to the NFL next year.

Best play, offense. Crompton's TD to Denarius Moore, down the middle and over two defenders.

Player of the game, offense. Crompton, see Silverest lining.

Player of the game, defense. Dan Williams, who had nine tackles (four solo) and two tackles for losses.

Leave yours below.