SB Nation - Jonathan Crompton

7-5 > 89-27: Lane Kiffin's Plan Apparently Involves Robbing Tennessee Volunteers Fans of Math Skills and Manners

T Kyle King — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 03:19:02 -0000

Last October, when the Georgia Bulldogs lost to the Tennessee Volunteers, I was strongly critical of the Red and Black for their poor performance against a team of questionable quality. This drew quite a bit of criticism from Big Orange fans who apparently missed my point, which I thought would have been made quite clear by the apportionment of my word count to particular subjects, but time passed, I gave the Vols their due (albeit only their due and no more), and the storm blew over . . . or so I thought.

Earlier today, I received the following e-mail from a member of the Vol faithful, whose name I have omitted but who confirms the correctness of the axiom "a fish rots from the head down" by being buttholier-than-thou:

Dear, Mr. King, I went back and read your article on the complete and utter ass whipping we gave your team in October. In case you don't remember, it was 45-19 and the renaissance of Jonathan Crompton began that day. If you will, let's revisit some gems from that article...

"the Vols are a terrible football team. Simply stated, they suck."

"They aren’t going to beat anyone all year who’s any good."

"They aren't going to look competent offensively against anyone that's the least bit decent."

And, my personal favorite, "They aren't going to a bowl game."

Wow, as the season has drawn to a close, you couldn't have been more wrong.

Lane Kiffin proved you so wrong. He proved he could coach, and made you look foolish.

Not only did we destroy Georgia, we beat South Carolina, Kentucky, and almost beat Alabama.

Your theory of Kiffin not being able to coach his own talent was proven wrong when he coached up much worse talent than he was given to start with.

To add insult to injury, he has made Georgia his playground by taking commitments from several key Georgia natives including Jawuan James who Richt and Co. wanted badly.

We started 3 walk-ons, two on the the OL, and had a 1,200 yard rusher, with two walk-ons. Run that through your head. Your team's OL is too soft to even have one 1,000 yard rusher. Also, your team is one of the most penalized in the conference, if not the most. Meanwhile, Tennessee is one of the least penalized in the conference. But, hey, at least Mark Richt is a good guy.

Also, Kiffin turned the worst SEC quarterback in the last fifteen years into a guy who might get drafted. Yes, Crompton might get drafted. Not only that, we will miss him more than we will Eric Berry next year. Run that through your head for a second.

So, now that Georgia is the 3rd best team in the SEC, and possibly 4th (Would take USCe over Georgia everyday), what do you have to say 'bout Lane Kiffin?

Is he still a clown who won't win with the talent he's recruiting?

Don't even bring up the NCAA allegations because you are stupid if you think we'll actually get penalized.

So, the Lane Train keeps on rollin', and Georgia, well....I don't know what you would call Georgia's program. Slow motion, maybe? Stuck in mud? I don't know, I know Bud Foster played Mark Richt like a fiddle to get more money, and Kirby Smart turned down the job.

You'll have graduate assistants possibly calling plays in your bowl game, but hey, Mark Richt is a good man. Who cares about a football coach, right?

P.S. I wonder if Marlon Brown regrets his decision?

Frankly, I was a bit at a loss to know how to respond to that bilious screed, partly because I am a big believer in the idea of being magnanimous in victory and defiant in defeat, and partly because there is some serious cognitive dissonance going on there.

I mean, maybe we didn’t have a 1,000-yard rusher because we had, y’know, three running backs splitting time in the backfield? Just a thought. As for the gentleman’s willingness to take the South Carolina Gamecocks "over Georgia everyday," that choice would have served him well only on fourteen of the 62 days on which the Classic City Canines and the Palmetto State Poultry actually have met on the gridiron, including just one of the most recent eight. I’m not sure that even the most rabid South Carolina partisan would claim the ‘Dawgs were fourth in the Eastern Division behind the ‘Cocks, inasmuch as the two teams finished with identical overall records, Georgia had a better conference record, the Red and Black won the head-to-head meeting, and (arguably) the Big Chickens’ best win was over the Clemson Tigers, a team that lost twice to the Bulldogs’ most accomplished victim, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Methinks my not-so-humble correspondent is getting a tad too much of his corn from a jar.

In the end, I sent back the following reply, from which my correspondent’s name once again has been omitted:

Dear ______,

Congratulations on the rich full life that leaves you feeling compelled to revisit two-month old blog posts in order to mine the nuggets which are conducive to your point but which were ancillary to mine. As ought to have been clear, the point of my posting was to criticize Georgia, not Tennessee, and the subsequent firings of three coaches indicate the correctness of my position.

However, I congratulate you on the rousing success of going 7-5 overall and 4-4 in SEC play. I am glad to know that some fans are pleased with their teams, as I am dejected over going 7-5 overall and 4-4 in SEC play. I guess that is the sort of perspective one gains from having won an SEC championship---two, as a matter of fact---in the 21st century.

I applaud your dedication to your belief that Lane Kiffin is a good coach and Mark Richt is a bad one despite the fact that Lane Kiffin's best season produced results identical to Mark Richt's worst one. Personally, I have always been constrained by reality, and I therefore am willing to change my views when given evidence upon the basis of which to do so. For instance, I routinely have recognized Tennessee fans as the classiest among the Bulldogs' annual rivals. Now that I have heard from you, I will know better than to repeat that mistaken sentiment.

We'll look forward to seeing you in Athens next October 9. Happy holidays!

T. Kyle King

I don’t know about you, but I was a bit more in the Christmas spirit after that exchange, for it reminded me that there is something worse than being 7-5 and knowing that means you’re not good; you could be 7-5, mistakenly believe that means you’re good, and be a jerk about it. The first step in the direction of getting better is admitting there’s a problem. The second step is not being a jackass while in the process of taking the subsequent requisite steps toward improvement.

Obviously, I was mistaken when stating that Tennessee was not going to a bowl game; the Volunteers are headed for the Chick-fil-A Bowl, and they deserved to receive a bid to the Outback Bowl. I do not know that I was particularly wrong about Jonathan Crompton, who ranked ninth in the league in pass efficiency rating in a year in which the SEC quarterback class was not strong, and I am far from fearful about the future prospects for an aerial attack coordinated by anyone named Kippy.

I stand by the position that a team didn’t beat anyone good when that team’s victims were Western Kentucky (0-12 in the Sun Belt), Ohio (9-4 in the MAC), Georgia (7-5), South Carolina (7-5), Memphis (2-10 in Conference USA), Vanderbilt (2-10), and Kentucky (7-5), because I think beating someone good involves defeating at least one BCS conference opponent with a winning percentage over .583, but your mileage may vary. If the guy who wrote to me is made upbeat by a record that has me declaring the doom of all that is right and good, who am I to tell him he shouldn’t be willing to settle for the mediocrity for which I will not stand? To each his own, I suppose.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Ranking the 2009 Pac-10 Football MVPs: Part I

Avinash — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:00:29 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Mike Mohamed had some big plays this season. Was it enough to be a Pac-10 MVP?

Browse more photos »

In case you missed it, here's Part 1: the LVPs of their respective teams.

This post got too long, so I had to split it into three. Here are the honorable mention categories and the Pac-10 players and units ranked #30 thru #21 (#20-11 coming this afternoon, #10-1 coming Friday morning). Let's dive into it.

Honorable Mention

Jeff Locke, Reid Forrest: You know your team's in trouble when your punters are higher than anyone on your offense. And in Forrest's case, you know your team is royally fucked when your punter is the only one on your team who appears on this list.

Donald Butler: Didn't really do anything spectacular this year, but 96 tackles will get you on this list.

Daniel Te'o-Nesheim: So will 9.5 sacks and 12.5 TFL. Too bad the Huskies defense ranged from 'sheer brilliance' to 'human atrocity'

Ed Dickson: I'll be nice as possible about this--FUCK ED DICKSON. AGGGGGHHHHHHHHH.

Damola Adeniji: Despite all the production of James Rodgers, he wasn't Canfield's main target on 3rd down. Probably because secondaries keyed in on Rodgers, Adeniji racked up 27 catches in that situation, 21 for first downs, 5th in the country. Only 49 catches overall, but considering he only had 1 last season, I'll say this is a slight upgrade.

Chris Polk: Finished this season on a tear: Five ninety+ yard games and a 1000 yard season overall. Hard to measure his impact though, since the Huskies lost three of those games and Locker and the defense were the focal points of the other two.

Trojan offensive line: Lost season for these guys. 17 sacks allowed, 40 tackles for loss allowed, only a top 40 rushing offense. Ho-hum for them. I would've dreamed of something like this for the Bears.

Mike Mohamed: Cal's most productive defensive player on a not-so-great defensive unit. You have to give massive props for a 100 tackle season (his 104 tackles were tops in the Pac-10). And he saved another Cal season from sliding into disaster with a crucial interception in the Big Game.

Kyle Williams, Dmitri Nance: Solid production considering their quarterback struggled to complete half of his passes. Plus I feel bad for Williams ending his career like that.

Syd'Quan Thompson: If Cal had ONE guy (Hagan, Hill, Nnabuife, Conte, Rope Guy, someone) step up at corner on the other side of the field, who knows how our season turns out. We sure as hell don't get lit up by Oregon, USC or UDub on defense (Syd's limited ability in the final game pretty much assured we were screwed against Locker).

He was still a fabulous open field tackler when he got the chance, and when quarterbacks threw to his side of the field, he usually shut down. Like Asomugha in Oakland, that kind of effort only gets rewarded with first team All Pac-10, and minimal impact on the box score. So while his talent is easy enough to gauge, it's really hard to measure his value. Which is why he's honorable mention and not on the top 30.

After the jump, here's #30-21. If there are any thoughts of players or units left off, or guesses as to who will end up in the top 20, leave them in the comments.

#30 Damian Williams, #29 Joe McKnight

via theoraclesays.files.wordpress.com

These two are actually the first since Bush and White to break 100+ all-purpose yards a game since Bush and Leinart. Solid seasons, but other than McKnight on the final drive against Ohio State and Williams tearing up Notre Dame, how many moments do you remember concerning these two? That kind of year for the Trojans. It's up in the air whether either will return too.

#28 Ryan Whalen

via www4.pictures.zimbio.com

6th in the Pac-10 in receptions, turned into Luck's best passing threat when Owusu went Section Eight in the biggest games. Thought about ranking him higher, but I don't have any Whalen moments to really justify putting him further up. Perhaps the Cardinal fans can refresh my memory...oh, wait, there are no Cardinal fans. #28 it is.

#27 Arizona's receiving corps (Turner, Criner, Roberts, Dean, Douglas)

via www.azstarnet.com

Five guys with 30 catches or more? Now that's spreading the wealth around. By contrast, Cal had only one receiver (Jones) catch more than 30. Obviously, Cal isn't built to be a passing offense, but still, this is a far cry from two-three years ago. Sigh.

#26 UCLA's secondary

via images.ocregister.com

I know Rahim Moore led the nation in picks, and Alterraun Verner had another fine year--but how good are these guys? Other than shutting down Jonathan Crompton and whoever the hell Kansas State's quarterback is, the Bruins pass D has been surprisingly average. Even Kevin Riley burned them deep. I repeat, KEVIN RILEY BURNED THEM DEEP. Does this happen to good secondaries?

Oh well...at least Moore is capable of that "deep, longing, alluring, penetrating, soul-piercing, heart-tugging look".

#25 Tyson Alualu

via cache.daylife.com

Kind of hard to say how bad the Bears defense would've been without Alualu cracking apart the line. His efforts alone helped shut down Minnesota's passing game in a tight 4th quarter. Extra linemen often were forced to commit to him, and it opened up the rest of the front to get after Arizona and the Furd's high powered offensive attack.

Unfortunately, he never really had a Mebane-like force on the line--he couldn't really disrupt the passing attacks the way his predecessors did How much of that was dictated by scheme or by his own pass rush methods is beyond my knowledge, but Cal's pass rush was far weaker than anticipated, far weaker than the 27 sacks they put up this year.

Still a great season for Tice though--Cal's run defense was top-tier, and a lot of that had to do with #44.

(Story that really depressed me this week: Bear Insider's look at how close Ndamukong Suh came to being a Golden Bear. Imagine Alualu and Suh coming together in the 3-4 the last two seasons, particularly last year. I'm getting bummed out now.)

#24 Jahvid Best

via www.pe.com

For a guy who was supposed to be a Heisman hopeful, it's shocking to see Best not even crack the top 20. But that's how it is in a frustrating season for Jahvid, whose season seemed to peak in Minneapolis. Still had some spectacular runs, but running behind the crappiest offensive line in the Tedford era, it could've been way, way better.

#23 Chris Owusu

via a.espncdn.com

A menace for us, and a big game-changer for the Furd, having huge returns on almost every opponent this year. Surprisingly (and stupidly), everyone in the Pac-10 continued to kick to Owusu long after he demonstrated he would outrace their coverage to the end zone. The Furd ranked 3rd in the country in kickoff returns, mostly due to Owusu's skills.

He gets bumped down a bit because if he could just hang onto a few passes (he dropped big catches in EVERY conference loss), the Furd are going to Pasadena.

#22 Kai Forbath

via tnjn.com

Laugh all you want that a kicker cracks the top 25. When a Bruins fan describes him as your most consistent player...well, that says a lot.

Take a look at the games Forbath swung this season.
~13 of UCLA's 19 points in a 4 point win over the Vols in Rocky Top
~11 of UCLA's 23 points in a 10 point win over the Sun Devils
~6 of UCLA's 24 points in a 1 point win over the Huskies
~11 of UCLA's 23 points in a 14 point win over K-State.

Add in these stats
~26 field goals, second most in the country behind Alabama's Tiffin
~99th scoring offense in the country

Not hard to say Forbath was UCLA's offensive MVP this season, isn't it? Switch Forbath with an average kicker and the Bruins win four games? Three?

#21 Shane Vereen

via dlerium.smugmug.com

(Image from dmo580)

Surprisingly had more impressive performances than Best this season, cementing away a Cal victory in Pasadena and being the workload in two upsets over the Wildcats and the Cardinal. Best racked up big numbers against two of the worst teams in the country and an FCS opponent, managing only one great game this season against a bowl-eligible team. Although Best ended up with more rushing yards, Vereen had more all-purpose yards thanks to his kickoff returns and his own pass-catching abilities. Most importantly, when the offensive line collapsed, Vereen had more of the elusiveness to slip away from encroaching defenders.

Best might be the better talent, but Vereen was the more valuable Bear for this Cal squad...but only by a little.

Coming this afternoon: #20-11.

Thursday Night Dawg Bites: Charlie Strong Moves On, a Congressman Makes Georgia Proud, and Clay Travis Breaks a Table (Metaphorically)

T Kyle King — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 03:54:39 -0000

You all know where my focus has been this week, but there has been much afoot elsewhere in the blogosphere and I wanted to direct your attention to the best of it in case you might have missed some of the more noteworthy nuggets. For your edification, these are they:

". . . And to the zoo with Georgia Tech?" I hate it that the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are going to ~~a good~~ any bowl game, but at least they’re facing the Iowa Hawkeyes, which means they’re being subjected to the righteous and hilarious wrath of the guys who started an Iowa weblog because they thought what Orson Swindle’s sense of humor lacked was a sufficient appreciation for the sublimely profane and hysterically absurd. Take it away, Black Heart Gold Pants!

There’s a joke from the movie "Airplane" about how Louisville likes its coffee to be made here, but I’m not going to make it. Stop me if you’ve heard this one, but Charlie Strong is the new head coach of the Louisville Cardinals. Speaking as someone whose alma mater’s offense has spent the last decade or so being stymied by the defenses fielded by Coach Strong at one SEC East rival or another, I can say this day is long overdue, and say so both selfishly and appreciatively. U. of L. got itself a quality head coach, and, while we have to think the Florida Gators (who lost a step after losing their offensive coordinator to the Mississippi St. Bulldogs, and who likely will lose another after losing their defensive coordinator and Tim Tebow in one fell swoop) are due to fall back to the pack a bit in 2010, I don’t like the fact that both we and they are looking to hire defensive coordinators at the same time.

Kid Rock plans to steal this headline for his next album. Speaking of new head coaching hires, the SB Nation headline of the week clearly was the one atop Gobbler Country’s report on the hiring of Mike London by the Virginia Cavaliers. You just don’t get enough Warren Zevon references anymore. By the way, if I ever come up to the plate for an at-bat in Turner Field, I will have them play "Lawyers, Guns, and Money" over the PA system. The foregoing sentence contains the single most useless piece of information I have ever shared with you, and that is saying something.

Where Lane Kiffin blows smoke, there’s fire. Don’t get me wrong; Clay Travis is a friend of mine, at least according to Facebook. However, when he undertook to demonstrate the ephemeral nature of the allegations against the Tennessee Volunteers in a detailed twelve-point exegesis, it seemed to me---and also, apparently, to C&F---that he protested too much. (Also, the headline was a bit sophomoric. If you’re going to go suggestive, why not go with "NCAA Suggests Term ‘Hostesses’ Ends With Six Superfluous Letters"?) Clay is a graduate of Vanderbilt’s law school, so he is familiar with this axiom: "When the law is against you, argue the facts; when the facts are against you, argue the law; when both are against you, pound the table." We are now taking donations to buy Clay Travis a new table, because he just reduced his old one to kindling.

Giving a player I root for an award named for a guy who coached at Auburn, Clemson, and Georgia Tech is like giving David Frum an award bestowed by Iran, Iraq, and North Korea. Who should win the Heisman? The better question is, "Why should you care?" The answer is: "You shouldn’t." This has been a public service announcement.

Here’s a hint: the best candidate was once the victim of an inadvertent ethnic slur from the mouth of Jill Arrington, back in the pre-Erin Andrews days when Jill Arrington was the hottest thing stalking (or being stalked on) a sideline. If you haven’t yet voted for David Pollack as the defensive lineman of the decade, do so right now. If you want to bring along a few recently deceased citizens from Telfair County in alphabetical order, more power to you.

I have a hard time believing Aaron Murray wouldn’t have done at least as well. I was impressed with this at first, but then I realized that there’s nothing worthwhile about being third in any category in which Jonathan Crompton ranks fourth.

As a believer in limited government, I once supported the election of a horse to the legislature, secure in the knowledge that he would vote "nay" on everything. I have abandoned politics (except as it relates to football, of course), so, in the spirit of bipartisanship that can only arise from the ambivalence of a former political science major who now recognizes that there is a reason why the Sugar Bowl happens four times more frequently than the Iowa caucuses, I am pleased to add a second name to the list of Georgia Congressmen whom I endorse. (Oddly enough, this happens at the same time that objective journalists are endorsing my candidacy for the U.S. Senate, an office I am not seeking.) You already knew that Representative Jack Kingston (R.-Ga.) was a great American; now you know that Representative John Barrow (D.-Ga.) is one, too. As their distinguished colleague, Representative Corrine Brown (D.-Fla.), would have put it, Congressmen Barrows and Kingstey are superb to all other legislator.

Why they didn’t wait on the bloggers’ ballots before computing the final BCS standings, I have no idea. The final regular-season BlogPoll has been posted and the Alabama Crimson Tide squeaked by with 77 of 78 first-place votes to become the nation’s new No. 1 team. I received some gentle chiding in the "Wack Ballot Watchdog" rundown and was the runner-up for the designation "Mr. Bold," which went to the one guy who voted for the Texas Longhorns in the top spot.

In closing, I would like to recount a conversation had between two friends of mine as we walked to Sanford Stadium for the 1997 Georgia-Auburn game. It was not the coldest Georgia-Auburn game I have ever attended---1995 still takes the top spot in that competition---but it was plenty cold and one of the fellows had been drinking heavily. The one who had been drinking heavily said he was warmer because he’d been drinking heavily. The one who hadn’t been drinking said, "Actually, alcohol doesn’t make you warmer, it just makes you feel warmer." The one who had been drinking heavily gave the one who hadn’t been drinking a hard time over that statement, and he has continued to do so in the twelve years since, but I believe it applies here as well; viz., this posting may not have made you more well-informed, but it should have made you feel more well-informed. In a season of looking at the glass as half-empty, that ought to suffice.

Go ‘Dawgs!

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.

Browse more photos »

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.

Alabama & Florida Common Opponents: Tennessee

Year2 — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:24:12 -0000

As a part of SEC Championship Game week, we're taking a look at Alabama's and Florida's common opponents in alphabetical order. In closing: Tennessee.

	Alabama	Florida
Game Number	8	3
Score	12-10	23-13
Passing Yards	120	115
Rushing Yards	136	208
Total Yards	256	323
Passing All.	265	93
Rushing All.	76	117
Total Defense	341	210
3rd Downs	5-14	8-13
3rd Down Def.	6-15	5-12
Turnover Margin	Even	Even

Alabama lined up against Tennessee as probably a tired team, as it was the Tide's eighth consecutive game and came the week before Bama's bye. It was a day for those who love kickers, as the teams combined for eight field goal attempts. Leigh Tiffin made all of his while Daniel Lincoln started just one of three, allowing Bama to build a safe-looking 12-3 lead. The Tide looked like it was simply going to run the clock out when the unthinkable happened: Mark Ingram fumbled, setting up the Vols 43 yards from pay dirt. Jonathan Crompton went 4 for 4 for 42 yards on the ensuring drive that pulled UT within 2. After recovering the onside kick, Tennessee played for a field goal but the try was blocked by Terrence Cody.

Florida faced off against Tennessee after winning two easy blowouts over Charleston Southern and Troy, but strangely not healthy for that early in the season. Deonte Thompson missed the game with a bad hamstring, while Jeff Demps and Aaron Hernandez were slowed by a flu-like bug that was beginning to sweep through the team. As a result, Urban Meyer put all the offensive burden on Tim Tebow, who passed or ran on 43 of Florida's 63 plays. UF was cruising up 23-6 when Tebow fumbled in the shadow of Tennessee's goal line. UT turned that into points, but an Ahmad Black interception with about two minutes to go sealed Florida's win.

I called the Alabama-Tennessee game boring at the time, and received a bit of flak for it. True, I don't appreciate defensive struggles as much as some folks do. In any event, this would have been a much different game had Lincoln made his field goals throughout. Cody actually blocked the final two of Lincoln's four attempts, and he didn't even leave the ground on the last one. That's a sure sign of a guy kicking it too low. Anyway, Tennessee wouldn't have had the chance to win it at the end without the first fumble of Ingram's career. Nick Saban said it best: "You're controlling a game, even though you may say it's winning ugly. We're still ahead 12-3 and totally controlling the game with 3 minutes, 29 seconds and the ball. That's how fragile a season can be."

Florida's game with Tennessee looked like it was going the way of the 2008 game. Tebow was about ready to put the Gators up 31-6 at the time of his fumble, a shade off of last year's 30-6 final score. Tennessee, and especially Crompton, was clearly not comfortable yet in its new offense, opting to go for a low risk, game-shortening strategy of heavy running. Florida's defense was ready for it, allowing just one drive of more than 50 yards and only three points that didn't come off of turnovers. We didn't know it at the time, but this game revealed what would become Meyer's strategy all season long: get a lead, play it conservative, and let the defense win games. It's worked out well so far.

Hard as it is to deny a moment that will forever be remembered in Daniel Moore's brush strokes, Florida had the better game against Tennessee. Bama was outgained by nearly 100 yards and needed heroics at the end to pull out the win. Florida allowed some points late that ultimately were cosmetic, making the score look better for the Vols, but the Gators outgained UT by more than 110 yards. Florida-Tennessee might have played out differently later in the season once the Lane Kiffin offense was fully operational and Crompton had regained his confidence. On the third week of the season, it was not to be for the Knoxville contingent.

Better performance: Florida.

See also: Arkansas, FIU, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina.

Postseason in the the SEC

Acid Reign — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:00:21 -0000

3rd team All-SEC?

War Eagle, everybody. The postseason of 2009 is on us, and the regular season is over. This time last season, I think most folks were glad it was over. Of course, December 2008 would turn out to be a terribly tumultuous month! We ran a head coach and staff off, at a cost of a cool $5 million. We hired a 5-19 replacement as the new head coach. The program was quite frankly in disarray! We were the laughing stock of the SEC, hands down.

A year later, how'd that work out for us? Against long odds, Auburn's football team won more than they lost, and they won the hearts of the fans. I don't think ANY of us are ready for the season to be over! In just one season, Auburn has vaulted to a New Year's Day bowl, and a winning record. A tremendous recruiting class seems to be in the making. There are 5 other 7-5 SEC teams, and I don't think they are laughing now!

This season, the SEC will send a record ten teams to bowl games. There are some tough challenges facing the SEC. I think most of the nation would love to see the SEC fall off its high-horse and lose big this bowl season. Texas will be a tough test for the SEC Champion, and the loser of the SEC title game will have to lick their wounds and get ready for another rough test. The Sugar Bowl is likely to match unbeaten Cincinnati against the SEC runner up, and if Cincy loses, then undefeated TCU. Penn State will be an extremely tough test for offensively-challenged LSU in the Capital One Bowl. Auburn's sometimes leaky defense will be tested by Northwestern in the Outback Bowl. Might be a record for points scored in that bowl! The Cotton will be a dangerous bowl, as both Ole Miss and Oklahoma State had hoped for much bigger things, this season. Likely bowl opponents in the second tier are Virginia Tech, North Carolina, U Conn, Texas A&M, and the Houston Cougars. SEC teams need to be on their games to match the success of the past three seasons. The SEC has won 19 of its last 26 bowl games.

The net yards per pass prizes, and ruminations on the SEC Championship Game, after the jump!

At the beginning of the season, I examined the net yards per pass of the projected starters in the SEC. Now that the regular season is over, let's see how they did:

SEC Eastern Division	Record	Record	Starting	Net Yards per pass	Net Yards per pass
Team	SEC	Overall	Quarterback	End of Season	Preseason
Florida	6-0	8-0	Tim Tebow	8.1	8.6
Tennessee	4-4	7-5	Jonathan Crompton	5.5	3.8
Georgia	4-4	7-5	Joe Cox	5.7	6.6
South Carolina	3-5	7-5	Stephen Garcia	5.8	3.5
Kentucky	3-5	7-5	Mike Hartline Morgan Newton Will Fiddler	3.4 4.1 3.3	3.9
Vanderbilt	0-8	2-10	Larry Smith Mackenzi Adams	3.4 3.8	3.4 3.8

SEC Western Division	Record	Record	Starting	Net Yards per pass	Net Yards per pass
Team	SEC	Overall	Quarterback	End of Season	Preseason
Alabama	8-0	12-0	Greg McElroy	6.8	8.1
LSU	5-3	9-3	Jordan Jefferson	6.1	5.1
Ole Miss	4-4	8-4	Jevan Snead	4.9	6.3
Arkansas	3-5	7-5	Ryan Mallett	8.4	4.6
Auburn	3-5	7-5	Chris Todd	7.0	4.4
Mississippi State	3-5	5-7	Tyson Lee Chris Relf	3.4 3.2	4.9 1.4

Only three quarterbacks managed to finish at 7.0 or above, but every bowl eligible SEC team finished with a quarterback over 4.0 yards per pass. Those that did not attain 4.0 are sitting home for the holidays. It's been an odd year, in that most of the very experienced returning quarterbacks actually had statistically worse years in 2009. Tim Tebow's numbers are still good enough for second place, but he's down a half yard. Mike Hartline and Tyson Lee declined, too. Jevan Snead plunged from pre-season All-SEC 2^nd team to 9^th place in the league. Snead paced the SEC with 17 interceptions. Long-time backups Joe Cox and Greg McElroy both saw their stats shrink, thrust into starting roles. The winners in the improvement department are Ryan Mallett, Chris Todd, Stephen Garcia, and Jonathan Crompton. Crompton survived a HORRID September, to finish with a respectable 5.5 net yard per pass.

Ryan Mallett performed well enough to cause All-SEC voters to do some head-scratching. Who IS the best SEC quarterback? If you were arguing on strictly an MVP-type basis, you'd have to give the award to Mallett. Without him, Arkansas easily finishes in the West cellar. Looking at what each quarterback brings to the field, Tim Tebow ALONE makes Florida two-dimensional. However, is Arkansas' one dimension better than Florida's two? Total yards tell the tale: Mallett has 3387, and Tebow has 2962. Comparing the teams, Florida put up 5416 yards, and Arkansas 5272. To me, it's a tough comparison. I think if Tebow has a good game in the SEC title match, he'll win the All-SEC quarterback sweepstakes. If Bama's defense makes Tebow look human, it's Mallett's prize. Number three in the league HAS to be a surprise to everyone: Chris Todd. In this context, he's had a pretty amazing season.

I don't have a strong opinion on who is going to win the SEC title game. Both teams sport awesome defenses and good depth. I think Florida is a little better on offense, and a little better on special teams. And, I think Florida has the best player in the league calling the signals. I see another close Florida win, but it's certainly not carved in stone. The DUI arrest of defensive end Carlos Dunlap could be a distraction factor for the Gators. Alabama received a serious wake-up call in the Iron Bowl against Auburn. It could play out differently on the field, than on paper. I can remember ten years ago, a heavily favored Florida team was dismantled by a more motivated Bama group, 34-7. There have been surprising SEC Title game results this decade, to be sure! There was LSU's stunning 31-20 win over UT in 2001, The 34-13 LSU blowout of UGA in 2003, and Georgia's blowout of LSU in 2005. I'll watch this one for fun, as just a fan of the game! And yes, I'd rather see the West win. But I can't bring myself to say the "RT" words...

Saturday Lessons: November 28

Year2 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:00:09 -0000

by Phil Sandlin - AP

The farewell was a success.

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"Decaying legend" is the best option for rivalry weekend.

While Alabama and Texas had issues of different sorts against their rivals, Florida had no problem is dispatching Florida State. Tim Tebow had five touchdowns in his victory lap, and Brandon Spikes' defense gave up no points and roughly 110 yards to an otherwise terrific FSU offense before the starters began to get pulled late in the third quarter. It was easily one of the three best performances the Gators have had against BCS teams, up there with the games against Kentucky and Georgia.

It would be tempting to declare that Florida is peaking at the right time. However, FIU is terrible and FSU hasn't played defense in about two or three years. It is true that Florida had much less trouble with the Golden Panthers than the Tide did, but if you're using a September and a November game against a Sun Belt doormat to compare UF and UAT, I don't have words for you. I want to try to make the peaking case in a parallel to 2006, when the Gators struggled a lot of the year but hit their stride in the year's final two games, but I can't really pull the trigger on it.

Alabama showed some cracks and still came up a winner.

The 14-0 first quarter deficit was Alabama's worst since their Sugar Bowl loss to Utah. The seven point second half deficit was their largest since being down five to LSU. Mark Ingram's 30 yards was easily his lowest total of the season, and he eventually went out with a hip pointer. The opponent was coming off of a bye week. Everything lined up against the Tide, and yet with under two minutes to go, they pulled the win out.

Auburn did help some with an extremely puzzling clock management strategy on its final drive, something which amounted to, "let's run off as much clock as we can early and set ourselves up for a 40 yard Hail Mary." Even so, you can't argue with the result as Bama polished off a second straight 12-0 regular season. They stared defeat in the eyes and didn't blink.

We have a nine game winner for the Capital One Bowl.

LSU may not have taken the preferred method for getting to the SEC's best non-BCS bowl, but they got the bid and its accopanying $4.25 million paycheck by edging out Arkansas 33-30 in overtime. Les Miles showed an ability to learn from his mistakes as he managed the clock with aplomb at the end, enabling Josh Jasper to tie it with four seconds to go.

It's been a trying year for LSU, as the Tiger offense finished the regular season in the bottom half of the conference in most offensive categories. They lost to the three toughest teams on the schedule. However, they didn't blow one against a lesser team, and they get to reap the rewards for doing just that since only two other teams in the league managed to avoid that same thing.

Georgia brought home the SEC's marquee non-conference win.

By taking out the ~~Nerds~~ Yellow Jackets, Georgia managed to get the SEC its best non-conference win of the season. Just about no one (myself included) gave Georgia a shot against Georgia Tech, but the Bulldogs not only won but flipped the script. Washaun Ealey and Caleb King each rushed for over 160 yards and combined for 349 on the day while no one on the home team managed more than 41 yards. It's a nice way to cap a disappointing season, but big changes still need to be made.

South Carolina didn't do so bad for itself either.

The Gamecocks made it a clean sweep over the ACC Championship Game participants with their victory over Clemson. It was Steve Spurrier's second over the Tigers in his five years and just the program's third in the last 12 games in the series. C.J. Spiller ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown, but the boys from Columbia took over from there, building a 24-7 lead before Clemson even scored again. The Gamecock rushing attack came alive, rolling up 223 yards in total with freshman Kenny Miles leading the bunch with 114. Combined with a bowl win, it could be a good sign for next season.

Your SEC East Runner Up: Tennessee.

It's been a long road since Phillip Fulmer's tearful farewell press conference, but thanks to owning the tiebreaker over Georgia, Tennessee finished second in the SEC East. It's not exactly an emphatic finish since the Vols needed that tiebreaker to do it and are one of four 7-5 teams in the division, not to mention they had to go to overtime to defeat Kentucky. Still, it's better to be second than third or worse, and Jonathan Crompton managed to mostly redeem himself over the course of the season. It will be tough to repeat the circumstances next year without all of this year's seniors and a complete question mark at quarterback, but that's for next year to worry about.

It was an interesting finish in Mississippi to say the least.

I know some cynics probably predicted doom for Ole Miss thanks to Houston Nutt generally not being able to stand prosperity, but I doubt anyone expected Mississippi State to run away with this game. Anthony Dixon and Chris Relf each went for over 130 yards rushing as Dan Mullen's spread attack worked to peak performance. If the Bulldogs find a workhorse to sub in for Dixon next year, State could definitely make some noise.

It's also probably time to assess where the Nutt experiment at Ole Miss is. The Rebels surprised to an eight win regular season last year, and they disappointed to an eight win regular season this year. Maybe it was a bit much to expect them to pass up Alabama this season, but they didn't even finish above LSU despite winning the head-to-head match up and the Tigers having a dysfunctional offense. Can he win the division there at any time despite this year having the perhaps the most talented team he's ever coached?

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.

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!