SB Nation - DeAngelo Willingham

Opening Our Files: Roundup on Tennessee Previews & Other Volunteer Notes

Nestor — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:00:26 -0000

So let's officially open up our collective notebooks on Tennessee Volunteers. The Vols under first year head coach Lane Kiffin is coming off a picture perfect opener against newly minted D-1 Western Kentucky. The numbers the Volunteers piled up against the Hilltoppers were pretty sick. From the Tennessee team report posted over at Yahoo! Sports:

Western Kentucky turned Jonathan Crompton into Peyton Manning Lite, as the senior quarterback tossed five touchdown passes Saturday in a season-opening 63-7 annihilation at Neyland Stadium.

"To see Jonathan throw for five touchdowns today, more than he threw for all of last year, was really good for him," Kiffin said. "This is a quarterback and an offensive line that has been torn apart for a while now."

Crompton and the O-line did the tearing in front of a sun-drenched crowd of 98,761. Tennessee finished with 657 yards and 34 first downs, numbers that would have required three games to amass last year when the team went 5-7 and cost Phillip Fulmer his job.

Tailbacks Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown each rushed for more than 100 yards and scored a touchdown. Hardesty rolled up 160 and Brown, a highly touted freshman, ended with 104.

Monte Kiffin’s defense had the Hilltoppers in minus numbers during the third quarter and allowed only 83 yards in 46 snaps. Western Kentucky picked up just six first downs.

The Volunteers piled up video game numbers on both sides of the ball, racking up 657 total yards and 34 first downs on offense, while limiting the Hiltoppers to 6 first downs (apparently their only first down in first half came via a penalty).

Yeah, I know it's kind of easy to dismiss those crazy numbers because they were taking on a hapless Hilltoppers bunch that was apparently playing their first D-1 game. However, I am not going to discount this kind of performance in their opening game under new coach, because it (at least on paper) shows that they are trying to put together a team with lethal killer instincts.

Bruins will have a puncher's chance though (even though at this point I am not seeing how we can pull out this win with a freshman QB and a completely revamped OL). The Tennessee team we are going to play this season is going to be a bit different than the one we shocked at the Rose Bowl. I have gathered some of the pre-season notes on their personnel from around the web with the latest update from our colleagues at Rocky Top Talk (RTT), after the jump.

So Kiffin (or should I say the Kiffins?) will be waiting for the Bruins with a team that returns 12 starters (7 on offense and 5 on defense) from last year's team. Paul Meyerberg from the New York Times has the following lowdown on the key losses from last year's team:

Key losses: Tennessee’s losses on offense are most felt at receiver, where the team lost two 2008 starters to graduation and another pair of potential 2009 starters to injuries. Lucas Taylor was one of Tennessee’s more dependable targets last fall, making 26 grabs for a team-leading 332 yards. The Vols also lost the part-time starter Josh Briscoe, who made 14 receptions for 176 yards and a score. Making matters worse, U.T. lost the senior Austin Rogers (14 for 180) for the season in the spring because of an A.C.L. tear, and may also be without the junior Denarius Moore for much of 2009. Moore, who made 11 receptions for 271 yards (a team-best 24.6 yards per reception), broke his left foot two weeks ago and may miss as much as three or four months. The team also faces a gap on the right side of its offensive line, where it lost guard Anthony Parker and tackle Ramon Foster (27 career starts). In the backfield, running back Arian Foster (570 yards, 1 touchdown) might have had a disappointing senior season, but he still departs as the team’s second-leading career rusher (2,964 yards). As a junior, Foster earned all-SEC honors after rushing for 1,193 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also added 83 career receptions, 19 as a senior. The would-be junior Lennon Creer, the team’s second-leading rusher last fall with 388 yards, opted to leave the program in April.

On defense, Tennessee lost a pair of starters at each level: the line, linebackers and secondary. The biggest is most likely end Robert Ayers, who earned all-SEC honors as a senior. He seemed to put it all together in his final season, making 49 tackles, a team-best 15.5 for loss, and 3 sacks. At tackle, the 21-game starter Demonté Bolden had 35 stops (6 for loss) as a senior. Middle linebacker Ellix Wilson led the team with 89 tackles, and added a sack and an interception; a fine season for the first-year starter and team leader. Rounding out the losses at linebacker are Nevin McKenzie (53 tackles, 10 for loss, a team-best 5 sacks) and Adam Myers-White. The U.T. defense must also replace cornerback DeAngelo Willingham and safety Demetrice Morley. Willingham, a two-year starter, finished second on the team with three interceptions. The would-be senior Morley added 42 tackles and 2 interceptions, but was kicked off the squad after violating team rules. That’s the second time Morley has been kicked off the team in three years; he won’t get a third shot.

Now don't get lulled into a false sense of comfort after reading those grafs. ~~First of all not sure where NYT got their info on Lucas Taylor because I still see him listed in Tennessee's depth chart this season. So that's a mistake~~. As for their losses at WRs, they have plenty of youngsters sprinkled through their depth chart (PDF) (HT hooper at RTT via Chattanooga Times Free Press).

Also, despite the loss of Paker and Foster at the OL, the Voluntees will have a powerful, huge veteran OL ready for the Bruin front-7 this weekend in Knoxville. If I read their correctly everyone except their center is over 300lbs and all of their starter are upper classmen (except for Jarrod Shaw, the 6-4, 332 Jr. who is listed as "Co-No-1" with Aaron Douglas, 6-6 282 red shirt freshman) From Athlon Sports' pre-season capsule on the Tennessee OL:

Chaney (OC John Cheney, who who Kiffin pried away from the St. Louis Rams, - BN Ed.) has brought with him a zone blocking scheme that has enabled the Vols’ linemen to play with more aggression. The interior line is strong with fourth-year starter Josh McNeil at center flanked by fellow seniors Jacques McClendon and Vladimir Richard. Senior Chris Scott has a hold on left tackle duties, while Jarrod Shaw and converted tight end Aaron Douglas are battling for the starting job at right tackle. "Last season was rough," Richard says. "But Coach (Kiffin) is a competitor. He loves smacking people in the mouth." After years of defensive dominance in practice drills, the UT offensive line stepped up and proved it could hold its own in the spring.

On other key returnees let's go back to that capsule from the NYT:

Players to watch: He’s undoubtedly the best defensive player in the F.B.S. But in my mind, the strong safety Eric Berry is the best player in the country – regardless of position. Yeah, there’s that quarterback down in Gainesville, so maybe Berry’s coming in second. That shouldn’t detract from what we’re all seeing from the talented junior: he’s the best defender U.T. has developed since Reggie White, and in my mind, if Tennessee shocks the SEC and wins 9 or 10 games, Berry should receive very heavy consideration for the Heisman. Through two seasons, Berry stands second in the N.C.A.A. with an SEC-record 487 interception return yards, a total coming off of 12 interceptions. His single-season outputs in this category rank first (265 yards last fall) and third (222 in 2007) in SEC history. Last fall, Berry tallied 73 tackles (8.5 for loss), 3 sacks and 7 interceptions, two of which he returned for scores. (He may have been Tennessee’s best offensive weapon.) For his efforts, Berry was a unanimous all-American – U.T.’s first since 1990 – and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. The only college safety I’ve seen match Berry’s combination of speed, ferocity and ball skills was the late, great Sean Taylor. So, as you see, he’s the king of the U.T. defense. Who will help carry the load? The Vols return the junior Dennis Rogan at one cornerback spot, as well as the 2007 starter Brent Vinson. Also competing for a starting spot at corner are the sophomores Art Evans and C.J. Fleming, though I wouldn’t be surprised if one of Tennessee’s heralded incoming freshmen make a push for playing time. U.T. will look toward the freshmen Prentiss Wagner and Rod Wilks or the sophomore Stephaun Raines at free safety. The senior Rico McCoy (87 tackles and a sack last fall) is the lone returning starter at linebacker. Making the push to join him in the starting lineup are the juniors Nick Reveiz (middle) and LaMarcus Thompson (strongside), each of whom played important roles on special teams a season ago. Besides McCoy, U.T. is very young and untested at linebacker. The situation is a little clearer on the line, where the juniors Ben Martin (18 tackles, 1 sack) and Chris Walker (15 tackles, 3 sacks) have secured their places as the starters at end. You’ll likely find the senior Dan Williams (48 stops, 8.5 for loss) on the nose, while the senior Wes Brown (37 tackles, 2.5 sacks) finds himself in competition with the freshman Montori Hughes for the second starting spot on the interior.

On offense, the senior Jonathan Crompton will again be the starter at quarterback. Let’s ignore the fact that his starting job has come by default. Quite simply, Crompton must be better in 2009 than he was a season ago. It shouldn’t be too difficult, as he did not play up to his potential last fall: 86 of 167 (51.5 percent) for 889 yards, with four touchdowns against five interceptions. He can – and should – be better, but some aspects of Crompton’s game must improve. His touch, for example. Crompton lacked it last fall, when he seemed to throw every pass as hard as he could. His decision-making must also improve. His only competition for the starting job is the junior Nick Stephens, who has missed most of the last five months while recuperating from a hand injury. Stephens started six games last fall, putting up numbers similar to Crompton’s (840 yards, 4 touchdowns, 3 picks). The senior Montario Hardesty ascends to the top spot in the backfield after rushing for 271 yards a season ago. That total leads all returning Volunteers. He may be the lead back, but the Vols will also give carries to the sophomore Tauren Poole and the true freshman Bryce Brown, the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the 2009 cycle. Brown chose U.T. in part because of the potential for immediate playing time, so expect to see his number called early and often. Three starters return up front, led by the potential all-conference center Josh McNeil. The senior enters his final season with 35 career starts, the most of any active Volunteer. McNeil was a freshman all-American in 2006 and an honorable mention all-SEC selection in 2007. He’s joined up front by the senior left tackle Chris Scott and the senior left guard Vladimir Richard. I’m intrigued by the potential of the redshirt freshman Aaron Douglas, a former tight end who is in the hunt to start at right tackle. Given his experience and lack of prototypical size (he’s only 282 pounds, my word), can Douglas be the presence required of the right tackle in the run game?

Well as mentioned above looks like Douglas impressed the coaches sufficiently enough that he earned a spot on the depth chart as "co number 1" (whatever that means) with Jarrod Shaw. In some ways, Douglas sounds like he is the same situation as Nate Chandler found himself last year (when we were hurting for bodies at OL) as the coaches are doing whatever they can to incorporate his size and athleticism into the lineup.

Now in terms of what to expect next week, my bet is that Kiffin and Cheney will devise a plan on offense in which they will rely on a power running game. Again from Pete Fiutak's preview at Scout.com:

What to watch for on offense: Power running. The coaching staff will try to pound the ball, rely on the tremendous defense, and try to control the game and the clock. The passing game will try to push the ball deep a little more to stretch things out, but the offense will spend most of its time using its humongous, veteran line to pave the way for a fantastic group of backs. The backfield was good enough to get by, and then came the recruiting class with Toney Williams, David Oku, and the No. 1 prospect in America according to CFN, Bryce Brown, all ready to make a huge impact and upgrade the stalled ground attack.

What to watch for on defense: A ton of interceptions. All the pieces are there for the secondary to come up with a phenomenal year. Not only is there track star speed across the board, but there’s all-everything safety Eric Berry as the sheriff in the Tampa 2 scheme, but the pass rush should be better. Even with Robert Ayers off to the NFL, the Vol defensive front should be more active with Ben Martin and Chris Walker two speedsters on the ends who should be camped out in opposing backfields.

Going back to their offense, I am still shocked at how the Tennessee coaching staff from last year forgot to run the ball down our throats last season at the Rose Bowl. They had piled up around 180 yards rushing and 2 TDs running the ball against our defense last year yet for some inexplicable reasons they decided to go away from that and depend on Crompton's arm. I just don't think Kiffin is going to make the same mistake. I fully expect them to come after our front-7 all evening long with their powerful OL, and do what they can to wear us down on their home turf. This is going to be a huge challenge for our defense.

I think the key for us on Saturday is going to be somehow get on the board early. If they we can get on the board early and then force them to go away from the game plan of running the ball down our throats, we will have a shot.Needless to say special teams is going to be a huge factor. We are going to need our kickers to give us good field position as much as possible forcing the Volunteers to go long drives. Otherwise if we fall behind early and make early mistakes on offense, the situation has the potential to snowball out of control like last year in BYU.

It will take supreme concentration and focus on our part to hang in there early against the Volunteer emotion, and then somehow put ourselves in position to steal the game in second half. My head tells me that we are simply too young and inexperienced (on offense) to pull this off. My heart is pulling for our guys to make me eat crow on Saturday night. So that's what I have for initial notes on the Volunteers to get the scouting started for this week. I will throw it back to you start filling up the info. folders on Tennessee (either via comment thread here or in the FanPosts).

GO BRUINS.

Tennessee Volunteers Taken In Undrafted Free Agency

Hooper — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 01:54:36 -0000

More photos » by Ed Andrieski - AP

Two more Vols get a brand new head coach next year: Josh McDaniels of the Denver Broncos. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

Browse more photos »

Tennessee may have hit a historic low with only one player taken in the NFL draft, but the day is not over yet! There are still several available Vols who might get picked up via free agency.

NFL free agency is a double-sided coin; while a UDFA is obviously not ever going to be able to say he was "drafted" and loses some vestment from the team, they often end up with a choice of teams to try out for. This can actually work to a player's advantage rather than being drafted in the tailings of the seventh round, as they can be a little more judicious about the team they work out with.

We'll update a list of Vols who are picked up in free agency here as we hear the news and as we have available time to name them. (I'm working on my final project for class, so my attention will be divided.)

Ramon Foster

According to Behind the Steel Curtain, Ramon Foster was picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers. I am really big on this acquisition. First, the Steelers are in bad need of alternatives for their line. Despite winning the Super Bowl, Big Ben often played the part of pinata behind the porous line in Pittsburgh. Second, the Steelers did not draft a ton of offensive line help, so there should be room for Foster to make a spot if he has a good camp - even if it's a reserve role at first. Third, I think Foster is a better lineman than last year would indicate, as everybody seemed to suffer under the Clawfense's learning curve.

Josh Briscoe and Lucas Taylor

Josh Briscoe is reported to be going to the Washington Redskins while Lucas Taylor is said to be joining Robert Ayers with the Denver Broncos. I don't know the Redskins situation and can't offer commentary, but I like the Taylor to Denver move. Part of it is homerism, but part of it is that the Broncos lack depth at wide receiver. They have Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal, but after that the players get significantly older. Also, everybody will be learning a new system, so Taylor will have a better chance if he can beat the incumbents at the learning curve.

Arian Foster

Arian Foster is reported to have signed with the Houston Texans. I think this is a great fit for them. If he regains his weight, he could be the short-yardage back they might need in goal-line and short-yardage situations. Leaving all related jokes aside, this is a good match. Here's hoping camp goes well for him. (And the folks at Battle Red Blog appear to be fond of him.)

Britton Colquitt

Yet another Vol was picked up by the Broncos. The punter with the roller-coaster history makes the third Vol on the Denver shopping list. This isn't a bad place for Colquitt as the current punter for the Broncos is a fairly new guy himself. McDaniels wants to place a priority on special teams, so a solid showing could very well net Colquitt a new NFL home.

DeAngelo Willingham

Willingham is reported to have been taken as an UDFA by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I don't know the Bucs' secondary needs, but they took one corner in the 7th and two other safeties in free agency. This will be an interesting one to watch as the Bucs transition away from Monte's tutelage for the first time in what seems like forever. I wish I had a forecast on Willingham's chances, but I don't.

More will be added here as we hear of them. If you catch any news, please provide a comment (and a link, if possible).

Listing visiting potential draft picks for the Cincinnati Bengals

Kirkendall — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:37:21 -0000

I updated our list of draft prospects that's visited Cincinnati; all of them sourced from other media. I added Joe Reedy's list that weren't previously reported (or that we missed). I also changed the way we listed the players, arranging them by position rather than date of visit. If there's any we missed, let us know.

Player	Position	Date
QUARTERBACK
Billy Monroe	QB	March 9

RUNNING BACK
Knowshon Moreno	RB	April 6
Chris "Beanie" Wells	RB	Unknown
Rashad Jennings	RB	Unknown
Donald Brown	RB	April 3

FULLBACK
Fui Vakapuna	FB	Week before draft
Will Ta'ufo'ou	FB	Unknown

WIDE RECEIVER
Jeremy Maclin	WR	April 2
Derek Kinder	WR	Unknown
Johnny Knox	WR	Unknown
Dudley Guice	WR	Unknown

OFF. LINE
Andre Smith	OT	April 2
Jason Smith	OT	Unknown
Michael Oher	OT	Unknown
Eric Wood	C	April 14
Tyronne Green	OG	Unknown

D-LINE (including Tweeners)
Connor Barwin	All except QB	April 14
Jayon Belcher	DE/OLB	April 15
Nick Reed	DE	Unknown

LINEBACKERS
Aaron Curry	OLB	Week of March 30-April 3

SECONDARY
DeAngelo Willingham	CB	Week of March 30-April 3
Mike Mickens	CB	April 14
DeAngelo Smith	CB	April 14
Derek Cox	CB	Unknown
Michael Mitchell	Safety	April 14
Al Afalaya	Safety	Unknown

Bengals invite DB DeAngelo Willingham next week

Kirkendall — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:48:35 -0000

University of Tennessee defensive back DeAngelo Willingham will visit Cincinnati next week, writes Joe Reedy. Tennessee had their Pro Day last week, in which Gil Brandt wrote:

DB DeAngelo Willingham (5-11, 217 pounds) ran a 4.49 and 4.46 in the 40, had a 36-inch vertical jump, a 10-foot, 6-inch broad jump, a 4.36 short shuttle, a 6.81 three-cone drill and did 20 bench press reps. He looked sharped in the position drills and improved his draft status.

Rocky Top Chop -- the SB Nation Vols site, wrote this about Willingham.

Along with Connor Barwin, the Bengals will also workout UC defensive backs DeAngelo Smith and Mike Mickens on April 14.

From the looks of it, there's a high probability that a man named DeAngelo will play in the secondary.

Keeping up with Eagles private workout schedule

JasonB — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:00:09 -0000

Leading up to next month's NFL draft, the Eagles will be inviting their top prospects in for private workouts. Following those workouts could possibly give us a better idea of who they may pick in April.

Here's a short list, we'll try to update as more news comes in. If anyone knows of a player I'm missing, please let me know. The Eagles really don't release this info, so the info is culled from agents or players or sources or.... whatever.

Connecticut RB Donald Brown

Stillman College DT Sammie Lee Hill

Florida TE Cornelius Ingram

Western Michigan Safety Louis Delmas

Virginia OT Eugene Monroe

Mayland WR Darrius Heyward-Bey

Tennessee CB DeAngelo Willingham

Cincinnati CB Mike Mickens

Portland St, CB Reggie Jones

Abilene Christian WR Johnny Knox

Liberty RB Rashad Jennings

The Eagles have sent LB coach Bill Shuey to check out Pitt LB Scott McKillop

Tuesday Notes: Lions Get One Compensatory Draft Pick

Sean Yuille — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 08:09:08 -0000

The Lions received a seventh-round compensatory draft pick. They didn't get the pick for losing a free agent. The NFL had a couple slots available and handed them out in the order of the draft. The Lions got the 255th overall pick, which is second-to-last. The Chiefs will be picking Mr. Irrelevant this year.
While the Lions have started contract negotiations with potential #1 picks, Aaron Curry isn't one of them, at least not yet.
If the Lions were to draft Aaron Curry, they could have someone nicknamed Megatron on offense and someone I would start calling "The Polar Bear" on defense.

Curry on one of the strangest questions he got during NFL combine interviews:

"They asked me if I was an animal what animal what would I be? I told them a polar bear because of their abilty to survive in extreme conditions."
I think describing the Lions the last 9 or so years as being in extreme conditions would be appropriate, not that that is what Curry was necessarily referencing. (HT: Highlight Reel)
Jim Schwartz doesn't think it is necessary to find a franchise quarterback with the top overall pick of the draft. There are plenty of other options out there, and I'm glad Schwartz gets that.
The cause for the delay in the announcement of the Julian Peterson-Cory Redding trade was something that happened during Redding's medical exam. Apparently there was some concern over a tendon in one of his knees, prompting more tests to be necessary. Once the tests were done, the Seahawks felt better about whatever was discovered and the trade became official.
Jordon Dizon is expected to stay at outside linebacker.
I have to say, Jim Schwartz is a pretty funny guy.
University of Tennessee cornerback DeAngelo Willingham worked out for the Lions in a private session.
John Clayton thinks the Lions have the best chance of trading for Jay Cutler since they have the top overall pick. I actually think that hurts them since very few teams want the top overall pick for money reasons, but I suppose in a three-team trade it would be very handy.
Although Broncos coach Josh McDaniels is now pushing the "Cutler is our quarterback" line, it doesn't seem like Cutler is buying it. McDaniels sent Cutler a text message before the NFL owners meetings and hasn't gotten a response yet.
The 2009 SB Nation Mock Draft will begin on Wednesday.
It looks like that report about people wanting the draft to be moved to February was inaccurate, at least according to Falcons president Rich McKay.
Shaun Cody agreed to a three-year deal with the Texans.

2008 Senior Day Tribute: DeAngelo Willingham

Joel — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:30:05 -0000

DeAngelo Willingham

Up next in our 2008 Senior Day Tribute is cornerback DeAngelo Willingham. RTT ranked Willingham No. 20 in the Class of 2007, and he was one of two junior college recruits that made up part of an A+ class of DBs. In retrospect, he was underranked in that class.

In 2007, Willingham started eight games and played in 14. This season, he's started every game. Willingham's career stats:

				No	Yds	TD	No	Yds	TD	Ast	Solo	Asst Loss	Solo Loss	Loss Yds
			Games Played	Int. Ret.			Fum. Ret.			Tackles					Passes Defended	Forced Fumbles
Career Totals			25	3	2	0	1	4	0	31	49	0	2	3	8	2

Vol fans will fondly remember Willingham's career game against South Carolina last season during which he had 10 tackles, one pass break up, and forced two fumbles, both of which Tennessee recovered. Thanks for a great couple of years, DeAngelo.

Post-game awards: Tennessee Volunteers vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

Joel — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:10:11 -0000

Best promotional effort. Whomever's marketing the Perfection DVD. Yes, I want one. I want to re-live that fantastic season. I want to see Al Wilson again. I want to hear John Ward again. Showing the Arkansas segment during halftime of this week's Mississippi State game just about put me over the edge. One thing, though. It would be nice if it were actually available at the time you were marketing it.

Best pressure. Wes Brown, Nevin McKenzie, and the rest of the Tennessee defense, which was restoring disorder to the opponent's backfield most of the game racking up five sacks, eight TFLs, and six hurries.

Worst moment, I. Gerald Jones writhing on the ground after fielding a punt and getting hit in the legs. By the way, Fulmer said on his t.v. show that "We'll have to see. [Gerald] said he'd probably be ready, but we'll have to see." I hope we see him Saturday.

Worst moment, II. Anthony Parker limping off the field after getting injured shortly after Jones.

Best something out of nothing. Early in the second quarter, quarterback Nick Stephens scrambled 18 yards for a first down, showing a little speed and a little juice to boot. For those who can't remember that far back, "scramble" is a term used to describe a play during which a quarterback runs for positive yardage when he cannot find any receivers open on a passing play.

Best discipline. Us. Woo. We had one penalty for eight yards and no turnovers.

Best three-peat. Nick Stephens to Denarius Moore for a long bomb. 52 yards against Northern Illinois, 60 yards against Georgia, and 45 yards against Mississippi State. Oh, how lovely it is.

Worst music. What is it with the music at Neyland? During one of the timeouts, I heard something that sounded suspiciously like a lullaby. I'm serious.

Best quarter. DeAngelo Willingham intercepted the Bulldogs on the first play of the 4th quarter. After that, Mississippi State's drives ended with a pick six by Eric Berry, a pick six by Demetrice Morley, and two three and outs, one of which very nearly ended with another interception.

Worst reaction to a win. The guy who emailed to say:

you think you are some kind of superfan? people like you who reward mediocrity are what has been KILLING this program for years. whistling past the graveyard and ignoring trends, red flags, and close calls will change nothing. unfortunately, losses are all that gets your attention and the attention of Hammy, our ignorant fanbase, and the BOT's attention.

come join us at [site redacted] for some substantive discussion.

Um, thanks for the invitation, which was quite flattering and therefore very tempting, but I think I'll pass.

Best re-boot. With Tennessee leading 6-3, Dennis Rogan returned the first second-half kickoff 40 yards giving Tennessee great field position and enabling the offense to score its first touchdown of the game.

Best guts. The Vols elected to go for the first down on 4th and 2 in the first drive of second half. They converted with a quick pass to Lucas Taylor

Best just like old times. Montario Hardesty dove over a goal line pile for Tennessee's first TD. Remember when we used to do that all of the time? It couldn't be stopped.

Best just like old times, II. On the Vols' last drive of any consequence, they handed the ball off to Lennon Creer on 12 consecutive plays and only stopped because he was in the end zone. Remember when we used to do that all of the time?

Best call that didn't work. Dave Clawson dialed up a play that called for Arian Foster to throw deep on a toss sweep. He overthrew it juuuust a bit, but it was a complete surprise, and it showed an ability and willingness to insert a big play wrinkle into a bread and butter play.

Game ball goes to: The Papa, for his 150th win. Note that I said "game" not "season." Naming permanent captains, upping the tempo in thud practices, putting/permitting Chavis in the booth, and giving some of the younger players significant playing time were all positive changes this week.

Staving off apathy: Tennessee Volunteers show signs of life against Mississippi State in 34-3 win

Joel — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 02:47:05 -0000

Commence the 15-minute immediate post-game mostly incoherent, questionable-impression-filled, and over-emotional ramblings. Hold me to nothing.

Usually, the wait is eight months. This year, we had to wait 9 1/2 months for football to start. This is the first game of the season that was actually fun. Sure, we beat UAB, but that's the game the booers appeared. Northern Illinois was more like a loss. This one, though, we actually got on a roll. Got some momentum. Got dangerous on defense and got something happening on offense.

The good news. We have Crunch Berry (enthusiastic chest bump to wvvol for coining the nickname), and we have him for another year after this one. The man is simply amazing. The interception he caught was pure reflex, an instinctual securing of a deflected pass. From there, it was balance, speed, vision. In other words, Berry. When Berry gets the ball, he goes and goes and goes. 72 yards this time for a TD. That followed another interception by DeAngelo Willingham, I think, and Demetrice Morley followed Berry's pick six with one of his own on the next series. There were several other close calls after that.

More good news. A lot of the secondary's success has to be shared with the defensive line and the blitzers, who kept pressure on the QBs all night. Wes Brown, you are the man.

Still more good news. This is the third game in a row that Nick Stephens has hooked up with Denarius Moore on a deep pass. One of those won't loosen up defenses much, but proving that it can be a consistent weapon sure should.

Even still more good news. Arian Foster had a decent string of plays, but we still saw a lot of Montario Hardesty and Lennon Creer, including a drive almost entirely devoted to Creer. Yeehaw.

The bad news. Both Gerald Jones and Anthony Parker went out of the game injured. I don't have any news on them yet.

Still more bad news. Um, sorry to mention it, but Mississippi State's offense isn't very good. Only two of our touchdowns came via the offense. We got two more field goals. Twenty points. I guess that's not bad, but the real spark came from our defense.

Positive changes. Thud practices, good. Permanent captains. Good. Chavis in the booth. Good. Stephens under center. Good. Creer and Hardesty on the field, good.

Player of the game, defense. Crunch Berry. Ten tackles, one TFL, a sack, two breakups, and an interception returned 72 yards for a TD. Berry.

Player of the game, offense. The defense. Seriously. Credit them with 14 of the 34 points. If I had to go more conventional, I'd say Lennon Creer, who ran 17 times for 68 yards and one TD. Nick Stephens was 10 of 20 for 136 yards.

What's it mean for next week? Good question. The Vols seem to have found a spark. Their already-very-good defense played exceptionally well. Their offense is starting to click, and make no mistake, Mississippi State is a tough defense against which to have success. Alabama looked vulnerable today against Ole Miss. Still, don't get over-excited. Alabama's a much better team, and their near-miss today will keep them focused for their trip next week to Neyland. But I'll say something I didn't expect to be saying tonight: we might have a shot. Tennessee's win against the Bulldogs tonight staved off the apathy and gave Vol fans a reason to look forward to next week.

Big Orange Roundtable: Volunteers' unit bell curve against UAB

Joel — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 11:20:01 -0000

YMSWWC has this week's Big Orange Roundtable and asks one simple question: how did the Vols do against UAB?

At the top of the curve

Running backs. This unit had 264 net yards. 41 carries to 33 passes is a beautiful thing when we're getting 6.5 yards per carry. Arian Foster carried 12 times for 100 yards with a long of 31 and an average of 8.3. Lennon Creer carried eight times for 93 yards, two TDs, a long of 45, and an average of 11.6. (!) Montario Hardesty ran Mo Hard, and Tauren Poole average 4.8 yards on nine carries. I'm with Will at Southeastern Sports Blog. I know it was UAB, but what more can you ask for?

Offensive line. Um, see above. They made way for the 'backs to have such a fine day, and they gave up only one sack. I also don't really remember much pressure for Crompton, either. Good job to these guys.

Linebackers. These guys played really well. Ellix Wilson continues to surprise, racking up seven total tackles a shared one for a loss, an interception, a break up, and a hurry. Adam Myers-White had five tackles, including two for a loss, and Rico McCoy added four tackles.

Defensive backs. Eric Berry. Yeah. Seven tackles, a shared one for a loss, and an interception. Dennis Rogan, who played both safety and cornerback, had five tackles and did well in coverage. DeAngelo Willingham had four tackles, one for a loss, and an interception.

In the middle of the curve

Wide Receivers. Lucas Taylor had a fantastic day, catching nine passes for 132 yards, including a really nice 48 yard reception on which he made several moves after the catch to extend the play. Gerald Jones had two TDs, and Brandon Warren had two catches for 48 yards, including the 42-yarder from Nick Stephens. There seemed to be a lot of drops, though, including several -- three, I think -- from Luke Stocker. He apparently has very good hands, but he had a bad day. As a unit, though, 282 yards is pretty good. A couple more TDs would have been nice, though, huh?

Defensive line. Not a whole lot of action here. Chris Walker seemed to have his name called quite a bit, but the stats show him with only three tackles. He did also force a fumble, though. Dan Williams also had three tackles.Walter Fisher, Demonte' Bolden, and Ben Martin all had only tackle each. Robert Ayers' only contribution to the stat sheet is a QBH. These numbers probably should have been better considering the competition. Still, Joe Webb is a great quarterback, and keeping him contained was probably priority No. 1. They accomplished that.

Special teams. Chad Cunningham averaged 38 yards on two punts and put one inside the 20. We could not get the ball into the end zone on kickoffs, but most of them went to the two- or three-yard line. We attempted no field goals, which was probably excruciating for Daniel Lincoln. Punt return and kick return yardage was practically non-existent. Gerald Jones returned one punt for six yards, and Denarius Moore returned one kickoff for 27 yards.

Coaching. The coaching staff seemed fired up. It was good to see them focus on the rushing game in the second half. Still, 14 points in the first half against the nation's second-worst defense was disappointing. Perhaps it was necessary to get Crompton some reps, I don't know. The defense holding UAB to three total points is a very good performance, though, because as bad as UAB's defense was, their offense wasn't.

At the bottom of the curve

Quarterbacks. Not the best day for these guys, but several dropped passes from their receivers didn't help matters much. Crompton fielded the team well when we went to the running game, but we went to the running game after the passing game faltered a bit. Crompton missed an open Brandon Warren at least a couple of times, once to throw to Lucas Taylor in double coverage. Still, Crompton finished 19 of 31 for 240 yards and had two great-looking TDs to Gerald Jones. One of the interceptions was more like a punt, and probably didn't matter much, but the other wasn't good. Nick Stephens looked decent when he got into the game. Finding Brandon Warren for a 42-yard seam route reception will do that for you.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Roundtablers' responses:Loser With Socks

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