SB Nation - Ellix Wilson

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.

The 50 Best Games of the Fulmer Era - #21: Backs to the Wall, One More Time

Will — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 23:00:12 -0000

In the three years that I've been blogging, without a doubt the most enjoyable week to write about surrounded the 2007 Georgia game. Coming in, the Vols were unranked and only noteworthy for giving up 45 points in a season opening loss at Cal, then eating the worst loss of the Fulmer Era in a 59-20 beatdown at Florida. The nature of these two blowout losses, combined with the extraordinarily young defense that had allowed 104 points in them, had erased any goodwill that Fulmer had built up during the hot start the year before...which had helped cool the hot seat from 2005.

So in the first week of October 2007, Vol fans had every reason to believe that the program was looking at a second disastrous season in three years...and while we'd eventually find our way back to this point one year later, in 2007 Fulmer found his back against the wall...and came out alive, one last time.

The Gators, who looked invincible against Tennessee behind eventual Heisman winner Tim Tebow, maybe you've heard of him, stumbled against Auburn for a second consecutive year. The Vols were only 2-2 and had only beaten Southern Miss and Arkansas State, but both the math and the odds suggested that Tennessee was still alive. On October 6, the Vols would host Georgia, and Florida would travel to LSU, with Tennessee and the Tigers both the favorites. If Vegas was right, no matter how bad the Vols' season had looked to that point, Tennessee would walk out of the first Saturday of October atop the SEC Eastern Division. If Vegas was wrong, Phillip Fulmer may not have survived.

It was the greatest risk/reward scenario in one game that I've ever seen: lose, and your coach is probably done and so is your season. Win, and if #1 LSU can hold serve at home later that night, you're in first place and control of your own destiny. The middle ground nonexistent, the 2007 edition of Tennessee and Georgia was going to be one of the most important games of Phillip Fulmer's career, win or lose.

And like most of the 2007 season, what actually happened on that October Saturday in Knoxville, absolutely no one saw coming...

21. 2007: Tennessee 35 - #12 Georgia 14 (Knoxville)

This game is also a great study in the roller coaster nature of the modern SEC. The year before, Georgia started 5-0 and had the number one defense in the nation when the Vols came to Athens. The Dawgs had won five of the last six in this series, which had been completely dominated by the Vols throughout the 90s but appeared to have been turned on its head.

Then Tennessee erased a 24-7 hole in a 51-33 win.

From that point, Georgia went into a tailspin. They lost to Vanderbilt the very next week. They'd later lose to Kentucky after losing to Florida (again). The Dawgs did find a couple nice wins to finish 9-4 and ranked #23, but when Georgia lost at South Carolina in the second week of the 2007 season, Dawg fans came to a frustrating realization: Georgia had lost five straight games against the SEC East, one to each of the other teams in the division.

Mark Richt wasn't walking the same plank as Phillip Fulmer, but his seat was warmer than it's ever been in Athens. But the Dawgs won a dramatic overtime game at Alabama (now forever known as The "What is Britney doing with her life?" Game), then blew out Ole Miss to get back to #12 in the polls.

The Vols appeared to be on the edge of the plank, and a Georgia win appeared to be just the thing to both push Fulmer over the edge, and to erase any notion that Richt and the Dawgs were falling behind.

Instead, Fulmer pulled a Luke Skywalker - metaphorically, of course - flipping from the edge of the plank back to solid ground, and instead knocking Georgia's championship aspirations into the pit...though we didn't know it yet.

From the opening kickoff, there were signs. Britton Colquitt returned from a leg injury to boot the opening kickoff into the end zone, to a roar of approval from the crowd. When the Vol defense held Georgia to three and out, the Tennessee offense went methodical: 12 plays, 81 yards, almost exclusively on the ground. Arian Foster capped it off with a nine yard touchdown run, and the Vols led 7-0.

The teams traded punts before the Vol defense forced another three and out, got it back and moved to midfield. On the first play of the second quarter, the Vols - from a three tight end package - ran an end around to Lucas Taylor, who stopped, got a crucial half-block from Erik Ainge, and then fired downfield to a wide open LaMarcus Coker. The Vols led 14-0.

The Vols smelled blood. And on the next drive, they went for the kill: Ellix Wilson went untouched to block a punt (UT's second blocked punt in two years against the Dawgs). The offense grinded it again, finishing with a Montario Hardesty touchdown run...and with 9:30 left in the first half, the Vols led 21-0.

Aside from my years in the student section, I've always sat in section Z11, which is sometimes uncomfortably close to the visiting allotment. We said this game was a testament to the roller coaster, and there's no better example than this: when Hardesty scored to put the Vols up 21-0, I watched a noticeable number of Georgia fans head for the exits. This would be six straight L's against the SEC East, and they were cussing Mark Richt every step towards the gates.

Two months later, these were the same fans who argued that Georgia should be playing for the National Championship.

But before that, Tennessee still had some punishment to dish out.

Another Georgia three and out (finished by Robert Ayers and JT Mapu putting Matt Stafford in the fetal position) led to a strike from Erik Ainge to Denarius Moore. The Vols relied on the run to pound the Dawgs and control the clock, but when the Vols did pass Ainge was laser-efficient: 17 of 22 for 165 yards. Three plays later, the Vols had 3rd and 1, and again went to a different look, this time going to the power-I set. They faked Chris Brown on a dive over the top, allowing Arian Foster to get the corner and then burn Asher Allen to the end zone, 30 yards for the score. Tennessee was up 28-0, and the rout was on.

Another Georgia three and out led to this fun stat: at this point, the Vols had 14 first downs and had scored touchdowns on three consecutive drives. Georgia had six drives total: one first down, five three and outs, one blocked punt.

The defense continued to grow up in the second half, though we must credit Demiko Goodman for a sensational catch on a fade pattern to make it 28-7 in the third quarter.

But then Tennessee shut the door: 13 plays, 65 yards, 7:10 off the clock. On 3rd and 11 at midfield, Georgia jammed every receiver and blitzed a safety. Ainge calmly found Lucas Taylor over the middle for ten, Fulmer elected to go for it on 4th and 1 at the Georgia 40, and Arian Foster responded with a slashing six yard run.

When Foster punched it in for his third touchdown of the game, the lead was 35-7, and Georgia was done. In fact, their final score came only after a Marsalous Johnson interception was ridiculously overturned on a pass interference call that should've gone the other way. Jonathan Hefney's interception of Matthew Stafford on the next drive was the capper.

Joy swept through Neyland Stadium like we hadn't seen since the season opener the year before against Cal. Questions about the defense against Georgia's strong running game and Stafford's arm were answered: 69 yards combined for Moreno, Lumpkin and Brown, and only 243 total on the day for Georgia's offense. Meanwhile, if you like balance, how about this: 190 on the ground, 221 in the air for the Vols.

Later that evening, the joy was made complete: LSU went 5-for-5 on 4th down and held off Florida, putting Tennessee in first place in the SEC East. At the crossroads of the season and his own career, Fulmer came out on top one last time.

The insanity would continue for the rest of the season: Tennessee was blown out by Alabama two weeks later, putting Florida back in control. Then Georgia stunned the Gators the following week, and would continue to roll for the remainder of the season. But needing only one more Tennessee loss, they watched the Vols survive last-second affairs with South Carolina, Vanderbilt and finally Kentucky. The Dawgs would finish the season as the second best team in the country...but the Vols would win the SEC East.

In the moment:

Clay Travis: Scaling the top of Rocky Top
SESB: A New Day
T Kyle King @ Dawg Sports: UT's Back-to-Back Open Dates
RTT: That's Right, I'm Kicking Your Dawg

Video highlights. Enjoy:

Spring Position Battles: Linebackers

Hooper — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:32:35 -0000

Prior to the spring practices, Will and I continue our look through the UT roster to see how the various positions may look. Armed only with our rank amateur football sense, we give some thoughts and projections on the team as it may look under Lane Kiffin. Previous positions covered are:

Linebacker is one of the most intriguing positions on a football team to me. On any given play, a linebacker may have to shed the block of a hulking guard or provide coverage support against a fleet-footed receiver. The "Mike" is often the field general - the defensive counterpart to the quarterback - ensuring the defensive eleven are in position to make life as difficult as possible for the offense.

Further, the linebackers often have the meanest, nastiest dispositions on the field. The defensive line may have the dirtiest work, but it's the linebackers who routinely hunt down running backs and quarterbacks for a full-speed, maximum-energy collision. UT has had its share of such linebackers in the past; replay footage of alums like Al Wilson and Jarod Mayo remind us of just how great it is to be a Tennessee Vol.

Now THIS is Football! (courtesy UTSports.com)

(Watch 1:25-1:27 - one of the best football plays ever.)

It was in the last two years of the Manning era that I really started paying attention to Tennessee football (way out in Wyoming, remember), and my most vivid memories are still of the linebackers of that era. Watching the defense in 1998 was just like watching a steamroller on the field; you just knew that the offensive line couldn't hold them back. There was nothing dirty or thuggish about it - just some phenomenally great athletes pushing themselves to their limits. And winning.

The Departed

Adam Myers-White, Ellix Wilson, Nevin McKenzie, were all seniors last season and out of eligibility. Their names are familiar to you; all three linebackers played prominent roles in the Tennessee defense, particularly last season. One of the reasons the Tennessee D was such an effective unit last season was the mature, precise play of these three. I've had my complaints about the Mustang Package and its use of the linebackers in the past (See: UCLA), but any lack of effectiveness from the linebackers was definitely not because they made mistakes. The departure of these three will leave a huge hole to fill - and huge opportunities for other players to step up in the new era.

The Unknown

Brett Barnes - a Knoxville native - was also a senior last season. However, he redshirted in 2005 and has one year of eligibility left. I have not heard anything about him yet and do not know if he will be a part of the 2009 roster. A practice squad member for his entire career, he does not figure to be a part of the gameday roster in either case. Yet he has certainly had a better football career than me, and his commitment to the Vols is commendable.

Apart from the seniors, there are 12 linebackers listed on the UT roster (including the incoming players).

Rico McCoy will be one of the two linebacker seniors of next year's roster. One of four UT juniors who asked for a preliminary evaluation by the NFL, he decided to return for one more year with the Vols. This is an eminently great move for him and for the Vols; the consummate starter will get one year under the tutelage of Monte Kiffin and Lance Thompson, and should be an early "New Deal" success story by a staff that plugs NFL potential so much. To Rico, this year is his contract year: success will bring a high draft pick and a Vol Navy-esque boatload of cash.

Oh, and there's this:

Rico McCoy makes a Jeremy Young-sized crater

Yeah, THAT'S a Tennessee linebacker!

Gerald Williams is the other junior, though his UT time has been far more brief. Initially a DE recruit in 2007, Williams went the JUCO route for academic reasons. His academic problems continued, as he was practically a gameday decision by the NCAA last fall. Last season's team difficulties clearly frustrated Williams, as a couple of utterly boneheaded personal foul penalties can attest. If anybody needs to make a fast impression, it is Williams. He is a terrific athlete: quick, big, and mean. So long as his grades and his temperament hold up, he will find a lot of time on the field to make his case to the NFL scouts (and to give us more sweet linebacker highlights!)

Nick Reveiz is the shortest linebacker on the roster at 5'11". Normally, that height relegates you to bit duty on the practice squad or on special teams (well, for schools that don't place a priority on special teams, winkwink), but Reveiz managed to land quite a bit of playing time. He redshirted 2006, but played in all games since then. He is most known for being a "fireplug" - a short, stocky guy who just doesn't get pushed around. He's a sure tackler and his low center of gravity helps him hold his own against offensive linemen.

Savion Frazier is another name that isn't the most well-known on the roster, though he's had a decent share of the action. A true freshman player, he has seen a steadily increasing amount of action in his two years at UT. And to be honest, he's a guy that those of us outside the progam can't reliably give a prediction on. He was a four-star recruit as a running back, but was moved to linebacker due to the depth we've had at his position. I would like to know more about his mental makeup before giving any prediction on him: is he a wolf? Does he thrive in the pack mentality that linebackers are known for? The fall will tell.

LaMarcus Thompson will be a junior next fall, having redshirted the 2006 season. The Lithonia/Stone Mountain GA native is also a bit shorter than the average 'backer at 6'1" and has spent most of his time with the special teams. Much like Frazier, we simply have not seen a whole lot of Thompson, largely because of the stout list of accomplished linebackers on the roster. Like so many others, he has a second chance at a first impression

The Sophomores

As is the case with so many from Fulmer's era, evaluating last year's freshmen linebackers is an exceedingly difficult task. They simply weren't on the field regularly. This time, it's hard to blame Fulmer and Chavis - players like McCoy and Wilson clearly deserved their playing time.

Chris Donald Keep this name in your memory banks. A five-star West Tennessee recruit, Donald redshirted the 2007 season partly due to the deep roster at the time (remember that Mayo was present then). He's big and he's fast, and if his attitude matches his physical gifts, he'll be the kind of guy that Monte would love to send to "get after" the ball carrier. If you've read Meat Market, you know that Donald was a guy that Orgeron coveted while at Ole Miss (and is probably happy to have lost to Tennessee now). While projecting players out of this linebacking group is a turkey shoot at this point, I am slowly convincing myself that he'll be a starter in the fall.

Herman Lathers was a Louisiana all-state linebacker in 2007. He's best suited as a weakside linebacker with his lighter frame (210 lbs.), and is almost built like a run-support safety. A search for more information on Lathers doesn't reveal anything beyond his recruiting information - a theme that is becoming very common with the youngest returnees on the roster.

Josh Hawkins is another local product. Hailing from Loudon, Hawkins redshirted the 2007 season. His metrics are very similar to Lathers - about 6'1", 210ish. He is also better-suited to be an outside linebacker in a 4-3 but has little information for us to predict his future success.

Rodriguez Wilks may be one of the more interesting linebackers on the roster. He was originally recruited as a wide receiver, as his 6'1", sub-200 frame and 4.5ish speed seemed better suited for route running than for tangoing in the trenches. He has since grown to about 220 lbs, which is probably part cause and part effect of the move to linebacker. I have a feeling his mental makeup will determine his fate; if he has the aggressiveness of a linebacker in him, he'll probably stay on defense. If not, he may get moved back to wide receiver for a little more depth.

And now, the n00bs. (Linebackers just love being called n00bs. Try it sometime, all the while remembering that I am in no way liable for any ensuing events.)

Greg King is a guy that I'm excited for - in about a year. He's physically well-built for interior linebacker, with a 6'3" frame that can probably hold 240 lbs. without affecting his speed. The knock on him is his need to play with more discipline and sharper technique. Since he's coming in the fall, there's really not much time for him to develop those skills and snag a starting position quickly.

However, King is smart. He's a left-brained guy who's looking at things like computer engineering for his major, which tells me that he's very process-oriented. Give him a system and a path to success, and he'll follow it to its logical conclusion. As much as I like tenacity in linebackers, a mind like this is ideal for the Mike - somebody who can direct presnap traffic and set the stage for success. Additionally, if he has success, he can be a great asset for recruiting in his hometown of Memphis. I don't see him starting quickly, but I have a lot of hope for his tenure at UT.

Jerod Askew is a "hired gun", so to speak. He is a very compact, 6'0" 230-pounder with 4.5ish speed who lives for the full-speed, head-on collisions. A product of Divison 6 Oscar Smith high school in Viriginia, he has had some great tutelage and his technique is in better shape than King, which will probably get him on the field sooner than the Memphis native. I think he'll be the first incoming freshman to find significant playing time in the fall.

Nigel Mitchell-Thornton is the final linebacker in the new class, and was relatively unnoticed through most of the season. Another Stone Mountain native, Nigel is better-suited to run-stopping than pass defense at the moment. Some time working on agility and technique may go a long way, but I don't see a starting spot for him against Western Kentucky. Still, that's no shame, as few linebackers ever find a starting role on any team in their first year.

Summary

If I were to guess, I'd place McCoy, Williams and Donald as the three listed starters for the 2009 campaign. McCoy is a no-brainer. Williams is as physically talented as they come, though my pick is a little dicey when you consider his academic history. Donald will probably be the first who? WOW!!! player out of this bunch that you haven't heard a lot from last year. That's why I see him as the third 'backer on the field of three.

There is a lot of experience leaving the team, but there is probably even more potential behind them. I really like the outlook for linebackers, though it may take a few games for the potential to come into focus. Let's just hope that it focuses before Florida.

And now, for a little more eye candy:

Al Wilson and Leonard Little (via nathangb4)

Kentucky @ Tennessee: UT stats, personnel, commentary, and a prediction

Ken Howlett — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 18:28:16 -0000

UK's football 'Cats once again enter the final regular season game with high hopes of victory. Kentucky, coming off a bye week, has had two weeks to put into place new plays, new looks, and hopefully a game-winning attitude, because gaining a victory won't be easy (it's never easy when a team has lost 23 straight to the same opponent).

Emotions are running high in Knoxville. The players seem to have conquered their disappointment over Phillip Fulmer's dismissal of a few weeks ago, and with a victory over Vanderbilt last weekend, and their strong week of practice, they seem focused on winning their last game for the soon-to-be deposed Fulmer.

I would like to add my congratulations to coach Fulmer on an exceptional reign at UT. He's been associated with the Tennessee program for 32 years, beginning with his time in Knoxville as a player (four years), then as an assistant to Johnny Majors. He's of course served 16 years (plus four games) as head man of the big orange (he's 16-0 versus UK). He guided UT to their first national championship in like a hundred years, in 1998. He posted a 151-52 career mark ... here's hoping he ends up 151-53.

Tennessee Schedule

This year UT has wins versus UAB (35-3), Northern Illinois (13-9), Mississippi State (34-3), and last weeks road win against Vandy (20-10). The Vols losses shape up this way: @UCLA (27-24 in ot), home against Florida (30-6), @ Auburn (14-12), @ Georgia (26-14), home against Alabama (29-9), @ South Carolina (27-6), and at home against Wyoming (13-7).

Tennessee Offensive Personnel

Quarterback Jonathan Crompton: 6'4", 220 lb junior -- This year Crompton has thrown for 788 yards and three touchdowns, while going 80 for 159 and five interceptions. For his career Crompton has completed 118 of 267 passes for 1,286 yards, eight touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

Fulmer said this week that Crompton will be the likely starter this week versus UK.

Quarterback B.J. Coleman: 6'3", 210 lb red-shirt freshman -- In three games this year, Coleman is 4 for 8 passing, for 21 yards, one interception and zero touchdowns.

Coleman was limited this week in practice with a foot injury. Fulmer said this week that Coleman would probably see action against Kentucky.

Running back Arian Foster: 6'1", 215 lb senior -- The '07 Second Team All-SEC selection has rushed 110 times for 511 yards (4.6 yards per carry). He's run for one touchdown. He also has 18 catches for 149 yards (8.3 yards per catch), but no receiving touchdowns. For his career Foster has rushed for 2,905 yards, which is good for second place all-time in Tennessee history. Foster has proved to be multi-talented, evidenced by his 82 career receptions for 685 yards. The senior is third all-time in UT history with 3,804 all-purpose yards, behind Stanley Morgan ('73-'76) and Willie Gault ('79-'82).

Foster as made a nice living at UK's expense over the years: In '05 versus the 'Cats he carried the ball 26 times for 114 yards and caught five passes for 44 yards. Last year he rushed 27 times for 118 yards and caught 9 passes or 98 yards and a touchdown, on UT's first play from scrimmage.

Running back Lennon Creer: 6'1", 210 lb sophomore -- This year Creer has rushed 67 times for 364 yards (5.4 yards per carry), and three touchdowns. For his career Creer has ran the ball 103 times for 578 yards (5.6 yards per carry), and four touchdowns. He was honored as a PrepStar All-America coming out of high school in Texas. He was also named the Old Spice Redzone Player of the Year in Texas.

Running back Montario Hardesty: 6'0", 210 lb junior -- Hardesty has 69 rushes for 252 yards (3.7 yards per carry), and six touchdowns. He's also caught four passes for 24 yards. For his career Hardesty has 270 carries for 1,027 yards (3.8 yards per carry), and 13 touchdowns.

Wide receiver Gerald Jones: 6'0", 185 lb sophomore -- Jones has made 27 catches for 308 yards (11.4 yards per catch).

Last year versus UK, Jones caught a touchdown pass in the first overtime.

Wide receiver Lucas Taylor: 6'0", 185 lb senior -- Taylor has made 26 catches for 372 yards (12.8 yards per catch), and one touchdown this year. For his career he has 113 receptions for 1,43 yards, and six touchdowns.

Last year against Kentucky Taylor had six catches for 103 yards and one touchdown.

Wide receiver Austin Rogers: 6'2", 185 lb senior -- Rogers has made 14 catches for 180 yards (12.9 yards per catch). For his career he has 76 receptions for 891 yards (11.7 yards per catch), and four touchdowns.

Rogers was the cause of much pain for UK fans last year when he rushed 13 yards for a touchdown, and later caught the game-winning two-point conversion in the fourth overtime.

Wide receiver Josh Briscoe: 6'3", 183 lb senior -- This year Briscoe has made 14 catches for 176 yards (12.6 yards per catch), and one touchdown. For is career he has 79 receptions for 866 yards (10.9 yards per catch), and eight touchdowns.

Wide receiver Denarius Moore: 6'1", 185 lb sophomore -- Moore has 10 catches for 208 yards (terrific 20.8 yards per catch), and one touchdown. In his short career he has caught 24 passes for 420 yards (17.5 yards per catch), and one touchdown.

Tight end Luke Stocker: 6'6", 245 lb sophomore -- The Madison Central High School grad, and Berea native, has made 13 catches for 139 yards (10.7 yards per catch). For his career he has 17 receptions for 150 yards (8.8 yards per catch), and a touchdown.

Placekicker Daniel Lincoln: 6'0", 204 lb sophomore -- On the year Lincoln has made 10 of 17 field goal attempts. From 20-39 yards he's 8 of 11, and from 40-49 yards he's 2 of 3. For his career he has made 31 of 46 attempts. Lincoln was honored last year as an All-America by the Football Writers, and a Freshman All-America. He was also named Second Team All-SEC. Lincoln was a Groza Award semifinalist in '07( which goes to the nations top placekicker).

Tennessee Defensive Personnel

UT's defense is loaded with talent. They possess size, speed and experience. So it should not come as a surprise that the Vols rank very high nationally in nearly every statistical category: Total Defense - 6th (269.9 yards allowed) ... Scoring defense - 16th (17.4 points per game) ... Passing defense - 9th (166.2 yards per game) ... Rushing defense - 14th (103.7 yards per game).

Tennessee's defensive dominance begins with all-world ...

Safety Eric Berry: 5'11", 195 lb sophomore -- Berry has recorded 67 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, seven interceptions (265 INT return yards and two touchdowns) and six pass break-ups. Berry was named SEC Defensive Freshman of the Year in '07. He was also a consensus Freshman All-America and of course made Freshman All-SEC. In '07 he was voted Second Team All-SEC, and he led all SEC freshman with 86 tackles. Berry has 487 career interception return yards in only 24 games played. He's threatening the NCAA record of 501 yards, set by Florida State's Terrell Buckley. He is one of three finalists for the Thorpe Award, which goes to the nations top defensive back, and he's the reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Week. Needless to say, Berry has to be accounted for on every UK offensive snap.

Last year versus UK he recorded a season high 14 tackles and one pass break-up.

Linebacker Ellix Wilson: 5'10", 225 lb senior -- Wilson leads the Vols with 80 tackles. He has recorded 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and two pass break-ups.

Wilson recorded one sack last year versus UK.

Linebacker Rico McCoy: 6'1", 221 lb junior -- McCoy has 79 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and three pass break-ups. He was named Second Team All-SEC in '07.

Last year against UK McCoy recorded nine tackles and one pass break-up.

Defensive back Dennis Rogan: 5'10", 185 lb sophomore -- Rogan has 50 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception, and five pass break-ups. Rogan also returns kick-offs, averaging a solid 24.9 yards per return.

Last year versus Kentucky, Rogan had three tackles and one tackle for loss.

Linebacker Nevin McKenzie: 6'2", 215 lb senior -- McKenzie has made 46 tackles, eight tackles for loss, four sacks, one interception and one pass break-up. He's a JUCO transfer.

Defensive tackle Dan Williams: 6'3", 310 lb junior -- Williams has 46 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and one pass break-up.

Last year Williams blocked a Lones Seiber field goal attempt, which ended up costing UK the football game.

Defensive end Robert Ayers: 6'3", 275 lb senior -- Ayers has 43 tackles, a team leading 14.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception, one pass break-up, and eight quarterback hits (tied for team lead).

Last year versus UK he recorded four tackles and one tackle for loss.

Defensive end Wes Brown: 6'4", 256 lb junior -- Brown has 37 tackles. 6.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and eight quarterback hits (tied for team lead with Ayers).

Punter Britton Colquitt: Colquitt has punted 38 times for a 43.2 average. He's had no punts blocked. Colquitt was selected Second Team All-SEC in '07.

Kicker Chad Cunningham: He's kicked-off 37 times, and recorded three touch-backs.

How did Tennessee beat Vandy ...

After UT's home loss to Wyoming (13-7) a few weeks ago, many thought the Vols may very well 'mail in' the remainder of the season ... 'many' would be wrong. Tennessee responded with defensive gusto in their 20-10 victory over Vanderbilt last week. Let's take a look at what enabled UT to come out with that seemingly improbable victory:

UT ran the ball, Vandy did not -- The Vols rushed for 222 yards on 51 carries (4.4 yards per carry), while limiting Vandy to only 25 yards on 28 carries (0.9 yards per carry). Tennessee was led in rushing by Lennon Creer with 80 yards on only 13 carries (6.2 yards per carry). Arian Foster and Montario Hardesty chipped in with 53 yards and 41 yards respectively.
UT contained Vandy's passing game, and the Vols weren't forced to pass -- Vandy quarterbacks Chris Nickson and MacKenzie Adams were a combined 19 of 44 for 188 yards, and two interceptions. Tennessee's D-line and linebackers pressured the Vandy QB's all day, finishing with six sacks. Fulmer went with the run game almost exclusively (he did say this week that he would like to throw more against UK). The two UT quarterbacks finished the day only 4 of 9 for 21 yards, and two interceptions (let's HOPE they throw more).
UT didn't have to go far to score -- UT managed only one sustained drive: a nine play 65 yard drive, which resulted in the only offensive touchdown of the day for the Vols. UT's other 'drives' and scores: five play 27 yard drive, which resulted in a field goal -- this drive was facilitated by a Vandy eighteen yard punt. Eric Berry returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown, and after a 69 yard interception return by Brent Vinson, UT ran two plays for zero yards and again kicked a field goal. All of UT's scoring occurred in the first half.

Final Thoughts

It will take a tremendous offensive and defensive effort to beat the Vols in Knoxville. But it can be done: UK must force Tennessee to pass the ball, and there are only two ways to do that -- Shut down the UT ground attack, or score early and often, putting the Vols in the position of having to throw the ball in order to play catch up.

Neither of those scenarios are highly likely to happen though, after-all, UK's 50th ranked run defense gives up 136 yards per game on average, and we've seen a number of backs post huge numbers against the 'Cat's defense this year. Getting off to a quick offensive start has also not been UK's forte this year; they've been outscored 98-31 in the first quarter, with many of those points coming off of UK turnovers, or other, more creative methods.

Kentucky's only real hope (other than forcing a multitude of turnovers) is for Randall Cobb to play out of his mind. With UK decimated by injuries to so many offensive players, Cobb will be the one looked toward to provide energy and creativity within the context of the offense. In order to fully utilize Cobb's multifaceted offensive arsenal, I feel that the run to pass ratio should be around 60-40 or 65-35, run. Kentucky has the talent to wear down UT's defensive unit, but the coaches have to stay with the run. UK has been far too successful running the spread/option sets to give up on the tactic if early success is not forthcoming. As an aside, I would really be pleased if 6'5" TE Maurice Grinter was utilized more when UK opts to throw the ball. He's a nightmare match-up for a linebacker, because of his size, athleticism and speed, plus he as Charmin-soft hands, and he gains yards after the catch.

On a positive note; UK does have one aspect of this game going their way, and that's the fact that they've had an extra week to prepare. Hopefully, we will see some new looks from Joker Phillips and Rich Brooks, if not, it could be a very long evening for the boys in blue.

Most prognosticators are predicting a low scoring affair. I say ...

Kentucky -- 20 Tennessee -- 17 ... hope springs eternal, and 7-5 looks a lot better than 6-6.

Tim Masthay

UK punter Tim Masthay has been named a First Team Academic All-America, and he currently ranks third in the NCAA in punting with a 45.6 yard average.

Congratulations to the UK senior. Truly, a job well done.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats beat Tennessee!

2008 Senior Day Tribute: Ellix Wilson

Joel — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:39:13 -0000

Ellix Wilson

Why.

You know some days I think that John Chavis could even turn me into an NFL linebacker. I mean, I'm practically a linebacker already except without the height, build, muscles, endurance, athletic ability, or football knowledge, but under John Chavis' direction, I'm gold.

If you have any ability whatsoever, like Ellix Wilson, Chavis will actually send you into the NFL. Nobody really knows how to pronounce this guy's name. The media guide says "EL-ix." Some other official publication that I've since forgotten says EEE-lix. I've heard coaches call him both, including Chavis at different times. Chavis calling him both, I mean, not that coaches call Ellix Chavis, although I'm sure that could happen, too, especially if Lou Holtz or Bobby Denton are around.

Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yeah, EEE-EL-ix played in 12 games as a true freshman and then sat out most of 2005 (good choice, son!) with a knee injury. In 2006, Wilson played in 13 games, and in 2007, he played in 14 games as the first backup LB in and started the bowl game. In addition to racking up tackles, Wilson also blocked a punt against Georgia. Seems like we're always doing that, doesn't it?

This season, Wilson has started every game except the one against Northern Illinois. If I'm counting tackles correctly, he's had 80 total tackles (45 solo), including four for a loss. He's also had a sack, two "passes defended," three quarterback hurries, and an interception and return for three yards.

Bully for EEE-EL-ix and Chief.

Games Played	Int. Ret.			Punt Ret.			Kickoff Ret.			Tackles
	No	Yds	TD	No	Yds	TD	No	Yds	TD	Ast	Solo	Asst Loss	Solo Loss	Loss Yds
49	1	3	0	1	6	0	1	17	0	47	76	3	8	42

Sacks			Passes Defended	QB Hurries	Blocked Kicks
Ast	Solo	Yards
2	3	28	3	5	1

Live From Neyland: Volunteers - Bulldogs Post-Game Report

Hooper — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 04:08:11 -0000

Back from the game. It's nice to live a short distance away and have a secret-handshake backstreet route home that doesn't get any traffic. (And no, I'm not telling.) As always, it's a wonderful thing to go to a game live, even if the view isn't as good as on TV. (South end zone, but still not a bad view; great for watching the line battles.) And for somebody who doesn't even have cable running to the house, it's a far better view than this mysterious PPV thing I hear about can offer.

Well, you all got the replays, the close-in camera angles and all, so let me fill you in on things I saw that TV doesn't tend to capture.

Clock Management

Much like good offensive line play, you never notice clock management unless it goes awry. After the game was over, I realized that there were no delays of game against UT, and it only seemed that one timeout (the very first one?) was used due to communication or clock issues. That's not bad at all.

The Crowd

I never heard the announced attendance, but it looked to be perhaps 90,000 from my view. There was one wide swath of maybe 5-7,000 empty seats in the upper east deck that was empty, and some spottiness in the end zone upper levels, but the rest of the stadium seemed nicely filled out. I'll go with 90,000 tops.

As you'd expect, the crowd wasn't particularly lively throughout the first half. They had their moments, but it was very situational. In the section I was in, very few people seemed interested in singing Rocky Top, even. They'd get loud when a play worked well and they cheered when Warren caught that early pass, but is was fairly pedestrian. The second half is a different story, but I'll talk more on that at the end.

There were never any boos, other than at officiating. I found this very significant. Fulmer was not booed as he arrived (or has his bazillionth JumboTron commercial was played). The players were never booed due to bad plays. Even Foster was never booed. Once in a while, somebody in the area would pipe up with a snide comment or two, but the dissidence was very tame. Thank you, attendees, for not totally ruining the atmosphere. I really appreciate it.

The Offense

From my angle, Stephens looked very comfortable. You wouldn't have known that he had almost zero 1st-team practice time throughout the offseason. However, he did get a little wild in the second half, which killed some scoring opportunities. He has tremendous arm strength, but he still needs more touch on the ball.

The line play appeared improved as well; they did a good job of holding their own against the MSU defense and at least allowing the running backs to get back to the line of scrimmage. Was the defense-reading-the-play problem fixed? I don't know, but you could have convinced me of that.

I thought Foster had a good start to the game. He seemed a little more aggressive in his running early, but a little dancier later on. I was happy that he was productive and that the crowd never had a chance to boo him. Good for Foster.

The last scoring drive was a thing of beauty. It was simply Creer up the middle for forever. Power football, people. It isn't pretty in the glitzy sense, but if it's there it's the best thing a coach can have.

I haven't looked at the play count, but I felt that the offense was a much more significant part of the game tonight than in several weeks. Most drives were sustained, and they seemed to gain strength and momentum as the game progressed.

The Defense

I really wish I knew how much of a difference the QB injury made to MSU's offense, because the defense seemed very solid. There are the obvious plays, like the (consecutive?) pick-sixes by Berry and Morley (woo!) that basically ended the game. However, the line did a good job of holding ground against the running game. They didn't get pushed around against a very physical MSU team, and pretty well killed the Bulldog offense.

The defensive weakness was any pass over the middle. There were occasional missteps in other areas, but the one place that MSU consistently found success was with the short passes where the linebackers should be (either with TE passes or with RB passes). Seriously, this has been a problem since UCLA (and through UGA). Everybody knows to attack the UT defense there. How about patching up that little hole before a certain team rides into town in approximately 7 days?

Is it a tackling issue or an overcommitment issue? Do you remember that bizarrely successful QB scramble by MSU? The one where 3 linemen had pursuit about 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage that ended up gaining about 15-20 yards on the play? Umm, yeah. I was seated almost directly behind the play on that one, and I had a clear view of the problem (at least for that play). The reason the QB could run so far was because the defenders were laterally ahead of him. By that, I mean that if the QB was running to the left, the defender was too far leftward. As a result, when the QB cut back (to the right in this example), the defender would be out of position to cut back with the QB. That happened to at least 3 defenders. Perhaps it was just that one play, but that kind of overcommitment makes a backup QB look like Barry Sander, Jr.

Ok, it has to be said: Woo!!! Berry!!! Woo!!! Morley!!! Woo!!! INTs!!! Woo!!!

Second Half

Wow. So that's what it feels like when the crowd comes alive. Early in the second half, when UT was up 13-3 and beginning to show signs of taking over, you could feel the energy pick up. You saw MSU self-destruct off the interceptions, but the game was really won sometime before that. When the crowd got going, suddenly it felt like a dominant UT team out there. Even when the score was close, you could tell that it was about to break loose. The tackling got better and the very atmosphere had that feel to it. In the second half, if you weren't aware of all the troubles this season, you would have sworn it was a game back in the glory days.

Here's the bottom line for those who attend the game: the team is very attuned to crowd support. When the fans really started cheering, you could see the team respond. Their steps got lighter. Their hits got harder. Their discipline got better. Seriously, support this team. It's been a long year for them, and they really seemed to appreciate it.

Final Thoughts

Learn to do the Wave, people! Every time I go, the student section tries to get the wave going - usually during the second quarter. Every time, it absolutely dies somewhere in the south stands. If it can survive to the west stands, they do a terrific jobof revitalizing it and keeping it going. But the south stands are clearly not contributing. It's a team effort, people! You're only as strong as your weakest link!
Not every defender is name "Eric Berry". I hate to tell you, Mr. 4-rows-behind-me, but #91(Robert Ayers) is not Eric Berry, even if he did make a nice tackle. Neither is #35 (Ellix Wilson). Etc. for everybody on the defense. Seriously, is your vocabulary only two words long? Or were you deep in prayer?
Maybe we should allow alcohol sales in the stadiums? I'm a teetotaller, but when I see the rows of empty minibottles all over the place after a game, I'm wondering if this "dry" policy is actually achieving anything? Now we're simply limiting drinking to the irresponsible ones - yeah, that helps. If it's going to happen, perhaps the athletic department should get a cut. Hey, that might let the students go for free, right?
There is a scholarship available for anybody who can kick off. Gah! Special teams were better, but the kickoffs weren't.
WOO!!! That is all.

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

Southeastern Sports Blog
3rd Saturday in Blogtober
Curveballs for Jesus
Fulmer’s Belly
Gate 21
Moondog Sports