SB Nation - Vladimir Richard

Talking Points: Tennessee basketball tips off tonight

Joel — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:23:04 -0000

Alabama's finest, wondering if what Lane Kiffin said to Nick Saban is statutory violation of some sort.

Lane Kiffin apparently didn't limit his "we'll win next year" to the Alabama post-game quotes to the media, he said it to Nick Saban during the post-game handshake. Reportedly.
Bruceball opens the season tonight at 7:30 with an exhibition game at Thompson-Boling Arena against North Alabama. Yes, we'll have an open thread, as I think the game will be broadcast online. As we've noted here earlier this week, the Vols begin the season ranked 11th and 10th and are getting some good national publicity. Sporting News has a feature on them today noting Pearl's own belief that this is the most experienced team he's had at Tennessee. That experience translates into the players having figured out what they can and can't do. Point guard Bobby Maze for one, after a season of on-the-job training, now understands what Pearl expects from the point guard position ($) and will play a vital role in the return to Pearl's pressure defense. The team's also added a couple of new guys, including Kenny Hall, who Pearl's expecting to be a defensive havoc-wreaker around the basket ($). This should be an interesting and fun season for the basketball team and its fans.

GVX's Mike Griffith elicits some experienced and national perspective on Jonathan Crompton from Todd Blackledge, who knows a thing or two about expectations and disappointment.

Wes Rucker and Seth Emerson take a page out of the blogger's guidebook and exchange Q&As on Saturday's Tennessee-South Carolina game.

Chris Walker, Luke Stocker, Greg King, and Vladimir Richard are apparently all game-time decisions this week. Does that scare anyone else?

Another "official" visitor's list for this weekend, this one from GVX, includes Ken Adams, Demar Dorsey, Chris Dunkley, Christian Jones, Ted Meline, Dequan Menzie, Corey Miller, Terrence Mitchell, and Brandon Willis.

Talking points: even homework is afraid of Eric Berry

Joel — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 11:02:44 -0000

Eric Berry tackles his homework like it's Knowshon Moreno. From his Twitter feed:

...Shout out to EmeraldMaserie!!! Just crushed my presentation. Now I'm off to eat and off to practice.

No doubt that if it weren't for that pesky 140 character limit, the last part of that would have read, "Now I'm off to demolish my dinner and destroy practice."
The word of the day is . . . FINISH . . . brought to you by Wes Rucker and the Times Free Press:

College football coaches pore over statistics after most games, and they obsess over them after close losses. Most of the most important statistics boil down to one factor: As Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin puts it, "Did we finish?" Did your defense get off the field on third down? Did your team outscore its opponent in the fourth quarter? Did you turn red-zone drives into touchdowns? Kiffin's Volunteers did two of those three things the past two weeks, but they lost to UCLA and Florida in large part because they couldn't accomplish the third task. They couldn't fully capitalize inside the opponent's 20-yard line, and that's one of the biggest reasons they're 1-2 heading into Saturday's 7 p.m. game against Ohio University. UT scored six times in seven red-zone chances against the Bruins and Gators, but just two of those possessions, and just one of the last six, crossed the goal line.

The Google of Football is always and forever indexing:

Still Learning: Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin has been indoctrinated in the spread offense and will see it again from the Bobcats. But they'll add one more wrinkle the coaching veteran hasn't faced much before with their Pistol attack that features a running back behind the quarterback in a shotgun formation. "I didn't even know what it was until I got here," Monte Kiffin said. "Every week it's something new."

As Jarrod Shaw moves to left guard to sub for injured Vladimir Richard, Aaron Douglas will start at right tackle for Shaw. Douglas's former NFL dad will be rooting for Douglas . . . to get up and get back in the huddle.

Friend of the blog Brian Cook has issues with RTT and Clay Travis asserting that Lane Kiffin's taking up residence in Urban Meyer's head. Which is fine, although I'm not sure that anyone's really trying to say that it necessarily means Kiffin will win. It does have the effect of rallying the team (much like it has his fanbase -- hmm . . . there's a post in there somehwere), which is probably a piece of the puzzle, though. Oh, and both Kiffin and Meyer have heard from the principal now, too.

Kiffin's expecting better times for the passing game this weekend -- but remember that Ohio's secondary is quite ball-hawkish -- and is thinking that Brandon Warren may fit into that somehow.

Miss last night's game between South Carolina and Ole Miss? Catch up with SBNation's storystream of the Gamecock's 16-10 victory over the Rebels. Oh, and if you missed the game, you also missed the Dr. Lou segment, which was actually quite funny.

Quintin Hancock & Vladimir Richard injured, out for Ohio

Will — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:43:38 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

3 months ago: Tennessee Quintin Hancock (87) out runs UCLA's Akeem Ayers (10) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009 in Knoxville, Tenn. UCLA won 19-15. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

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Tennessee's struggles in the passing game will face an even steeper climb this week: senior OG Vladimir Richard is out with a knee injury and is on crutches, and WR Quintin Hancock has a broken jaw and will miss this week and then some.

Richard, who has been hampered throughout the month with achilles tendon and knee issues, will see his absence filled by Jarrod Shaw moving inside from tackle to guard, meaning redshirt freshman and converted tight end Aaron Douglas will see his first start at tackle on Saturday night. Douglas has played a handful of snaps in Tennessee's first three games.

Hancock has been Tennessee's most reliable wide receiver since spring practice, and leads the team with 11 catches for 128 yards this season. No other wide receiver has caught more than six passes.

Lane Kiffin stressed yesterday that Jonathan Crompton needed to play well this week, and the downgrade from Florida to Ohio in terms of defensive talent should allow the passing game to open things up more, even if only a little bit. But now with an offensive lineman and the leading pass catcher out, it'll be an even more interesting re-evaluation of Tennessee's passing game on Saturday.

Gerald Jones and Denarius Moore have the experience, but one still wonders if either is fully healthy. Freshman Marsalis Teague caught six passes in the opener but hasn't seen one since. Brandon Warren and Nu'Keese Richardson are still more hype than result. And thus far, Tennessee's third, fourth and fifth leading receivers are tailback Bryce Brown, fullback Kevin Cooper, and tight end Luke Stocker. The Vols need increased productivity from the WR position, and in Hancock's absence the competition will be more wide open than ever...who will step up?

Poll

Who will lead Tennessee in receptions against Ohio on Saturday?

Gerald Jones

54 votes

Denarius Moore

7 votes

Nu'Keese Richardson

11 votes

Marsalis Teague

70 votes

Brandon Warren

10 votes

A non-WR: Brown, Hardesty, Cooper or Stocker

32 votes

184 votes | Poll has closed

Talking points: Eric Berry the finger in the dam

Joel — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:48:14 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Can you explain why you only have one picture of me? No, no I can't.

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So far, the Google of Football has been using Eric Berry to fill whatever the biggest hole appears to be at any given time, whether that means lining him up as a fourth linebacker or putting him back in coverage.
Lane Kiffin continues to defend Jonathan Crompton, noting that it's much more difficult for Crompton than it was for Carson Palmer at USC because Crompton, when he's away from the football complex, has to face almost constant ridicule. Crompton won't be made available to the media this week, which is probably a very good thing.
Nick Reveiz is FanNation's Walk-On of the Week.

Eric Berry's fallen off ESPN's Heisman watch list.

If the Gators have an offensive weakness, it may be at receiver.

Kiffin notes that four years ago, Florida didn't have all these great players and hadn't won two national championships in three years. It's a process that takes some time, he says, and he says his team needs to be rolling by year three.

The offensive line was apparently very banged up for the UCLA game and is focused on healing this week. I initially thought that Kiffin's statement in defense of Crompton that Kiffin made a mistake by playing several players who couldn't practice that week referred to receivers Denarius Moore and Gerald Jones, but it apparently also referred to center Cody Sullins and guards Vladimir Richard and Jacques McClendon.

At Dr. Saturday, Doug Gillett says Kiffin is battling the perception that he's a boy trying to do a man's job and Dan Shanoff suggests "Zeke 25:17" for Tebow's eye black this week.

The Challenge Going Up Against Tennessee's Monster Offensive Line

Nestor — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:21 -0000

I wanted to delve a little deeper into the matchup between our defensive front-7 and the Tennessee OL. I think this will be the biggest challenge for our Bruins on Saturday. If our Price, Jerzy, Carter and co. are not able to hold their own against the behemoth Volunteers frontline, I think it will be a long day of watching prime time football on ESPN.

First, let's put the numbers of Tennessee front line in perspective. Here is a look at the Volunteers OL depth chart:

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Chris Scott, Sr (6-5, 330)	Vladimir Richard, Sr (6-4,300)	Cody Sullins, Sr (6-1, 260)	Jacques McClendon, Sr (6-3, 324)	Jarrod Shaw, Jr (6-4, 332)+
Dallas Thomas, Fr.* (6-5, 268)	Cody Pope, So (6-6, 288)	Cory Sullins, Sr (6-1, 270)	William Brimfield, So (6-5, 346)	Aaron Douglas, Fr* (6-6, 282)+

*Indicates red shirt
+ Listed as "Co-No. 1"

And now here is a look at the depth chart of the San Diego State's OL heading into last weekend:

LT	LG	C	RG	RT
Tommie Draheim, So (6-4, 290)	Mike Matamua, So (6-4, 290)	Trask Losefa, Jr (6-0, 290)	Ikaika Aken-Moleta, Sr (6-2, 295)	Peter Nelson, Sr (6-5, 295)
Tom Rische, Jr, (6-4, 290)	Alec Johnson, Fr* (6-3, 300)	Damian Shankle, Sr (6-2, 295)	Emilio Rivera, So (6-4, 295)	Kurtis Gunther, So (6-8, 285)

*Indicates red shirt

You guys see the difference? It took couple of series for Brian Price and rest of the Bruin defensive frontline to generate pressure on the Aztecs. I don't think we can afford to have that luxury on Saturday evening. The Tennessee guys will come out right away and look to establish their own tempo and rhythm, by power running all over the Bruin defense.

If you recall they had decent amount of success against the Bruin defense rushing the ball last year as they ran for 177 yards in 34 attempts. They lost control of the game when for some inexplicable reasons they decided to go chuck and duck with Jonathan Crompton with astonishing 41 pass attempts. I don't see the Vols making the same mistake this time around.

You can bet they will come out at Neyland and serve up heavy doses of Hardesty and Brown. Don't forget though. Tennessee also has other talent at the tailback position. From Athlon.com's season preview:

Senior Montario Hardesty hits holes hard and possesses breakaway speed, and with a healthy spring behind him is on pace to enjoy his finest season. But before Hardesty can lead the Vols to victories he must first win his position. That figures to be a challenge with highly regarded prospects Bryce Brown and David Oku coming to fall camp. Brown, a 6'0", 215-pound super talent from Wichita, Kan., was ranked the No. 1 overall prospect in the nation by Rivals.com, and a visit to various YouTube highlight reels shows why. Oku, a 5'10", 185-pounder, was Rivals’ No. 1-rated all-purpose back and offers quickness and receiving ability. Freshman Toney Williams enrolled early and was expected to challenge for immediate playing time, but suffered a season-ending knee injury in summer workouts. Tauren Poole is another shifty option who should get into the mix this year. Fullbacks Kevin Cooper and Austin Johnson could get competition in the event the coaches move a tailback to the position.

Looking the boxscore from last Saturday, it looks like Oku got a decent chunk of action. He carried the ball 8 times for 42 yards, scoring 2 TDs, while Poole also carried the ball 5 times for 62 yards. So no doubt Hardesty and Brown are going to get the spotlight. However, I am sure our coaches will also be aware of Oku and Poole.

It will be interesting to see how Bullough scheme up his defense for Saturday. I thought our defensive effort in the early going was fairly vanilla. It seemed like the San Diego State OL (who clearly are not in the same league as the Tennessee OL in terms of size and athleticism) handled our stunts pretty well. It took us a while to get serious pressure going on the Aztecs passing game.

So what do we do? For starters, I think we are going to need more intense effort from our LBers. For whatever reason, I though Reggie Carter and Akeem Ayers came out a little slow last weekend. I didn't think their concentration level pick up till the second half (perhaps I am being bit harsh here but calling it as I saw the action). I think those guys will need to focused and locked in so that they can help our defensive frontline in containing the Tennesee ground attack.

I think the key for us will be to disrupt Crompton's comfort level. If we can contain their running game early on and get some heavy pressure on the Tennessee QB by blitzing him through different looks, I think we might be able to get him rattled a bit and throw him off rhythm. It is going to be a huge challenge.

That is why it will be imperative for a total team effort. The defense will need all the help it can get from an offense that will need to play effective ball control and the special teams doing whatever it can to give us good field position on both sides of the ball. Otherwise with that kind of imposing size and experience, I can see their OL eventually wearing down our front-7 in front of a rocking Tennessee home crowd.

GO BRUINS.

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 Tennessee Volunteers Football Depth Chart is Out

Hooper — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:38:34 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

He's been patiently waiting to find out who the other 21 would be. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

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The first real, comprehensive depth chart (pdf) of the Tennessee Volunteers was released yesterday, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press (h/t to Home Sweet Home of Gate21). As expected, freshmen players litter the field, including a listing or two that are surprising even to those following the practices.

OFFENSE

Quarterback

#1 - Jonathan Crompton This we knew, as it was announced on Monday.
#2 - Nick Stephens

Fullback

#1 - Kevin Cooper Cooper is a little shorter and stouter than Johnson, which should help in blocking situations. I don't know how the receiving comparison works out, but protection for the quarterback is probably a high priority until we know how well Crompton performs with the new offense against actual opponents.
#2 - Austin Johnson I'm a little surprised not to see Sam Edgmon given a nod, considering how well he seemed to be catching passes.

Tailback

#1 - Bryce Brown and Montario Hardesty The first surprise to me is the cop-out of listing co-#1s. Even if the very first play against Western Kentucky has both of these players in (and one fullback out), one of the two is still the #2 option for the staff. I still think that, at the moment, Hardesty is the "first-option tailback", but this might be a way to add some publicity for Bryce Brown.

Wide Receiver

#1 - Nu'Keese Richardson Nuke is the only true freshman to have unquestioned ownership of a #1 slot on the offense. Getting the nod over Warren is a testament to his work ethic and his ability to stay healthy through the preseason. I wonder, though, how much of this was influenced by the injury to Gerald Jones and the need to add a little more speed and maneuverability on the field.
#2 - Brandon Warren Stay healthy and practice hard, young man. Coaches don't evaluate training table etiquette when choosing starters.

Wide Receiver

#1 - Quintin Hancock In his senior year, Hancock has a golden opportunity to show Vol Nation that he's as good as he can look in practice. That he is the tall receiver on the field (and not Brandon Warren) is a statement about the premium that the coaching staff placed on practice time.
#2 - Marsalis Teague I wouldn't expect Teague to be far behind right now, with Hancock having the advantage of spring practice to learn more of the playbook. By the time Jones gets back, Teague may very well have moved up (back) to send on the depth chart here.

Tight End

#1 - Luke Stocker Stocker's the better receiver, and Cottam's the better blocker. This may be more informative of the staff's offensive tendencies than the actual comparison between the two.
#2 - Jeff Cottam I have to wonder: if he hadn't been injured all last year, where would Cottam be as a player right now?

Left Tackle

#1 - Chris Scott No surprise here.
#2 - Dallas Thomas The redshirt freshman is the heir apparent and should get some live fire time here and there throughout the season.

Left Guard

#1 - Vladimir Richard I like Vlad, he's a fun guy.
#2 - Cody Pope Another heir apparent, it's notable that Vlad is listed at 300 lb and Pope at 288. This offensive line is going to be much lighter and quicker than last year's, courtesy of a different zone blocking concept.

Center

#1 - Cody Sullins Who might have been #1 even if McNeil hadn't been injured.
#2 - Cory Sullins Learn quickly, young man. Please learn quickly.

Right Guard

#1 - Jacques McClendon where experience again made the difference. The right guard will be critical in the new running game, as he both assists the center in blocking and is the primary blocker to open up most cutback lanes on zone sweep plays. If you're inclined to watch line play, watch him.
#2 - William Brimfield Note, though, that the beef is apparent on the right side of the line. McClendon is 324 and Brimfield is 346. Run blockers, yes.

Right Tackle

#1 - Aaron Douglas and Jarrod Shaw Even more transparent than the co-number 1 running backs - we're not going to see two right tackles on the first play against Western Kentucky. I'm guessing that Douglas has more potential, but Shaw is more polished.

DEFENSE

(Note: I think that the defensive line terms of 'left' and 'right' refer to the left and right as the offense sees them, so the left end lines up against the offense's left tackle, and so on.)

Left End

#1 - Gerald Williams Raise your hand if you saw this coming at the beginning of spring camp, when GW was begging Kiffin to let him play linebacker. It's good to be unblockable.
#2 - Willie Bohannon and Ben Martin Sigh. Another co-listing. I'll stop that now, as you know my feelings.

Left Tackle

#1 - Wes Brown - at 257 pounds, he's one of the lighter starting tackles you'll ever see. This feels much like a pass-rushing tackle, similar to the way the New York Giants line up.
#2 - Andre Mathis - I think Mathis will be in for short-yardage situations.

Right Tackle

#1 - Montori Hughes and Dan Williams Talk of Dan Williams not being the exclusive starter did not begin for a while, and even when Hughes came on strong earlier in the fall camp, it was thought he'd be at left tackle. The staff really like what they see in this new kid, and so do I.

Right Guard

#1 - Chris Walker who has also had a really nice fall, though you don't tend to hear about it as much because of Williams and Hughes.
#2 - Steven Fowlkes The consensus on Fowlkes appear to be that he has a really, really high ceiling but is still developing. If he stays on course, then next year's presumed lineup of Gerald Williams, Hughes, and Fowlkes may be special.

Strongside Linebacker

#1 - LaMarcus Thompson This is not a surprise.
#2 - Greg King That Thompson was the obvious #1 is not a slight on King, though. You don't hear much of him, but it's always been very complimentary. I think he should be at full speed next year.

Middle Linebacker

#1 - Nick Reveiz Even less surprising. The staff loves this guy, and his attitude should be a real emotional boost for the whole defense.
#2 - Herman Lathers It's hard to find information on Lathers, both because the news coverage on linebackers has been almost nonexistent and because Shorty Reveiz has made a better story whenever they did bother mentioning these guys.

Weakside Linebacker

#1 - Rico McCoy Injury didn't keep him from losing his slot. Healthy, he's one of our best and I look forward to seeing him play.
#2 - Savion Frazier I'm curious how close Frazier came to taking the slot when McCoy was hurt. Unfortunately, the lack of news drama here suggests it wasn't as close as I'd hoped.

Left Cornerback

#1 - Anthony Anderson and Mike Edwards I think this really means that Anderson is the #1 for the first couple of games, but Edwards could take it so long as he keeps learning the system.

Right Cornerback

#1 - Art Evans No real surprise here. His name has come up quite a bit during practices, particularly for his interceptions.
#2 - Marsalous Johnson The depth is really nice in the secondary.

Strong Safety

#1 - Eric Berry
#2,436 - Darren Myles, Jr. and Prentiss Waggner Welcome to the competition for the guy that gets to replace Eric Berry next year. Don't worry; we won't be judging you according to Berry. Sure.

Free Safety

#1 - Janzen Jackson and Dennis Rogan I'm still a little surprised that Rogan gets moved around between corner and safety as much as he does. Jack of all trades, master of none? However it works out, I'd like him to have a more permanent home on the roster.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker

#1 - Daniel Lincoln
#2 - Chad Cunningham

Punter

#1 - Chad Cunningham His kicking strength is supposedly much better this year.
#2 - David Harrington
#3 - The Ghost of Colquitts Past

Kickoffs

#1 - Chad Cunningham
#2 - Daniel Lincoln

Punt Returner

#1 Nu'Keese Richardson I guess those worries about ball-catching weren't enough to sway the staff. Hopefully that means he's been catching better.
#2 - Dennis Rogan

Kick Returner

#1 - David Oku
#2 - Dennis Rogan

Deep Snapper

#1 - Morgan Cox
#2 - Nick Guess

Holder

Bram Cannon

In search of the Volscars' Bruce Pearl rap scene

Joel — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:26:53 -0000

The Volscars sound like incredible fun. Bobby Maze made an appearance to do his Put On for Tennessee, and then Renaldo Woolridge piped up with a portion of his Facebook BallerVols rap.

And then . . . and then Bruce Pearl appeared from behind a purple curtain, "dressed in an orange-and-white checkered jacket with sunglasses, a large silver necklace and a street-wise strut." First one to find and post that video gains the esteem of his colleagues. Go! Find!

[Note by Joel, 04/14/09 9:05 AM EDT ] And here it is (chest bump to raynoch46):

The line of the evening apparently belonged to Dane Bradshaw, who created a new award for Best Halftime Adjustment:

After allowing Kentucky's Jodie Meeks to score 26 points in the first half, the team went to work and made adjustments and held him to 28 in the second half.

Vladimir Richard apparently did a skit where he was some UT enforcement officer or something and tackled a secretary for not following protocol in remedying a paper jam.

Lane and Monte Kiffin performed a skit in which Lane drew up a play on the whiteboard and Monte made the defensive adjustments while Lane wasn't looking, foiling the whole thing, which fans are hoping is an accurate description of what's happening on the practice field.

Talking points: The T-2 is FULL OF LIES!

Joel — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:21:51 -0000

Two more practices and a scrimmage, and some spots are still up in the air. Both corners and free safety are unsettled in the secondary. Two of three LB spots are still up for grabs, and along the offensive line, folks are still moving around to different positions. Left tackle Chris Scott and guards Vladimir Richard and Jacques McClendon all appear to be part of whatever that line ends up looking like, but Josh McNeil is still in a fight for the starting center position with Cody Sullins. Right tackle is wide open, and could be filled by Cody Pope, Jarrod Shaw, William Brimfield, Aaron Douglas, or Dallas Thomas.
WRs. Gerald Jones is probably entrenched at one of the starting positions. After that, most of the talk is about Quintin Hancock, Austin Rogers, and Denarius Moore. Brandon Warren has his number back and is getting some attention, and the coaches say that he is "making progress" on the mental aspect of the position, but you have to wonder why, if that's the case, that's the thing they choose to say when asked about Warren.
One of the best things about the T-2? It's full of lies. Eric Berry:

It's hard to tell because of our disguises. A lot of teams probably won't be able to determine where the blitz is coming from ... or if we're blitzing at all. It's how we display our defense.
The QB play in 2008 was bad, but it wasn't the worst ever, according to Inside Tennessee's Randy Moore. That distinction goes to 1971, when Phil Pierce, Dennis Chadwick, Chip Howard, and Jim Maxwell went 71-179 (39.7%) for 951 yards with 16 INTs and three -- 3! -- touchdowns. Somehow, the team finished 10-2, though, so . . . wow. Moore gave second place to 1980 and dishonorable mention to 2005.
There is growing evidence that this team might actually have a killer instinct -- or at least it's being taught to have one. Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney says that the game plan will -- gasp! -- change on a weekly basis depending on the opponent's weakest link. Somebody remind us of this when we lose a game doing something different from what worked the prior week. Other new things: No hanging out in the weight room. Players have to wear matching gear and no jewelry, iPods, or hats. Don't expect an illusion this Saturday for the Orange and White Game like we were treated to last season. It may in fact be ugly for the offense, but remember that the offense didn't look all that bad in the O&W Game a year ago.
This quote from Gerald Jones might explain the height of futility last year:

This time last year, we were still making mistakes all around. The receivers didn't know where to go. The quarterback didn't know where to throw the ball, and the linemen didn't know who to block.

This sentiment came out in the media only as an "It's complicated" quote from one of the players.

Talking points: the SEC Tourney looms edition

Joel — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:43:24 -0000

Tennessee basketball

The Vols enjoy a bye for the opening of the SEC Tournament in Tampa today. This tourney is one aspect of Tennessee's recent historical basketball curse that has proven immune to the healing touch of Bruce Pearl. Up until last year, the team hadn't even advanced to the weekend for 13 years. Even last year, when we made the semis, it was only to suffer an upset loss to Arkansas. Is this the year we'll see some success in the tournament? Stay tuned. We'll play the winner of Vandy-Alabama tomorrow night. Each tourney win could mean a half-seed higher in the NCAA Tournament.

Tennessee football

The top cornerback in the nation, Lamarcus Joyner from Fort Lauderdale, has "knocked Tennessee to the curb" after receiving an offer from Southern Cal.
Who needs Orson Charles when 6'8", 250-pound tight end Brian Vogler is in the next crop of recruits?
Hmm. Arian Foster was not with his former teammates doing the Pro Day thing at Tennessee yesterday. He's going to do it later in California. Veek! Interpret as you see fit.
Lane Kiffin has identified the offensive line as the weak link on the team, and Vlad Richard wants to do something about it. So does Cody Pope.
The QBs and WRs are trying to develop some much-needed chemistry. It's not that there wasn't chemistry last year, it's just that it was the kind that disintegrates the high school biology lab and gets Mr. C terminated post-haste.
The Google of Football's defensive scheme calls for a nose guard and a defensive tackle instead of a right and left defensive tackle. Big Dan Williams will be the nose guy this year, most likely, which means he'll be lining up off one of the center's shoulders instead of opposite the offensive guard. Through the magic of Monte's contextual advertising, this Talking Point wishes to remind you that you can Protect your Broken or Injured Nose, Stay Active! Quick Shipping! by visiting ithacasports.com.

Lady Vols basketball

The Lady Vols has never failed to make the Sweet 16, and they don't intend to break that streak.