CFI Countdown: #24 Tennessee Volunteers

2008 Record: 5-7 (SEC: 3-5)
Bowl Game: Did not make a bowl
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
Stadium: Neyland Stadium (100,011)
Head Coach: Lane Kiffin
Overall: 0-0 (1st season)
@ Tennessee: 0-0 (1st season)
Link to UT Football Page

In case you hadn’t heard…there’s a new sheriff in Knoxville, and his name is Lane Kiffin. Whether or not you like Kiffin’s methods of calling attention to himself and his program, it is hard to deny that Monty’s son has infused the Vols with much-needed attitude and energy. Not to mention a talented recruiting class and star-studded coaching staff.

When the Volunteers Have the Ball

Offensive Coordinator: Jim Chaney (1st Season)
Scheme: Pro Style
Starters Returning: Six
Key Losses: OT Anthony Parker, RB Arian Foster, RB Lennon Greer (Left School), WR Austin Rogers (Injury), WR Lucas Taylor

Even with the status of highly touted and highly controversial recruit Bryce Brown—considered the number one tailback by most and the number one overall recruit by some—in limbo, Tennessee figures to have a solid stable of backs. Senior Montario Hardesty figures to be the starter on September 5th versus Western Kentucky, but he will be pushed by a pair of youngsters—sophomore Tauren Poole and true freshman David Oku, who joined Brown as a top-five back coming out of high school. Tight ends Jeff Cottam and Luke Stocker are solid, and the receiving corps has more potential than one would think at first glance. Look for juniors Gerald Jones and Brandon Warren, and senior Quinton Hancock to start to fulfill their potential, as well as big-play man Denarius Moore when he returns from foot surgery. The offensive line is very solid on the inside led by veteran center Josh McNeil, with fellow senior left tackle Chris Scott holding the key to the line’s success. The key to the team’s offensive success is quarterback, Jonathan Crompton, who has underperformed throughout his career to this point. He has room to improve when it comes to his accuracy, poise, and decision-making.

Top Pro Prospects: 1) C Josh McNeil (SR), 2) TE Luke Stocker (JR), 3) OT Chris Scott (SR)

When the Other Team Has the Ball

Defensive Coordinator: Monty Kiffin (1st Season)
Scheme: 4-3 Tampa Two
Starters Returning: Five
Key Losses: DE Robert Ayers, DT Demonte Bolden, LB Elix Wilson, CB DeAngelo Willingham, SS Demetrice Morley (Kicked Off Team)

Not only is Eric Berry the best defender in Rocky Top, he is hands down the top defensive player in the SEC (maybe the nation) and probably the most dynamic Vols player with the pigskin in his hands, evidenced by his amazing 487 return yards on 12 interceptions (14 yards short of the NCAA record). He leads what should be a talented secondary, which features speedsters Brent Vinson and Dennis Rogan with solid depth all-around. The defensive line looks to be in fine shape as well despite the loss of first-round pick Robert Ayers. Tackle Dan Williams a force on the inside and junior end Chris Walker is poised to bust loose in his first season as a starter. Rico McCoy, their best defender not named Berry, leads a mediocre group of linebackers from his weakside position. Remember, defense was not the problem last season—the Vols ranked 10th in the nation in scoring defense and third in total defense.

Top Pro Prospects: 1) SS Eric Berry (JR), 2) LB Rico McCoy (SR), 3) CB Brent Vinson (JR)

The Schedule

While everyone is pointing to their September 19th showdown in Gainesville (I wonder why?), the real Murderers’ Row comes in October when they face Auburn, Georgia, Alabama (on the road) and South Carolina—four probable bowl teams. They also make a trip to Ole Miss in November. If Kiffin can conjure up an upset versus Florida, Georgia, Alabama or Mississippi—no easy task—a nine-win regular season in year one is a possibility.

Pivotal Point

Considering the Vols finished 107th in passing offense, 110th in scoring, and 115th in total offense with the quarterbacks failing to complete half of their passes with a mere eight scoring strikes (nine interceptions), the easy answer is quarterback. But that would be too simplistic. It isn’t just Crompton—once the nation’s second-rated quarterback coming out of high school—who needs to live up to the recruiting hype. We are talking about defensive ends Walker, Ben Martin, and Gerald Williams, tackle Scott, and running back Hardesty, among others. Then of course, there are the stars—four- and five-star recruits, that is—of the 2009 class with wide out Nu’Keese Richardson and defensive back Janzen Jackson joining backs Brown and Oku in the youth movement.

CFI Final Analysis

With his bravado and antagonizing nature, no one has placed a bigger bull’s-eye on their chest than Lane Kiffin. But for all the hype and hoopla, as always, it comes down to one thing—wins and losses (I guess that’s two things). Many will be rooting for the Florida Gators to give the Vols their comeuppance—and they may—but that won’t stop Tennessee from bouncing back and winning nine games. It’s not how Kiffin’s first season starts, but how it ends which will count.

Check back tonight to see who is #23 in CFI’s Top 25 Countdown

Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media, Elizabeth Olivier, UTSports.com

CFI RANKINGS: #14 TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

2007 RECORD: 10-4; SEC: 6-2
Won Outback Bowl vs. Wisconsin 21-17
LOCATION: Knoxville, Tennessee
STADIUM: Neyland Stadium (102,038)
HEAD COACH: Phillip Fulmer
OVERALL: 147-45 (16 seasons)
AT TENNESSEE: 147-45 (16 seasons)

There are high expectations in Rocky Top. Many are focusing on the fact that Tennessee hasn’t won a conference title since 1998 when they went a perfect 13-0 and won the BCS Championship. It doesn’t help that the Florida Gators won it all in 2006 and are led by Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow or that the Georgia Bulldogs ended last season ranked No. 2 in the country and enter this season at No. 1. The Vols did win the SEC East last season, but will be hard pressed to make their way back to the SEC Championship game in 2008.

WHEN THE VOLS HAVE THE BALL

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Dave Clawson (1st Season)
OFFENSIVE STARTERS RETURNING: 8
KEY LOSSES: Erik Ainge, LaMarcus Coker, Brad Cottam, Chris Brown

Jonathan Crompton is entering his first season as the starting quarterback and he is set for success. Tennessee returns all five starters along the offensive line, a line that allowed only four sacks the entire 2007 season for an offense that aired the ball out over 500 times. Joining Crompton in the offensive backfield is Arian Foster who, barring injury, will leave Knoxville as the school’s all-time leading rusher. Backups Montario Hardesty and sophomore Lennon Creer are capable ball carriers. Also returning are the Vols’ top three receivers, Lucas Taylor, Austin Rogers and Josh Briscoe—all three had 50-plus catches for at least 500 yards last season. Look for super soph Gerald Jones to break out as a receiver and runner—he will even line up in the shot-gun at times. Crompton remains unproven but the highly touted signal caller has the strong arm and athleticism to flourish.

TOP PROSPECTS: 1) WR Gerald Jones (SO), 2) OG Anthony Parker (SR)

WHEN THE OTHER TEAM HAS THE BALL

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: John Chavis (14th Season/20th at Tennessee)
DEFENSIVE STARTERS RETURNING: 6
KEY LOSSES: Jerod Mayo, Jonathan Hefney, Ryan Karl, Xavier Mitchell, Antonio Reynolds

The Vols’ secondary is stacked, beginning with the dynamic duo of Eric Berry and Demetrius Morley at safety. Berry lived up to the hype in his true freshman season, while Morley returns after missing last year due to off-the-field issues. They are talented at cornerback as well, where sophomores Dennis Rogan and Brent Vinson are competing for playing time. Junior LB Rico McCoy leads the front seven and should take over for Jerod Mayo and the lead the club in tackles. He’s undersized, but is a blur once he gets his sights set on the football and he packs a wallop when he gets there. The key will be the play of a pair of seniors along the defensive line, DE Robert Ayers and DT Demonte Bolden. Each is physically gifted, but neither has reached the lofty expectations set for them.

TOP PROSPECTS: 1) SS Eric Berry (SO), 2) LB Rico McCoy (JR)

THE SCHEDULE

The Vols start the season on the left coast for a second straight year and expect better results at UCLA than they had in Berkeley last season (a 45-31 loss). The schedule does not get any easier when they return to the southeast, as Tennessee takes on two top ten teams (Florida, Auburn) in September and a third (Georgia) by midseason. They make trips to Auburn and Georgia, and while they play host to the Gators, Tennessee has struggled against their rival—Florida has won three in-a-row overall and three of four in Neyland Stadium. A 4-2 start would be impressive. In the second half of the season they must take on the Tide, as well as visit the ‘Cocks, but could end the year with six straight wins.

PIVOTAL POINT

D-Fense: Last season, Tennessee finished tenth in the SEC in scoring defense with the second worst pass defense in the conference. Opponents completed nearly 60 percent of their passes for an average of 6.8 yards per attempt—the second highest in the SEC. Their run defense wasn’t that much better, allowing 165 yards per game (they averaged 139 yards) and 4.2 yards per carry. Overall, they finished in the bottom half of the conference in turnovers forced, total defense, pass efficiency, first downs allowed, Red Zone defense and third down defense. That’s not vintage Tennessee football. Regardless of how well Crompton performs, if the defense does not step up, Tennessee will not challenge Georgia or Florida for the SEC East.

CFI FINAL ANALYSIS

If the Vols were in any other conference in America they would have an excellent chance to be considered a top ten team and would surely be among the favorites in the Big East and ACC, and prime challengers in the Big Ten and Pac-10. Alas, they are in the SEC and have to deal with life in the toughest, deepest, most talent rich conference in all the land. They are not a national title contender, but if they can win one of their early season division battles against Florida or Georgia (whom they defeated 35-14 last season), Tennessee could surprise. At the very least, the folks with the checkered end zone who sing “Rocky Top” should not be counted out…that’s when they are at their most dangerous.

Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media

November not kind to Vols' Ainge

By RON HIGGINS

If it's November, it must mean that Tennessee senior quarterback Erik Ainge is crossing his fingers while knocking on wood.

Because the way Ainge's Novembers have gone throughout his college career, he needs all the help he can get entering Saturday's game against Arkansas in Knoxville.

As a freshman in 2004, he separated his shoulder in a 17-13 home loss Notre Dame on Nov. 6 and didn't play the rest of the season.

As a sophomore in 2005, he played the entire game in a 41-21 Nov. 5 loss at Notre Dame, trying to repair badly damaged confidence from being benched earlier in the season.

And last season as a junior, after severely spraining an ankle in a 31-24 win at South Carolina on Oct. 28, Ainge played just one series in a 28-24 home loss to LSU on Nov. 4 and didn't play a down in a 31-14 loss at Arkansas on Nov. 11.

"I want to stay healthy and keep winning, that's the goal," said Ainge, who has thrown for 2,138 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. "We ended last year on a rough note (losing three of the last five games, including a 20-10 loss to Penn State in the Outback Bowl).

Last week's 59-7 blowout of lowly Louisiana-Lafayette was a welcome sight for Ainge and the Vols' offense. The previous two weeks, in a 41-17 loss at Alabama and a 27-24 overtime win over South Carolina, the Vols had been outscored in the second half and in overtime by 41-6.

Against Louisiana-Lafayette, the Vols led 24-0 at the half. From that point, Tennessee was able to empty its bench and work on some new wrinkles, such as its G-Gun formation, in a live situation without fearing mistakes might lose the game.

"Any time you get a lead like that, you can run some different packages, different plays, get some young guys in the game to get some experience," Ainge said. "We ran the ball well. We did what we wanted to do in the passing game. It was a good way to get ready for Arkansas."

Arkansas is one of three SEC teams Ainge hasn't beaten as a starter. There's the feeling that if Ainge had played in last year's game instead of backup Jonathan Crompton, the Vols, at the very least, would have produced enough offense to keep Arkansas' explosive, run-oriented attack off the field. Crompton was 16-of-34 for 174
yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and he was sacked four times.

Instead, Arkansas led 28-7 at halftime. By that time, Tennessee's offense had gone three downs-and-out on 4-of-7 first-half possessions. After the opening two quarters, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden had outgained the Vols by himself, 128-117.

It wasn't a pleasant situation for Ainge, sidelined with the bum ankle and watching his team fall apart on national television (ESPN) and not being able to play before a stadium full of Hog-calling fans "I remember their offense had a great game," Ainge said. "We did some good things on offense, but we weren't as sharp as we needed to be. Our best players didn't have great games.

"Arkansas played really well. I'm not saying it can't happen again. But sometimes you play better than you are, and sometimes you play worse than you are. They (Arkansas) played one of their best games against us last year."

Vols' coach Phillip Fulmer recalled Crompton did the best he could under the circumstances, but ... "Erik manages games exceptionally well, and we missed him last year," Fulmer said. "We're glad he's healthy and he's able to play."

Because Ainge is full speed this time around, Arkansas certainly expects more of a fight than last season.

The Razorbacks' 17-point win last year was Arkansas' largest victory margin in its three wins in the 15-game series, and even then Tennessee scored a consolation TD on the Hogs with 30 seconds left to play.

"We had a lot of respect for Crompton, but Erik Ainge has more velocity on the ball and seems to handle things better," Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. "We need to get some pressure on him and not give up any big plays to his receivers."

Source: Scripps Howard News Service; Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media

Vols outlast No. 15 Gamecocks in OT, 27-24

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- All those complaining about Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer will have to quiet down for a while. The Volunteers are in position to play for a conference title again.

Daniel Lincoln kicked a game-tying 48-yard field goal with 5 second left, then provided the only points in overtime, and Tennessee recovered after blowing a big lead to beat No. 15 South Carolina 27-24 Saturday night.

The victory, coupled with No. 20 Georgia's victory over ninth-ranked Florida earlier Saturday, puts the Volunteers (5-3, 3-2) atop the Southeastern Conference's Eastern Division. The Vols are tied with Georgia but hold the head-to-head tiebreaker after beating the Bulldogs earlier this month.

Lincoln got two chances to force overtime. He hooked a 43-yarder wide left, but a false start penalty on the Vols gave him another chance. This time, Lincoln sent the 48-yarder through to tie the game at 24.

Then he won it with his 27-yarder in overtime.

Steve Spurrier came in with his Gamecocks (6-3, 3-3) in charge of the East and needing to win out for South Carolina to become the first SEC team other than Tennessee, Florida or Georgia to win the division title.

But Ryan Succop, who gave South Carolina its only lead of the game at 24-21 with 1:24 left with his own 49-yard field goal, was wide right on a 40-yarder on fourth-and-8.

Fans filled talk radio shows calling for Fulmer's firing after the Vols were embarrassed in a 41-17 loss to Alabama last week. Fulmer's in his 16th season at Tennessee, but his last SEC title was in 1998, when the Vols also won the national championship. Their last SEC East title was 2004.

The Vols have been good, but that's not good enough for many in Knoxville.

Georgia gave the Volunteers a fresh opportunity in the SEC East before they took the field Saturday night and Fulmer's guys came through - barely.

South Carolina came in looking for its best start since 2001. But two of its four turnovers came in the final 6:52 of regulation. Spurrier threw his headset to the turf in disgust after Blake Mitchell, who came off the bench in relief of Chris Smelley, overthrew Kenny McKinley on third down.

That forced the Gamcocks to settle for Succop's field goal.

Tennessee had gained only 70 yards in the second half, but got a huge lift from LaMarcus Coker on special teams after South Carolina took the lead. He took the kickoff up the right sideline to the 31, stopped and went back across the field to the left to set up a struggling Erik Ainge at the 47.

It didn't help.

Three plays later, Caspser Brinkley sacked Ainge after the Vols used their last timeout. Ainge spiked the ball to stop the clock with 9 seconds left.

Lincoln came in and made the longest kick of his career when it counted most.

South Carolina chose to start on defense in overtime, and the Gamecocks held Tennessee to Lincoln's field goal.

But Mitchell bobbled the snap on the Gamecocks' first play, and his pass to Cory Boyd resulted in a 5-yard loss. He found Freddie Brown for a short pass, then Mitchell overthrew McKinley in the left corner of the end zone.

South Carolina outgained Tennessee 501-317 and held the ball for more than 36 minutes. Boyd finished with 20 carries for 160 yards and a 29-yard touchdown run.

Mitchell was 31-of-45 for 288 yards, and he ran for a TD and threw for another, an 8-yarder to McKinley that tied it at 21 in the fourth quarter.

Arian Foster and Montario Hardesty each ran for touchdowns, and Ainge threw for a TD and 216 yards on a night where he bounced a handful of passes and overthrew others.

The Vols improved to 6-1 in overtime. This was South Carolina's second overtime game and first since Sept. 27, 2003. Both were in Knoxville, and the Gamecocks now have lost both.

SOURCE: NCAAFOOTBALL; PHOTO CREDIT: SEC SPORTS

Dawg Daze: Vols take down No. 12 Georgia, 35-14

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Tennessee reminded Georgia who owns Neyland Stadium.

Arian Foster rushed for 98 yards and three touchdowns, Lucas Taylor made the most of his very short time as a quarterback and Tennessee put an emphatic end to No. 12 Georgia's winning streak in Knoxville with a 35-14 victory Saturday.

It was Georgia's worst loss since the 2003 Southeastern Conference championship, a 34-13 loss to LSU, and coach Mark Richt's first loss at Tennessee. The Bulldogs had won their last three games at Neyland.

It also was the most points allowed this year by Georgia (4-2, 2-2 SEC).

Tennessee (3-2, 1-1) began this year with high hopes, only to find itself struggling after a tough loss to California and a rout by Florida. The running game was patchy and the defense wasn't much better, and the grumbling about coach Phil Fulmer had already started.

But a bye last weekend worked wonders for the Vols. They went after the Bulldogs from the opening kick, and never let up. Tennessee scored on four of its first five possessions, showed it really did have a running game and made the Bulldogs look more like a work in progress than a top-15 team.

Montario Hardesty rushed for 68 yards and a score, and Erik Ainge was 17-of-22 for 165 yards. Taylor threw for a touchdown on his second career pass, and added six catches.

Georgia managed only two first downs in the first half, and didn't cross midfield until after halftime. The Vols shut down elusive running back Knowshon Moreno, holding him to only 30 yards - more than 50 below his average. Thomas Brown ran for 20 yards before an injured shoulder sidelined him for the second half.

Matthew Stafford threw for two touchdowns and 174 yards, but was under pressure much of the day. He finished 16-of-33, and threw one interception.

Though Tennessee has several different backs to choose from, the Vols had struggled to get their running game going early in the season. Not this day.

Alternating between Foster and LaMarcus Coker, Tennessee ground its way down the field on its first possession before Foster scored on a 9-yard run to give Tennessee the early lead.

The Bulldogs nearly picked Ainge off on Tennessee's second series, forcing the Vols to punt. But they came right back and showed they've got a few things in their offense that could make the SEC East race interesting.

On the first play of the second quarter, Ainge took the snap and faked a handoff before giving the ball to Taylor. With the Georgia defense collapsing to stop the run, Taylor - who also threw a pass last season - launched a long throw that Coker hauled in down the left sideline. There wasn't anybody close to him, and he scampered into the end zone to put Tennessee up 14-0.

Georgia's defense had been solid against the run, but they looked out of synch Saturday. When Hardesty barreled into a pile of defenders in the red zone, he simply spun off of them, veered right and ran into the end zone.

Foster gave Tennessee a 28-0 lead at halftime with a 22-yard run.

The Vols weren't quite as aggressive in the second half, but they didn't need to be with Georgia struggling.

The Bulldogs are starting three freshmen on the offensive line, and they'd held OK so far. But there was little room for Moreno and Brown to run Saturday.

When Stafford did have time to throw, somebody was on his receivers. He did find Kris Durham for a 24-yard catch early in the second half that got Georgia across midfield, and found Demiko Goodman two plays later for a 26-yard touchdown.

Tripp Chandler caught a 2-yard scoring pass with 6 minutes to play, but any hope Georgia had of rallying ended on the next series, when Stafford was intercepted.

Source: ncaafootball; Photo Credit: SEC Sports Media