UT Picks Up Game Breaker at WR

Following one of the worst weeks of news in Tennessee Football history last week, UT fans now are breathing refreshing air.  First there was the news break that Derek Dooley had hired former Vol RB Jay Graham to coach RBs and now the announcement of one most sought after WR in the nation.

Today 4 star standout WR Alton “Pig” Howard from Orlando Florida Edgewater announced that he is a VFL!  Howard has been highly sought after and has 21 official offers according to rivals.  Howard is listed as  5’9” 178lb and runs a 4.4 / 40 time.  The addition to the current list of recruits is another emphasis this staff is committed to upgrading in speed.  It also is another message to the state of Florida that UT Assistant Coach Darin Hinshaw is a Beast in recruiting and continues to go into Florida and make UT known among top recruits.  

Expect Howard to make an immediate impact to this football team.  He plans to graduate from high school this month and he will enroll at UT in January.  This will allow him to begin workouts with team and get bigger, faster, and stronger.  This also means we will get to see Howard in the Orange and White Game.

The addition of Howard to this team will be dual threat.  He is athletic enough to run the Wildcat package and will defiantly be in the hunt and the mix in the return game.  Look for Howard to line up in the slot and attack the middle of the field against the 2012 opponents.  This addition to the team will only make this Passing attack more dangerous as Tyler Bray will now have another dangerous target to make plays in space!

Ladies and gentlemen welcome the “Pig”!

Go Vols

Radical 

My Therapy (Caution: Lengthy)

I’ve been eerily quiet the last month or so.  After some early season rants about Florida, Georgia, Conference Realignment, defending Derek Dooley, and countless pot shots at the ACC and other SEC teams, I felt the need to take a step backward after watching how poorly this year’s Tennessee football team has performed.  Over the last month, I’ve taken gut shot after gut shot, each and every Saturday.  Even when Tennessee beat MTSU and Vanderbilt, there were caveats I just couldn’t digest.

If I could just vomit on my keyboard and it would translate to this webpage, I would stop writing right now.  If I knew exactly what I wanted to say and how to say it, I would’ve posted a long time ago.  I am so disgusted and embarrassed with the state of Tennessee football.  I have never been more ashamed to associate myself with a brand.  Even as an alumnus, I would rather tell a complete stranger I’ve played all the LEGO games on Xbox, I’ve read the entire Harry Potter series, and I watch Glee and Grey’s Anatomy every week than to profess my love, loyalty, passion, and obsession with Tennessee athletics and all things bathed in the PMS151 shade of orange.  It’s too difficult to dodge the jokes and insults initiated by the word “Tennessee.”  It’s too painful to attempt to explain the reasons when asked “What the hell happened to Tennessee?”

I supported Lane Kiffin.  I loved the enthusiasm and the confidence.  I’m not one to talk a lot of trash (I pick my battles), so I didn’t agree with many of Kiffin’s media shots.  But damn it, he was OUR coach, and if OUR coach believes in what he’s saying and doing, then damn it, I’ll stand behind him and defend him.  Maybe this is the reason I (all of us) felt so betrayed when he left like a thief in the night.  Tennessee got their pants pulled down and exposed.  Lane Kiffin had us all believing Tennessee was a hot program, rapidly making waves in recruiting and media circles nationwide.  Maybe we were, hard to say now.  When Lane Kiffin jet for USC, he officially turned Tennessee into a mid-tier program.  Perhaps we were already a mid-tier program, but the orange-colored glasses and kool-aid kept the Big Orange Veil down in Knoxville.  We die-hards couldn’t see through or around it. 

Lane Kiffin ripped down the curtain and officially made Tennessee a stepping stone; a middle of the road program.  The type of school where a coach goes to build a resume to campaign for a better job.  This thought saddens me to no end.  Remember 1998?  What an awesome time.  Tennessee was a monster program in the 90s, we must be a football powerhouse, and everyone across the country must believe it also.  Unfortunately, Tennessee is far, far removed from 1998.  Tennessee has underachieved far more times than overachieved since, and I don’t see the trend changing.

Tennessee fans often wonder why ESPN shows us no love.  I’ve noticed, over the last two years, Tennessee gets about as much air time as every other school not in the top 25.  We just aren’t relevant outside the state, and especially outside the SEC. 

I support(ed) Derek Dooley.  I knew last year we were severely talent depleted, but we played hard against some really good opponents.  We were fed the youth and inexperience excuse, and I accepted it as truth.  This year started off so well.  Tennessee thumped Montana, then came out and mollywopped Cincinnati.  Tennessee was competitive in Gainesville, and it was obvious Justin Hunter’s injury was devastating to the entire team.  The ensuing weeks are inexcusable.  Dooley’s press conferences have gone from funny and sarcastic to insulting and annoying.  The VFL program seems like more of a crutch; a weapon to use against anyone saying negative things about the program.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to not be in the news for arrests and failed drug tests, but Dooley’s job 1 is to win football games, or at least it should be.  Designing apparel, modifying blueprints, entertaining the media, and making it difficult for former players to come back should be WAY down the list.

I completely understand the impact of firing Derek Dooley right now.  Four coaches in five years is nearly as bad as three in three.  For the program’s sake, Dooley has to be kept around to attempt to right the ship.  I don’t like it, but it is what it is.  Feelslike98.com has a wonderful article right now describing all the things Derek Dooley hasn’t done to warrant being the head coach at Tennessee.  17-20 in 3 seasons at Louisiana Tech should not get you into the Tennessee head coach conversation, let alone an interview.  But it did, and here we are. 

Change has to be made, if for no other reason than Tennessee's abysmal running and kicking games.  How can Tauren Poole go from over 1000 yards to under 700 in year two of an offensive scheme?  How can Tennessee accept such inconsistency with its place kicker and punters?  How can a team, second only to Alabama in bowl appearances, with the recruiting budget, facilities, and funding of Tennessee, be so broken and in pieces to the point no high profile coach would want to come here?  What is the turn-off at Tennessee?  Are we too passionate?  Are we too fickle?  Are we too demanding, nosey, or inquisitive?  You can’t tell me our fanbase is so ravenous it scares coaches away.  Is the pressure to win at Tennessee just too overwhelming?  I just don’t buy it.  Any of it. 

So, here we are.  We’re stuck, two years in, with a coach who STILL hasn’t proven he can win a meaningful game.  All I see is a laundry list of mismanaged games, poorly coached and out of position players, questionable play calling, no improvement, and I’ve yet to see a gameplan where I said “Damn.  We had ‘em.  If we had just a few more plays, we had ‘em.”  Sure, we’ve had flashes, but this staff’s inability to adjust is killer.  The first half of the Alabama game was masterful; however, Alabama realized we were stacking against the run, made an adjustment, and blew us out the 2^nd half.  Thus is the story of Tennessee football.  At least you could tell Lane Kiffin knew how to manage the game and put a plan together, whether he had the talent to win or not.

It really hurts when you see the positive momentum being generated by the in-state school to the West.  It also hurts to see Ohio State, fresh off of NCAA sanctions and in the midst of probation (sound familiar?), stick with the 1-year interim strategy (where is Kippy Brown?) and lands the hottest free agent head coaching name in college football today.  How can Ohio State rebound from a scandal in less than 18 months and move forward while Tennessee is still stuck spinning its tires. 

Does the Tennessee athletic administration (future or present) truly believe spending the money on a high dollar coaching staff is impossible?  I will never understand why we are unwilling to throw upwards of $4M / year at a head coach.  The return on investment and the economic boost to the Knoxville area would be gigantic.  Good Tennessee football is great for business.  Fans will spend more money on orange gear, spend more money at restaurants, spend more money in the bookstore, spend more money on, and at, the game, spend more money at the bar, and spend more, spend more, spend more.  See a pattern?  The bottom line: When Tennessee wins, everyone wins.  And I mean everyone.  You think enrollment went down after 1998?  Hell no. 

Here’s an example from my life.  I marched saxophone for 4 years in the Pride of the Southland marching band.  In 2002, the directors encouraged people to learn other instruments to realign the numbers.  The Pride was maxed out, easily at 350 people.  By the end of band camp in 2005 (fresh off of an SEC east title and a Cotton Bowl thrashing of Texas A&M), the band was making roster cuts to reduce the numbers.  Since the 2005 season (finished 5-7 with a loss to Vanderbilt), the band’s numbers have been declining at a steady rate, to the point the pregame drill (and the opening of the T) had to be made smaller so it was still able to be formed.  Kids want to be at Tennessee (and in the band) when the team is winning.  The football team’s struggles since 2005 and the Pride’s declining numbers aren’t exclusive from each other.

I won’t quote Einstein here about insanity, because we all know the quote.  Something has to change, and it has to change soon.  Tennessee fans are restless.  The decline of Fulmer and rise of Bruce Pearl really hurt the perception of the football program, and it gave Tennessee fans a taste of how an energetic and exciting coach can really boost a team.  Lane Kiffin decimated the remnants of Fulmer’s top recruits, and Kiffin's one class is labelled as one of the biggest recruiting busts of all time.  If Dooley has one saving grace, it’s his recruiting.  So far, the recruiting numbers seem to be stable.  I know all the negative discussion and “Fire Dooley” jargon can’t be good for recruiting, but I also imagine a 102k-capacity stadium with 75k people can’t be good either.

I’ll end with a quote from a friend of mine from Virginia Tech.  He’s from Richmond and hasn’t been tainted by Knoxville media in regard to his opinion of Tennessee:

" I feel bad for you and Tennessee in general.  Not sure what the heck is going on.  You guys should be able to land a big name coach and land some of the best recruits in the nation.  I never did understand the Dooley hire, but I never knew anything about him other than he coached at Louisiana Tech, which didn't exactly jump out at me as "the next Tennessee head coach". "

How are we supposed to get behind this guy (Dooley) and shower him with unwavering support?  Maybe it's just me, but I consider the loss to Kentucky to be unforgivable.  No matter what Derek Dooley does with the rest of his time at Tennessee, he'll always be the coach who lost to Kentucky. 

Hot Seat: Dooley Days are Counting Down

Before I begin let me say this post does not reflect everyone at RockyTopics.  This is a difficult situation right now, but I feel completely confident in saying Derek Dooley is not the man for the job at the University of Tennessee.

During the week of the Vanderbilt game I told folks if we lose to Vandy and UK Dooley will be fired.  After what we have seen over the last 24 hours it is easy to see what the fan base would be thinking if we had lost both of those games.  You don’t lose to Kentucky and Vandy.  You never lose to a Kentucky team this bad, and we did so Dooley better be glad he got that Vandy game to finish 1-7 in SEC play.

I realize our program is down.  We were not going to win a lot of games this year and I get that.  Dooley cannot help we have a depleted roster and a huge talent gap.  I have supported Dooley since he has been here, but I have disagreed with him as the man for the job since the day he was hired.  Look, I know he is not getting fired this year.  He is here for year 3…………. or is it 2 in Dooleyism?  Regardless of how long he has been here the overwhelming issue is Derek Dooley is not qualified to be the HC at a SEC school.

I know we have the speech police out there telling everybody to shut up because if you have an opinion and speak it you are hurting recruiting.  You know what sheep?  I pay for my season tickets, and they don’t give rebates for junk games in junk seasons.  DD is making major cash and I don’t feel sorry for somebody who makes 2 million dollars and the worse thing in their life is they lost a bunch of football games and people are mad.  Are you kidding me!  We are supposed to give them a break because they are a good guy! WTH is wrong with you people.  Derek Dooley is just like every other coach out there he does not care about the specifics of your life.  He has tons of people everyday tell him how much they love him, and you have a better chance meeting your US Senator who will help prepare a multitrillion dollar budget than to have a conversation with this guy or his peers.

Let me ask you this question.  If Tennessee was playing a game this week and Derek Dooley got food poison the night before and could not make it to the game would it make any impact to the outcome of the game?  Dooley has no credentials as a coach or as specialist of an area in the game.  What does he do?  Pick who should kick?  How in the world do people think Cheney should be fired but not Dooley?  Jim Cheney is 10X more qualified to be the HC then Dooley.  The only reason he isn’t a HC is because his appearance.  Dooley has the southern accent and good ole boy look and he gets 2 million dollars to point the blame at everybody but himself.  Incase you have not noticed I am urinated off!

Here is the bottom line Derek Dooley will be fired one day at UT.  My guess is it will happen next year after the South Carolina game. (Seems to be the normal time to fire a coach).  For all of you that are so worried about recruiting I can assure you that all we are doing is putting off the obvious.  He will not get it done and we will have to replace him.  Then next guy will come into a much better situation and that means the interest level in our program will be much higher this time among coaches looking for a change.  The next football coach at UT will be the highest paid coach in the Eastern Division.  The new AD knows how this works and he understands that the Athletic department keeps the lights on so he will not have a problem telling donors they are going to pay for the next guy.

The best thing Derek Dooley can do during this offseason is getting the biggest splash possible in recruiting.  If he has an in the pocket recruit he better get them to the podium to announce soon.  Then when the season begins he better win.  I hope he proves me wrong and turns out to be a great coach, but I think we all know what is going to happen.

Go Vols

Radical

Hot Seat: Derek Dooley Has to Start Winning

I want to be real clear about this right off the bat.  I do not want to see Derek Dooley lose his job, and more importantly I believe firing him would put this program further behind schedule to rebuild.  With that said I strongly believe there is a very good chance Dooley will be fired at the end of the year.

There really isn’t anybody out there saying this is even possible, but we live in a world dominated by sports in the moment and results are supreme.  UT fans by nature love their coaches.  We have never made a habit of firing coaches.  Most of the coaching changes in my lifetime have been around basketball but we have never seen a hair trigger firing.  So what could lead to an early dismissal of Dooley?  The answer is obvious Vandy and Kentucky.

Vanderbilt and Kentucky are the cesspool of the SEC.  These two programs are absolutely a disgrace to the conference.  Considering how bad these two programs are plus the thought of losing to them would lead to horrific images and sounds on the TV and radio.  If Tennessee loses to these two teams this year they will finish the season at 0-8 in SEC play for the first time in school history, and it will be the first time since 1964 Tennessee has lost to both teams in the same year.  It would also be their first 4 win season in 34 years and the first back to back losing seasons in 100 years of Tennessee football.

Do I think Tennessee will lose to both Kentucky and Vandy? No, but it is very possible.  From what I have seen so far this year there is absolutely no reason to believe Tennessee will beat Vandy.  Derek Dooley is 10-0 with the spread and 0-13 against the spread since he has been at UT.  The last time Tennessee scored in the 2^nd half was late in the game against UGA on Oct 8^th.  There is no way Tennessee can beat Vanderbilt if they do not score in the 2^nd half.  I know UT fans don’t want to hear that we are out manned against Vandy but we are.  You can say all day that Vandy is Peabody U and we have more talent but that is not the case.  Don’t get me wrong there is never an excuse to lose to Vandy!  However we are basically a Junior Varsity football team.  If you don’t believe me then take notice of the senior class this Saturday night when they come through the T and ask yourself how many of them have been contributors.  Just look at these numbers to grasp what type of football team we have.

§  Senior Class 13 players 4 starters

§  Junior Class 19 players 5 starters

§  Sophomore Class 35 players 7starters

§  Freshman Class 40 players 6 starters

My fear is that Tennessee will just pack it in after a loss to Vandy and then walk through the motions against Kentucky.  Even though UK is horrible you cannot just lie down and beat a SEC team.  Most people think Dooley has one more year.  Personally I think he needs two more years.  I want to be clear and say I am not a Derek Dooley fan.  I am a Tennessee Fan.  (I don’t care who the coach is as long as we beat Florida and Alabama.)  I did not want to hire him in the first place, and when we hired him I said we just hired another Mike Shula.  Ironically he has the same record as Shula at this point with a 10-13 record in his first 23 games.  Even though this is pathetic you cannot place all the blame on Dooley.  He has taken over a program that basically has been through a series of events that only major probation could create such an uneven class level.  This mess did not happen overnight and it will not be fixed over night.

The good news is Tennessee will be back.  We can easily see in recruiting circuits that UT has a lot of Pop out there and some nice prospects are starting to pay attention to UT. Peter Sirmon and Darrin Hinshaw are creating networks among 2012 and 2013 recruits that is going to pay off if their staff is still in place long enough to bring these recruits into the program.  Dooley and his staff will have a top 10 class this year based on what I have heard from the guys they have committed plus who they think they may get by February.  The 2013 class is also looking like there is a possibility to land a good class because the staff has had time to build so many relationships with high school players and coaches.

If Dooley can survive another year there will be enough players on campus to compete in the SEC, but he may never have the chance to coach a full roster.  If Derek Dooley is going to be a coach much longer at UT he is going to have to start winning games that he probably should not win, but for now he has to beat the teams we never lose to.

Go Vols

Radical

Response to the South Carolina Fans

Dear Cock,

Thanks for playing our game this week “How to make a Cock Pissed”!

The funny thing is we like USCjr fans.  So far you win the award for the most passionate about their schools pride.  UGA fans and FU fans are the cesspool of fan bases.  You guys are much more fun to be around whether it is in Knoxville or when I have been to Columbia.  As usual the Gamecock fans around me Saturday night were some of the most respectable fans that been to our stadium.  This is the very reason why I hope you guys win the East, but I seriously doubt you will.  

To be honest I did think we would win.  When you lose a player like Lattimore in this league it is tough to survive.  Just so you know I hated like heck to hear about his injury because he is a dynamic player and may have a chance to make a lot of money.  Win or lose I would have rather seen him on the field Saturday night.   

After we turned the ball over on the goal line in the 3^rd qtr I figured many of you were beginning to write your response to my last post.  This became very clear after reading posts, tweets, and messages asking to meet me so we could fight.  I offer no apologies to anything I said.  Your program has won 4 bowl games in 100 years and that is just the plain truth.  This current UT football team is the worst team in my lifetime and we will still win 5 games.  You guys went 1-22 in two years.  That is the definition of dumpster fire. 

By no means am I attempting to live in the past.  Sports are about the “here and now”.  I just wanted to share some facts that would ruffle Gamecock feathers to create fun and entertaining conversation.  We did not “Troll” on SC or internet sites as we were accused by some of you.  As a matter of fact 90% of the post’s traffic came from USCjr sites that require membership and annual fees.  I have never met anybody as juvenile who would pay money to be members of South Carolina online sports talk so don’t blame RockyTopics!    

  

I also will not make any excuse for why we lost.  UT should never lose to USCjr.  What I completely will stand on without question is your team is average at best.  Bama and LSU are head and shoulders above everybody in this conference.  You guys did not accomplish anything Saturday by beating us.  The Eastern division is terrible and the only reason you guys may win it is because nobody else is worth talking about.

For those of you who hate me than all I can say is, your school is a joke.  For those of you who loved the trash talk and shot back with fun and friendly competition then I say, we will see you next year in Columbia!

Until then,

Go Vols

Radical

South Carolina: The Story of Conference Expansion Mediocrity

With all the talk of conference expansion and the fact this is South Carolina week I wanted to take moment to share with you a simple fact.  If your team has been average or less in the history of the program than you can only expect to be an expected win for the other SEC opponents.  Take note Texas A&M and Mizzou fans!

Each year football fans look at their schedule and count the automatic wins and then of course try and determine what kind of record they can expect.  In the SEC there are a few teams we can look at expecting them to be wins.  South Carolina is always one of those teams.  I know the USC fan base is living in some allusion right now because they won the East last year, but the fact is that is the best they will ever do is a season like last year.  How good is that?  They got beat 56-17 in the SEC Championship game and finished the season 9-5.  When Steve Spurrier was hired at USC Lee Corso said “South Carolina will never win a SEC title”, and lets face it he is right.

Assume the Position

The “Yell Leaders” and the Mizzou fans need to learn something from USC.  Expect average.  South Carolina fans probably would say “hey RockyTopics” we beat you last year.  Our response is, “sure every once in a while you guys will win, but we promise you we will beat you way more than you beat us”.  Not even close! However the Big 12 refugees can rest assure in one thing and that is their programs are not near the dumpster fire as the Gamechickens.  You guys are more like Arkansas (another team yet to win a SEC title).  So don’t expect to be relevant!

Hope

Seriously USC will not beat UT this weekend.  The spread came out Sunday night -7 for USC and was -4.5 by Lunch Monday.  Why?  Because USC is nothing more than a homecoming game each year.  They are 1-4 against the spread the last 5 times they have played UT!  Do you think I am being unreasonable?  Well I say if you think they are a serious opponent then you have no idea how bad this program has been and still is.  In 20 seasons USC not only has yet to win a SEC title they have never won more than 9 games in a season, and they only have done that twice! Did you know USC all time record is 543-539-44 (.502)? 

Realistic Expectations

Although USC has had a break-even all time history, since joining the SEC they have only got worse in the last 20 years with a record of 115-116-1.  That is not even the worst figure to consider!  To prove to you how bad South Carolina has been and is do you realize their SEC record since joining the conference is 41-71-1?  That’s pathetic and reeks of dumpster fireness!

South Carolina is a joke and they are nothing to fear.  Today they are #13 in the country and they will not finish ranked.  They have only 1 loss coming into the end of October and this Saturday will be the1^st of 4 more losses before this season ends.  There has never been a season for the Gameroosters that they have won more than 5 SEC games and this year they will do well to win 4.  South Carolina truly is nothing more than a win to most SEC teams and I look forward the win this weekend!

Go Vols

RR

Spurrier and Staff working on Gameplan Typical Carolina Football

SEC: What 2 Watch 4 - Week 8

12:00, Commonwealth Stadium

Lexington, KY

ESPNU

Record [point spread]:

Jacksonville State (5-1, 4-0 OVC)
Kentucky (2-4, 0-3 SEC)  [-9.5]

W2W4: Jacksonville State has a recent history of beating bad SEC teams.  Look no further than Ole Miss just a year ago.  JSU knows they can compete, and Jack Crowe has the team believing they are better than Kentucky.  Led by Washaun Ealey (formerly of UGA), I think Jacksonville State is definitely primed to dominate the bottom of the SEC.  Kentucky is bad, folks.  Really bad.  They're slow all over the field, and their offense is atrocious.  If Jax State gets the momentum early, this could be a runaway game.

On a side note, Kentucky spent $200,000 on Big Blue Madness last week.  Want to know how much Kentucky plans to spend on its "football team and recruiting travel" in FY12?  You guessed it, $200,000. Link.  Can we now please officially label Kentucky as a basketball school?  And perhaps ship them over the ACC?

Prediction: Jacksonville State, 20-13

12:21, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium

Oxford, MS

SEC Network

Record [point spread]:

#9 Arkansas (5-1, 1-1 SEC) [-15.5]
Ole Miss (2-4, 0-3 SEC) 

W2W4: And attempting to take the bottom spot away from Kentucky, we move on to Ole Miss.  Are these folks tired of Houston Nutt yet?  Of course they are.  And you mean to tell me those Hotty Toddy-old cotton money-plantation-owning-so's-and-so's just west of the Mississippi can't afford a $6M buyout?  Give me a break.  C'mon Ole Miss, "Nutt" up and show you care about competing in the SEC.  On the other side of the field, Arkansas is rolling right now.  They were humbled by Alabama, but came back fighting against Texas A&M.  Now Arkansas is sitting at 5-1, #9 in the nation, and Tyler Wilson is showing why he was pre-season All-SEC.

Prediction: Arkansas, 38-3

3:30, Tiger Stadium

Baton Rouge, LA

CBS

Record [point spread]:

Auburn (5-2, 3-1 SEC)

#1 LSU (7-0, 4-0 SEC) [-21]

W2W4: If there were ever a battle of two luckier teams, I'd like to see it.  The Mad Hatter was forced to suspend 3 players for this game, and two of them are starters.  Spencer Ware and Tyrann Mathieu won't play against Auburn, but John Chavis will just roll in another playmaker, and Michael Ford will probably have a career game.  Auburn's ability to simply just make plays will keep this game much closer than the experts think, and I don't expect this to a be blowout.  I think Auburn will be able to run the ball, control the clock, and ultimately shorten the game.  I wouldn't be surprised if some crazy special teams play swings the momentum one way or the other.

Prediction: LSU, 27-20

7:00,  Vanderbilt Stadium

Nashville, TN

ESPNU

Record [point spread]:

Army (2-4)
Vanderbilt (3-3, 1-3 SEC) [-11]

W2W4: Vanderbilt surprised me last week against Georgia, in more ways than one.  First, they actually had a shot to win the game.  Second, Logan Stewart's RIDICULOUS chop block against Kwame Geathers.  SportsByBrooks has a nice summary here.  After the game, James Franklin stated he was changing the view of Vanderbilt forever.  He sure is.  And the SEC seems all for it, by suspending both Stewart and Geathers for half a game.  No way Geathers should have been suspended for his reaction.  No.  Way.

I don't expect the game to be close.  Vanderbilt's a little iffy stopping the run, but Army just isn't very good.  They'll play hard, but in the end, I think Vanderbilt probably scores on defense to pull away.

Prediction: Vanderbilt, 24-10

7:15, Bryant-Denny Stadium

Tuscaloosa, AL

ESPN2

Record [point spread]:

Tennessee (3-3, 0-3 SEC)

#2 Alabama (7-0, 4-0 SEC) [-29.5]

W2W4: Another week, another "sure loss" predicted from the experts in regard to Tennessee.  Sure, things look bad, but you never say never.  Stranger things have happened, and even stranger things have happened during the 3rd (4th) Saturday in October.  Sure, Trent Richardson runs in beast mode, and Alabama's defense is NFL-esque.  If Tennessee can run the ball effectively, avoid turnovers, and win special teams, I believe they have a chance.  Will it be easy?  Hell no, and it'll take a near-perfect game.  But this rivalry seems to have an effect on both teams, and only God knows what the effect will be.  Maybe Alabama overlooks Tennessee?  Maybe the confidence gained in the first half of the LSU game is enough to have Tennessee believing they can compete?  Maybe Devrin Young becomes the first Tennessee player to house a kick return in 8 years?  Who knows.  One thing I know for sure, I'm guaranteed to say "Buck Fama" at least 200 times on Saturday, and by the end of the night, I'll probably be saying it without the filter engaged.

If you're going to the game down in Tuscaloosa, be sure to stop by T-Town MensWear.  I hear they've got some great discounts.

Go Vols.  Buck Fama.

Prediction: Tennessee, 20-17

Third Saturday in October Part 3

Alabama………….. Do you know how many times that name has made me sick to my stomach?  During the 90’s through mid 2000 era many Vol fans thought that Florida was the big game.  As far as divisional play they are because of their success and the fact that they are the first SEC game of the year, but on many occasions I tried to explain to fans that Alabama is the game that matters.  If you are a UT coach and you want to keep your job then beat Alabama.  Alabama coaches who lose to Tennessee don’t last long either.  Now there is no need to explain how big this game is now, but it is not because of tradition as much as it is the success of Nick Saban and the Tide in the last five years.  To me it is all about tradition.

Before the SEC went to divisional play they had to play Auburn and Alabama every year.  Auburn was in the Florida spot of the schedule and Bama was the same place, “Third Saturday in October”.  In order to win the SEC then we had to beat both of these teams and to just have a chance you had to beat at least one of them.  As I wrote in my last post on this subject in 1985 we beat them both and I was in 3^rd grade.  What I had no idea was that the next time we would beat these two teams again in the same year would not come until 1997, my 3^rd year in college. 

One of three Bobby Humphrey's TDs 1986 Alabama 56 Tennessee 28

The Misery

In 1986 the #2 ranked and 6-0 Alabama Crimson Tide came to Knoxville to take on a 2-3 Tennessee team.  Alabama’s team was stout and led by QB Mike Shula, RB Bobby Humphrey, and Lombardi Trophy Winner Cornelius Bennet.  I was very confident that we were going to get our season on track by beating Alabama.  Shula threw only six passes and completed 3 of them and they beat us 56-28.  Have you ever seen your team give up 56 points to a team who only completed 3passes?  Humphrey ran for 217 yards and had 3 TDs. We were whipped from the moment we stepped on the field in those terrible orange cleats.  What I did not realize though is this was the only beginning.  When I was in school everybody ragged on me because they knew how much I loved UT.  Kids love a winner and they easily jumped on the Bama bandwagon.  Every year I was so confident that we are going to beat Bama, and then year after year it was nothing but defeat.

In 1990 the role was reversed.  A 2-3 Alabama team came to Knoxville to play the #3 ranked Tennessee Volunteers.  There was no doubt that this was the year that UT turned the streak back around on the Tide.  We were loaded with maybe the most talented team in school history.

The game was a slugfest and going into the 4th qtr both teams had yet to score a TD.  Early in the 4^th Tennessee FG kicker Greg Burke kicked a career long 51 yard FG to take the lead 6-3.  Not much time would pass and Phillip Doyle would tie the game for Alabama.  Andy Kelly had struggled to move the ball that day at QB so Johnny Majors put in back-up QB Sterling Hinton, and he gave Alabama a fit.  Late in the game Hinton was using his legs to move the ball and on a run up the middle he got hit and as he landed he broke his wrist.  After Hinton went out UT could not move the ball.  With 1:37 left in the game UT attempted what could be a game winning 50-yard FG.  I clearly remember this play.  I knew he would miss it, but I had no idea what was about to happen.  It was one of those moments that you never think of worse getting worse.  You see before that kick I remember thinking this is terrible we are going to tie these bunch of clowns 6-6.  I knew after he missed it they would not be able to move the ball on us.  However what I did not know is that we were about to lose the game.  When Burke Kicked the ball it sounded like somebody shot a gun.  The ball hit some Bama player and went flying back towards the Alabama goal line.  Now Burke kicked the ball from the Bama 40 yard-line.  The ball went flying in the air and it looked like somebody was throwing a Hail Mary towards the other goal line.  The ball landed out of bounds on the UT 37 yard line.  It may have only went 23 yards but considering they

could barely get a 1^st down on us and Phillip Doyle was one of the best Kickers in the country it might has well landed on the 1 yard line.  Bama ran three plays and gained six yards.  Phillip Doyle came in and kicked a 48-yard FG with no time on the clock and UT lost to Bama again.

Phillip Doyle 48 yard game winner 1990 Alabama 9 Tennessee 6

In 25 games UT had only lost 3 times.  All 3 times were to Alabama.  That game did something to me that I will never forget.  It was the first time I ever believed as a fan that UT would never beat somebody again.  I was 13 years old and I knew we would lose to them for the rest of my life, and as I walked out of that stadium and saw the Alabama fans laughing and celebrating I developed a relentless hatred for Alabama Football.

Go Vols

RR

DY19

For years, Tennessee's special teams has been one of the weakest areas on the field.  Between punt/kick coverage, punt/kick returns, kick-offs, punts, and field goals, you would be hard pressed to find a more disappointing or non-improving area of Tennessee football.

Even as late as the Florida game, Tennessee fans would wait with bated breath on every kick.  At times last year, Derek Dooley wouldn't even send a returner back to field the punt.  When the head coach doesn't trust anyone to even field a punt, how can a team even generate a positive outcome from a 3rd down stop?  A touchback is an accomplishment.  Oh what a difference a single player can make.  In just three games this year (Buffalo, Georgia, LSU), Devrin Young has rejuvenated kick-off and punt returns.

Now fans get excited when the opposing team trots out the punt team.  Now fans have a glimmer of hope after the opponent scores.  All DY needs is a seam, and we can re-take the momentum of this game!  He seems to have the perfect combination of quickness, elusiveness, acceleration, and vision to be a special, special player.  Against LSU, DY broke off a 60-yard return, and the stadium erupted like we'd just scored a go-ahead touchdown against the #1 team in the nation.

Tennessee has not returned a punt for a touchdown since 2003.  Mark Jones went 58 yards against Vanderbilt.  Tennessee hasn't returned a (non-on-side) kick-off for a touchdown since 2002.  Also Mark Jones, but this was 82 yards against Alabama.  Holy Johnny Majors, Vol fans!  Are you kidding me?  9 and 8 years between kickoff and punt returns, respectively??  I don't have any data to back it up, but I doubt you'll find any longer period of time between returns in any Division 1 football program.

Sure, we've seen flashes.  Nu'Keese Richardson and David Oku recently gave us hope.  Neither are still on the team.  Da'Rick Rogers had a really nice return last year against Kentucky, but he couldn't make it to the end zone.  DY hasn't gotten there yet, but I'm convinced he will.  Maybe he houses one this weekend against Alabama?  How awesome would it be?  It'd be like pulling down the orang-colored sun shade on the memory of Javier Arenas.

So many times Tennessee fans are left scratching their heads at players Tennessee doesn't sign.  Especially those from this area, who go play at other SEC schools, become All-SEC and All-America, and even make an impact in the NFL.  Randall Cobb should immediately come to mind.  DY may not be the offensive machine Randall Cobb was, but he's still an exciting player, and he definitely has big-play potential.  Derek Dooley took a chance on the little fella from Bearden High, and he's come in and made an immediate impact.  He basically walked in the door being proclaimed the savior of UT return specialists, and he's lived up to the hype.  He's even had an impact in the offense.  He's a small, quick, and elusive scat back who runs with a purpose.  He's not afraid of contact, and it's really exciting when he gets the ball.

Devrin Young is a high-energy player who didn't get away.  Tennessee went out an found a return specialist, and even though he was a 3-star recruit per rivals, Derek Dooley was confident DY could be the guy Tennessee needed.  Aside from dropping a weight bar on his chest, fracturing his clavicle, and missing 3 games, I see no reason to think he won't be a special player wearing the Orange for several years to come.

Recruiting Spotlight 10-19-11

This week’s recruiting spotlight athlete is UT’s most recent commit Trent Taylor.  Trent Taylor is a 6’3” 245lb DE senior at Lake Gibson High School in Lakeland Florida.  Taylor was initially committed to the University of Miami, but when the news of the Nevin Shapiro scandal broke Taylor started looking at other possibilities.  Trent Taylor took an official visit with UT on 9/3/11 during our game against Montana.  Trent Taylor stated that he felt right at home while visiting UT and committed to UT the following Wednesday 9/7/11.

Trent Taylor’s scouting report states that he is a power rusher who can ball rush, and a speed rusher.  Taylor has shown ability to quickly avoid pass blockers and get to the QB in a hurry.  He has good ability to get under the blocker’s pads and pushes them into the backfield or the QB.  Trent Taylor is a true hustler and never lets up or gives up.  Taylor is smart enough to stay in position and rarely gets caught in misdirection and can tackle with the best of them. 

Trent Taylor averages 5.3 tackles per game and .9 sacks per game.  He ranks 632^nd in sack rankings, 6883 in national tackling, 540th in state tackling, 141^st in state division, and 8^th in the league.  Taylor frame will easily hold 275lbs and with his hustle style of play he will make an excellent SEC DE.

Trent Taylor was recruited by Lance Thompson and Darin Hinshaw from the UT coaching staff.  Taylor established a very good relationship with Hinshaw and that relationship is believed to be the reason for the quick commit from Taylor.      

All VFLs know that we could use some help on the defensive side of the ball and a little pressure on the opposing QB is never a bad thing!  RockyTopics is excited to see what Trent Taylor will bring to UT!

Neyland and the Bear: Then and Now

The Tennessee and Alabama rivalry has plenty of traits to make it a storied tradition.  One characteristic which stands out is the coaches who have been involved in the rivalry.  There are not any two bigger names in College Football than Paul "Bear" Bryant and General Robert Neyland.  Now most people will agree with me on the Bear, but the Neyland part would most likely be viewed as a “homer’s” point-of-view.  However, if you look at the facts and consider Neyland never lost to the Bear, and basically taught him a lot about coaching, then he has to be one of the biggest legends in College Football.  Still not convinced?  Wait until you see the data.  Unfortunately for Neyland, he did not live long enough to see football evolve into the American iconic sport it is today;  therefore, he was never known personally by the media the way coaches are these days.   

Considering the history of the two schools, I want to look at the facts about how good these coaches were, and also compare them to two modern coaches.

The table below shows the careers of the Bear, General Neyland, Phil Fulmer, and Nick Saban currently to date.  Saban and the Bear have had HC positions at different schools, so I included a column for conference championships to reflect whichever conference they were in.  As you can see, the General finished with the highest winning percentage.  Even though Saban comes in last, he still has a very impressive record.  

Coach	Overall Winning Percentage	Years Coaching	Total Record	National Champs	Conference Champs
General Neyland	0.800	21	173-31-12	4	7
Paul Bear Bryant	0.760	38	323-85-17	6	15
Phil Fulmer	0.745	16.5	152-52	1	2
Nick Saban	0.723	16	141-53-1	2	4

Before I go any further, let me be very clear.  I despise Alabama, and I think Nick Saban is pond scum on the best of days.  Would I like him to coach my team? Absolutely!  But he is a perfect example of what is wrong with the game.  He does not care about Alabama.  I know Bama fans thinks he cares, but he doesn’t care about them or anybody else except for the guy signing his check.  He made it clear this week the Tennessee and Alabama game didn’t mean anything to him when he was asked about the possibility of the rivalry ending due to conference realignment.  The Bear played for Alabama and he hated Tennessee.  Phil Fulmer played for Tennessee and he hates Alabama.  Now we have two coaches, who are friends, with no ties to the school other than a contract.  Another point I want to make: I am NOT a Fulmerite.  I am simply sharing data to show how good these coaches are. 

So how good were these coaches?  Well, the record speaks for itself.  Let's look at one more data set.  In my lifetime, I don't know of any other coach who is clearly recognized as the very best at what he does besides Nick Saban.  Since becoming the head coach at Alabama, Alabama has been nearly unstoppable, and had it not been for Tim Tebow, Nick Saban would have another SEC and NCAA title.  You may have asked why is Phil Fulmer in the same category as these guys?  Glad you asked.  I chose about seven SEC coaches to compare to get a feel for the Bear and General Neyland.  This is when I noticed how successful all these coaches were.  If you asked anybody how good of a coach has Nick Saban been at Alabama, they would say "the best."  Did you know, as of this week, Nick Saban and Phil Fulmer have the exact same overall record?

Coach	First 5 Years	Record	National Champs	SEC Champs	Notes
General Neyland	0.895	52-2-3	0	1*	Southern Conference
Nick Saban	0.820	50-11*	1	1	Saban still has a possible 7 games left in his 5th year
Phil Fulmer	0.820	50-11*	0	1	Not included are the 4 games that Fulmer coached as the Interim HC during the 1992 Season which would have made him 54-11 (0.830)
Paul "Bear" Bryant	0.808	41-8-5	1	1	1st 5yrs at Alabama

What I find most interesting is none of the coaches accomplished, in their first five years at Bama or Tennessee, what General Neyland accomplished when he was hired at Tennessee.  In five years he lost only 2 games.  Could you imagine if he was living and coaching today?  How much money he would be worth?

When we look at these numbers, there are all kinds of intangibles which may have affected some of the records.  It is hard to say who is the best sometimes, but here is what I believe to be a fact: you are only as good today as you were in your last game if you are still coaching  .Once you have retired or have left this world, then you may get much better.  It kind of speaks to how sick sports have become.  With that said, I would warn fans today of wanting to get rid of your coach just because you are not #1.  After all, only one team can finish first, and I would not be surprised if one day Nick Saban wakes up and he is not #1 anymore.   

In closing, I just want to add this: no matter what kind of record a coach finishes with, in order for him to finish as a legend, he must embrace the tradition.  The General and the Bear are the type of men who made this sport the number one sport in America.  We need to keep this in mind when ESPN and Conference committees attempt to decide what is best for the game.  Hopefully we will have more guys to come along who love the School they work for and hate the one across the field.

Go Vols

RR