Smokies Post

Tennessee Vols Football Schedule: 2012 Is Officially Easier Than 2011 | Bleacher Report

2011-12-30T13:15:00.000-05:00

Tennessee Vols Football Schedule: 2012 Is Officially Easier Than 2011 | Bleacher Report:

Tennessee Vounteers Football: Which Seniors Will Be Drafted? | Bleacher Report

2011-12-30T13:14:00.000-05:00

Tennessee Vounteers Football: Which Seniors Will Be Drafted? | Bleacher Report:

DeAnthony Arnett Tennessee Transfer: The 5 Most Likely Landing Spots | Bleacher Report

2011-12-30T13:13:00.000-05:00

DeAnthony Arnett Tennessee Transfer: The 5 Most Likely Landing Spots | Bleacher Report:

SEC rolls out 2012 schedule based on division play - ESPN

2011-12-28T14:00:00.001-05:00

SEC rolls out 2012 schedule based on division play - ESPN:

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Missouri and Texas A&M will play their first Southeastern Conference games at home on Sept. 8, and Alabama will visit LSU in a rematch of the Bowl Championship Series national championship on Nov. 3.

The SEC released its first 14-team schedule on Wednesday with new members Missouri and Texas A&M as part of the conference.

Missouri will play the 2012 season in the SEC East and hosts Georgia on Sept. 8. Texas A&M will be in the West and hosts Florida. The first conference game will be Aug. 30 when South Carolina visits Vanderbilt.

Mike Munchak of Tennessee Titans has 'no interest' in Penn State Nittany Lions opening - ESPN

2011-12-28T13:57:00.000-05:00

Mike Munchak of Tennessee Titans has 'no interest' in Penn State Nittany Lions opening - ESPN:

Forbes List of most valuable College Football teams

2011-12-28T12:56:00.001-05:00

"College Football's Most Valuable Teams"

Tennessee Vols Football: 2012 Schedule Even Tougher Than 2011? | Bleacher Report

2011-12-28T08:35:00.001-05:00

Tennessee Vols Football: 2012 Schedule Even Tougher Than 2011? | Bleacher Report:

In 2011, Tennessee's schedule ranked as one of the toughest in the nation. The Vols played all three SEC West beasts—LSU, Alabama, and Arkansas—in a five-week span from October 15 to November 12.

As if that wasn't tough enough, Tennessee faced eventual SEC East champ Georgia the week before that stretch and SEC East runners-up South Carolina squarely in the middle.

With the official release of the 2012 SEC schedule just around the corner, one has to figure that next season's schedule could be even tougher than the 2011 version which the Vols finished 5-7.

Five Rising Seniors Enough to Establish Veteran Presence for UT in 2012 | Bleacher Report

2011-12-27T20:40:00.002-05:00

Five Rising Seniors Enough to Establish Veteran Presence for UT in 2012 | Bleacher Report:

Even with a short list of seniors to replace, Tennessee hasn't reached the point where it can simply count on another wave of veterans to step up and fill the leadership void. But the Vols are certainly getting closer as they head into coach Derek Dooley's third season with the program, and the pool of talent and experience in the current junior class appears to be deeper than the one on the way out — a group that was decimated by attrition and adversity.

Continue Reading on GoVolsXtra.com »

Mike LaSorsa, 1960 Captain, Dies at Age 77 | Bleacher Report

2011-12-27T20:36:00.001-05:00

Mike LaSorsa, 1960 Captain, Dies at Age 77 | Bleacher Report:

From GoVolsXtra.com on December 27, 2011

Mike LaSorsa, a Korean War veteran who came to Tennessee as a walk-on football player and finished his career as captain of the 1960 team, died Saturday at his Knoxville home, after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was 77.

Mr. LaSorsa started at left end in 1959 and 1960, playing at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, and wearing No. 81 on his orange and white jersey. He was 25 years old his senior season in Knoxville.

Continue Reading on GoVolsXtra.com »"

Tennessee | College Football Predictions 2012: How Every FBS Team Will Finish Next Season | Bleacher Report

2011-12-27T20:32:00.001-05:00

Tennessee | College Football Predictions 2012: How Every FBS Team Will Finish Next Season | Bleacher Report:

"Verdict: Higher"

Tennessee had a disappointing season that started with injuries and snowballed into poor play. The final blow was a 10-7 loss to Kentucky that knocked the Vols out of a bowl game.

The Vols will get an immediate boost with Tyler Bray playing fully healthy. If they can find a way to rotate in Justin Worley, they could be dangerous. Worley didn't play especially well this past season, but he was thrown into the mix after the Vols had to burn his redshirt. The Vols will have all their weapons at receiver back, too.

Tennessee will lose Malik Jackson up front, but return the rest of their defensive line and linebackers. The defense improved as the season went on (save for a loss to Arkansas) and will benefit from having more experience up front.

The Vols were ravaged with injuries this season. On top of it, they were young. Both factors will work better in their favor in 2012, and they will improve.

Tennessee Football: 10 Presents the Vols Hope to Find Under the Tree | Bleacher Report

2011-12-27T20:28:00.001-05:00

Tennessee Football: 10 Presents the Vols Hope to Find Under the Tree | Bleacher Report:

Tennessee Volunteers Football: 10 Most Important People in the Program | Bleacher Report

2011-12-27T20:25:00.001-05:00

Tennessee Volunteers Football: 10 Most Important People in the Program | Bleacher Report:

'via Blog this'

Tennessee Football: Which Players Will the Vols Miss the Most? | Bleacher Report

2011-12-27T20:20:00.001-05:00

Tennessee Football: Which Players Will the Vols Miss the Most? | Bleacher Report:

'via Blog this'

James Franklin: Derek Dooley's Worst Nightmare : Outkick The Coverage

2011-11-17T16:36:00.000-05:00

James Franklin: Derek Dooley's Worst Nightmare : Outkick The Coverage

Tennessee Football 2011: 10 Reasons the Volunteers Can Win the SEC East

2011-03-02T16:38:00.000-05:00

By Joel Barker

After rallying from a 2-6 record in its first eight games, Tennessee made a bowl game by pounding Memphis and Ole Miss and by continuing Vanderbilt and Kentucky's misery versus the Vols.

The most diehard of big orange fans always believe their Vols have a shot to win the SEC, but even the most realistic Vols fan will point to the four-game winning streak and 2010's incredibly talented freshmen contributors on this team as reason to hope for a championship in 2011.

While it's not likely that the Vols contend for the SEC East crown next season, here are 10 reasons this once-proud program could regain some of that pride in 2011.

The Ten Reasons:

Tennesse Football: Will Derek Dooley Win the SEC Title by 2013?

2011-03-02T15:51:00.000-05:00

By Mark Hancock

There has been a lot of debate in the national media for the past year on whether Lane Kiffin was the right hire for Tennessee's football program or whether Bruce Pearl should be fired from Tennessee's basketball program. One of the important issues that is not being discussed much—currently flying mostly under the radar—is whether Derek Dooley will win a Southeastern Conference Championship in football at Tennessee.

It has already been 12 years since Tennessee won their last SEC Championship. They will soon approach the longest drought in UT football history between such league championships. That was from 1969 to 1985, when they went 15 years without one, during the decline of the Bill Battle years and the long, slow climb out of the lean early years of Johnny Majors' tenure.

Is Tennessee any closer to winning an SEC Championship right now than they were in 2007 when they lost to LSU in in that Championship Game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, or than they were in 2004 when they lost to Auburn there, or than in 2001 when they also lost to LSU? That 2001 loss in Atlanta was the most heartbreaking Vol loss in recent years, since it denied them the chance to play for the National Championship again against Miami and to be the first SEC team to play in the Rose Bowl in 50 years.

Tennessee's recruiting, though it ranked reasonably high nationally this year, was still in the middle of the pack at best in the ultra-competitive SEC. The Big Orange numbers are low due to the attrition from the Phillip Fulmer and Kiffin years. Thus, they are very thin, with no margin for injuries, and Dooley has not shown a desire to over-sign to catch up, like so many other coaches do, such as Steve Spurrier, Gene Chizik, Kiffin, and even his own mentor, Nick Saban, have.

Dooley seemingly says and does all the right things, and Tennessee has a super football complex under construction that Dooley himself redesigned and added $9 million more to it in costs. That will give Tennessee arguably the best facilities in the nation, and they have tons of support, with the largest donor base in the country, having raised more money than any school in the nation in the past year.

Many of their fans, however, just don't see Dooley winning an SEC Championship in the next 2 or 3 years. If he doesn't win the SEC by 2013, will the UT administration keep him any longer than that, especially in the wake of Chizik and Saban resurrecting their programs to National Championships in less time?

So far, Dooley had a losing record at Louisiana Tech on his resume when he was hurriedly and almost desperately hired by Athletics Director Mike Hamilton a year ago, and has a losing record in his first year at UT. Maybe that will change by 2012, but will just winning eight, nine, or even 10 games a year in a padded 12-game schedule be enough, especially if they can't win minor bowl games like the Music City Bowl?

Every Volunteer alumnus wants Dooley to succeed. He is the son of a football icon, as was his predecessor. Time will tell if that is all he is in terms of being able to deliver on the field or if he is more on his own. Many have speculated that UT should have found a bigger name to succeed Kiffin. Hamilton's star will rise or fall with how well Dooley does, not whether Pearl stays or goes.

Will Dooley take Tennessee to their next SEC Championship? Or will it be his successor that does it? When will that Championship trophy come to Knoxville? Will it even be this decade? Those are big questions that must be answered over the next two seasons on The Hill.

Tennessee's Woes and Lane Kiffin: Who's Really to Blame?

2011-02-24T16:29:00.000-05:00

By John White

If you're on the farm, you ask logical questions about your day-to-day problems.

For instance:

Why is my garden destroyed? Answer: Someone let the goats out.

My hens are dead? Answer: Someone left the door open to the coup and a coyote raided it.

These are cut and dry answers to the simplest of questions.

Much like this question:

Why is Tennessee facing NCAA allegations of recruitment violations? Answer: Athletic director; Mike Hamilton left the coup door open.

Tennessee's troubles point to Hamilton

2011-02-24T08:59:00.001-05:00

By Pat Forde

ESPN.com

Volunteers AD should answer for transgressions of past and present coaches

Nineteen minutes after acknowledging on Twitter on Wednesday that the NCAA notice of allegations against his two most visible programs had been made public, Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton attempted to change the subject.

He re-tweeted the news that the Volunteers tennis team moved up from third to second in the final indoor rankings.

Well, let's hear a rousing rendition of "Rocky Top" for that one, Mike! Nothing better to rally the fan base than some tennis glory! How about a parade? You all are fond of naming streets on campus after athletic heroes; why not one for tennis coach Sam Winterbotham?

Obviously, Mike, you won't be naming a street for basketball coach Bruce Pearl anytime soon -- not with the allegations of unethical conduct and illegal recruiting officially filed by the NCAA enforcement department. And there will never be one named for former football coach Lane Kiffin, who also was charged by the NCAA for failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance, failure to monitor the activities of his staff and impermissible contact with recruits.

Just as clearly, there will never be a Mike Hamilton Avenue in Knoxville. And by the time this Big Orange dual-sport disaster of a case is finalized, there shouldn't even be a Mike Hamilton name plate on the door of the athletic director's office.

It's bad when the football program is charged with major violations. It's bad when the men's basketball program is charged with major violations.

When they both get charged at the same time? It's really bad. Fireable offense bad.

Blog reaction to Tennessee report

Tennessee's football program isn't in the clear, but the NCAA has Lane Kiffin in its sights more than the Vols program. Chris Low

• Miller: USC can probably breathe easy

• O'Neil: Dishonesty may haunt Pearl

If I were the president at Tennessee, the man in charge of an athletic department that has hemorrhaged credibility at an alarming rate in recent years would need a Committee on Infractions miracle to keep his job. Nothing short of an exoneration of both programs would be enough to spare Hamilton -- and chances of that happening are even smaller than the chances that Tennessee plays in the next BCS championship game.

Behind closed doors at Tennessee, Lane Kiffin is referred to sarcastically as the gift that keeps on giving.

2011-02-23T15:55:00.000-05:00

By Chris Low

Behind closed doors at Tennessee, Lane Kiffin is referred to sarcastically as the gift that keeps on giving.

His lasting “gift” was an NCAA investigation.

But with the release Wednesday of the NCAA’s notice of allegations, the guy who had to come in and clean up Kiffin’s mess, Derek Dooley, can finally see the finish line in this whole ordeal, one that has festered ever since Kiffin left town in January 2010 to the smell of burning mattresses.

Some of the students on Tennessee’s campus went into semi-riot mode the night it was announced Kiffin was bolting for USC.

The real riot, though, may be that Kiffin, even though he’s now on the West Coast, may be the one who gets spanked the hardest by the NCAA for his refusal to adhere to the simplest of NCAA rules and monitor his assistant coaches.

Even when warned, Kiffin found a way to sidestep NCAA rules.

What’s it all mean for Tennessee football?

The Vols are by no means completely in the clear, nor should they be. After all, current Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton is the one who hired Kiffin. But what is clear is that the NCAA seems a lot more intent on going after Kiffin than the Tennessee football program.

The violations outlined in the NCAA’s report could end up costing the Vols some recruiting visits, limit who goes out on the road during contact periods and maybe even dock them a scholarship or two, although precedent in similar cases suggests scholarship reductions probably won’t be one of the penalties handed down by the NCAA.

But the more serious charge of failure to monitor was slapped on Kiffin … and not Tennessee.

For Dooley and the current team, that’s a huge win.

Recruits have no doubt been pestering Dooley for the last year about what kind of punishment the Vols can expect to receive and whether or not major probation was on the way for the football team.

The Vols still won’t find out their specific punishment until after they go before the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions in June. But reading between the lines, at least based on what was in the notice of allegations, those penalties figure to be minor in nature.

Keep in mind, too, that there was real concern by Tennessee officials that the Vols’ football program would get hit with a failure to monitor charge along with Kiffin, but Tennessee fought hard against that the whole way and was able to avoid that stain on the program.

If there’s a hero for Tennessee in this whole mess, it’s senior associate athletic director David Blackburn, who was put in charge of football administration and operations during Kiffin’s 14-month reign of terror.

Blackburn, a stickler for doing things the right away and universally respected by everyone on Tennessee’s campus, tirelessly monitored the program under Kiffin and was continually warning Kiffin what he could and couldn’t do with regard to recruiting.

Sometimes Kiffin listened, and sometimes he didn’t listen.

The key element here is that Blackburn wasn’t in any way negligent. He obviously couldn’t go on recruiting trips with coaches and wasn’t around for every recruiting call, but he stayed on top of things. He watched. He listened, and he didn’t bury his head in the sand.

If not for Blackburn’s diligence and his professionalism, there likely wouldn’t be a finish line in sight right now for Tennessee’s football program.

In fact, the Vols might well be finished.

NCAA: Kiffin not compliant at Tennessee

2011-02-23T13:57:00.000-05:00

By Ted Miller

Pause for a moment and recall the worst relationship of your life. It's probably hard to remember why you came together -- the attraction was superficial, right? -- because the toxic outcome ended up redacting any fleeting, happy moments.

Speaking of redacting, USC received a notice of allegations today from the NCAA regarding Lane Kiffin's tenure as coach at Tennessee.

The NCAA alleges that Lane Kiffin, while at Tennessee, "failed to promote an atmosphere for compliance."And speaking of bad relationships, how many proved as toxic -- and lingeringly so -- as Kiffin and Tennessee?

Here's the short analysis of the 26-page document: Tennessee has successfully thrown Kiffin under the bus, and USC fans should be concerned because Kiffin apparently didn't make it very difficult.

There are three central allegations:

SEC spring preview: Tennessee

2011-02-23T10:39:00.001-05:00

By Chris Low

TENNESSEE

Start of spring practice: March 22

Spring game: April 16

What to watch:

Growing as an offense: The Vols were so young on offense last season that a lot of the time they were merely trying to keep their heads above water. But with the three true freshman offensive line starters a year older and quarterback Tyler Bray going through his second spring practice and being able to get his timing down that much more with receivers Justin Hunter and Da’Rick Rogers, Tennessee has a chance to really have its offensive attack humming by the fall. Having everybody together this spring and working under offensive coordinator Jim Chaney should only expedite the process.

Living in limbo: Janzen Jackson, the Vols’ star junior safety, will not be around for spring ball. He’s withdrawn from school this semester to deal with personal problems. Tennessee hopes to get him back for the fall, but there are no guarantees. Brent Brewer, a former minor league baseball player who really came on at safety the latter half of last season, is suspended indefinitely from all team activities following his arrest on a domestic assault charge. The Vols signed two junior college defensive backs, Byron Moore and Izauea Lanier, but they won’t be on campus until this summer.

Beefing up the front: The Vols really like promising defensive ends Jacques Smith, Corey Miller and Willie Bohannon and will be looking to bolster their pass rush with those three coming off the edge. Senior Malik Jackson will likely stay inside after moving from end to tackle last season and leading the Vols in tackles for loss (11) and sacks (5). But there’s still a huge need for more muscle inside. Junior college signee Maurice Couch will certainly help, although he doesn’t arrive until this summer. Montori Hughes is coming off a disappointing 2010 season. The Vols will be looking for all the bodies they can find inside this spring.

Vols set to release notice of allegations

2011-02-23T10:31:00.000-05:00

By Chris Low

The letter Tennessee has been waiting on for months has finally arrived, and university officials are set to release what they're accused of by the NCAA on Wednesday.

Sources told ESPN.com that the NCAA notice of allegations is in hand and outlines infractions involving the Tennessee football, men's basketball and baseball programs.

The allegations involving the football team go back to Lane Kiffin's turbulent 14 months as the Vols' head coach during the 2009 season, and some of the most serious charges revolve around a trip Tennessee recruiting hostesses took to Duncan, S.C., to see a pair of high school prospects the Vols were recruiting. One of those prospects is current Tennessee defensive end Corey Miller.

In particular, the NCAA was interested in what role Tennessee's coaches had in that trip to Byrnes High School by members of the now-defunct Orange Pride and whether or not that trip was properly reported to compliance officials. The coach at Byrnes, Chris Miller, said he called David Reaves the night of the trip to tell him about the Tennessee hostesses being there at the game and talking to the players. Reaves, who was the Vols' quarterbacks coach at the time and had South Carolina as one of his recruiting territories, was interviewed by NCAA investigators. Kiffin and former Tennessee recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron have also been quizzed by NCAA investigators.

Reaves, who is Kiffin's brother-in-law, did not go with Kiffin to USC and spent last season on the New Mexico staff as quarterbacks coach.

One of the more intriguing subplots in this whole deal will be what, if anything, follows Kiffin to USC and what degree of blame Tennessee places on him for the allegations the Vols are facing.

Tennessee will have 90 days to respond and is expected to go before the NCAA's Committee on Infractions in June.

While there are likely to be some penalties associated with the football end of this investigation, the feeling among Tennessee officials continues to be that those penalties won't be crippling and relatively minor compared to what Bruce Pearl and the men's basketball program could be facing.

A Saturday Tradition: Predicting Every UT Football Game Aired By CBS In 2011

2011-02-23T10:23:00.001-05:00

By Nathan Deal

Week Three: Tennessee Volunteers at Florida Gators (3:30 ET)

The first game aired by the SEC on CBS, as usual, pits the Tennessee

Volunteers against the Florida Gators.

Florida leads the all-time series against Tennessee 21-19. They have won the last six against the Vols.

Tennessee's football program is on the upswing in Derek Dooley's second year and could be the SEC's dark horse team.

Florida is going through changes after an 8-5 season that saw Urban Meyer retire (again) and Will Muschamp step in.

This looks to be a very close game with Florida breaking in a new style and Tennessee looking to make a name for itself in the SEC East race.

Tennessee Football Recruiting: Dooley Looks To Address Specific Needs For 2012

2011-02-22T16:24:00.000-05:00

By Ryan Wooden

Year number two always seems to be one of the more critical seasons for college football coaches in the SEC. Richt, Saban, Miles, Meyer, Chizik, and even Spurrier (at Florida) all took their teams to a BCS bowl in their second season with their current schools (except Spurrier as mentioned.)

So for Vols second year man Derek Dooley, the expectations are going to be high. And while it may not be reasonable to expect a BCS berth in 2011, Vol fans will be expecting marked improvement as many fans have set their eyes on 2012 as the year that the Vols will have an opportunity to re-establish itself atop the SEC East standings.

One key component to success in 2012, will be another successful recruiting haul for the Vols, specifically in a few key areas.

These are the Vols Top 5 recruiting needs for the Class of 2012:

Music City Bowl had $20M impact

2011-02-16T15:30:00.000-05:00

Nashville Business Journal

This year's Music City Bowl featuring the University of Tennessee Volunteers helped generate more than $20 million for the Nashville economy.

The bowl recorded a new record attendance of 69,143 and was the third sell-out in the last five years.

From the release:

The Bowl also reached new television viewership highs with a 4.92 national household rating delivering 7.1 million viewers. A total of 26,966 hotel room nights were booked with 41,486 out-of-town visitors attending the Bowl.

“During the past 13 years, the Bowl has produced more than $185 million in economic impact on our local economy and continues to be a positive contributor to Middle Tennessee’s business climate," said Christine Karbowiak, Bowl chairwoman. "These results significantly underscore the key partnerships that we have with the SEC, ACC and ESPN and the bright future that lies ahead.”