A Vol Voice

Tiger High at Tennessee Vols: Homecoming!

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:44:00 +0000

The 2-6 Memphis Tigers are going to be in Neyland stadium Saturday evening to face off against the 4-4 Tennessee Volunteers. After last week’s convincing win over the Gamecocks, the Vols aren’t planning to look over the Tigers after hearing who Memphis coach Tommy West was making jokes about this week.

And Tennessee players Eric Berry and Montario Hardesty definitely aren’t pleased, with Berry stating that “Those comments didn’t sit well with me […] and really it’ll be a physical game.”

Tennessee really hasn’t needed bulletin board material this season, but it never hurts to have something to keep the team focused for a game that they might normally have overlooked. We’ll just have to see whether the Tigers can back up their jokes.

Last Three Games

**Memphis’s Last Three Games**
Opponent	Result
UTEP	W 35-20
at Southern Mississippi	L 16-36
East Carolina	L 19-38

This Memphis team really just hasn’t performed this season, and the last three games reflect that. Southern Mississippi and East Carolina beat them by safe margins, and their only win was against a struggling UTEP team.

This Memphis team reminds me of the one in 1988 that liked to talk up a big game:

“As we approached the game site, fans of the Memphis State Tigers lined the street and chanted “Oh-and-six! Oh-and-six! Oh-and-six!” The Vols limped into that ’88 game with an 0-6 record, so MSU’s players and fans were drooling at the prospect of posting their first win in series history. UT had won the previous 11 meetings but this Tennessee team appeared terribly vulnerable. The defense was so bad that coordinator Ken Donahue had resigned one game earlier.”

“Vol fans chanted ‘Oh-and-twelve!’ after beating the Tigers 38-25.”

Oh how I would love to see something like that this season.

**Tennessee’s Last Three Games**
Opponent	Result
Georgia	W 45-19
at Alabama	L 10-12
South Carolina	W 31-13

The Vols have been playing well ever since the Auburn loss on October 10th, and the team just plain appears to be clicking now. The last two teams that have entered Neyland Stadium have left with their tails between their legs, and I can’t expect this game to be any different.

Tennessee needs to keep the momentum going with a big win over the Tigers tomorrow to quell any doubters, though some fans will never accept the obvious.

**Statistical Analysis**
Category	Mem Rank	Mem Avg	UT Rank	UT Avg
Total Offense	70th	367	59th	380
Rushing Offense	80th	134	42nd	172
Passing Offense	46th	232	72nd	208
Scoring Offense	102nd	21	46th	29
Total Defense	100th	417	13th	282
Rushing Defense	105th	198	25th	108
Passing Defense	61st	219	15th	174

Tennessee has a substantial lead in all but one category. Jonathan Crompton has been playing tremendously better the past few weeks, though, and I would have to argue that the defenses he has faced have been just a bit stouter than the defenses that Memphis QB Will Hudgens has been throwing against.

Other than that category, though, you can see that Tennessee’s defense is as stout as ever, and the offense appears to be catching up. This will be a good stat padding game as long as the Vols take care of business first.

Offense
Memphis’s offense looks fairly average for most NCAA teams, but it is a bit worse. Their QB Hudgens has only played in some games this season, and he hasn’t been the clear-cut starter.

The Memphis running game has been lackluster so far this year as well, having only one big game against UTEP which led to their win. I don’t expect to see the Memphis offense doing much of anything against this tough Vol defense.

The Tennessee offense looked lackluster against South Carolina at times compared to the Alabama game, but I don’t expect that to be the norm. Lane Kiffin opened up six positions for players to compete for because he was disappointed in last week’s offensive performance. We should see definite improvement this week.

Defense
The Memphis defense, as can be seen from the stats, has been abysmal this season. They’re giving up almost 200 yards each game on the ground, so you can bet that Hardesty and Bryce Brown get a ton of carries this week. We might even see David Oku getting some as well so that he gets more experience for next year.

The Tennessee defense is disproportionally better than the Memphis offense. It’s really not even close, with the only blemish on the Tennessee roster being safety Janzen Jackson not starting, though Lane Kiffin won’t acknowledge a suspension.

Maybe this week we will see Eric Berry break the interception record as this would be a good one to do it on, but I’m really done trying to predict it.

Three Key Points

Don’t let it be a letdown game. After the rough stretch of games that the Vols have played in, they might be tempted to look past Memphis to Ole Miss next week. Remember Ohio? That game was ugly, and I do not expect to see anything like that this Saturday.
The running game should get 200 yards. I don’t know if this is a key to the game per se or just a prediction of mine, but I firmly believe that the Vols should run all over this Tigers defense. Hardesty will be all over the place, but we might see a big performance from freshman Bryce Brown as well.
Freshmen need to play well. I think we will start to see a bigger role for the freshmen in the coming weeks as Tennessee’s easier part of the schedule hits. This doesn’t mean the seniors won’t be making as large of contributions, but November is a good month for young players to get experience and Kiffin will most likely give them more playing time this month.

Prediction – Memphis 3, Tennessee 42

I normally don’t predict this big of a margin for games, but I firmly believe that the Vols should dominate Tiger High this Saturday. Memphis is worse than usual this season, and the Vols should be looking to impress upon the nation that they’re better than their record indicates.

Sometimes that requires you to just give a beatdown to other teams, and this is a good week to do that.

Around the SEC: Week 10

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Review of Last Week’s Picks

Ole Miss at Auburn
My pick: Ole Miss
Winner: Auburn 33-20

Georgia at Florida
My pick: Florida
Winner: Florida 41-17

Eastern Michigan at Arkansas
My pick: Arkansas
Winner: Arkansas 63-27

Mississippi State at Kentucky
My pick: Kentucky
Winner: Mississippi State 31—24

Georgia Tech at Vanderbilt
My pick: Georgia Tech
Winner: Georgia Tech 56-31

Tulane at LSU
My pick: LSU
Winner: LSU 42-0

My record: 4-2

Overall – 24-8

Auburn eludes me yet again with a win over Ole Miss. One week they’re playing horrible and the next they’re beating down Ole Miss. Jevan Snead did not have the game I thought he would, throwing two picks against the Tiger defense.

Arkansas beat Eastern Michigan in convincing fashion after the loss to Ole Miss last week, Georgia Tech slammed Vanderbilt, and LSU looked sharp with a beatdown of Tulane.

Mississippi State beat Kentucky in Lexington, which was a surprise to me. I always thought the game was a toss up though, and Kentucky’s two lost fumbles and one interception sealed the win for the Bulldogs.

Florida, not surprisingly, basically destroyed the Bulldogs at the World’s Largest Cocktail Party. What was surprising was watching Brandon Spikes try to permanently impair a Georgia running back’s vision. Then after this wasn’t even called, what was more insane was Urban Meyer complaining about the officials missing a call on the great Tim Tebow. I’m surprised Mike Slive hasn’t sent a firing squad to take care of the official who missed the call.

Speaking of complaining about the referees, didn’t Slive just create a rule stating that coaches cannot publicly criticize officials. Hmm, he might be in trouble on this one. It seems he has pinned himself into a corner after creating a new bylaw because he doesn’t like the way a certain coach (READ LANE KIFFIN) is acting, and now his favorite coach Urban Meyer has done the same thing.

What’s Slive going to do about it? So far, nothing. And if I had to guess, that’s all we’re going to see. I would be very surprised if he was actually suspended for a game.

South Carolina (6-3, 3-3) at Arkansas (4-4, 1-4)

What to look for: South Carolina has been famous in recent years for falling apart in the latter part of the season, and it’s suspiciously beginning to look like that again this season. The last three games have borne two losses and one win (two points over Vanderbilt). The last loss against the Vols came with four turnovers as they killed themselves. The Razorbacks have had a bad year in the SEC, losing a couple close ones and just plain getting beat in others. Whichever team has their confidence back will win this one, and after Arkansas’s recent win over Eastern Michigan I think Ryan Mallet rallies his team with a win over the Gamecocks.

My pick: Arkansas

Tennessee Tech (5-3) at Georgia (4-4, 3-3)

What to look for: While despairing Georgia fans may predict this one as a loss, this should be a good game for the Bulldogs to get their act together. Tennessee Tech has just come off of a win over Tennessee State, and while that might energize them they don’t stand a chance against the Bulldogs.

My pick: Georgia

Eastern Kentucky (5-3) at Kentucky (4-4, 1-4)

What to look for: Yet another SEC school with a pathetic team on the schedule. Even though UK lost to Mississippi State last week, they’ll run all over this EKU team. Expect Derrick Locke and Randall Cobb to have big games Saturday.

My pick: Kentucky

LSU (7-1, 4-1) at Alabama (8-0, 5-0)

What to look for: The SEC game of the week, and it shouldn’t disappoint. Earlier in the year LSU couldn’t find their offense while Alabama had an offense at the beginning of the season and has now lost part of it. Expect the Crimson Tide to be well-rested and well-prepared after their bye week, and as much as I dislike them after the field goal block on Tennessee, I have to pick Alabama. LSU’s offense just won’t be able to do much against Alabama’s stout defense, plus it’s in Tuscaloosa.

My pick: Alabama

Vanderbilt (2-7, 0-5) at Florida (8-0, 6-0)

What to look for: Vanderbilt actually looked better last week against Georgia Tech, but the Yellow Jacket rushing attack eventually wore them down. Florida’s offense hasn’t been spectacular this year (quite boring compared to recent years), but they’ll stomp all over the Commodores this week in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Even without Brandon Spikes, Florida will somehow survive.

My pick: Florida

Northern Arizona (5-3) at Ole Miss (5-3, 2-3)

What to look for: This is getting ridiculous. I know Tennessee played Western Kentucky this season, but at least they’re FBS or 1-A or whatever they call it now. The SEC needs to ramp up its scheduling, especially after this recent article about how Boise State can’t get anyone to schedule them.

My pick: Ole Miss

Gators Still A Bunch of Thugs?

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +0000

So apparently the SEC hasn’t stopped picking their favorites for this season. In the Florida-Georgia game on Saturday, Florida basically put the smack down on the Bulldogs. Normally, in rivalry games such as these, the losing team gets frustrated and starts doing stupid things because of their anger.

Someone needs to tell that to Florida LB Brandon Spikes, who attempted to basically stab the Georgia player in the eyes. It’s one thing to hit someone helmet to helmet (which you hear a lot of fuss about now), but it’s another thing to maliciously attack another player with the intent to permanently disable them.

Here’s the video:

Urban Meyer needs to get his act together and control his team because this is just despicable. He should face criminal charges for this, absolutely ridiculous.

So what does Meyer do to take control of the situation? He suspends him of course! But being the great man he is, he decides to only suspend him for the first half of the Vanderbilt game.

Vanderbilt. The laughing stock of the SEC. Meyer at least has a chance to suspend the kid for a game and look halfway decent (should suspend him for season IMO), but he’s not even confident enough in his team for the Commodore game next week to suspend him for the entire game.

"I don't condone that," Meyer said. "I understand what goes on on the football (field), but there's no place for that. We're going to suspend Brandon for the first half of the Vanderbilt game. I spoke with him. That's not who he is. That's not who we are. He got caught up in emotion."

Well isn’t that just great, I’m glad the Vols aren’t playing the Gators again this year because I sure don’t want to see Hardesty get up from a play with no eyes.

Remember when Oregon’s LeGarrette Blount suckerpunched a Boise State player and was suspended for the entire season? Well, I have to say that punching someone will only leave a nasty bruise, but gouging someone’s eyes out leaves them with a permanent disability. I commend the Oregon head coach Chip Kelly for teaching his players a huge maturity lesson.

Well, at least we have the SEC to overrule such a light punishment!

Oh wait, there’s more important things than protecting our student athletes. The SEC accepted Florida’s punishment of Brandon Spikes because they sure don’t want to do anything to hurt their product (aka Florida vs Alabama in the SECCG).

Now I love the SEC and everything, but this is absolutely pathetic and a blatant display of favoritism. I can only hope that karma comes back to haunt the Gators as they start to reclaim their Thug U title.

South Carolina Turns it Over to Tennessee

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:11:00 +0000

The game was both surprising and exactly what I expected. I knew Tennessee was good enough to beat top 25 teams such as South Carolina, but I didn’t know that South Carolina would hand the game over on a silver platter to the Vols. But I’m not complaining, and the fact that UT took those turnovers and turned them into touchdowns put the game out of reach early for the Gamecocks.

Prediction – South Carolina 10, Tennessee 20
Actual – South Carolina 13, Tennessee 31

Well hrm, I feel like my prediction wasn’t too bad, and barring the three turnover touchdowns I would have been closer (given that UT would have scored touchdowns by other means). Regardless, I was glad to see the Vols hold the Gamecock offense to 13 points and yet score 31 points themselves.

Any doubters still out there? Oh, I’m sure there are still plenty of Vol- and Kiffin-haters out there, but at least they’ve been squelched for the moment. Lane Kiffin has turned a 5-7 team around and placed them in a position never thought possible last season.

The Vols could finish the season 8-4 and go to a pretty good bowl game, all things considered. And while Tennessee hasn’t returned to elite status yet and won’t for at least two years, their outlook has never looked any better.

**Team Stats**
Category	USC	UT
Time of Possession	26:35	33:25
First Downs	19	15
Total Yards	365	341
Rushing Yards	65	199
Passing Yards	300	142
3rd Down Conversions	4-15	3-14
Turnovers	4	0
Penalties	4 – 35	6 – 40

Tennessee won the time of possession battle by about eight minutes. That’s surprising considering the number of quick scores that the Vols had off of turnovers, but given how stagnant the offense was at times, it’s not too surprising.

South Carolina had more first downs, as usually happens in a lopsided game because of turnovers.

A telling stat in this game is the balance of the Tennessee offense. South Carolina never could get a consistent running game going, so Garcia had the game on his shoulders with his 50 passes (half of which were completions) for 300 yards.

The Tennessee offense, on the other hand, ran the ball 40 times for 199 yards, and only threw 24 passes (half of which were completions) for 142 yards. Before the Crompton haters come out of the woodwork again, realize that he did what he needed to do and got two touchdowns in the process, also with zero picks thrown. He did great.

Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown, though, both had good days on the ground against a USC rushing defense that just hasn’t been able to stop teams from running all over them this year.

Both teams did pretty horrible in the third down conversion department, but of course the real telling stat is the turnover category. South Carolina fumbled the ball three times and threw one interception later in the game, and when you do that you pretty much have no chance of winning.

Three Key Points

Jonathan Crompton and this Tennessee offense have to keep showing the doubters that it isn’t a fluke, but the offense is actually good. Everyone expects Crompton to drop back into his former self for this game, but after the way he’s played lately I think that he’s found his new self. As long as he keeps playing smart, the Vols win.
Jonathan Crompton definitely played smart, with zero interceptions on the day and two touchdowns. The offense, though, underperformed on drives that weren’t a result from turnovers, and I think that Lane Kiffin will address any problems this week. Overall, the offense did what they needed to do and put South Carolina in a big hole early that they couldn’t dig themselves out of.
Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown need to have a big day on the ground. They haven’t been tearing it up the past few games the way they were earlier this season, but I fully expect them to blow South Carolina away with the running game this week, provided that USC doesn’t stack the box. But hey, the passing game will just flip the switch and start throwing downfield then.
Montario Haresty ran for 121 yards and Bryce Brown had 60 yards on the ground. I’d call that a good day against a top 25 SEC team. When you get that many yards rushing during a game and win the turnover battle, you’re probably not gonna lose. The Vols rushing attack stepped up to the challenge and played a great game.
The Volunteer defense needs to show no mercy. This Tennessee defense is just plain fantastic, and I can’t see anything different happening this game. If they shut down this South Carolina offense the way Auburn shut UT’s down earlier this season, they can wear the USC defense out and score some big points. I really think Tennessee’s defense is going to have another solid game this week.
The South Carolina offense scored one touchdown during the game off of a fantastic catch by WR Moe Brown, but other than that they couldn’t get near the endzone. This Volunteer defense is looking better and better each game, and they even held the Gamecocks to 4 of 15 on third downs. They shut down the run game and forced the Gamecocks to pass, but they did a good job of also keeping pressure on Garcia and forcing the offense to make mistakes (see four turnovers). Great game for the Tennessee D.

Halloween Party at Neyland Stadium

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:04:00 +0000

Tomorrow night in Knoxville, TN, Tennessee faces the South Carolina Gamecocks. This is an extremely exciting game for Tennessee fans because it will dictate how the rest of the season goes. Win, and Kiffin looks like a genius (already does IMO) as the Vols set the tone to be feared in the coming years. Lose, and while the season can still be salvaged, other teams won’t give Tennessee the type of respect that they want.

It’s most definitely a big one for Tennessee and the Vol coaches. I think we’ll see a tough fight in a loud Neyland stadium, as it’s been rocking all year long.

Last Three Games

**South Carolina’s Last Three Games**
Opponent	Result
Kentucky	W 28-26
at Alabama	L 6-20
Vanderbilt	W 14-10

The last few South Carolina have been extremely rough, with both of the home games being decided by an average of three points and getting beat by Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

And it’s not like they pulled out a tough win against a good team at home, but instead they actually only scraped by both Vanderbilt and Kentucky. The Kentucky game just shows how susceptible South Carolina is to the run, and the Vandy game… I don’t know what it shows.

Vanderbilt only just passed 250 yards of total offense and still held on tight until the fourth quarter when the Gamecocks finally reached the endzone to finish off the Commodores. Garcia did have a great game, something to note, along with Alshon Jeffrey (What? He wasn’t pumping gas).

Overall, this schedule implies that either USC plays down to their opponents levels or has just struggled on offense. Something interesting to note, the Gamecocks are 1-2 on the road this season with their only win over North Carolina State, who is 3-4 this season.

**Tennessee’s Last Three Games**
Opponent	Result
Auburn	L 22-26
Georgia	W 45-19
at Alabama	L 10-12

Tennessee’s schedule is just as strange. They got beat by Auburn, then blasted Georgia back to Athens, and lastly lost an insanely close game to the Crimson Tide. If I didn’t know better, I’d say Tennessee had a fluke game against the Bulldogs.

What I can see, though, is that this Tennessee team has started to click. The offense is connecting, and the defense is, as usual, dominating football games. If the Vols come out with revenge mentality this week (and they should), expect a big game against the Gamecocks.

Category	USC Rank	USC Avg	UT Rank	UT Avg
Total Offense	67th	366	56th	385
Rushing Offense	70th	137	43rd	168
Passing Offense	47th	229	64th	217
Scoring Offense	93rd	23	47th	29
Total Defense	14th	289	10th	270
Rushing Defense	70th	148	33rd	114
Passing Defense	3rd	141	6th	156

Tennessee leads in five out of the seven categories, and I would say that the passing defense is basically a stalemate. The passing offense, too, isn’t exactly what it seems with great performances from Jonathan Crompton the past two games.

South Carolina’s susceptibility to the run will play a huge role in this game, as will Tennessee passing game (whether it keeps going strong or not).

Offense

South Carolina’s offense is in the middle of the pack in terms of yardage, but like Crompton, Stephen Garcia has been playing much better as the season’s progressed. His 11 TD – 4 INT ratio shows that he’s been keeping it safe, but he has thrown interceptions against good defenses this year.

The USC running game isn’t as good but really isn’t far behind. You won’t see any Heisman tailbacks in the backfield, and I really don’t expect the Gamecocks to run over Tennessee on Saturday after watching the Vols hold Alabama’s Mark Ingram to less than 100 yards.

Tennessee’s offense, the Achilles’ heel of the team earlier this season, has been playing exceptionally well the past two games. Crompton had the best QB performance of anyone over the Crimson Tide this season, and while Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown weren’t busting out 20+ yard runs, they still kept the focus on the running game.

We’ll see a lot more of Hardesty and Brown against the Gamecocks, with maybe a little bit of David Oku mixed in. Kentucky and Alabama had over 200 yards on the ground against them, and it’s a known flaw in this USC defense.

Defense
The South Carolina defense, as I’ve pointed out, has been unable to defend the run this season. This weakness has been exploited by opposing teams in order to either beat USC or at least give them a scare.

What I haven’t pointed out is their fantastic pass defense. Ranked third in the nation, this pass defense has kept USC alive all season. They’re averaging 2.25 sacks per game with five interceptions. That said, they haven’t played any passing juggernauts but still held Ole Miss’s Jevan Snead to 107 yards.

Tennessee’s defense has been nothing short of amazing. They haven’t allowed a touchdown in two games, and with Monte Kiffin’s recent declaration that he’s not retiring anytime soon, UT fans can be extremely pleased.

Safety Eric Berry and LB Rico McCoy are going to have to play big against South Carolina to keep them off the field. That hasn’t been a problem so far this year, and I don’t expect it to be. If Tennessee can stop South Carolina (3 and out preferred), then they can wear their defense down until Hardesty and Brown can run at will.

Three Key Points

Jonathan Crompton and this Tennessee offense have to keep showing the doubters that it isn’t a fluke, but the offense is actually good. Everyone expects Crompton to drop back into his former self for this game, but after the way he’s played lately I think that he’s found his new self. As long as he keeps playing smart, the Vols win.
Montario Hardesty and Bryce Brown need to have a big day on the ground. They haven’t been tearing it up the past few games the way they were earlier this season, but I fully expect them to blow South Carolina away with the running game this week, provided that USC doesn’t stack the box. But hey, the passing game will just flip the switch and start throwing downfield then.
The Volunteer defense needs to show no mercy. This Tennessee defense is just plain fantastic, and I can’t see anything different happening this game. If they shut down this South Carolina offense the way Auburn shut UT’s down earlier this season, they can wear the USC defense out and score some big points. I really think Tennessee’s defense is going to have another solid game this week.

Prediction – South Carolina 10, Tennessee 20

I’m insanely excited about this game tomorrow because it’s such a huge one for the Vols, and I think it’s time to show the country (again, but maybe they’ll listen this time) that this new Tennessee team is for real. Lane Kiffin has proved he can coach, but now he needs to pull out a big win over a top 25 team.

Tyler Bray: Undefeated and Preparing for Next Season

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:50:00 +0000

I posted a video a while back about Tennessee’s top recruit QB Tyler Bray in which he threw a few touchdown passes, giving us a glimpse of his arm. Volnation recently caught up with Bray and asked him a few questions about how he’s doing this season and his future as a Vol.

Some quotes from Bray:

“We are doing really good, we sit at 6-0 right now […] To be honest, we just have a really good team and this town loves it’s football and we have grown up winners. We have 33 seniors out of 43 players on varsity […] A big reason we do so well is because we are balanced as a team. Our running back is really good and getting over 100 yards a game and then our offense is getting 400 plus yards a game while our defense only gives up around 100.”

“I’ve thrown for 1500 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only had three picks so I’ve been doing pretty good. […] I put on a few more pounds and am now up to 203 and it’s helping me take the hits and stay strong.”

“Coach Reeves is telling me I can come in and play early if I do well so I’d like to try and get out there and see if I can compete and play as a true freshman.”

I bolded the first two statements because it points out a quality that I like about Bray, he’s not selfish. Already as a senior in high school, he is pointing out that the reason the team is so good is not just because of him, but it’s because they all work well together. From a quarterback, who is supposed to be a leader, this is an invaluable quality.

My next point is that he has been gaining weight and is now up to 200 lbs. That may not sound like a big deal, but if he goes into the SEC too skinny he could get knocked around and hurt easily.

There was another Vol QB that was incredibly skinny, Peyton Manning. So maybe we don’t want him to gain weight.

Lastly, as can be seen from the last comment, the coaches are definitely pitching the early playing time.

While that’s a no duh kind of thing, it’s still something to notice. Unless Bray comes in next year and just can’t handle the difference in speed compared to high school, I see him as the definite starter. Stephens obviously isn’t going to be playing, and the only other possibility is the junior college quarterback Matt Simms.

Still, I think Bray is going to be “Kiffin’s guy” next year.

The Visalia Times-Delta has an article in which they interview Bray after a game.

Kingsburg (Bray’s team) beat Central Valley 49-7, and to many it just showcased more of Bray’s talent. In this game, Tyler was 19 of 25 with 244 yards and two touchdowns. That’s quite impressive.

The article also states that Bray was “exhibiting a throwing arm that is unmatched in the Central Section, and throughout most of the state,” and that he connected on 3 of 4 passes in third and fourth down situations. It’s good to note that he is getting some practice in tough situations and still playing well.

I also found a video of Tyler Bray at ESPN making some nice throws, it’s worth checking out.

I’m always on the hunt for new information about this quarterback, but one thing that came up last week after the Bama game was interesting.

My brother, dad, and I were laughing at the fact that next year we might actually see a drop off at quarterback if Crompton keeps performing the way he has been the past couple of games. I don’t think any of us would have guessed that before the Georgia and Alabama games.

What do you think about Bray? Will he be as good as he’s being hyped? Express your opinion via the comment system.

Around the SEC: Week 9

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:42:00 +0000

Review of Last Week’s Picks

Arkansas at Ole Miss
My pick: Ole Miss
Winner: Ole Miss 30-17

UL Monroe at Kentucky
My pick: Kentucky
Winner: Kentucky 36-13

Vanderbilt at South Carolina
My pick: South Carolina
Winner: South Carolina 14-10

Auburn at LSU
My pick: Auburn
Winner: LSU 31-10

Florida at Mississippi State
My pick: Florida
Winner: Florida 29-19

My record – 4-1

Overall – 19-6 (Including UT-AL game)

My Auburn pick was completely off. I thought they were a better team than they actually are, but they went to LSU and got obliterated. Kudos to LSU for putting together an offense this game and putting 31 points on Auburn.

Arkansas couldn’t handle Ole Miss after the loss to Florida. Mallet hasn’t been playing good lately, and it’s essential for him to make the plays if the team is going to win. The Rebels really never seemed to struggle against the Razorbacks, amassing 553 total yards on the day.

I didn’t watch the UK-ULM game, but I was yet again impressed to see Kentucky’s running game performing with 185 yards on the ground. South Carolina survived a scare against Vanderbilt that’s made some Tennessee fans overconfident going into the game this week.

The Florida-Mississippi State game was closer than I thought it would be, as the Bulldogs played the Gators close. Tebow had a terrible game, throwing two pick sixes, very uncharacteristic for him.

Two plays after the Gators pulled away at 23-13, Mississippi State QB Tyson Lee had a pass picked off by Florida LB Dustin Doe, who ran it back for a touchdown.

Yet again though, the refs missed some key things. Doe started celebrating before reaching the endzone and had the ball knocked out of his hands, but that’s not all! He also appeared to step out of bounds, but the play was ruled a touchdown after review. If it had been overturned, MSU could have had the ball back or maybe been on defense against the Gators in the redzone.

Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen had a few things to say after the game:

“I don't even know why we have replay right now in the Southeastern Conference if they're not going to utilize it.”

“That's twice now that they've blown calls on the replay with our games, resulting in big plays, and I think that's unexcusable for that official. I hope he's severely punished if he ever works another SEC game again, because I think it's completely unacceptable.”

Lane Kiffin had already made some comments about the officiating during the Alabama game, which he has been reprimanded for. Mullen was livid, and he later got, as Lane Kiffin calls them, “one of those letters that mean nothing.”

It’s a well known fact among SEC fans that the conference has lately become horribly officiated, and it’s ridiculous in my opinion that coaches cannot speak out about it. There have been many bad calls already this season, and I’m glad that coaches aren’t staying quiet about it.

I’ll get on to my SEC picks for the week.

Ole Miss (5-2, 2-2) at Auburn (5-3, 2-3)

What to look for: Ole Miss QB Jevan Snead had a great game last week, throwing for 332 yards against an Arkansas team that had held Florida to 23 points the week before. I have to finally admit that Auburn isn’t as good as I would like them to be after watching them beat the Vols earlier this season. Since entering the meat of their SEC schedule, the Tigers haven’t been producing. So I have to believe that Ole Miss beats Auburn in Jordan Hare, and I think Snead will have a good game.

My pick: Ole Miss

Georgia (4-3, 3-2) at Florida (7-0, 5-0)

What to look for: Though Florida’s offense has been struggling this season, I can’t see them having a bad enough game against Georgia to not come away with a win. The Georgia D has been struggling all year, and they’ll have an especially tough game against a Tim Tebow who is looking to recover from the Mississippi State game. I think Tebow plays well, and Florida wins by two or three touchdowns.

My pick: Florida

Eastern Michigan (0-7) at Arkansas (3-4, 1-4)

What to look for: I’m not even sure what I can say about this game besides I choose Arkansas. The Razorbacks have been struggling lately, but they won’t have any problems against winless Eastern Michigan. Ryan Mallet and his receivers need to spend this game getting back in the same groove to prepare for next week’s game against the Gamecocks.

My pick: Arkansas

Mississippi State (3-5, 1-3) at Kentucky (4-3, 1-3)

What to look for: The Wildcats have scared South Carolina, surprised Auburn, and trounced UL Monroe in the past three games. It’s hard to know what to expect, but with their running game producing consistently you can’t count them out of any game. Both rushing offenses are doing great, while their air attacks aren’t doing so well. This looks like a good game to watch, and I think either team could pull out a win. Kentucky’s been steadily improving, though, and I like them to pull out a win over the Bulldogs, who just suffered a loss to the Gators.

My pick: Kentucky

Georgia Tech (7-1) at Vanderbilt (2-6, 0-5)

What to look for: Vandy just hasn’t had a good season this year, with wins only over Rice and Western Carolina. Their 85th ranked rushing defense is going to hurt them this game as they go up against Georgia Tech’s rushing attack that’s averaging almost 300 yards on the ground per game. That’s insane, and I expect them to run all over the Commodores this Saturday.

My pick: Georgia Tech

Tulane (2-5) at LSU (6-1, 4-1)

What to look for: LSU showed signs of an offense last game, putting up 31 points on the Auburn Tigers. They have an easier game this week as they go up against Tulane at home. Tulane’s having a bad year, ranking 100th or worse in almost every statistical category. They’re going to have a long day in Baton Rouge this weekend as I expect LSU to have an even better offensive day.

My pick: LSU

I have to say that I’m confident in most of these games, with the Mississippi State-Kentucky game being the exception. Though I picked Kentucky, I can see that one going either way as both teams have been rather erratic this year.

Think I’m way off in my analysis or in my picks? Post a comment and tell me why.

Tennessee Vols at Alabama Crimson Tide: Predictions Postgame

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:56:00 +0000

After a surprising game between the Vols and Tide, we’ll see how close everyone got with their picks. I don’t know if anyone would have predicted what all happened on Saturday, though.

**Tennessee at Alabama Predictions**
Website	Tennessee Score	Alabama Score
My Prediction	10	20
Rocky Top Talk	16	24
SEC Sports Report	16	24
BOL (s8banator)	10	30
BOL (BAMA-B)	12	34
SEC Football Blogger	3	16
SEC Sports Hub	13	24
Average	11 (11.4)	25 (24.5)

Actual score – Tennessee 10, Alabama 12

Blogs that predicted the right winner: SEC Sports Hub, SEC Football Blogger, BOL (BAMA-B), BOL (s8banator), SEC Sports Report, Rocky Top Talk, My Prediction

Least Accurate Tennessee Points: SEC Football Blogger – 3 (-7)
Least Accurate Alabama Points: BOL (BAMA-B) – 34 (+22)
Least Accurate Overall: BOL (BAMA-B) – 24 points off total

Most Accurate Tennessee Points: BOL (s8banator), My Prediction – 10 (0)
Most Accurate Alabama Points: SEC Football Blogger – 16 (+2)
Most Accurate Overall: My Prediction – 8 points off total

For once, I had the most accurate prediction. I think many of the sites picking Tennessee to give up 30+ points learned just how good the Vol defense is on Saturday. The predictions weren’t too far off the truth, but the Tennessee defense was mostly underestimated.

How did the average do?
The average of all blogs had the score as Tennessee 11, Alabama 25. That’s 14 points off of the actual score, though it is very close to what the Vols scored. From this, we can conclude that most bloggers thought Alabama’s offense would do better than it did, so the Vol defense played exceptionally well.

If anyone else has a blog and wants to be included in this list, either leave a comment with a link to your blog or send me an email.

Tennessee Vols at Alabama Crimson Tide: Postgame Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:55:00 +0000

Still down from the loss, but a few hours help me see the game more clearly.

Tennessee played a heck of a game against the Crimson Tide, but in the end they just couldn’t pull it off. There were a ton of things to be optimistic about after this game, but it takes some effort to get past the disappointment.

Prediction – Tennessee 10, Alabama 20
Actual – Tennessee 10, Alabama 12

I was close with the prediction, but I was pleasantly surprised with the Tennessee offense and defense. The Vols kept it close the entire game, with the offense making some big plays downfield and the defense keeping Bama out of the endzone all game.

Haters beware, Tennessee is playing like a good football team already. Kiffin is still only in his first year at Tennessee, and the Vols are already exceeding expectations immensely.

**Team Stats**
Category	Tennessee	Alabama
Time of Possession	32:18	27:42
First Downs	20	16
Total Yards	341	256
Rushing Yards	76	136
Passing Yards	265	120
3rd Down Conversions	6-15	5-14
Turnovers	1	1
Penalties	8 – 68	1 – 10

Tennessee, a more than two touchdown underdog coming into the game, held the number one team in the nation to 256 total yards. Now I’ve been praising our defense all year, but no one had taken the Vol defense seriously. Maybe now teams will after seeing this performance.

Mark Ingram was held to under 100 yards, and Eric Berry also forced the tailback’s first career fumble, which led to a big scare for the Tide. Glad to see our Heisman candidate got the best of theirs.

Tennessee’s passing game had a fantastic game, with Jonathan Crompton throwing for over 250 yards and a touchdown. He made a bad throw early that led to a pick, but other than that his throws were spot on and he managed the game effectively. What a turnaround for him.

The only really bad stat for Tennessee was the penalties, as the team couldn’t seem to finish drives. As soon as the team drove across midfield, they started making procedural mistakes: false starts, delay of game. This killed Tennessee eventually, as the offense would be forced out of their groove and the drive would stall.

The most telling stat that you don’t see up there is the fact that Tennessee’s special teams were awful yet again. Kickoffs normally ended up with Alabama past the 40 yard line, usually because the kick wouldn’t land past the 20 yard line.

Daniel Lincoln missed three field goals in the game and had only one go through the goalposts. Of course, two of those misses were blocked, with arguably both being his fault. He had a hard time getting the ball enough height, and on the field goal attempt at the end of the game, the ball was barely above our blockers’ heads. Special teams killed Tennessee on Saturday, plain and simple.

As you can see from the photo, the kick just didn’t have enough height, something that has been a problem recently. Daniel Lincoln did come out after the game and answer questions, and he stated that he his quad had been bothering him.

Regardless, many Vol fans are now calling for a new kicker, as Lincoln hasn’t been consistent since the injury. Luckily for these fans, Tennessee has signed the #1 / #2 (depending on where you look) kicker in the nation for next season, Michael Palardy. More on him later.

Three Key Points

Just as I’ve been saying: Tennessee HAS to get first downs. They cannot let the defense do all the work, get tired, and blow the game that easily. The playcalling will be mixed up, but the real question is can Tennessee execute again? They have to if they want to win.
Tennessee’s offense stepped up in a big way on Saturday, driving down the field with a purpose, but penalties took their toll once the 50 yard line was crossed. They had 20 first downs to Alabama’s 16, which given the number of possessions isn’t too big of a difference. Overall, though, the Vols had enough big plays to not need to make many first downs driving down the field. They executed very well and kept the defense off the field, winning the time of possession battle.
On the other side of the football, the Vols have to STOP Alabama on third downs. This Bama offense wears opposing teams down until they’re not able to stop a high school rushing attack. If Tennessee makes these critical stops, then they are doing themselves a huge favor.
The Vols held Alabama to 5 of 14 on third downs, with their only problems coming from the Wildcat formation on short yardage downs. While I expected the Tennessee defense to get wore down, it appeared in the second half that the Alabama defense was gassed by the end of the game. A fantastic game by the Tennessee Vols defense.
Tennessee needs to play flawless football. This includes special teams, offense, defense, and Smokey on the sidelines. Everyone has to play great and no mistakes. Tennessee can’t win by watching kickoffs go all the way back for touchdowns (UT’s special teams needs to step up in a big way), and they can’t throw pick sixes either. This game is all about smart football.
Kickoff coverage was yet again horrible, coupled with a place kicker that couldn’t get the ball near the endzone. Crompton only had one bad throw that was intercepted, and the defense played some great football. The Vols, though, had quite a few procedural penalties and dumb penalties (Dennis Rogan rolling into blockers, the roughing the kicker). This hurt the Vols terribly on those drives toward the endzone.

After a full day has passed, I have to say I’m quite pleased with this Tennessee team. No, they’re not perfect, but they play with heart and never give up. They outplayed Bama on their own field but just couldn’t finish it.

The Vols have South Carolina this week, a game I think they can and should win. As long as the team stays up after this loss, I can’t see the Vols losing at home to a Gamecock team that hasn’t looked too impressive this season.

Go Vols!

Special Teams, Penalties Kill Vols Against Alabama

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:56:00 +0000

What a game! Talk about a heartbreaking loss…

It’s extremely frustrating watching the Vols some years, and this is most definitely one of those seasons. This game was a game that Tennessee should have won, but mistakes at critical moments during the game hurt the team dearly.

Alabama was the favorite in everyone’s eyes, but the Vols played their hearts out and proved that they are a team that, while rebuilding, can play with anyone. No one expected the Vols to play as they did, but as Joel on Rocky Top Talk stated:

“But there we were, hoping . . . actually, I think we may have even been expecting . . . a victory with four seconds left on the clock.”

I know that we watched the game fall into Alabama’s hands. Then we watched as Heisman candidate Mark Ingram dropped the ball, and Tennessee somehow fell on top of it. We watched as the Tennessee offense, yet again, drove down the field and scored a touchdown.

Fine, that’s all well and good. But at that time, we just understood that the Vols had kept the game respectful and lost a game filled with Vol mistakes. Still, we all had the thought in the back of our minds: “Maybe we will somehow get it.”

Yet we never actually believed it, just allowed it to sit back there.

Then, miraculously, Dennis Rogan laid a big hit on Julio Jones as he was about to recover the kick. The ball took the best Tennessee bounce I’ve ever seen and landed in Denarius Moore’s lap.

I was speechless. My brother was speechless. My dad was speechless.

Okay, well that’s a lie. We were actually all screaming at the tops of our lungs, amazed and excited that the Vols might pull off an astonishingly huge upset over the number one team in the nation and our biggest rival.

Then Tennessee’s two minute offense struck again, driving downfield to set up a 44-yard attempt.

At this point, we wanted a win. We knew that the team deserved a win more than anything, and after the amazing turn of events that had occurred, we could taste it.

Two field goals blocked by the same player in one game? That couldn’t happen. He’ll get the kick up this time, and the line will fix last time’s mistakes to stop the Bama penetration.

But fate is sometimes cruel. This time, fate was merciless.

Apparently, one field goal was all we were allowed on this evening. Terrence Cody busted through the Tennessee offensive line and took the ball in his armpit.

No words can even describe how much that hurt. It was like being given a winning lottery ticket but losing it the next second. We had this game, but we gave it away with poor special teams play and by losing the penalty battle.

I know the Vols are getting better, and the Kiffin era is alive and well. But that doesn’t make this loss any easier to accept.

It can no longer be denied that Kiffin and company have this program turned around. People can say what they want about Alabama being tired before a bye week or getting caught in a trap game, but we know the Vols are getting better.

I’m going to say right now that the Vols should not lose another game this season. South Carolina and Ole Miss are our biggest games left this season, but I don’t see any reason why we can’t win both of those games.

I’ll post a better analysis tomorrow, but for now I’m still recovering from this loss.

Week 8 Saturday: What to Watch

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Rocky Top Talk has a good post on which games to watch this weekend that I always find useful. Out of those, one has been played (FSU @ UNC, which Florida State miraculously came back and won).

Other than that, though, their recommended games to watch are…

Arkansas at Ole Miss (12:21 SEC Network)
Definitely one to try and watch. Arkansas’s Ryan Mallet is always a good QB to watch throw, and Ole Miss just trounced UAB at home. More importantly, it’s the powerful air attack of Arkansas against the 8th ranked pass defense in the nation.

Vanderbilt at South Carolina (ESPNU)
Florida at Mississippi State (ESPN)
Auburn at LSU (ESPN2)
TCU at BYU (Versus)
Texas at Missouri (ABC)
Oregon State at USC (ABC)

Out of those six that all land on TV around 7:30 / 8:00, I’d most likely watch Auburn and LSU while flipping to see the score of the other SEC games plus TCU and BYU. The TCU at BYU game could be a big game if TCU hopes to bust the BCS, and the SEC games are of course important.

Auburn at LSU will be a very entertaining matchup, with AU’s recent struggles and LSU’s lack of offense, we could see an upset. Regardless, it’ll be a great SEC game to catch on TV. So if you’re not doing anything after the Vol game, I’d recommend watching the Auburn/LSU affair at 7:30.

Want to see the rest of my picks? Click here or scroll down the page.

Halloween Jerseys Against South Carolina?

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:30:00 +0000

I’ve heard a lot lately about whether or not the Vols are going to wear orange and black on Halloween. Whether it’s true or not, I have to say that I hope it is not true.

I know people think it’s cool, but it’s just a holiday. I don’t understand why we would change school colors for a holiday. Is the basketball team going to wear red and green when Christmas comes along? How about Easter colors for the baseball team? I just don’t get it.

Where does it end? Tennessee’s colors are orange and white. Not black, green, blue, red, purple, or rainbow. If you start changing colors based on a whim, then what’s the purpose of even having school colors?

“Well it’s just one game!”

Yes it is just one game, and it just slaps Tennessee’s tradition in the face as well. Many of my readers probably won’t like my thoughts on this, but really… is it necessary to change jersey colors for a holiday that has absolutely nothing to do with football?

If they want to do something special for Halloween, they should incorporate school colors into it:

South Carolina could wear all black (it’s one of their colors) and Tennessee could wear all orange.

Makes more sense to me, oh and just for fun here’s what someone photoshopped to show what they may look like.

Think I’m overreacting and black jerseys would be cool? Maybe you agree with me? Regardless, I’d love to hear what you think about it, make a comment below!

Tennessee Vols at Alabama Crimson Tide: Predictions

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:43:00 +0000

Here we are again with more predictions for this week’s game. Alabama and Tennessee is a rivalry that goes back to the 1900s. In games like these, people like to say that stats go at the window and anything can happen! We’ll see if bloggers take that into their predictions this week.

Yet again, I had a hard time finding blogs that actually predicted the game, and maybe that’s because I decide to post this too early on Friday. Regardless, I replaced a Tennessee blog’s spot with a neutral blog, so it’s not a problem.

**Tennessee at Alabama Predictions**
Website	Tennessee Score	Alabama Score
My Prediction	10	20
Rocky Top Talk	16	24
SEC Sports Report	16	24
BOL (s8banator)	10	30
BOL (BAMA-B)	12	34
SEC Football Blogger	3	16
SEC Sports Hub	13	24
Average	11 (11.4)	25 (24.5)

Percentage picked Tennessee: 0%
Percentage picked Alabama: 100%
Largest point margin: BOL (BAMA-B) - 22
Smallest Point Margin: Rocky Top Talk, SEC Sports Report – 8

Not surprisingly, everyone picked the Tide in this one. It’s interesting to note that the Vol highest points expected is 10, and one blog even picked Tennessee to only score a field goal. I could see this game going a lot of different directions, though, so everyone has a valid pick here.

The average ended up at 25-11, which is close to what I thought about predicting. I think the Vol defense will give up somewhere around 20 points (probably upwards if anything), and if Tennessee wants to win the offense is going to have to get in the endzone.

If anyone else has a blog and wants to be included in this list, either leave a comment with a link to your blog or send me an email.

Some Saturday in October: Tennessee at Alabama

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:29:00 +0000

at
October 24, 2009
3:30 PM ET, CBS

The Tennessee Vols (3-3, 1-2) and Alabama Crimson Tide (7-0, 4-0) meet yet again for their annual matchup. Both teams are looking to secure a victory to improve their seasons.

The Vols are coming off of a bye week after stomping Georgia the week before, and Lane Kiffin wants to build off of that and play a good, solid game. They’ll have to do that to beat the Tide, who are just hoping to get through this week with a win on their way to a national title.

Both teams know it will be a hard-fought battle, as it is every year, and while each coach has been praising the other throughout the week, when Saturday comes there will be only a tough battle between athletes in Tuscaloosa.

Last Three Games

**Tennessee’s Last Three Games**
Opponent	Result
Ohio	W 34-23
Auburn	L 22-26
Georgia	W 45-19

Tennessee has been up and down the past few weeks. They played Ohio close in a letdown game that scared many Vol fans, and then they got beat against Auburn as the offense couldn’t get in a rhythm.

The inept offense did recover at the end of the first half and in the fourth quarter to show some signs of life, and this was carried over to the Georgia game in which Tennessee just blasted the Bulldogs out of Neyland stadium.

Depending on which Tennessee team shows up, it appears that they have the tools to play solid football. And they’ll need to perform flawlessly against Alabama this Saturday.

**Alabama’s Last Three Games**
Opponent	Result
at Kentucky	W 38-20
at Ole Miss	W 22-3
South Carolina	W 20-6

Alabama has played seven straight games without a bye week. They’re bruised and beat up, which makes this a perfect opportunity for Tennessee. The Tide, though banged up, has posted some very impressive wins lately over Ole Miss and South Carolina, and everyone knows that they’re a tough team to beat.

Lane Kiffin even stated that “one poll got it right” in a press conference earlier this week as he praised the team, and this Alabama team has definitely earned that praise.

Category	UT Rank	UT Avg	AL Rank	AL Avg
Total Offense	48th	393	21st	432
Rushing Offense	35th	184	9th	229
Passing Offense	70th	209	76th	202.71
Scoring Offense	26th	32	13th	35
Total Defense	13th	272	1st	227
Rushing Defense	31st	110	3rd	63
Passing Defense	10th	161.83	12th	163

The Vols lead two categories, but the teams are so close in both of those categories that you really could consider them a tie. The Alabama defense has been nothing short of phenomenal this year, allowing only 63 yards on the ground per game and 227 total yards per game. Tennessee has a real test here, as they have been suspect on offense this season.

Offense
Alabama’s offense isn’t flashy, and it doesn’t try to trick you. They pretty much tell you, “We’re coming right at you, stop us if you think you can.” So far this season, no one has been able to. Mark Ingram is averaging 131 yards per game and almost seven yards per carry. Last game against South Carolina, he pounded out 248 yards on the ground, so rest assured, he’s the major threat on this Alabama offense.

Alabama’s quarterback, Greg McElroy, started off the season fairly well but in his last three games is only gaining 129 yards per game. He has been careful with the ball all season, throwing only three interceptions. Overall, don’t expect Alabama to throw all over this Vol defense because it just won’t happen. Instead, Ingram’s going to be getting a lot of carries Saturday, and Tennessee’s undersized defense faces a huge challenge in stopping this rushing game.

The Vol offense looked beautiful last game against Georgia. Jonathan Crompton threw for over 300 yards and four touchdowns, and Montario Hardesty hit the 100 yard mark and landed in the endzone once. The receivers stepped up and made huge plays both by catching passes and getting large chunks of yards after the catch. Fans watching this game were mystified as to what had happened.

They will have to click on Saturday, too, facing a defense that doesn’t let anyone get yards easy. Montario Hardesty has to have a big day on the ground, but don’t forget about Bryce Brown. He’s been impacting in subtle ways all season, and I think we might see a few big catches from him. Crompton showed last week that he can be dangerous, whether Alabama can stop the rollout pass plays will be a huge factor in the game. If the running game stays dangerous, then Tennessee can make a few plays in the air, but we won’t see anything close to the kind of numbers Crompton had against Georgia in this game.

Defense
Alabama’s defense is a beast. Really. Even when teams held Alabama’s offense to field goals (see Ole Miss), they still never came close to having a chance because the Tide D is astoundingly good. Ranked number one in the nation for a reason, they’re big and fast and will be the toughest D the Vols face all season

Tennessee’s offensive line has to block extremely well against an Alabama defense that is getting three sacks per game, otherwise Crompton won’t have time to make any throws. Alabama will be hitting Tennessee hard all game, and it’s up to the Vol offense to get some first downs to rest the defense.

Tennessee’s defense is no joke, either. They have played extremely well considering all of the problems that have been tossed their way: injuries, freshmen, new coaching scheme. This defense can stop the Alabama offense, BUT will they be given the chance? What I mean by that is, the Vol offense has to get first downs. It’s more important in this game than ever because the Bama offense will just steamroll over the Vols.

They run the ball, run the ball, and run the ball. Part of their offensive philosophy is that if they just keep hitting the opposing defense, it will eventually wear them down. The Vol D has to make third down stops, and they have to play tough, physical football.

Personally, I don’t have any doubt in the Tennessee defense to play well, but it all depends on the Vol offense.

Three Key Points

Just as I’ve been saying: Tennessee HAS to get first downs. They cannot let the defense do all the work, get tired, and blow the game that easily. The playcalling will be mixed up, but the real question is can Tennessee execute again? They have to if they want to win.
On the other side of the football, the Vols have to STOP Alabama on third downs. This Bama offense wears opposing teams down until they’re not able to stop a high school rushing attack. If Tennessee makes these critical stops, then they are doing themselves a huge favor.
Tennessee needs to play flawless football. This includes special teams, offense, defense, and Smokey on the sidelines. Everyone has to play great and no mistakes. Tennessee can’t win by watching kickoffs go all the way back for touchdowns (UT’s special teams needs to step up in a big way), and they can’t throw pick sixes either. This game is all about smart football.

Prediction – Tennessee 10, Alabama 20

This definitely won’t be a high scoring affair, but it’s hard to predict a score in a game like this. Rivalry games tend to end up across the board, but I’m gonna have to go with Alabama by ten points, but the game probably won’t be as close as the score might indicate.

Tennessee CAN win this game, but even after last week’s performance, they still haven’t proven that they will. I think Tennessee plays a good game, but the offense doesn’t have the ability to keep the Vols in the game like they’re needed. I hope the Vols prove me wrong, though.

Go Vols!

Images courtesy of al.com

Around the SEC: Week 8

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:59:00 +0000

Review of Last Week’s Picks

Georgia at Vanderbilt
My pick: Georgia
Winner: Georgia 34-10

Mississippi State at Middle Tennessee State
My pick: MTSU
Winner: Mississippi State 27-6

Arkansas at Florida
My pick: Florida
Winner: Florida 23-20

UAB at Ole Miss
My pick: Ole Miss
Winner: Ole Miss 48-13

Kentucky at Auburn
My pick: Auburn
Winner: Kentucky 21-14

South Carolina at Alabama
My pick: Alabama
Winner: Alabama 20-6

My record: 4-2

Overall: 14-5

So I had one stupid pick: MTSU over Mississippi State. But I really thought MTSU might pull off the upset, good job MSU putting a 21 point beat down on Middle Tennessee State.

Georgia blew over Vanderbilt after the thrashing they received from the Vols, with the Commodore offense looking as inept as they have all season. Ole Miss put UAB away handily, though the Blazers still gained an impressive 230 yards on the ground.

South Carolina played the Crimson Tide close, but the Gamecocks couldn’t get in the enzdzone all night as Mark Ingram embarrassed their run defense with 246 yards rushing.

Florida pulled out a close win over Arkansas because of some horrible penalties called by the referees. I’m not normally blaming losses on the officials, but the same officiating crew that blew a call that killed Georgia screwed up yet again in this game to give the Gators the win. So these officials decide to change the course of two games based on their whims, and what happens?

They’re suspended! Hooray!

But wait… “The SEC says the crew will be removed from its next scheduled assignment Oct. 31…”

October 31st, that’s next week! So basically, they screwed up, but we’re going to let them call the AP #1 team’s game (stole that from m_hollowell’s tweet).

We get to deal with these guys in Tuscaloosa, so if you see any bad calls you know where to aim your anger.

Anyways, back to my SEC picks for this week.

Arkansas (3-3, 1-3) at Ole Miss (4-2, 1-2)

What to look for: Ryan Mallet didn’t have the best game against Florida, but late in the game he made some throws when it counted. This Arkansas team showed that they can hang with the #1/#2 team in the nation. Yet again, though, he’s throwing against a tough defense, as Ole Miss is 8th in the country in pass defense. I think this Razorback team is better than most people think, but I feel like this week may be a letdown game after that heartbreaking loss to Florida.

My pick: Ole Miss

UL Monroe (4-2) at Kentucky (3-3, 1-3)

What to look for: Kentucky somehow pulled out a big win over Auburn last week at Auburn. With Mike Hartline injured, I don’t think anyone could have predicted that, but the Wildcats rushed for over 300 yards on the Tigers defense, amazing. And while UL Monroe is 4-2, their wins have come against teams like FAU and FIU, so don’t let their record deceive you. Kentucky wins this one on the shoulders of their tailbacks, easy.

My pick: Kentucky

Vanderbilt (2-5, 0-4) at South Carolina (5-2, 2-2)

What to look for: Another pick that’s as tough as eating the chocolate fudge ice cream I had last night, delicious! Vanderbilt lost to Army, I mean what more do I need to say? South Carolina has been impressive at times, but they’ve had a rough time in the west so far this season. Spurrier doesn’t even have to have his team ready for this one, though. Expect South Carolina to win big.

My pick: South Carolina

Auburn (5-2, 2-2) at LSU (5-1, 3-1)

What to look for: Auburn has been a strange animal this season, looking quite impressive with their first five wins and a smooth game to beat the Vols. But lately, they’ve been on a downward slide after Mallet picked their defense apart. Also, I think LSU is overrated. Big time. Their offense is terrible, ranking 112th in the nation after playing teams like Vanderbilt, UL Lafayette, Mississippi State, and Georgia. Just plain bad, and I can’t see them beating Auburn in a tiger fight. Auburn bounces back with a win over LSU.

My pick: Auburn

Florida (6-0, 4-0) at Mississippi State (3-4, 1-2)

What to look for: Florida may have a letdown game after last week, but this game will be easy as pie (Actually, pies aren’t easy to make, but this game will be!). The Bulldogs do have a good run game, averaging 219 yards per game. But their defense won’t be able to stop Tebow and the Gators as they win yet another game to keep up with the Crimson Tide.

My pick: Florida

I’ve done fairly well with my picks this season (started late!), but this week I feel strongly about most of my picks. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I do know that the Alabama-Tennessee game isn’t so black and white to me. Check back tomorrow for my preview of the Third Saturday in October!

Disagree with me? Agree with me? Let me know by making a comment or by checking the Like / Dislike buttons, I’d love to hear what my readers are thinking!

2008: Alabama at Tennessee Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:14:00 +0000

Tennessee was struggling to play competitive football in the SEC last year, going into the Alabama game with a 3-4 record.

Alabama, on the other hand, was 7-0 entering the Third Saturday in October, #2 in the nation, and had with a recent win over #3 Georgia.

Bama was heavily favored, and though they were leading the SEC in rushing, threw for 117 yards in the first half compared to the 32 they gained on the ground. With John Parker Wilson throwing accurately and Glen Coffee pounding the ball into the endzone on a fourth down, the Crimson Tide went into the half 13-3 over the Vols, who had only placed one field goal between the uprights out of the three attempts by Lincoln.

The Alabama rushing game came out in full force in the second half as they rolled over the Tennessee defense to put the game out of reach at 22-3.

The game was really never even close, and after Lincoln missed a 43 yard field goal attempt at the end of the first half, the momentum completely swung to Alabama’s favor.

Alabama doubled Tennessee’s total yardage for the game, had 23 first downs compared to the Vols’ 10, and rushed for almost five times as many yards as Tennessee. Fulmer’s job security began to lessen even more after this debacle, and at the end of the season he was fired, replaced with Lane Kiffin and a story we all know.

This year, UT hopes to reverse the downward slide that culminated in last year’s game, which wasn’t the least bit competitive. This year appears to be completely different. Tennessee has a fanbase that, while they may haven’t completely bought into the Kiffin era yet, has something that they did not have last year: hope.

Us Vol fans do not expect to win Saturday, we just expect to be competitive, as we’ve been all season. After watching the team get better each game this year, I can firmly say that the Vols still most likely won’t win, but they do have a chance.

Facing nearly impossible odds, the Vols go up against an Alabama team that many consider to be the best team in the nation this year. And the best part is, that’s still better odds than last year.

Thoughts on this year’s game? Make a comment!

Image courtesy of al.com

Third (or Fourth!) Saturday in October

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:42:00 +0000

Series: Alabama leads 45-38-7
Originated: 1901
Longest streak: Alabama with 11 straight wins from 1971 to 1981.
Last ten games: Tennessee leads 6-4
Most recent: October 5, 2008, Alabama 29, Tennessee 9

The Third Saturday in October is probably my favorite rivalry in college football. Alabama is one of those teams you don’t really hate (unlike Florida), but you respect them because they’re a good football team and usually a classy bunch.

That said, I hope we stomp them into the ground this Saturday in Tuscaloosa.

And here’s a highlight reel for us Vol fans. The 2006 game, last time we beat the Tide.

Thoughts on the game this Saturday? I’d love to here from you, make a comment below!

Week 8 BCS Standings

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:23:00 +0000

Top 10 BCS Standings
Rank	Team	Record
1	Florida	6-0
2	Alabama	7-0
3	Texas	6-0
4	Boise State	6-0
5	Cincinnati	6-0
6	Iowa	7-0
7	USC	5-1
8	TCU	6-0
9	LSU	5-1
10	Miami (FL)	5-1

Standings courtesy of ESPN.com

With the AP ranking Alabama at number one and Florida at number two, but the Coaches poll doing the opposite, the fact that the BCS has Florida and Alabama ranked number one and number two, respectively, is interesting but may not have any effect.

The reason I say this is because if both teams end up undefeated going into the SEC championship game, one (obviously) is going to lose anyways. The only controversy that could result would be if a rematch were asked for, but depending on whether there are any other undefeated teams or not, that may not be an issue.

The most intriguing ranking, though, is the fact that Boise State is at number four. Still, they are .18 points behind Florida, Alabama, and Texas. If Texas happens to drop a game in the Big XII, though, Boise would jump up to number three, and after a loss by one of the teams in the SEC championship game, they would end up in the national championship game. The implications of that are quite well known.

I don’t like to speculate this early because we can never predict what’s going to happen the rest of the season with all of the upsets, but it’s fun to think about.

Bye Week Saturday

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 16:52:00 +0000

I’m taking it easy today, sitting back and watching some football for awhile until later tonight. But I thought I’d throw out a few links to a few good stories I’ve read this week:

267 Games and Counting - TK has attended 267 games since his first one in 1966, great article.
Kiffin to watch GA recruits from helicopter – Self-explanatory, I know he’ll catch a lot of flack for this, but I think it’s pretty hilarious and recruiting is already crazy anyways.
What Vol fans should watch, record this week – If you don’t have anything better to do this weekend or you just enjoy watching any football, check out these games that Joel over at RTT recommends.
Jonathan Crompton voted AT&T player of the week – After being voted SEC offensive player of the week, he was also voted AT&T player of the week.
Griffith’s midseason football grades – Griffith took a straw poll of Sports Radio listeners to see how fans thought the Vols were doing this season.

These five articles were great reads, and now it’s back to watching the Texas-Oklahoma game! Bradford got tackled on his right shoulder and looked to be in serious pain. He hasn’t been seen in the game since, but so far the Sooners are holding onto a 6-0 lead.

Scout Team to Starter: Nick Reveiz

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:15:00 +0000

The linebacker to start the season, Nick Reveiz, is a player who should influence us all to want to work harder and be better.

He joined the team as a walk-on in 2006 and was redshirted for the season. During that season, Reveiz was challenging the first team offensive line during practice, and they didn’t like it.

"You hit guys hard, and the guys get mad at you because you're scout team," said Reveiz to FanNation, “… It felt like I was doing something wrong at first because all the o-linemen were mad at me… I just kept doing it."

Until 2009, Reveiz could be seen playing special teams, or occasionally getting a few tackles at linebacker at the end of a big win. But to be starting, no one ever expected that.

"When I came here as a walk-on, people were saying, 'Wow, you're playing on special teams,' " Reveiz said to GoVolsXtra. " 'That's really good.' "

"My goal has always been to come here and start, to be an All-SEC player," he said. "…So I'm not happy just to be running with the 1's (in practice). My goal is to start."

The UT coaches didn’t ignore the attitude, and on the radio coach Lane Kiffin said, “If you had asked our coaches at the beginning of the year who our three toughest players to replace are I guarantee Nick would have been in every one of their top three’s; some guys would even have had him at number one.”

Going into the Ohio game this season, Nick Reveiz was number two in the team in tackles made, second only to Eric Berry. More than that, he was a team captain and defensive leader. He managed the front seven during games, reading the offense and changing looks.

After the Ohio game in which Reveiz tore is ACL and was ruled out for the saeson, Rico McCoy stated that “Everybody's gonna have to step up and turn it up another notch. Nick was a tough guy with a great work ethic and he was a leader. Losing him is a big setback.”

And step up they have, Rico McCoy was averaging 7 tackles per game the first four games, but since Nick was injured he’s taking down 13 Auburn and Georgia jerseys per game.

But Nick hasn’t disappeared since his injury. He’s on the sidelines every game cheering the team and being the leader that he is, and intangibles like that are what separate a walk-on from a starter.

“I always try to encourage the younger walk-ons and the younger guys,” Reveiz said. “The biggest thing is you have to keep fighting, you got to keep pushing, you can’t give up.”

We can see that he hasn’t given up yet, as he just underwent successful knee surgery yesterday.

Fans at GoVolsXtra are still cheering for him, with comments like, “Good to hear. I know this kid will be back strong as ever, all heart and it shows.” from Crimsonviper, and Shopgoss1 who wrote, “Wow!! What great news for a kid that is truly a blessing on and off the field!!”

We wish him a speedy recovery for next year because like he said at the beginning of the season, “I have a goal to go to the NFL.” And while many believe he is not large enough to do it, Reveiz has been studying Zach Thomas of the Kansas City Chiefs.

"He's [Zach Thomas] someone I have tried to study," Reveiz said. "He's really short."

While Nick Reveiz may be short in stature, he’s as tall as anyone else when it comes to his mentality.

Look for him on the sidelines next week as Tennessee heads down to Tuscaloosa to play the Alabama Crimson Tide. He’ll be there, because he’s still as much a part of this team as anyone out there on the field.

Go Vols!

Images courtesy of GoVolsXtra and Zimbio

Around the SEC: Week 7

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Review of Last Week’s Picks

Florida at LSU
My pick: Florida
Winner: Florida 13-3

Alabama at Ole Miss
My pick: Alabama
Winner: Alabama 22-3

Kentucky at South Carolina
My pick: South Carolina
Winner: South Carolina 28-26

Houston at Mississippi State
My pick: Houston
Winner: Houston 31-24

Auburn at Arkansas
My pick: Auburn
Winner: Arkansas 44-23

Vanderbilt at Army
My pick: Vanderbilt
Winner: Army 16-13 (OT)

My record (UT-GA included): 5-2

Overall: 10-3

Tim Tebow ended up playing in the Florida-LSU matchup, and I also learned that I underestimated the Florida defense and LSU’s horrible offense. Alabama couldn’t get in the endzone, but the defense dominated the Rebel offense.

South Carolina squeaked out a closer-than-expected game against the Wildcats, and Houston rolled over the Bulldogs with over 500 yards of offense. The Auburn game confirmed by fears about their defense and whether their offense was good enough, but the most pathetic pick of the week goes to Vanderbilt, for losing to Army.

I didn’t even know that was possible, but the Commodores once again prove to us why they are the worst team in the SEC year after year.

Image courtesy of Associated Press

South Carolina (5-0, 2-0) at Alabama (3-1, 1-1)

What to look for:
For some reason, South Carolina fans think that they can win this game. Um, I’m gonna have to say no… that’s not going to happen against the #2 defense in the nation (based on ypg), with an offense that was troubled against Kentucky. Stephen Garcia has been improving, getting it done against Kentucky last week, but the Crimson Tide ain’t Kentucky. I expect South Carolina to keep this one pretty close for the first half or so, but in the end Alabama’s defense will overpower them.

My pick: Alabama

Kentucky (2-3, 0-3) at Auburn (5-1, 2-1)

What to look for:
This one shouldn’t be close, but Kentucky’s offense has had spurts of great games this year. Auburn’s passing defense got picked apart by Ryan Mallet, but don’t expect Kentucky’s Mike Hartline to do the same. Kentucky’s defense won’t be able to hold off Auburn’s strange but effective offense, especially with their offense giving up 175+ yards on the ground and Ben Tate in AU’s backfield.

My pick: Auburn

UAB (2-3) at Ole Miss (3-2, 1-2)

What to look for:
After the way Ole Miss played Bama last week, you have to give them some credit. They kept the score respectable and were, at times, close to pulling out a big win. It’s hard not to pick them after that, especially with them playing a team like UAB. The Blazer’s rushing attack is averaging over 225 yards on the ground each game (9th nationally), which could match up respectfully against Ole Miss’s rush defense that’s giving up 131 yards per game. Expect Ole Miss to focus on the running game and shut UAB’s only chance of winning down as their offense gets rolling to put up some points.

My pick: Ole Miss

Arkansas (3-2, 1-2) at Florida (5-0, 3-0)

What to look for:
Can Arkansas’s offense replicate what worked so well against Auburn this week at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium? I doubt it. Arkansas does have the best passing attack in the SEC with Ryan Mallet at the helm, and they’ll be going up against the number one passing defense in the country. This will be one to watch, if only to see that. If Arkansas can get consistent yards through the air, this game will be closer than most would anticipate. The biggest problem for me is Arkansas’s defense against Tim Tebow and the Gator spread. They won’t be able to stop it, so Florida wins by a couple touchdowns.

My pick: Florida

Mississippi State (2-4, 1-2) at MTSU (3-2)

What to look for:
Mississippi State played Houston close last week, but can they do that again this week against the leading Sun Belt passing attack (I laughed just typing that). I would like to pick MTSU in this one, but I just can’t see them beating an MSU team that has lost the last three games (LSU, GTech, Houston) by a combined total of 22 points. That said, the Bulldogs are ranked 100th nationally against the pass, and after Vanderbilt’s upsetting game last week against Army, I’m pulling for MTSU in the upset.

My pick: MTSU

Georgia (3-3, 2-2) at Vanderbilt (2-4, 0-3)

What to look for:
After the shellacking Georgia received from the Vols last week (Hey, I gotta brag some!), they're going to be looking for blood this week. Mark Richt is getting closer to the hot seat with his loyalty to his defensive coordinator, and the offense needs to produce this week as well. As bad as Georgia looked last week, expect them to look the exact opposite on Saturday as they slam the Commodores. Georgia wins this one big.

My pick: Georgia

It looks like a good weekend of football in the SEC, with the potential for some upsets. Some of the games I hope to be able to see are the Arkansas-Florida and USC-Alabama, which will be on CBS (3:30) and ESPN (7:45) respectively.

Georgia Win: Big for Recruiting?

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:49:00 +0000

One of the big reasons that Lane Kiffin wanted the Georgia win so bad this past Saturday was because of how big the state is for recruiting. Sure, Florida has much more talent, but Georgia’s capital of Atlanta is less than four hours from Knoxville.

12 of Tennessee’s football players are from Georgia, and Lane Kiffin already knows that to get the big time recruits, you have to win the big time games. When asked who the Vols' biggest rival is, Kiffin said, “Georgia, because of what we need to do recruiting, will be the biggest matchup for this staff and for our team.” So far, Lane has been capitalizing on what he said.

Kiffin has had seven coaches on the road this week, the maximum allowed, and he stated that “We're going to max it out.” And it looks like he’s been successful, at least so far, already signing LB A.J. Johnson out of Gainesville, GA for the 2011 class. The Vols already have three players from Georgia signed for 2010, with more top players on the way.

Is Lane making a smart move playing so many cards in recruiting so deep into the season? Well, look at it this way, when Tennessee won the national championship in 1998, Jamal Lewis, Cosey Coleman, and Deon Grant were all on that team and all from Atlanta. If that’s not enough to convince you he knows what he’s doing, how about the fact that Eric Berry is from, you guessed it, Georgia.

So whatever your misgivings about Lane Kiffin may be, one thing is for sure. He knows where to go to get the talent. And right now, his sights are on Georgia.

O Bryce Brown, where art thou?

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Bryce Brown has been notably silent since the Western Kentucky game, in which he gained over 100 yards (9.5 ypc) on the ground and ended up in the checkerboard endzone once. Since then, he’s rushed for 157 yards on 44 carries, an average of 3.6 yards per carry. Compare that to Montario Hardesty, who is averaging 5.6 yards per carry this season. So where has Bryce Brown gone?

Here’s three reasons why Bryce Brown hasn’t been as noisy lately:

Number of carries – Now I don’t like excuses about not getting carries and thus not getting to produce, but it’s true in this case. Bryce Brown has 55 carries this season compared to Montario Hardesty’s 125. Now Montario Hardesty has been capitalizing more on his carries and busting some huge gains, but you also have to notice that Bryce Brown is younger. So more carries means more experience, which will in turn lead to more production. This leads me to my next point…
Lack of experience – We have to remember that Bryce Brown is just a freshman. I know what I’ll hear back on this one: “Well Jamal Lewis was a freshman when he ran for 1,364 yards, and they’ve been comparing Brown to Lewis.” Let me say that Jamal Lewis and Bryce Brown are not the same. People make these comparisons all the time because it excites fans and lets them understand what this player is capable of. Now, we can tell that Bryce Brown is a freshman by how he runs compared to Hardesty. Hardesty has learned when to cut back and when to drive, and Brown will learn this as he sees more defenses. Another thing to note, Jamal Lewis’s first year was on the 1997 team, which was Peyton Manning’s senior season; talk about having a passing game to set up the run.
He’s the second choice – Montario Hardesty always gets the first shot at the defense (and rightfully so!), so when he begins to tire and Brown comes in, the defense is beginning to figure out Tennessee’s schemes. Brown seems to always run into a big pile of the wrong team, and that’s partially because the defense is starting to creep in. With Tennessee’s lack of passing game in the games before Georgia, it was always a given that Tennessee was probably going to be running the ball. Now, with the passing game standing up on its own legs for once, the play action threat may back linebackers off and allow him to get some room to run.

I’m not in disbelief over his lack of serious production like I’ve heard Vol fans express on some of the call in shows, but I will say he needs to do better. He will begin to do better as the season goes on, and the experience he gains this year will be valuable when he’s the primary back next season. I don’t see any reason to worry, though, because he has shown that he can get it done when he needs to. I’m excited to see how he develops behind the orange jerseys of the big guys up front. With Lane Kiffin’s focus on the running game, we’re going to see a lot more of Bryce Brown in the future.

Georgia Bulldogs at Tennessee Vols: Predictions Postgame

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Now that the game is over, it’s time to round up all the predictions and see who was the most accurate, and who was way off. Did the average of every game turn out to be right? We’ll see how it turned out.

**Georgia at Tennessee Predictions**
Website	UGA Score	UT Score
My Prediction	17	21
Rocky Top Talk	24	30
UT Bleacher Report	17	24
Bubba n’ Earl	31	17
SEC Sports Report	27	16
SEC Rivals	14	16
SEC Sports Hub	26	23
Average	22 (22.2)	21

Actual score – Georgia 19, Tennessee 45

Blogs that predicted the right winner: Rocky Top Talk, UT Bleacher Report, SEC Rivals, My Prediction

Least Accurate Away Team Points: Bubba n’ Earl – 31 (+12)
Least Accurate Home Team Points: SEC Sports Report – 16 (-29), SEC Rivals – 16 (-29)
Least Accurate Overall: Bubba n’ Earl – 40 points off total (12 UGA, 28 UT)

Most Accurate Away Team Points: UT Bleacher Report – 17 (-2)
Most Accurate Home Team Points: Rocky Top Talk – 30 (-15)
Most Accurate Overall: Rocky Top Talk – 20 points off total (5 UGA, 15 UT)

Congratulations to Rocky Top Talk for having the most accurate prediction for the second week in a row. I’m going to have to start stealing their predictions, haha! It’s hilarious to see that the closest prediction to Tennessee’s 45 points was 15 points off. I know I never would have guessed it.

How did the average do?
The average of all blogs had the score at 22-21, a very close game. This week, that wasn’t close at all. The average was off by 27 points total, so all of us bloggers weren’t even close to predicting the score correctly.
Last week against Auburn, most everyone picked the game very close to what the actual score was, so the average was almost exactly right. This week, we were all surprised by a Tennessee offense that ran over Georgia like an 18-wheeler over a squirrel.

If anyone else has a blog and wants to be included in this list, either leave a comment with a link to your blog or send me an email.

Jonathan Crompton: What Happened?

noreply@blogger.com (Gulley) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:07:00 +0000

Crompton is a name that makes Tennessee fans cringe. He started last year and was rotated with Nick Stephens based on who happened to throw less interceptions the game before. Fans began to hate him, and he received death threats in the 2008 season but never told anyone. To UT fans, watching number 8 line up behind center meant a high probability that this game was going to be a loss.

He started off the 2009 season with a bang, throwing for 5 TDs against Western Kentucky middle school, but still he had two interceptions that many debated were not his fault. The next game against the UCLA Bruins was a disaster. He threw for 93 yards and 3 interceptions, with another takeaway being called back. The hate against him shot back up, off the charts in fact, and many called for Lane Kiffin to replace him with the backup Nick Stephens. But Kiffin maintained that Crompton was his quarterback and he had his full confidence.

The next game at the Swamp, Jonathan Crompton again threw for only 93 yards, but he had two interceptions on less than twenty throws. More than that, it was obvious that the offense was playing very conservative because they were afraid of what their quarterback could do to hurt them. The fanbase was temporarily quieted, though, with what many saw as a ‘moral victory’ for the Vols. After Florida, the expectations for Tennessee were up again, but they struggled against Ohio. In a game that turned into a letdown game, Kiffin tried to get Crompton more throws, but he completed only 50% of his 34 passes and didn’t look too good in the process. The cry for his removal began to inch up again.

Then Tennessee had their first home SEC game of the year, and while it was against a good (undefeated at the time) Auburn squad, us fans wanted an SEC win. The offense looked pathetic for the first 1.5 quarters, only putting a drive together at the end of the first half in a two minute drill type offense. The third quarter offense couldn’t get a first down, and the fourth quarter was the only time the offense looked good at all. But I maintained that the offense had shown some signs of life and seemed to be getting onto the same page. Other Vol fans weren’t so optimistic, and while we were favored over Georgia, if you had asked a Vol fan you would have thought Tennessee was a high school team playing against an NFL squad this week.

Saturday against Georgia, the UT offense came out looking hot, though they didn’t score on the first drive. The running game was getting good, consistent yardage on the ground and the passing game was connecting in a way we haven’t seen for years. Jonathan Crompton was rolling out of the pocket and hitting receivers like Peyton Manning tearing apart the Titans yesterday. He finished 20-27 on the day with 4 TDs. He did throw one interception that went the other way for a touchdown (arguably both his and the receiver’s fault), but he never got rattled and kept his cool. It looked like a totally different quarterback on the field.

So what happened? Well, first of all, we have to acknowledge that Crompton was throwing against a Georgia defense that their fans have complained about all season. Georgia’s defense was giving up 236 yards per game through the air and 121 per game on the ground. They have only held one team (Arizona State) to under twenty points all season, and in half their games the opponents have score over 35 points. So Tennessee isn’t the first team to take advantage of this defense.

Then again, though, Tennessee has played other games against not-so-great defenses and hasn’t come out with a performance like this. Against Ohio, Tennessee did score 34 points, but no one doubts that the offense was abysmal that game. I think that the offense is finally clicking. I’m not naive enough to think that Crompton’s going to throw for 300+ yards against Alabama in a couple weeks, and I really don’t expect the Vols to win the game. But the offense did click better than they have all season, a fact that cannot be denied, and if they can make the short passes and keep the running game going, this Tennessee team doesn’t have to finish the season at .500 or less.

Most of all, what I know is that I’m now optimistic about the season. And Jonathan Crompton deserves the SEC player of the week he was awarded. No one has made a complete turnaround this season like he has. I can’t wait for the Alabama game because for the first time this season, I really can say that we have a chance.

Go Vols!

Images courtesy of Tennessee Journalist, Scout.com, and Rumors & Rants