Rocky Top Talk

Team chaplain Roger Woods plays important role in Tennessee's turnaround

2009-11-09T01:35:13Z

During his locker room interview with Tim Priest in the post-victory glow of the Memphis game last night, Bryce Brown gave a great deal of the credit for the team's recent turnaround to one particular guy inside the program. It wasn't a member of the coaching staff or member of the team. It wasn't even a paid member of the administration.

It was Roger Woods, team chaplain. Bryce said that the team wasn't just playing better, it was developing chemistry. Diverse personalities were growing together, unifying behind a common purpose.

You may have heard of the emotional meeting the Friday night before the Georgia game at which the recently-injured Nick Reveiz and not-so-recently-injured Inky Johnson both addressed the team. Linebackers coach Lance Thompson called it "one of the best meetings [he's] been in in 24 years of coaching." The Vols went out and pasted the Georgia Bulldogs 45-19 the next day, triggering a string of sensational games and the apparent tipping point of the Kiffin Chimera's turnaround project.

Woods points to that Friday as "a defining moment for UT football across the board in every aspect." Like he does every Friday, Woods held chapel at the team hotel. He spoke of unity, and that Friday, the message extended not only to the players, but to the players' families as well. Earlier in the week, a parent had called and suggested that instead of the parents praying separately, they all assemble and pray together. So that Friday night at the team hotel at 10:00, probably at about the same time the players were cementing their buy-in to each other and to the program, the parents were coming together for their kids. It was a defining evening for the entire program.

When Phillip Fulmer was fired a year ago, one of the major concerns for many of us was whether growing young boys into men would remain a priority. Certainly, we wanted a coaching staff that would get the program back to its winning ways, but how would the balance between winning games and building men be struck in an era of mercenary coaches? When the last remnant of the prior coaching staff was swept away, former team chaplain James "Mitch" Mitchell went with it, and when the new staff lost Memphis recruit Marlon Brown to Mark Richt largely due to Richt's outspokenness about his faith, some were concerned that it signaled the end of an era at Tennessee.

Enter Chris Walker, Nick Reveiz, Anthony Anderson, and Jacques McClendon. Those four guys ran into Roger Woods at an FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) "College Advance" event earlier this year, and launched into their own recruiting pitch. Woods, who was at the time the chaplain at UT-Chattanooga, initially resisted, but after talking with Mike Hamilton, a handful of FCA staff, and UT head coach Lane Kiffin, he reconsidered and relocated his family to Knoxville and took the job.

Since arriving in Knoxville, Woods has by all accounts done an excellent job building relationships with UT athletes. 75 people showed up for Woods's first service August 9, 2009, and the weekly meetings are now attended by an average of 150-160 student athletes. The first thing the football players do upon arriving on Shields-Watkins Field on game day is meet Woods at midfield for a team prayer (pictured above), and Woods can often be seen on the sidelines praying with players during games, but most of his impact is behind the scenes interacting with the players on a daily basis. According to Walker, "It's really important to have Roger, just because there are going to be times that we're not feeling too well or are not going to be in the right mind we need to be in. We can just go to Roger, and he'll give us the spiritual leadership and be that dad that we need here. We don't have our fathers here in Knoxville, so he's one of those guys we can just look up to."

I had the pleasure of meeting Roger the afternoon of the South Carolina game, and I could see immediately why the players love him. He was extraordinarily affable and genuine, and he made my shy 13-year-old daughter feel so welcome that she left feeling like he was her best friend. I can't tell you how glad I am that this football staff includes a guy whose sole responsibility is to mentor the players through life's great challenges.

One last thing you may not know: Woods is not employed by the University. His position is funded through the FCA, and he's responsible for raising his own financial support. If you'd like to help ensure that he can stay at UT attending to the spiritual and other non-sport needs of the players, the best thing you can do is commit to a regular gift to him through the FCA. If not that, a one-time gift will also help. Or, you can buy his CD "It's Time," which they apparently play over the Neyland public address system while the players are warming up before games. He's also got a blog, although it looks like that's not his highest priority. And by the way, Roger has not even once asked for my help with any of this. I contacted him earlier this year after learning that he's self-supported, and I just wanted to help get the word out, partly because I know (second-hand) what it's like to have to solicit donations to maintain a staff position with a charity, and mostly because it really matters to me that the program I root for cares as much about developing people as it does developing players.

Don't take my word for it. Take Bryce Brown's.

RTT BlogPoll Computer Rankings: Week 10 Draft

2009-11-08T23:00:35Z

Here are the raw computer rankings for week 10. This is, as always, a draft for the RTT BlogPoll Ballot. Explanations and the full computer data follow after the jump. Human intervention will be applied based solely on feedback. I have my thoughts, but I'm hesitant to apply any changes without verification. This late in the season, it's pretty well certain I won't change a number without support.

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Florida
2	Texas
3	TCU
4	Alabama
5	Boise State	1
6	Cincinnati	1
7	Ohio State	9
8	Penn State	1
9	Georgia Tech	1
10	Iowa	5
11	Arizona	4
12	Oregon	4
13	Pittsburgh
14	Southern Cal	2
15	Miami (Florida)	4
16	Brigham Young	2
17	Virginia Tech
18	LSU	7
19	Utah	5
20	Oregon State
21	Wisconsin	1
22	Nebraska	1
23	Oklahoma State	1
24	West Virginia	3
25	Oklahoma	5
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Notre Dame (#25).

Thoughts

TCU Horned Frogs As you'll see in the numbers below, TCU is only ahead of Alabama by a sliver. The biggest difference is that TCU is significantly more successful on offense on third downs. (If you're looking for evidence that Greg McElroy is not as good as some suppose, check his performance in must-pass situations.) But otherwise it's indistinguishable here. Texas really isn't ahead by much either. But as always, the BCS championship game appears to belong to undefeated Texas and Florida/Alabama first, and our computers tend to agree.
Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and Iowa Hawkeyes These four teams are clustered together in a virtual tie. In fact, the difference between Ohio State at #7 and Iowa at #10 is roughly half that between TCU and Alabama. Talk to me. I'm listening.
Arizona Wildcats They just feel weird this high up. But again, the heart of their schedule is yet to come. They'll be either validated or destroyed in short order.
Oklahoma Sooners They don't feel like they should be in the top 25 at this point. This is why I want feedback on...
...Houston Cougars This team officially breaks the model. We've known for a while now that offense is underrepresented in our rankings (an issue we'll address in the offseason). The thing is, most teams aren't so significantly different between the two units as to be affected. Houston, however, has a +3.46 for Total Offense (Yow!) and a -1.82 for Total Defense. Depending on how you would want to go about estimating this, reversing those two numbers (and their corresponding passing and rushing metrics) would have them in the top 25. They probably should have lost to Tulsa this last weekend, but they didn't. Help me figure out where they should go. Even though they're at #43 in our computers, I want to move them in the top 25 and drop Oklahoma out. I just need the verification.

Computer Data

Here is all of the data for all 120 teams. If you're one who likes to play with the numbers, here is the chart in Excel 2003 form and in Excel 2007 form.

Untitled Document

Rank	Team	WL	SOS	PED	RD	3DO	TD	PEO	OPPG	TO	3DD	SCORE
1	Florida	1.951	0.390	2.173	1.097	0.840	2.190	1.712	2.015	1.039	1.974	148.938
2	Texas	1.951	0.035	1.692	2.093	1.139	2.218	0.967	1.692	0.905	2.646	144.361
3	TCU	1.951	0.203	1.650	1.291	0.437	2.053	2.089	1.861	1.385	1.760	139.435
4	Alabama	1.951	0.805	1.922	1.792	-0.388	2.025	0.165	1.784	0.621	1.382	136.679
5	Boise St.	1.951	-0.426	1.486	1.001	-0.144	1.530	2.019	1.199	1.112	1.300	110.070
6	Cincinnati	1.951	-0.130	0.842	0.460	0.550	0.547	2.417	1.138	1.803	-0.029	104.053
7	Ohio St.	1.110	0.259	1.691	1.391	0.252	1.825	0.023	1.864	-0.091	1.200	95.594
8	Penn St.	1.110	-0.177	1.469	1.085	1.384	1.648	0.599	1.919	0.475	1.122	95.571
9	Georgia Tech	1.531	1.348	-0.881	0.435	2.050	0.154	1.222	-0.035	1.109	-0.395	95.229
10	Iowa	1.531	0.490	1.709	0.614	0.263	1.190	-0.332	1.213	-0.509	0.329	94.059
11	Arizona	0.900	1.150	0.337	1.144	1.321	1.073	0.368	0.367	1.212	0.572	90.806
12	Oregon	1.017	1.905	1.298	0.205	-0.590	0.652	0.165	0.521	0.675	0.655	88.272
13	Pittsburgh	1.484	-0.153	0.181	0.892	1.270	0.866	1.801	1.045	0.512	0.620	88.188
14	Southern Cal	1.017	1.928	1.017	0.711	-1.182	0.483	0.206	0.922	0.497	0.733	85.604
15	Miami (FL)	1.017	1.353	0.275	0.516	0.807	0.585	1.182	0.198	0.400	0.238	85.208
16	BYU	1.017	-0.037	-0.403	0.929	3.122	0.459	2.215	0.383	1.385	-0.594	83.556
17	Virginia Tech	0.550	1.994	1.601	-0.098	-0.322	0.842	0.807	0.999	-0.225	0.816	83.306
18	LSU	1.017	1.096	1.072	0.555	0.220	0.870	0.414	1.553	-1.078	0.158	83.280
19	Utah	1.484	-0.813	1.413	0.356	0.257	1.061	0.673	1.138	0.563	1.831	72.058
20	Oregon St.	0.550	1.488	-0.260	1.043	0.993	-0.038	0.865	0.136	0.569	0.355	67.925
21	Wisconsin	1.017	0.343	-0.091	0.986	1.243	0.846	0.052	0.306	0.429	0.431	66.515
22	Nebraska	0.550	-0.116	1.963	1.180	-0.102	1.489	-0.164	1.984	-0.558	0.974	64.605
23	Oklahoma St.	1.017	-0.167	0.583	1.190	0.346	0.521	1.079	0.506	0.507	0.667	63.982
24	West Virginia	1.017	-0.104	0.652	0.807	0.868	0.525	0.426	0.521	0.253	0.701	62.100
25	Oklahoma	0.083	0.565	1.354	1.359	-0.047	1.617	-0.081	1.707	0.590	0.935	61.491
26	Clemson	0.550	0.858	1.406	0.320	-0.373	1.208	-0.401	1.014	-0.296	0.645	58.720
27	Stanford	0.550	1.369	-0.526	0.151	0.667	-0.451	1.257	0.013	1.114	-0.031	50.917
28	Tennessee	0.083	0.616	1.332	0.607	-0.159	1.133	0.557	0.798	0.373	1.030	50.369
29	Navy	0.690	0.005	0.098	0.358	1.394	0.456	0.564	0.450	-0.389	1.287	47.217
30	North Carolina	0.550	-0.135	1.324	1.245	-0.433	1.903	-1.262	1.292	-1.475	1.341	46.856
31	Mississippi	0.550	-0.088	1.395	0.200	-0.107	0.759	-0.194	1.229	0.296	2.067	44.163
32	Auburn	0.690	0.215	0.935	-0.578	0.300	0.022	1.012	-0.270	1.241	1.013	42.278
33	South Fla.	0.900	-0.878	0.939	0.336	-0.039	0.786	1.200	0.973	0.098	0.148	42.196
34	Central Mich.	1.017	-1.233	0.361	0.636	1.189	0.382	0.745	1.075	0.187	0.266	41.334
35	South Carolina	0.270	0.844	0.598	-0.013	0.025	0.954	-0.136	0.589	-0.199	0.115	38.746
36	Notre Dame	0.550	0.697	-0.484	-0.088	0.081	-0.405	1.809	0.244	1.474	-0.121	36.907
37	Air Force	0.270	-0.897	1.530	0.199	0.650	1.663	0.302	1.628	-0.655	1.533	36.786
38	California	0.550	1.082	-0.682	0.874	-0.341	-0.364	0.216	0.214	0.477	0.034	35.775
39	Texas Tech	0.550	-0.412	0.367	0.519	0.397	0.112	1.209	0.168	1.654	-0.137	34.814
40	Fresno St.	0.550	0.150	-0.034	-0.575	1.418	-0.357	1.024	0.306	1.106	0.589	34.216
41	Boston College	0.550	0.390	0.358	0.742	-0.899	0.547	-0.052	0.722	-0.709	1.098	33.743
42	Georgia	0.083	1.394	-0.401	0.563	-0.167	0.510	0.056	-0.202	-0.606	0.715	30.808
43	Houston	1.484	-0.785	-0.654	-1.752	1.553	-1.816	1.653	-0.756	3.463	-0.742	21.700
44	Michigan St.	-0.150	0.355	-0.357	1.018	-0.024	0.483	1.013	0.340	0.696	-0.122	20.461
45	UCLA	-0.384	2.115	0.462	-0.277	-1.120	0.060	-0.664	0.229	-0.985	0.501	15.412
46	Kansas	0.083	-0.463	0.183	0.638	0.462	0.292	0.439	0.060	0.915	0.173	13.886
47	Arizona St.	-0.384	0.548	0.673	1.343	-1.374	1.189	-1.070	0.861	-0.440	1.290	13.072
48	Northwestern	0.270	-0.978	-0.119	0.652	1.521	0.336	-0.103	0.187	-0.068	0.492	11.447
49	Wake Forest	-0.571	1.299	-0.047	-0.552	0.731	-0.140	0.853	0.090	0.170	-0.587	11.031
50	Missouri	0.083	0.066	-0.084	1.001	-0.681	0.371	0.191	0.029	0.135	-0.380	10.747
51	Rutgers	0.900	-1.834	0.544	0.893	-0.756	0.664	-0.125	0.991	-0.597	0.896	9.600
52	Troy	1.017	-1.298	-0.379	0.260	-0.097	-0.473	0.826	-0.202	1.377	0.221	9.391
53	Kentucky	0.083	0.562	1.064	-1.008	0.120	0.069	-1.132	0.274	-0.577	-0.338	8.588
54	Texas A&M	0.083	-0.282	-0.351	-0.246	1.852	-0.717	0.652	-0.819	1.716	0.626	7.716
55	Idaho	0.690	-0.601	-1.186	-0.247	1.615	-0.802	1.346	-0.894	1.013	-2.877	6.521
56	Arkansas	0.083	1.015	-1.222	0.208	-1.035	-0.760	1.295	-0.202	0.963	0.222	5.141
57	Kansas St.	0.270	-0.379	-0.046	0.983	-0.876	0.410	-0.288	0.298	-0.422	-0.236	3.958
58	Florida St.	-0.384	1.928	-1.676	-1.036	1.546	-1.227	0.967	-0.865	1.025	-0.545	3.898
59	La.-Monroe	0.083	-0.841	0.110	1.118	0.445	0.185	0.105	-0.449	0.354	-0.421	3.806
60	Temple	1.017	-1.606	0.003	0.895	-0.764	0.549	-0.725	0.413	-1.041	0.356	2.917
61	Washington	-0.851	2.614	-1.285	-0.453	1.556	-1.094	-0.397	-0.618	-0.200	-0.492	2.889
62	Northern Ill.	0.550	-2.181	-0.094	0.939	0.833	0.741	0.241	1.091	-0.250	0.151	2.595
63	East Carolina	0.083	-0.242	-0.091	0.516	0.546	0.035	-1.106	0.383	-0.635	-0.017	0.160
64	Duke	0.083	-0.750	0.453	0.135	-0.288	0.658	0.369	0.151	-0.161	-0.395	-0.624
65	Mississippi St.	-0.384	0.968	0.408	-0.056	-1.210	0.174	-0.866	0.013	0.098	0.662	-3.360
66	Purdue	-0.571	0.886	0.771	-0.655	0.003	-0.123	-0.365	-0.575	0.092	-0.436	-4.685
67	Connecticut	-0.384	0.656	-0.795	0.257	-0.139	-0.066	-0.105	0.151	0.520	0.370	-6.045
68	Minnesota	-0.150	1.084	-0.409	-0.489	-0.024	-0.589	-0.314	-0.326	-1.171	-1.989	-7.000
69	North Carolina St.	-0.384	-0.699	-0.385	0.646	0.993	0.482	0.768	-0.680	0.665	-0.451	-7.226
70	Nevada	0.375	-0.694	-1.900	0.718	1.052	-1.031	0.612	-0.759	2.183	-0.300	-7.868
71	Southern Miss.	0.083	-1.508	-0.288	0.617	0.518	0.002	1.067	0.105	0.863	0.222	-8.590
72	Marshall	0.083	-0.125	0.405	-0.401	-0.050	-0.443	-0.790	0.506	-0.927	-0.519	-8.861
73	UCF	0.083	-0.703	-0.762	1.390	-0.517	0.155	-0.127	0.506	-1.097	-0.667	-10.968
74	Ohio	0.550	-1.673	1.144	-0.124	-1.075	0.499	-0.637	0.567	-1.109	0.771	-11.738
75	SMU	0.083	-0.118	0.749	-0.266	-1.773	-0.265	-0.060	-0.633	-0.126	-0.580	-14.966
76	Middle Tenn.	0.550	-1.489	0.721	-0.243	-1.285	-0.143	-0.708	-0.064	0.739	0.777	-18.976
77	Virginia	-0.851	1.329	1.057	-0.505	-1.469	0.208	-1.783	-0.064	-2.017	0.382	-21.798
78	San Diego St.	-0.384	-0.221	-0.054	-0.437	0.516	-0.169	0.080	-0.741	-0.720	-1.139	-23.092
79	Baylor	-0.384	0.001	0.186	-0.365	-0.504	-0.561	-0.077	-0.003	-0.351	-0.738	-24.155
80	Iowa St.	-0.150	-0.041	-0.485	-0.578	0.371	-0.711	-0.936	0.270	-0.215	-0.519	-24.511
81	Bowling Green	-0.384	-0.044	0.051	-1.663	0.494	-0.479	-0.035	-0.525	0.336	1.083	-27.794
82	Michigan	-0.150	-0.827	-0.193	-0.310	0.120	-0.525	-0.093	-0.242	0.435	0.283	-28.058
83	Tulsa	-0.384	-1.261	-0.305	0.555	-0.648	-0.349	1.102	0.183	0.462	0.329	-32.253
84	Louisville	-0.851	0.756	-1.104	-0.121	-0.118	0.024	-0.838	-0.248	-0.325	0.049	-33.404
85	Buffalo	-0.851	-1.083	0.282	0.148	0.675	0.142	0.077	-0.202	0.555	-0.742	-34.653
86	Illinois	-0.851	0.604	-0.513	-0.401	0.219	-0.561	-0.818	-0.265	-0.169	-1.198	-34.924
87	Louisiana Tech	-0.851	-0.596	0.016	-0.793	0.813	-0.432	-0.109	-0.202	-0.244	0.025	-43.115
88	Indiana	-0.571	-0.004	-0.651	-0.359	-0.401	-0.820	-0.214	-0.533	-0.380	-1.434	-44.012
89	Kent St.	-0.150	-1.815	0.372	0.512	-1.530	0.116	-0.576	0.464	-0.587	0.066	-44.636
90	Colorado	-0.851	0.369	-0.551	-0.152	-0.288	-0.317	-1.491	-0.741	-1.326	0.852	-46.073
91	La.-Lafayette	0.083	-1.806	-0.391	-0.412	0.513	-0.507	-0.622	-0.664	-0.465	-0.990	-47.278
92	Wyoming	-0.384	-0.121	-0.357	-0.160	-1.373	-0.479	-1.638	-0.265	-1.324	0.124	-49.243
93	Toledo	-0.384	-0.995	0.033	-0.764	-0.266	-1.058	0.464	-1.772	1.072	-1.404	-50.381
94	Syracuse	-0.851	0.697	-1.825	0.900	-1.876	-0.237	-0.472	-0.525	-1.210	-0.009	-50.556
95	Hawaii	-0.851	-0.249	-1.087	-1.308	1.378	-1.103	0.442	-1.187	1.439	-1.214	-51.747
96	Colorado St.	-0.991	0.609	-1.140	-0.020	-1.077	-0.559	-0.226	-0.907	-0.526	-3.045	-55.440
97	Maryland	-1.318	0.532	-0.914	0.091	-0.228	-0.479	-0.639	-1.064	-1.038	0.044	-55.983
98	Vanderbilt	-1.411	0.502	0.399	-0.968	-0.643	0.152	-2.310	0.298	-1.063	0.227	-59.323
99	UNLV	-0.571	-0.200	-1.515	-1.544	1.615	-1.435	-0.496	-1.018	-0.443	-1.864	-60.294
100	Western Mich.	-0.571	-0.862	-0.707	-0.832	0.281	-1.374	-0.367	-0.658	-0.067	-0.188	-62.507
101	UAB	-0.384	-0.675	-1.492	-0.093	-0.778	-1.887	0.021	-1.142	0.321	-1.869	-68.170
102	Arkansas St.	-1.201	-1.337	-0.228	0.750	-1.268	0.267	-0.696	0.644	-0.830	-0.579	-70.613
103	Army	-0.851	-1.433	0.112	0.568	-1.878	1.209	-2.389	0.090	-1.821	-0.009	-72.131
104	Utah St.	-1.318	0.066	-0.454	-1.676	-0.697	-1.497	0.552	-1.172	1.021	-0.815	-77.591
105	Miami (OH)	-1.832	0.721	-0.418	-0.949	-0.781	-0.255	-0.850	-1.198	-0.606	-0.530	-77.674
106	Tulane	-0.851	-0.298	-1.799	-1.531	0.788	-1.002	-0.316	-1.772	-0.887	-2.510	-81.312
107	Akron	-1.318	-0.717	0.091	-0.497	-1.593	0.084	-0.996	-0.156	-1.523	-1.020	-82.752
108	San Jose St.	-1.651	2.066	-0.927	-2.279	-1.908	-1.535	-0.954	-1.453	-1.769	-0.749	-89.943
109	UTEP	-0.851	-0.759	-0.950	-1.539	0.157	-1.775	-0.980	-1.449	0.236	-1.426	-90.469
110	Fla. Atlantic	-1.201	-0.729	-1.250	-2.166	0.941	-1.545	0.199	-1.711	1.253	-0.348	-91.625
111	Memphis	-1.318	-0.587	-0.920	-1.072	-0.576	-1.197	-0.537	-1.187	-0.147	0.154	-94.092
112	North Texas	-1.318	-1.358	-0.342	-1.101	0.257	-1.236	-0.239	-1.895	0.512	-0.076	-94.766
113	New Mexico St.	-0.851	-0.990	0.082	-1.290	-1.112	-0.479	-2.750	-0.726	-2.545	-0.872	-96.613
114	Washington St.	-1.785	2.133	-1.772	-1.949	-2.484	-2.439	-1.135	-1.927	-1.866	-0.204	-113.046
115	FIU	-1.318	-0.545	-0.496	-2.283	-0.582	-2.131	-1.197	-1.295	-0.857	0.221	-113.680
116	Ball St.	-1.785	-1.717	-1.209	-0.290	-0.783	-0.338	-2.068	-0.587	-1.210	0.222	-130.110
117	New Mexico	-2.252	-0.172	-1.425	-0.608	-1.924	-1.135	-1.150	-1.650	-1.212	-1.691	-137.847
118	Rice	-2.252	0.283	-2.422	-1.215	-0.919	-1.551	-1.675	-2.666	-1.337	-0.786	-147.105
119	Eastern Mich.	-2.252	-0.459	-0.756	-3.447	-0.794	-1.242	-1.750	-1.958	-1.982	-1.027	-160.721
120	Western Ky.	-2.252	-0.815	-2.847	-2.801	-1.083	-2.559	-1.127	-2.759	-1.039	-2.678	-195.269

Your Braynography for the week. Why the fireworks? Because Kingsburg is undefeated and has at...

2009-11-08T21:30:20Z

Your Braynography for the week. Why the fireworks? Because Kingsburg is undefeated and has at least a share of their league's championship. (Note that Bray can scramble and stiff-arm. And the throws. Oh, wow, the throws. On fourth and 12, even.) Go to YouTube to see the HD if you want; it's pretty good quality.

Jonathan Crompton and other Volunteers slowly climbing national rankings

2009-11-08T20:31:01Z

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Browse more photos »

Tennessee is trending upward, appearing to have successfully navigated the meat of the Kiffin Chimera's learning curve. Despite a pretty big hole they dug for themselves early on, several Volunteers are slowly climbing the national rankings in several major statistical categories. Have a look:

Offense

Jonathan Crompton, tied for 11th in "points responsible for" (1st in the SEC, and behind the likes of Houston's Case Keenum, Boise State's Kellen Moore, BYU's Max Hall, and several players from lower-tier teams)
Montario Hardesty, 25th in rushing yards per game (4th in the SEC)
Crompton 35th in passing efficiency (over Joe Cox, Matt Barkley, Greg McElroy, Terrelle Pryor, Stephen Garcia, and Jevan Snead, among others)
Crompton, 40th in total passing yards (above Joe Cox, Jevan Snead, Matt Barkley, Greg McElroy, Terrelle Pryor, and Tim Tebow, among others)
Jonathan Crompton: 44th in passing (above Ryan Mallett, Joe Cox, Matt Barkley, Greg McElroy, Jevan Snead, Jordan Jefferson, Chris Todd, Tim Tebow, and Terrelle Pryor, among other notables)
Crompton, 44th in passing yards per game (above Joe Cox, Jevan Snead, Chris Todd, Greg McElroy, Jordan Jefferson, Tim Tebow, and Terrelle Pryor, among others)
Montario Hardesty, 56th in all-purpose running

Note that we have no receivers ranked nationally in receptions per game, receiving yards per game, or total receiving yards, which must mean that Crompton is spreading the ball around and the driving force in the passing game.

Defense

Rico McCoy, tied for 7th in forced fumbles
Eric Berry, 9th in fumbles recovered
Dennis Rogan, 25th in fumbles recovered (duplicate link)
Chris Walker, 41st in sacks
McCoy, 52nd in solo tackles
McCoy, 58th in total tackles
Berry, 63rd in passes defended
Walker, 98th in interceptions

Special Teams

Daniel Lincoln, 49th in field goals
David Oku, 50th in kickoff returns
Chad Cunningham, 52nd in punting
Nu'Keese Richardson, 85th in kickoff returns (duplicate link)

Tennessee-Memphis animated drive chart

2009-11-08T12:00:59Z

FULL SCREEN VERSION

Tennessee 56 Tiger High 28: Lane Kiffin does whatever he wants

2009-11-08T03:56:56Z

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Bryce Brown, with the return of the over-the-pile dive for six.

Browse more photos »

If you didn't see it and you're only looking at the final or the box score, the real numbers aren't the double-up on the scoreboard, or the fact that Memphis gained 401 yards and scored more points against Tennessee's defense than anyone has all season. Any eyebrow-raising is reserved for next season.

Because the real story of this game was told in the first thirty minutes and the first two drives of the second half. Tennessee had eight possessions in that span, and scored touchdowns on seven of them. We still don't know if we can kick field goals, because Lane Kiffin and the Vols weren't playing that game tonight.

Instead of settling at any point in the first half, Kiffin and the Vols went for the throat from the first play. After David Oku set the tone with a 69 yard return on the opening kick, the Vols ran a trick play on their first snap, an incomplete halfback pass. No matter, the Vols scored five plays later, and we were off to the races.

Memphis went three and out, and the Vols went 55 yards in 4 plays to make it 14-0. And of course, you call for the onside kick in this situation.

Even though the Vols didn't retain possession thanks to an offsides penalty, Memphis punted again. Tennessee scored again. Rinse, repeat.

En route to a 42-7 halftime lead, the Vols never punted, tried the onside kick, went for it on fourth down three times (including once at our own 35), forced a fumble and got Eric Berry six yards closer to his record with an interception, dialed up two unsuccessful trick plays, and basically did anything they wanted to on every snap.

Manningesque Crompton returned, but not because the Tigers completely shut down the run - Montario Hardesty still finished with 60 yards on 13 carries, and on the whole the Vols ran for 143 yards, with Bryce Brown getting the bulk of the work in the second half and also finishing with 60 yards on 11 carries.

But when the Vols weren't running, Crompton was getting it done.

During Crompton's time in the game - again, just the first half and the first offensive drive of the third quarter - he went 21 of 27 for 331 yards (career high), throwing five touchdowns to five different receivers (GJones, Denarius, Stocker, Hancock, and Nuke) and sneaking one in himself for six total touchdowns (career high, and only short of the all-time UT record because Erik Ainge had four overtimes to get seven in 2007). If Memphis doesn't like being called Tiger High, maybe they'd settle for Career High.

Tennessee was up 49-7 with more than 12:00 left in the third quarter, and we were thinking about all-time scoring records, when Kiffin decided that what he wanted to do next was put the backups in and see what we had.

From there, Memphis outscored the Vols 21-7, broke loose for almost 300 yards in the second half, and did cause a few raised eyebrows about Tennessee's depth, especially defensively. Nick Stephens had his moments (5 of 9 for 98 yards with a touchdown and an interception) and plenty of guys got experience. Yeah, we're not thrilled with the way our second and third team defense played...but the fact that they got 27 minutes of work means we're very thrilled with everything else.

Kiffin - the head coach of a 5-4 football team who said he thought a game against then-ranked South Carolina "shouldn't have been close" and expressed disappointment when the Vols won by 18 - is going to do whatever he wants. You've probably figured that out when it comes to his mouth. But Memphis got the same deal tonight on the field, where the Vols showed no mercy. It's not running up the score when you do it in one half and one drive.

There are questions of depth for the future, sure. Monte will have plenty to stress this week. But right now, Tennessee is a confident, dangerous football team. The Vols wiped the floor with Memphis for the 21st time in 22 tries. Now we turn our attention to a game that will make the difference between a good season and an average one for both teams: Ed Orgeron and the Vols are headed for Oxford, full speed ahead.

Tennessee races to huge early lead against Memphis, coasts to 56-28 win

2009-11-08T03:35:18Z

Don't let the final score or total stats fool you. The Tennessee Volunteers 56-28 complete and utter beatdown of the Memphis Tigers was over long before the first half came to a close.

First half stats:

382 yards total offense
305 passing yards
5 touchdowns from Jonathan Crompton
18 first downs
Four trick plays, including a surprise onside kick that would have been successful if not for an offsides penalty
A 28-point second quarter
A 42-7 halftime lead

All of that allowed us Vol fans to see something we hadn't seen in years: an entire second half devoted to getting the backups real live reps, and a leisurely close to a game that had even the most knowledgeable of us crawling through the roster to see who was on the field. Just remind yourself that the buzz kill in the second half was because we are simply not used to being so far ahead that we burn game time preparing for next season.

And yes, it feels good.

Tennessee Volunteers vs. Memphis Tigers: 2nd half game thread

2009-11-08T01:45:33Z


104	Net Yards	382
52	Rush Yards	77
52	Pass Yards	305
7	1st Downs	18
11:23	TOP	18:37
0/5	3rd downs	5/8
0/0	4td downs	2/3
1	INT thrown	0
1/4	Sacks/yards	2/16

So what do you do here? Put in Stephens or let Crompton try to make up for lost time with a 700 yard game? I say the latter. Sorry, Nick. See you next year.

Tennessee Volunteers vs. Memphis Tigers: open game thread

2009-11-07T23:00:29Z

NR (BlogPoll)

@

NR (BlogPoll)

Kickoff: 7 p.m. EST Television: ESPNU Eric Collins, Brock Huard Vol Network Radio: Free Audio \| Station List Bob Kesling, Tim Priest and Mike Stowell Live Video Streaming: ESPN360.com Satellite Radio: XM Radio: 199 \| Sirius Radio: 219 Live Stats: Gametracker Game Day Information Game Day Activities/Timing Schedule

Jackson the Mule says . . . . . . my father was a Tennessee Walking Mule.

VolnVA wins this week's Hail Mary Haiku with the following:

Memphis Tigers are
More like paper tigers, so
They will be shredded

Leave your pre-, in-, and post-game comments below.

Go Vols!

ESPN College GameDay and early games open thread

2009-11-07T13:14:53Z

With yet another night game for the Vols, there's a full day of football before things get serious against Memphis. Here's one recommended viewing schedule for Vol fans again:

Watch these live

South Carolina	@	Arkansas	12:21 p.m.	SECN
LSU	@	Alabama	3:30 p.m.	CBS
Memphis	@	Tennessee	7:00 p.m.	ESPNU

Flip between/DVR these

Ohio State	@	Penn State	3:30 p.m.	ABC
Vanderbilt	@	Florida	7:15 p.m.	ESPN2

All times EST

Of course, the day kicks off again with ESPN College GameDay, which starts at 10:00 and shoots live from. . . wha? . . . Colorado Springs for the Army-Air Force game. Huh. Comments on that?

Quick question, as a Vol fan, who are you rooting for in the LSU-Alabama game? LSU, because you hate Alabama, or Alabama, because that would be the first domino to fall in the unlikely scenario Tennessee finishes the season the third best team in the SEC?

Leave your comments on GameDay and/or the early games below.

Poll

Who do you want to win the LSU-Alabama game?

LSU

55 votes

Alabama

40 votes

95 votes | Poll has closed

Tennessee-Memphis Guessing Game

2009-11-07T13:01:29Z

Here are the questions for the Memphis edition of the RTT Guessing Game:

How many touchdowns does Memphis get against Monte Kiffin's defense today?
How many points does Tennessee get, within three?
Is this the game that Eric Berry gets the record?

As always, put your answers in THE SUBJECT LINE of your response to this thread. For example, my guesses:

0, 42, yes (please!)

Correct answers get you points in the Guessing Game season standings. Have fun, and Go Vols!

Will's weekly radio appearance on Knoxville's SportsAnimal

2009-11-07T12:49:09Z

Click below to listen to Will's weekly appearance on Sports 180 with Josh Ward and Will West yesterday.

Another Lil Wayne shoutout to "Lil Lane"

2009-11-06T20:22:09Z

Another Lil Wayne shoutout to "Lil Lane"

Chest bump to @BFeldmanESPN.

Tennessee Basketball Season Preview: Five Questions

2009-11-06T19:00:35Z

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

In Year Five of BruceBall, can the Vols beat Kentucky, bring home another championship and finally make it past the Sweet 16?

Browse more photos »

Seven days away from tipoff, the 09-10 Vols prepare to embark on a 30 game schedule as defending SEC East Champions and with every major contributor back. Bruce Pearl has changed everything about Tennessee Basketball in his first four seasons, to the point that we enter this year with a top ten ranking and championship expectations. The overall goals continue to be the same as they have been since Pearl established himself: success is defined now by more than just making the tournament, but by higher seeds and deeper progress, and by winning the division and winning the conference, two things that will require going through our biggest rival from the Bluegrass. The rivalry between Tennessee and Kentucky has a chance to reach unprecedented heights this season, and both have a chance to do something special.

As always, the biggest goal for Tennessee Basketball continues to be the Elite Eight, the promised land that the Vols have never reached, falling thrice in the Sweet Sixteen in this decade. Get there, and hey...we might as well make the Final Four.

This team has the talent, experience and coaching to go far. Exactly how far will be determined by the answers to these questions:

5. How much productivity will the Vols get at point guard?

The Vols have plenty of guys who can score, but need someone who can distribute. Last year Bobby Maze put up numbers that were very similar to what we saw from Ramar Smith: 8.2 points, 3.2 assists, a low shooting percentage from behind the arc...and while Maze was +2 in assist/turnover ratio and did a serviceable job at the position, the Vols need the combination of Maze and Melvin Goins to run the offense with greater efficiency. And on the defensive side of the ball, the point guard will play a key role in answering our second question...

4. How effective will the Controlled Chaos Press be after its absence last season?

Pearl's first three teams may not have been the most talented or later the most experienced, but they played with a certain style: fast, tenacious, leading the conference in scoring while also turning teams over on the defensive end. There was no one better at getting a turnover on an out-of-bounds play, and the Vols used a small, quick lineup to exectue a full-court press that wore teams down. Last year, the Vols traded speed for size at the guard positions, and also lost years of experience with Pearl's system with the departure of Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith. As a result, the Vols stayed away from the press while allowing opposing guards to routinely go off for career nights.

Pearl has promised that the Vols are going back to their old ways this season, but doing so will involve the same personnel stepping up considerably on the defensive end. Josh Tabb was one of Tennessee's best and most experienced defenders, and his departure further complicates this problem. Tennessee has the athleticism with Scotty Hopson, Cameron Tatum, JP Prince and others to run the scheme, but its overall effectiveness will be in question until we see it working regularly again. Will this feel like a Bruce Pearl team again?

3. Can Scotty Hopson make the leap?

The pieces are there: former McDonald's All-American, 6'7" frame that added fifteen pounds in the offseason, occasional flashes of brilliance in a respectable freshman season (9.2 points per game), and word that his jump shot has been altered for the better. Hopson has so much raw talent that I still believe that if he fully harnesses it, he won't be in Knoxville for his senior season. Part of it is determining what kind of player he's going to be - is he going to attack the basket, or is he a jump shooter? - but in all reality, Hopson is capable of being both. The Vols could use more touch from beyond the arc, but Pearl talks about players with the ability to create their own shots, and Hopson can certainly do that as well.

If Hopson makes the leap from potential to reality, not just every now and then but consistently, Tennessee's chances of winning the SEC and playing deep into March increase dramatically. The Vols have two clear scoring options in Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism, but neither can contribute the way Hopson is capable of, from both beyond the arc and slashing to the hole. If Hopson has improved and matured as much as we hope this season, there will be very, very few teams that will out-talent Tennessee.

2. Will the three-point shooting improve, and how much will we rely on it?

I still have to remember that Lofton and Juanny aren't walking through those doors, because we were incredibly spoiled for two great years with both of them in the starting lineup. When the Vols could spread the floor with those guys on either side and Tyler Smith posting up down low, good grief we were dangerous. The Vols may not get back to the days where two guys are knocking down threes over 45% of the time, but things can still improve.

It wasn't just that Tennessee shot poorly from three last season, at 31.5% as a team. And it wasn't just that the wealth was spread around: Josh Tabb was the only player to break 40%, and seven guys took more threes than he did, all shooting between 27.5% (Renaldo Woolridge) and 35.7% (Hopson).

Tennessee was the worst three point shooting team in the NCAA field last season, and still jacked up 33 of them in the game against Oklahoma State. Really, this problem goes back to the first three questions: an inability to run an effective offense outside of jacking threes more often than not, no press and thus little transition game to create turnovers and easier scoring opportunities, and only two guys in Tyler and Wayne - and Wayne likes to shoot as much as anybody - who could create their own shot from inside the arc.

So for starters, the Vols need to run a better halfcourt offense, need the press to create the transition opportunities we all know and love from earlier BruceBall seasons, and need Scotty Hopson to become a scoring threat inside the arc. From there, Tennessee will do less standing around and less settling for threes, and find more balanced scoring and hopefully, more open threes that are knocked down more of the time. After the Florida game in Knoxville last season, Pearl asked if we couldn't shoot the three, or if we had good shooters that just weren't hitting. Relying on the three less will hopefully lead to good shooters hitting them more this season. And the more we get to use "Skylar McBee...for three!", the better.

1. Will this team play its best basketball when it matters most?

That starts in the last five minutes, where in the regular season last year the Vols lost games to Gonzaga (overtime), Memphis (54-52), LSU (79-73), Auburn (78-77), and Alabama (miracle shot). Pearl's first three teams were excellent at winning close games, but last year the list of teams Tennessee beat in crunch time reads like this: Belmont, Arkansas, Mississippi State. The other close wins were the result of dwindling big leads in games the Vols still managed to win.

Being a team that wins games in crunch time will help the Vols become a team that wins games in March. Tennessee was right there in their two biggest games last season, but lost them both on the final possession to Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament Finals, and to Oklahoma State in the NCAA Tournament. The Vols must play with greater confidence and poise in the last five minutes, and the journey of the season must lead to fully realized talent and a fully mature team come tournament time. Last year this team struggled with unrealized expectations, and walked the fine line between success and disappointment. This year, can they come together and improve, so that we're winning these close games instead of losing them?

The pieces are there. Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism are great players in their senior seasons, JP Prince is capable of contributing from everywhere, the team is deep and experienced and could get an even bigger boost from Scotty Hopson. If the Vols can get back to playing what has become Tennessee Basketball under Pearl - running in transition, forcing turnovers, knocking down threes and winning the last five minutes - this team is capable of reaching its goals: standing toe to toe with Kentucky and finishing higher than them in the standings for the fifth year in a row, winning another division and conference title, and reaching the promised land of an Elite Eight/Final Four in March.

(What did we miss? As always, we invite you to leave your questions and answers in the comments...)

KNS: Urban Meyer fined $30,000 for comments on officiating

2009-11-06T17:53:42Z

KNS: Urban Meyer fined $30,000 for comments on officiating

Around the SB Nation: previewing Alabama-LSU

2009-11-06T17:15:21Z

More photos » by Bill Haber - AP

Browse more photos »

In advance of the big SEC showdown between Alabama and LSU tomorrow, And the Valley Shook says it's time for LSU fans to get over Nick Saban and Roll Bama Roll is currying favor with the football gods by confessing an unnatural attraction to a certain Miley Cyrus song. More seriously, RBR notes that it's not only 'Bama's offense that is struggling a bit, it's the third down defense, and Team Speed Kills examines its preseason preview of the game to see how much of it holds this week.
Black Shoe Diaries provides some essentially history on the Penn State-Ohio State rivalry.
Ohio State blog We Will Always Have Tempe says that the Buckeyes must recapture some of their old road warrior mentality.

Tennessee Basketball - Bruce Pearl Era (via UTSPORTSoCOM)

2009-11-06T14:00:51Z

Tennessee Basketball - Bruce Pearl Era (via UTSPORTSoCOM)

Talking Points: joke to boomerang against Memphis?

2009-11-06T12:23:02Z

Memphis coach Tommy West has made a stupid joke about a dog suggesting that Lane Kiffin is not all that smart. Tennessee players perhaps in danger of overlooking the Tigers are now focused.
Lane Kiffin still won't confirm that reigning SEC freshman of the week Janzen Jackson is suspended for the Memphis game -- it's Kiffin's practice not to comment on such things until afterwards -- but Jackson watched practice from a distance on Thursday and Monte has said that either Prentiss Waggner or freshman Darren Myles, Jr. will start alongside Eric Berry, so there you go. Yay for deductive reasoning.
We neglected to add the passive-aggressive little old lady to the Record of Wrongs this week.
UT commitment Jacques Smith's status with Tennessee remains solid after reports indicated that he'd been suspended for the first game of high school playoffs for fighting with a teammate. His coach called DaCoachO as soon as it happened, and O told him that they knew Smith well enough that they weren't overly concerned with it.
It appears that there will only be two officials visitors this weekend: Ahmad Dixon and Marques Pair.
Is this the week that Berry breaks the record? Time is running out.

Vote for the winner of the Tennessee-Memphis Hail Mary Haiku

2009-11-06T11:40:31Z

Cast a vote for your favorite Hail Mary Haiku of the week. Those that survived yesterday's rec-whittling are re-published below the jump.

Coach West was a Vol,
so when we pound the Tigers,
make sure to use lube.

by rustytanton

What’s halfway between
The Bobcats and Hilltoppers?
Memphis State beatdown

by Incipient_Senescence

do not look ahead
put it out of reach and play
backups in the fourth

by Hooper

Tyger High! Burning
Bright, Neyland Stadium at
Night. Go Big Orange.

by birdjam

Put on my blue suede
Shoes and I ran into Lane
Volunteers win big

by Getoffmyvols

My first trip to
hallowed Neyland. It’s time for
Berry’s new record

by jacksonian

Hey there Volunteers
Send Tigers back to Graceland
Tails tucked in disgrace

by ChattVol

Memphis Tigers are
More like paper tigers, so
They will be shredded

by VolnVA

Poll

Who wins this week's Hail Mary Haiku?

Tennessee Lady Vols Take on Carson-Newman Lady Eagles Exhibition Game Thread

2009-11-05T23:00:31Z

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

Browse more photos »

Lady Vols basketball is back!

Tonight will be an exhibition game against the relatively local Carson-Newman Lady Eagles We'll start talking more about the Lady Vols as the beginning of the actual season approaches, but here are a few bits of information for you.

Coverage

The game will start at 7 PM EST in TBA. Live video will be broadcast over the internet, courtesy of CBSSports.com. Here is the link, which should open in a new window. (If that doesn't work, go here. Also opens in a new window.)

Starting Lineup

The starters have been announced, and in true exhibition fashion, will give a chance for youth to learn first-hand alongside experience. One interesting note here is that there are no seniors in the lineup whatsoever. Get used to these names; they are going to be here for a while.

Untitled Document

	Name	Position	Experience	Height
Starters	Angie Bjorklund	G	Jr	6-0
	Taber Spani	G	Fr	6-1
	Alicia Manning	F	So	6-1
	Shekinna Stricklen	G-F	So	6-2
	Kelley Cain	C	So	6-6
The Rest	Brianna Bass	G	So	5-2
	Vicki Baugh	F	Jr	6-4
	Alyssia Brewer	F	So	6-3
	Faith Dupree	C	Fr	6-3
	Amber Gray	F	So	6-1
	Glory Johnson	F	So	6-3
	Sydney Smallbone	G	Jr	5-10
	Kamiko Williams	G	Fr	5-11