2006 Tennessee Volunteers

2006 Tennessee Volunteers Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

Jan. 1
Outback Bowl
Penn State 20 ... Tennessee 10
In a 10-10 game in the fourth quarter, Tennessee appeared to have all the momentum after a 53-yard pass to Chris Brown, but on the next play, Arian Foster lost a fumble, Penn State's Tony Davis picked it up, and he was gone going 88 yards for what would turn out to be the game-winning touchdown. The Nittany Lions iced it on a 22-yard Kevin Kelly field goal with just over three minutes to play. The Volunteers scored first on a 44-yard James Wilhoit field goal, and got a 42-yard LaMarcus Coker touchdown run after Penn State scored on a 34-yard Kelly field goal and a two-yard touchdown catch from Anthony Quarless.
Player of the game ... Penn State LB Dan Connor made ten tackles and forced the game-changing fumble.  
Stat Leaders: Tennessee - Passing: Erik Ainge, 25-37, 267 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Arian Foster ,12-65  Receiving: Jayson Swain, 7-84
Penn State - Passing: Anthony Morelli, 14-25, 197 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Tony Hunt, 31-158  Receiving: Jordan Norwood, 4-35
Thoughts & Notes ... It was a near-even game with the one big Arian Foster fumble changing everything. Each team was able to move the ball a little bit, but it was the running of Tony Hunt that settled down the Penn State offense, and the play of the Nittany Lion secondary to keep the Tennessee passing game in check that made all the difference. ... Three Kevin Kelly missed field goals kept the game close, but they were bombs missing from 45, 54 and 50 yards out. ... Considering the competition, Anthony Morelli played better than he had all season long. He kept his composure under pressure and didn't make mistakes. ... Tennessee has to do something this off-season to get more of a running game. The backs rarely had room to move even with the PSU linebackers spending most of their time worrying about the passing game. ... Erik Ainge threw it 37 times for just 267 yards with 53 coming on one play. The offense just couldn't break free.

2006 Schedule CFN Prediction: 9-3 2006 Record: 9-4 Preview 2006 predicted wins
9/2	California W 35-18
9/9	Air Force W 31-30
9/16	Florida L 21-20
9/23	Marshall W 33-7
9/30	at Memphis W 41-7
10/7	at Georgia W 51-33
10/21	Alabama W 16-13
10/28	at So Carolina W 31-24
11/4	LSU L 28-24
11/11	at Arkansas L 31-14
11/18	at Vanderbilt W 39-10
11/25	Kentucky W 17-12
1/1	Outback Bowl Penn State L 20-10

2005 Schedule CFN Prediction: 9-2 2005 Record: 5-6 Preview 2005 predicted wins
9/3	UAB W 17-10
9/17	at Florida L 16-7
9/24	at LSU W 30-27 OT
10/1	Ole Miss W 27-10
10/8	Georgia L 27-14
10/22	at Alabama L 6-3
10/29	South Carolina L 16-15
11/5	at Notre Dame L 41-21
11/12	Memphis W 20-16
11/19	Vanderbilt L 28-24
11/26	at Kentucky W 27-8

Nov. 25
Tennessee 17 ... Kentucky 12
Tennessee got out early 10-0 on a James Wilhoit 24-yard field goal and a 15-yard touchdown catch from Robert Meachem, but had to hold on for dear life. UK scored all its points in the second quarter on two field goals and a five-yard Rafael Little touchdown catch, and had a shot to take the lead late getting down to the Volunteer six before stalling after a Andre Woodson misfired on a fourth down pass. LaMarcus Coker scored on a one-yard run to give the Vols the lead early in the fourth quarter.
Player of the game ... Tennessee WR Robert Meachem caught six passes for 116 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Tennessee - Passing: Erik Ainge, 15-33, 240 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Lamarcus Coker, 22-90, 1 TD  Receiving: Robert Meachem, 6-116, 1 TD
Kentucky - Passing: Andre Woodson, 26-39, 282 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Rafael Little, 23-119  Receiving: Jacob Tamme, 7-120
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Tennessee got a win over Kentucky without playing anywhere near its sharpest game. Was it a lack of focus or is the team simple above average or is Kentucky really decent? It's probably a little of the above. LaMarcus Coker established himself for the season straight week as the back the offense has to work around showing that he can be productive even when he doesn't get much of a chance to show off his burst. Was this a good enough performance to secure a New Year's Day bowl bid? No, but UT still might get a good game.

Nov. 18
Tennessee 39 ... Vanderbilt 14
Tennessee was well motivated after losing to Vanderbilt last year exploding on a 33-point run after getting down 7-6 midway through the second quarter on a seven-yard George Smith touchdown run. Erik Ainge threw two touchdown passes, LaMarcus Coker tore off an 87-yard touchdown run, and James Wilhoit hit field goals from 43, 27, 22 and 41 yards to blow the game open. Vandy's Patrick Johnson capped the scoring with a 21-yard field goal with just over a minute left.
Player of the game ... Tennessee QB Erik Ainge went 21-of-26 for 266 yards and two touchdown passes.
Stat Leaders: Tennessee - Passing: Erik Ainge, 21-26, 266 yds, 2 TDs
Rushing: Lamarcus Coker, 10-126, 2 TDs  Receiving: Robert Meachem, 7-95, 1 TD
Vanderbilt - Passing: Chris Nickson, 10-23, 97 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Chris Nickson, 13-44  Receiving: Earl Bennett, 4-16
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Welcome back, Erik Ainge. Jonathan Crompton has the potential to be good in time (he went 0-for-4 in mop-up duty against Vanderbilt), but the offense hums far better when Ainge is at the helm. His decision making and accuracy are all the difference for the attack. It doesn’t seem to matter who’s running the ball; LaMarcus Coker, Montario Hardesty and Arian Foster are all deadly. This week it was Coker’s turn with a huge 87-yard run to put it away.

Nov. 11
Arkansas 31 ... Tennessee 14
Arkansas got up to a 28-7 halftime lead by dominant performances from Darren McFadden and Marcus Monk, while the defense only allowed a 27-yard Robert Meachem touchdown catch before a garbage time 39-yard Bret Smith score with :30 to play. Monk made a brilliant twisting ten-yard scoring catch, and made a 12-yard grab from McFadden, who occasionally lined up at quarterback. McFadden also ran for scores from 17 and five yards out. Jamaal Anderson came up with three sacks for the Hogs.
Player of the game ... Arkansas RB Darren McFadden ran 30 times for 18 1yards and two touchdowns, caught a pass for six yards and threw a pass for 12 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Tennessee - Passing: Jonathan Crompton, 16-34, 174 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 12-52. Receiving: Robert Meachem, 4-65, 1 TD
Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 10-15, 154 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Darren McFadden, 30-181, 2 TD  Receiving: Marcus Monk, 8-137, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Tennessee needs Erik Ainge back. In a hostile environment, against a jacked up Arkansas team, Jonathan Crompton didn't do enough to keep the offense moving. The pass protection didn't help, and the defense was hardly up to snuff, but it would've been interesting if Ainge was in and able to led the attack on a few long drives early to take the momentum of the game. There's no shame in losing to LSU and Arkansas, but things had better turn around in a hurry against Vanderbilt and Kentucky over the final two regular season games.

Nov. 4
LSU 28 ... Tennessee 24
JaMarcus Russell connected with Early Doucet for a four-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds to play to cap a 15-play, 80-yard drive that took up 7:14. Tennessee appeared to have all the momentum after Jonathan Crompton, who stepped in for an injured and ineffective Erik Ainge, connected with Robert Meachem for a 54-yard touchdown pass to take the lead. Russell and Doucet hooked up for an eight-yard play on fourth and eight to keep the final drive alive, and then again for an 11-yard play to get in scoring range before two runs led to the final score. LSU turned it over four times with three Russell interceptions including a 31-yard interception return for a score from Demetrice Morley early in the second half. Crompton and Meachem connected from 37 yards out in the second quarter for Tennessee's other touchdown, while Russell threw touchdown passes to Craig Davis from 23 yards out to start the scoring and to Dwayne Bowe from five yards away in the third.
Player of the game ... LSU QB JaMarcus Russell completed 24 of 36 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns with three interceptions and ran seven times for 71 yards
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: JaMarcus Russell, 24-36, 247 yds, 3 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: JaMarcus Russell, 7-71,  Receiving: Early Doucet, 8-73, 1 TD
Tennessee - Passing: Jonathan Crompton, 11-24, 183 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Arian Foster, 10-44. Receiving: Robert Meachem, 5-121, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Tennessee had several chances to beat LSU and didn't close. There was no running game, the defense couldn't stop the average Tiger ground attack, and no one came up with the big stop late, but thanks to some key turnovers and yet another wonderful game from WR Robert Meachem, the Vols were in it until the final seconds. Even though Jonathan Crompton played his tail off, he wasn't accurate and wasn't what a healthy Erik Ainge might have been. Now that the Vols are out of the SEC title hunt, they can't lose focus or they'll get tagged at Arkansas next week.

Oct. 28
Tennessee 31 ... South Carolina 24
Tennessee got out to a 14-0 with Marvin Mitchell taking a Syvelle Newton pass 17 yards for a touchdown and Bret Smith catching a five-yard touchdown pass that bounced off two USC defenders, but the Gamecocks fought back with 17 straight points on two Newton touchdown passes. Tennessee owned the fourth quarter with a 17-point run of its own highlighted by a 12-yard touchdown catch from Bret Smith, but the Vols had to hang on as Newton ran for a one-yard score with just over two minutes to play and got one last shot with the ball on the USC nine with just over a minute to play. The final drive went nowhere finishing off with Tennessee's third interception of the day.
Player of the game ... Tennessee QB Erik Ainge completed 21 of 29 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Tennessee - Passing: Erik Ainge, 21-29, 254 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Arian Foster, 12-28, 1 TD. Receiving: Robert Meachem, 5-106
South Carolina - Passing: Syvelle Newton, 16-29, 230 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Sycelle Newton, 14-85, 1 TD  Receiving: Kenny McKinley, 4-70
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Tennessee keeps on winning, but it's not building up any style points; it's not fair. With road wins over Georgia and South Carolina over the last three games, along with a win over Alabama, the Vols are getting the job done. Now with LSU and Arkansas up in the next two weeks, this is the chance to make a national title push. The running game isn't as productive as it needs to be and Erik Ainge, if he's hobbling at all after getting banged up against South Carolina, has to continue to be precise. The D has to start getting more stops after allowing 395 yards to a pedestrian Gamecock offense. LSU could dink and dunk the Vols back seven to death, but there's no Tiger running game to worry about.

Oct. 21
Tennessee 16 ... Alabama 13
In a defensive battle, Tennessee overcame three Erik Ainge interceptions and a 13-6 deficit late in the fourth quarter to get a 27-yard James Wilhoit field goal and a one-yard Arian Foster touchdown dive giving UT its first lead of the game. Alabama's offense went nowhere on its final drive. The Tide got up in the first half on two Jamie Christensen field goals, with the second coming after a Simeon Castille interception on the way to a possible touchdown, but Ainge was able to shove Castille out of bounds at the eight. UT outgained Alabama 359 yards to 211.
Player of the game ... Tennessee LB Jerod Mayo made 12 tackles, one sack, and two tackles for loss
Stat Leaders: Tennessee - Passing: Erik Ainge, 28-46, 302 yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Arian Foster, 11-34, 1 TD  Receiving: Bret Smith, 7-95
Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 13-29, 158 yds
Rushing: Jimmy Johns, 3-37  Receiving: D.J. Hall, 7-102
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Alabama can play a little defense, so there's no reason to get too up in arms over average offensive performance in the win. No, Erik Ainge isn't back to his 2005 form with three interceptions; he was able to make up for most of his mistakes by spreading the ball around well. The defense gave up a huge play to D.J. Hall, but that was about it. There was no consistent Bama offense to speak of with the Vols holding Ken Darby to just 26 yards and pressuring QB John Parker Wilson all game long. With a road trip to South Carolina, a battle with LSU and a game at Arkansas over the next three weeks, the offense has to figure out how to get all the parts, especially the running game, back on track in a big hurry

Oct. 7
Tennessee 51 ... Georgia 33
Georgia got up 24-7 in the second quarter on two Brannan Southerland touchdown runs and an 86-yard punt return for a score from Mikey Henderson, and later got a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown from Thomas Brown, but it wasn't even close to being enough to stop the Tennessee onslaught in the highest scoring game ever between the two teams. The Vols went on a 44-9 run over the final 31 minutes with a 27-point fourth quarter with two of Arian Foster's three one-yard touchdown runs, a 15-yard Robert Meachem touchdown catch, and a blocked punt recovered by Antonio Wardlow for a score. Erik Ainge finished with two touchdown passes and ran for a score.
Player of the game ... Tennessee WRs Bret Smith and Robert Meachem combined for 14 catches fro 192 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Georgia - Passing: Joe Tereshinski, 12-20, 144 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Kregg Lumpkin, 13-78  Receiving: Mo Massaquoi, 3-56
Tennessee - Passing: Erik Ainge, 25-38, 268 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Arian Foster, 15-63, 3 TD  Receiving: Robert Meachem, 7-98, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Even when everything was going Georgia's way early on and even when it looked like Tennessee was going to have problems, the team didn't panic and then blasted the Bulldogs with a frightening mix of offensive balance and big plays from the defense. Even though Georgia ran well and wasn't afraid to push the ball deep, Tennessee always had an answer keeping the Dawg offense from getting into the end zone in the second half. Erik Ainge solidified himself as the SEC's best player over the first half of the season and Robert Meachem was once again brilliant. The Vol backfield, with a great game from Arian Foster, showed once again that it has weapons to spare.

Sept. 30
Tennessee 41 ... Memphis 7
Tennessee was never threatened as Erik Ainge threw for four touchdown passes with Robert Meachem weaving his way for an 84-yard score and Jayson Swain scoring form five and 51 yards out. A seven-yard strike to Bret Smith put the Vols up 34-0 early in the fourth quarter, and David Yancey ten-yard run closed out the UT scoring. Memphis, which struggled to get its offense going all day long, finally got on the scoreboard on a 21-yard Duke Calhoun touchdown catch with less than four minutes to play.
Player of the game ... Tennessee QB Erik Ainge completed 24 of 28 passes for 331 yards and four touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Memphis - Passing: Martin Hankins, 11-17, 80 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: JaMarcus Gaither, 6-14  Receiving: Duke Calhoun, 3-30, 1 TD
Tennessee - Passing: Erik Ainge, 24-28, 331 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: LaMarcus Coker, 26-125  Receiving: Bret Smith, 6-53, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Tennessee is finding its stride just at the right time. Yeah, beating Marshall and Memphis over the last two weeks by a combined score of 74-14 might not seem like that big a deal, but with Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and LSU up next, the team couldn't be playing better. Erik Ainge is having a phenomenal season getting time to throw and big play after big play from his receivers. If Robert Meacham doesn't make any mid-season All-America teams, he should at least be considered. To nitpick, it would've been nice if there were a few bigger runs against the Tiger D, but the ground game was certainly effective.

Sept. 23
Tennessee 33 ... Marshall 7
The game was delayed for almost an hour by bad weather, and then Tennessee provided the thunder and lightning with a 47-yard touchdown pass to Jayson Swain and an 89-yard dash from LaMarcus Coker on the way to 434 yards and the easy win. Marshall made it 9-7 finishing up a 92-yard drive with a one-yard Bernard Morris scoring run. but couldn't do much else finishing with 236 yard of total offense and never threatened again. James Wilhoit nailed a 49-yard field goal for the Vols in the third quarter.
Player of the game ... Tennessee RB LaMarcus Coker led the Vols with 146 yards rushing and a touchdown on just eight carries.
Stat Leaders: Marshall - Passing: Bernard Morris, 8-14, 110 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Ahmad Bradshaw, 24-72 Receiving: Cody Slate, 5-45
Tennessee - Passing: Erik Ainge, 18-27, 258 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: LaMarcus Coker, 8-146, 1 TD  Receiving: Robert Meachem, 6-76
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Tennessee rebounded from the tough Florida loss with a wonderful performance in a possible letdown game against Marshall. Erik Ainge found his accuracy, and there were more than enough big running plays to go around with LaMarcus Coker showing off some big-time flash with Arian Foster out with an ankle injury. The defense showed some tremendous pop led by Jonathan Hefney and Jerod Mayo, who were both all over the field. This game showed that this really isn't last year's Tennessee team, and now the momentum has to continue against Memphis before the showdown with Georgia.
Sept. 16
Florida 21 ... Tennessee 20
Florida got a 21-yard touchdown catch from Dallas Baker on a perfectly executed play with 6:30 to play, and then the D held on with Reggie Nelson picking off Erik Ainge on fourth down to seal with win. Florida outgained the Vols 211 yards to -11 on the ground, but it was the passing game that got the points with three Chris Leak touchdown passes including two to Baker. The Vols stayed alive on a trick play 48-yard touchdown pass from LaMarcus Coker to Lucas Taylor and upped a fourth quarter lead to six on a 51-yard James Wilhoit field goal, but they couldn't get in field goal range on their final drive.
Player of the game ... Florida RB DeShawn Wynn ran 22 times for 104 yards.
Stat Leaders: Tennessee - Passing: Erik Ainge, 17-32, 183 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 17-14, 1 TD  Receiving: Jayson Swain, 6-77
Florida - Passing: Chris Leak, 15-25, 199 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: DeShawn Wynn, 22-104. Receiving: Dallas Baker, 4-54, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Where was the running game against Florida? Now that Arian Foster has been completely taken out of the picture, Montario Hardesty has to do more when given the opportunity. Erik Ainge had a better game than he'll probably get credit for, but none of the short passes that went for long gains against Air Force and Cal kicked in against the Gators. It appears obvious the team is going to live and die by Ainge, but it needs to use the next two weeks against Marshall and Memphis to find a running game again. Florida simply outplayed the Vols. That it was as close as it was showed the heart of Tennessee to find a way to stick around.

Sept. 9
Tennessee 31 ... Air Force 30
Air Force got a one-yard touchdown run from Ryan Williams with 1:35 to pull within one, but instead of going for the extra point and overtime, head coach Fisher DeBerry chose to go for two and the win. Xavier Mitchell came up with the stop and the Vols escaped with the win. Erik Ainge was brilliant throwing three touchdown passes with two to Robert Meachem, but the Tennessee defense couldn't stop the Falcon rushing attack allowing 281 yards on the ground and two long, late drives that ended with Williams touchdowns. Neither defense could handle the other's offense with Tennessee converting nine of 11 third down chances and Air Force converting nine of 13. The Falcons held on to the ball for 12:28 of the first quarter. Jonathan Hefney made 17 tackles for the Vols.
Player of the game ... Tennessee QB Erik Ainge completed 24 of 29 passes for 333 yards and three touchdowns with an interception.
Stat Leaders: Air Force- Passing: Shaun Carney, 7-9, 127 yds
Rushing: Ryan Williams, 16-98, 2 TD. Receiving: Justin Handley, 2-35
Tennessee - Passing: Erik Ainge, 24-29, 333 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 19-72, 1 TD. Receiving: Robert Meachem, 8-115, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Was the close call against Air Force a case of a sandwich game between Cal and Florida, or is it time for Vol fans to worry about a possible slip back into the mediocrity of last year? It's probably a little of both. The quirky Falcon running game is almost impossible to prepare for, but the Vols have so much speed on defense that it shouldn't have mattered. This close call might be the kick in the pants the team needs down the line to be more focused. On the plus side, the offense was excellent with Erik Ainge having another terrific game. Of interest to note, Montario Hardesty, not Arian Foster, was the main rushing threat.

Sept. 2
Tennessee 35 ... California 18
Tennessee shocked Cal jumping out to a 35-0 lead on four Erik Ainge touchdown passes and a 43-yard scoring run by Montario Hardesty. The Vols got big play after big play with Robert Meachem scoring from 42 and 80 yards out and Jayson Swain scoring on a 50-yard play. Cal finally got on the board late in the third quarter, .but it was way too little, way too late. Joe Ayoob stepped in at quarterback for the Bears and threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson and ran for a one-yard score.
Player of the game ... Tennessee WR Robert Meachem caught five passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: California - Passing: Joe Ayoob, 9-22, 187 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Marshawn Lynch, 12-74. Receiving: Marshawn Lynch, 5-22
Tennessee - Passing: Erik Ainge, 11-17, 291 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Arian Foster, 17-69. Receiving: Robert Meachem, 5-182, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... All questions about whether or not David Cutcliffe could help make Eirk Ainge a consistent, big play quarterback have been answered. The Vol receiving corps showed off its talent against Cal with Robert Meachem and Jayson Swain coming up with jaw-dropping touchdowns, and the defense stoned the Cal running game cold. Cal is a fast, talented team, and Tennessee looked like it was going twice as fast. This was a fantastic win that should give the program its mojo back, but it has to build on this with the Florida showdown coming in two weeks.

2006 Tennessee Preview

- Tennessee Preview | Offense | Defense | Depth Chart | Further Analysis

It's one thing to have a down year, but it's another to have a 5-6 season when you're predicted to play for the national title.

Everyone around Tennessee spent last year trying to figure out who to blame for such a lousy, disappointing season, and while the coaches did a bad job, the players didn't play up to their talent level and the media overhyped the team thanks to top ranked recruiting class after top ranked recruiting class. There's one factor that seemed to escape the discussion ...

Things weren't really that bad.

Of the six losses, the first was at Florida. No shame there. The second was against Georgia. Didn't the Dawgs win the SEC title? The third came on a few fluky late plays in a 6-3 heartbreaker at Alabama. What's wrong with that? The fourth was on a last-second field goal against South Carolina, and the fifth was against a Notre Dame team that played in the BCS. Yeah, losing at home to Vanderbilt is unacceptable, but by that point the team was so mentally beaten down after such a disappointing season that it was a shadow of its former self.

Fine, so the offense was awful, but the defense was one of the best in America and there was a fantastic overtime win at LSU that should've saved some face when it came to national respect. But not going to a bowl doesn't play well around Knoxville, and things have to change in a big way this season of there will be a new coaching era beginning next year at this time.

There are few teams in America that can match the overall speed and athleticism of the 2006 Vols, but all the skills have to translate into better overall play and, of course, wins. The offense can't be any worse, and should be a force with new/old offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe taking back his offensive coordinator job. The running backs can fly, the receivers are even faster, and the line is bigger than more NFL front walls. If quarterback Erik Ainge is merely competent, and the defense can avoid falling off the map after losing six of the starters on the front seven, the Vols should be back in the SEC title hunt.

Maybe last year was a big step back to take a giant leap forward. Maybe the embarrassment the players felt gave them the fire to work harder and not rest on their high school accolades. Or maybe, just maybe, Tennessee football isn't nearly as good as the brand name suggests it should be. One way or another, this will be a watershed season. 

The Schedule: The Vols can't use the schedule as an excuse if there are more problems like last season. Of course there are tough games, but most of the big ones are in Knoxville with Cal, Florida, Alabama and LSU coming to town. There's only one absolute killer of a road trip coming midseason at Georgia, while games at South Carolina and Arkansas will also be tough. You can't ask for a better end to the season than at Vanderbilt and at home against Kentucky.

Best Offensive Player: Senior OT Arron Sears. The monster senior will start at left tackle, but he showed last year that he can play either tackle or guard position. The 320-pounder will be an several preseason All-America short lists and will have to be a steady rock as the only starter returning to the front line.

Best Defensive Player: Senior DT Justin Harrell. The 300-pound senior is the only returning starter on the front seven, and he should be up for several all-star honors. He's quick enough to play end and strong enough to be a rock of a tackle.

Key player to a successful season: Junior QB Erik Ainge. There's no Rick Clausen or Brent Schaeffer to pick up the pieces if Ainge can't get the job done. There's talent among the reserves with Jonathan Crompton and Bo Hardegree good enough to step in if needed, but they don't have any experience. Tennessee can't come up with a bounce-back season if Ainge isn't great.

The season will be a success if ... the Vols win the SEC East. After last year, anything less than an appearance in the SEC title game will leave the sour taste of 2005 in everyone's mouth. The schedule, athleticism, and fire are all in place for a good season.

Key game: Sept. 2 vs. California. Cal has the talent to be a top 15 team and is more than good enough to beat the Vols in the season opener. Tennessee must win this game convincingly to get its confidence back, while a home loss would get everyone screaming for heads to roll.

2005 Fun Stats: 
- Third quarter scoring: Tennessee 35 ... Opponents 18
- Yards per carry: Tennessee 3.5 - Opponents 2.5
- Fourth down conversions: Tennessee 5 of 17 (29%) - Opponents 2 of 11 (18%)

The Last Time Tennessee…
…played in a bowl game…2004 (Cotton Bowl vs. Texas A&M)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…2003 (Vanderbilt)
…was shutout…1994 (Florida)
…scored 50 points…2003 (Mississippi State)
…went undefeated…1998
…won a conference title…1998 (SEC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…1997 (Peyton Manning)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2004 (Gerald Riggs)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2001 (Kelley Washington)
…had a first-round draft choice…2006 (DB Jason Allen)