Just win, baby.
Lane Kiffin didn’t do that at Oakland,
appeared to be in over his head (and who wouldn’t be working for
Al Davis), and moved on to a better gig. But now he can’t just
win, baby, he has to win, and win more, and win national titles.
Phil Fulmer won, and won a lot. He won a national title,
took the Vols to several SEC title games, and bled orange as a
true fan of the program he was coaching. Still a Tennessee guy
after an amicable breakup, he was everything you could want in a
head coach. It wasn’t enough.
All that matters,
especially at a powerhouse program like Tennessee, is being in
the hunt for the national title year in and year out. Fulmer
appeared incapable of doing that while others, like Florida,
LSU, and Alabama, were growing stronger and stronger. Is Kiffin
the guy who can make Tennessee a regular in the BCS race?
If nothing else he’s stirring the hornet’s nest both inside
and outside of the program. He might have made Vol fans happy be
getting under the skin of Urban Meyer and Florida, but he has
rubbed some people the wrong way with his bull in the china shop
approach after taking over the reins. He has been brutally
honest and brutally tough at times, and while that might have
been necessary in an attempt to toughen up the program and to
establish law and order, it has been a rocky enough start to put
the heat on. It’s one thing to be brash, but that only works if
you win.
The jury is still out on whether or not Kiffin
can actually coach. He surrounded himself with some phenomenal
talents, primarily his father, legendary defensive coach Monte
Kiffin, and former Ole Miss head man Ed Orgeron, and he appears
to have rule one in the SEC down pat that to win you need to do
three things well: recruit, recruit, and recruit.
Being
young is a problem for Kiffin as far as public perception,
there’s a silver spoon aspect to the equation considering who
his dad is, but it should be a plus when it comes to bringing in
players. Every coach says that he’ll outwork everyone else, but
Kiffin, who’s only 34, has the energy to put in the time and
effort to do more bothering and pestering of the elite high
school talents than anyone else. While that’s great for the
future, he needs to establish himself right now and prove to
everyone that he actually can win a game.
There were
some good pieces in last year’s disaster and there’s a lot to be
excited about this year. As bad as the 5-7 season was, and as
miserable as the offense was, the defense was outstanding,
finishing third in the country, and three games, UCLA, Auburn,
and Wyoming, easily, very easily, could’ve gone the other way. With a few right breaks
Tennessee could’ve and should’ve been 8-4.
Of course, if
ifs and buts were candy and nuts, Kiffin wouldn’t be the head
coach.
What to watch for on offense:
Power running. The coaching staff will
try to pound the ball, rely on the tremendous defense, and try
to control the game and the clock. The passing game will try to
push the ball deep a little more to stretch things out, but the
offense will spend most of its time using its humongous, veteran
line to pave the way for a fantastic group of backs. The
backfield was good enough to get by, and then came the
recruiting class with Toney Williams, David Oku, and the No. 1
prospect in America according to CFN, Bryce Brown, all ready to
make a huge impact and upgrade the stalled ground attack.
What to watch for on defense: A ton of
interceptions. All the pieces are there for the secondary to
come up with a phenomenal year. Not only is there track star
speed across the board, but there’s all-everything safety Eric
Berry as the sheriff in the Tampa 2 scheme, but the pass rush
should be better. Even with Robert Ayers off to the NFL, the Vol
defensive front should be more active with Ben Martin and Chris
Walker two speedsters on the ends who should be camped out in
opposing backfields.
The team will be far better if …
someone can complete the forward pass. Saying the
quarterbacks were awful is like saying the Tennessee orange
uniforms are a bit loud. Three quarterbacks combined to complete
fewer than half of their passes for 1,750 yards and eight
touchdowns with nine interceptions. Worse yet, none of them were
able to lead the way to points. To be fair, the receiving corps
didn’t take enough passes for big plays and the line wasn’t as
good as it was two years ago, but the passing game can’t stink
again for there to be any hope of improvement.
The Schedule: The Vols
don't go anywhere in non-conference play hosting UCLA along with three
layups against Western Kentucky, Ohio, and Memphis. Of course, all eyes
will be on Gainesville for Tennessee's SEC opener at Florida when Lane
Kiffin gets to meet one of the most hostile environments anyone will
have to deal with this year. Not only do the Vols have to play Alabama
and Ole Miss from the West, but the games are on the road. However,
there's a week off between the game against Georgia and the trip to Bama,
and the second half of the year isn't all that bad with South Carolina,
Memphis, Vanderbilt and Kentucky part of the mix.
Best Offensive Player:
Junior WR Gerald Jones. With good size, elite speed, and nice hands, he
does everything for the team. He’s a fantastic punt returner, averaging
ten yards a crack, runs out of a Wildcat formation, with 23 carries for
126 yards and a score, and led the team with 30 catches for 323 yards
and four scores. With the emphasis on pushing the ball deep, he should
make more big plays and be an even bigger star in a receiving corps that
needs him to be a strong No. 1 target.
Best Defensive Player:
Junior SS Eric Berry. Talk about living up to the hype, Berry was a
big-time recruit who has been nothing but sensational. Arguably the best
player in the SEC not named Tim Tebow, and a far better pro prospect. A
huge hitter and special player when the ball is in the air, he has
sub-4.4 speed and the ability to play either free of strong safety. A
dream player for the Monte Kiffin Tampa 2 cover scheme, the All-American
should be neck-and-neck with USC’s Taylor Mays in the battle for the
Thorpe Award.
Key player to a successful season: Junior QB Nick Stephens. Jonathan Crompton has been good this
off-season, but he’s not the answer for a woeful passing game. Stephens
has the big arm, the size, and the upside to be the main man for the
offense over the next few years. He needs time and he needs his
receiving corps to shine to come up with a strong year. He doesn’t have
to be phenomenal; he just needs to be competent.
The season will be a success if
... Tennessee wins nine games. It’ll take a near-miracle to beat Florida
in Gainesville and it’ll take something special to beat Alabama in
Tuscaloosa. Every other game is winnable, but the team isn’t good enough
to run the table and finish with double-digit wins. Winning eight
regular season games and a bowl game would be a huge step forward after
last year’s clunker.
Key game:
September 19th at Florida. Welcome to the SEC. After the
kitten fight between the two coaching staffs since Kiffin took over, and
after all the drama and the goofiness, Urban Meyer would like nothing
more than to give a little extra twist of the knife when the Vols come
to town. Florida has won four straight in the series, but they had a
nasty time, despite the final score, in last year’s 30-6 win in
Knoxville. No one will be expected Tennessee to win, but if Kiffin and
his team can pull off the upset, it would jumpstart the program and
change the expectations for the season in a big hurry.
2008 Fun Stats:
- First Quarter Score: Opponents 67 – Tennessee 17
- Fumbles:
Tennessee 12 (lost 9) – Opponents 9 (lost 3)
- Rushing touchdowns:
Tennessee 14 – Opponents 6
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2009 CFN Tennessee Preview |
2009 Tennessee
Offense
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2009 Tennessee
Defense |
2009 Tennessee
Depth Chart
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2008 CFN UT Preview |
2007 CFN UT Preview |
2006 CFN UT
Preview