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| Tennessee beats Vandy, gets bowl eligible
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| Staff CollegeFootballNews.com | Nov 21, 2009 | ||
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Tennessee Volunteers 2009 ... Head Coach: Lane Kiffin
Tennessee Volunteers Nov. 21 at Tennessee 31 … Vanderbilt 16 Montario Hardesty ran for 171 yards and a five-yard score and Jonathan Crompton threw two second quarter touchdown passes as the Tennessee offense got the points it needed in the first half. The offense struggled in the second half, failing to get on the board, but the patched up defense came up big with a 25-yard interception return from Wes Brown in the final seconds and held Vandy to two second half field goals. The Commodores’ touchdown came on a two-yard Ryan van Rensburg touchdown catch in the second. Player of the Game: Tennessee RB Montario Hardesty ran 32 times for 171 yards and a touchdown, and he caught a pass for 13 yards Vanderbilt: Passing: Mackenzi Adams, 19-35, 174 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Warren Norman, 17-73, Receiving: Brandon Barden, 5-67 Tennessee: Passing: Jonathan Crompton, 20-34, 221 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 32-171, 1 TD, Receiving: Luke Stocker, 5-47, 1 TD What It All Means: Tennessee has to be thanking its lucky stars it got the miserable Vanderbilt offense to go against. The linebacking corps is banged up, but Rico McCoy played hurt and still made 15 tackles. At least the team is bowl eligible and doesn’t have to deal with the pressure of getting a sixth win next week at Kentucky. Jockeying for a solid bowl bid, the Vols could end up going to a New Year’s Day game with an impressive win over the Cats, but to get that, the offense will have to turn things up another notch to make up for the banged up D. Nov. 14 at Ole Miss 42 … Tennessee 17 Dexter McCluster set the Ole Miss record for rushing yards (282) and all-purpose yards (324) with touchdown runs from 15, 23, 32 and 71 yards as part of a 359 yards of Rebel rushing. However, Ole Miss was only up 21-17 late in the third. But then it was all Ole Miss with 21 unanswered points with Brandon Bolden scoring from one and four yards out to go along with McCluster’s 71-yard scoring dash. Tennessee got two touchdown passes from Jonathan Crompton, but the defense couldn’t come up with a late stop and the offense couldn’t keep the chains moving. Player of the Game: Ole Miss RB Dexter McCluster ran 25 times for 282 yards and four touchdowns, and caught four passes for 42 yards. Tennessee: Passing: Jonathan Crompton, 20-37, 176 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 14-55, Receiving: Danarius Moore, 5-69, 1 TD Ole Miss: Passing: Jevan Snead, 13-20, 133 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Dexter McCluster, 25-282, 4 TD, Receiving: Shay Hodge, 5-77 What It All Means: Tennessee isn’t quite there yet. After playing so well over the second half of the season and after all the positive strides made, the defense couldn’t find Dexter McCluster and now are all but out of the hunt for a big New Year’s Day bowl. Still needing a win to get bowl eligible, the Vols have to beat either Vanderbilt or Kentucky to get a 13th game, and it would be a huge help to win both. To do that, the offense has to continue to be solid, while the defense will only have to worry about stopping the run. Neither team has McCluster. Nov. 7 at Tennessee 56 … Memphis 28 Jonathan Crompton threw five touchdown passes to five different receivers and ran for a one-yard score on the way to a 49-7 Tennessee lead. The Vols never had to punt before Crompton got pulled when the game got out of hand, and they got up 35-0 before Memphis got on the board with a 36-yard Marcus Hightower run. In the loss, Memphis rolled up 403 yards with Curtis Steele running for 144 yards and two short scores. Player of the Game: Tennessee QB Jonathan Crompton completed 21-of-27 passes for 331 yards and five scores, and he ran for a short score. Memphis: Passing: Will Hudgens, 19-31, 194 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Curtis Steele, 21-144, 2 TD, Receiving: Cam Baker, 5-57 Tennessee: Passing: Jonathan Crompton, 21-27, 331 yds, 5 TD Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 13-60, Receiving: Denarius Moore, 7-76, 2 TD What It All Means: It might have only come against Memphis, but Jonathan Crompton continues to improve and the offense is humming at just the right time. Unstoppable in the first half, Tennessee was nearly perfect, and while there might be a few screams this week over defensive struggles in the second half, there’s nothing to get too upset about. However, Memphis came up with 403 yards of total offense with Curtis Steele running for 144. If the Vols can win at Ole Miss, they’ll be all but certain to finish the regular season 8-4. Oct. 31 at Tennessee 31 … South Carolina 13 Wearing black jerseys on Halloween night, Tennessee came out roaring with two Jonathan Crompton touchdown passes and a 14-yard Montario Hardesty touchdown run on the way to a 21-0 first half lead. South Carolina outgained the Vols, but four turnovers and settling for two field goals to answer the UT touchdowns were too much to overcome. Hardesty ran for a seven-yard score in the third quarter, but Moe Brown answered with a 31-yard scoring catch for the Gamecocks’ only touchdown. That was it for the excitement as Chad Cunningham put the game well out of reach with a 39-yard field goal. Player of the Game: Tennessee RB Montario Hardesty ran 23 times for 121 yards and two scores. South Carolina: Passing: Stephen Garcia, 25-50, 300 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Kenny Miles, 8-44, Receiving: Kenny Miles, 5-44 Tennessee: Passing: Jonathan Crompton, 12-24, 142 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 23-121, 2 TD, Receiving: Denarius Moore, 3-34 What It All Means: Tennessee has issues with the kicking game and the special teams are a bit of a problem with Daniel Cunningham hurt, but that’s the only real complaint after an impressive win over South Carolina. Throw in the 45-19 win over Georgia and the Vols can now lay claim to being the second best team in the East. That’s not anything to dismiss considering the problems of last year and the concerns at the beginning of the year with the loss to UCLA. As long as Jonathan Crompton isn’t throwing interceptions and UT is close to +4 in turnover margin, like it was against the Gamecocks, this will be a tough team to beat over the final month. Oct. 24 at Alabama 12 … Tennessee 10 Terrence Cody blocked two field goals, including a Daniel Lincoln 44-yard attempt on the game’s final play for the win. The Tide managed just four Leigh Tiffin field goals, including a 50-yarder in the second quarter, and had control of the game late after a 49-yarder to go up 12-3 with 6:31 to play. But Tennessee went 43 yards in eight plays with Gerald Jones catching an 11-yard touchdown pass, the Vols recovered the onside kick, and the offense got in a position for the win before Cody’s heroics. Javier Arenas made 13 tackles with 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack for the Tide. Player of the Game: Alabama DT Terrence Cody made two tackles and blocked two kicks. Tennessee: Passing: Jonathan Crompton, 21-36, 265 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 18-48, Receiving: Gerald Jones, 7-72. 1 TD Alabama: Passing: Greg McElroy, 18-29, 120 yds Rushing: Mark Ingram, 18-99, Receiving: Julio Jones, 7-54 What It All Means: Jonathan Crompton keeps improving. Under pressure all game long against the swarming Tide defense, Crompton completed 21-of-36 passes for 265 yards with a touchdown, and he only threw one interception. He has improved by leaps and bounds since the beginning of the year, and he almost pulled off the win for the Vols, highlighted by a brilliant 23-yard throw to Luke Stocker to get into field goal range in the final moments. If the team keeps playing as well as it did against Alabama, there shouldn’t be too many problems South Carolina or Memphis at home in the next few weeks. Oct. 10 at Tennessee 45 … Georgia 19 Gerald Jones caught two touchdown passes from Jonathan Crompton and Marsalis Teague caught a five-yarder as Tennessee stunned the Bulldogs. Georgia got help from the special teams, with Brandon Boykin returning a kickoff for a score, and from the defense with a 28-yard interception return for a touchdown from Bacarri Rambo, but Tennessee blew open the game with 21 unanswered points highlighted by a 39-yard Montario Hardesty touchdown run and a 51-yard Jones touchdown grab. Tennessee outgained Georgia 472 yards to 241. Player of the Game: Tennessee QB Jonathan Crompton completed 20-of-27 passes for 310 yards and four touchdowns with an interception. Tennessee: Passing: Jonathan Crompton, 20-27, 310 yds, 4 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 20-97, 1 TD, Receiving: Gerald Jones, 5-105, 2 TD Georgia: Passing: Joe Cox, 19-34, 146 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Carlton Thomas, 3-30, Receiving: A.J. Green, 8-60 What It All Means: Welcome to the beginning of the Lane Kiffin era. The defense continued to do what it's been doing all season long, it was rock solid once again stuffing the Georgia running game and allowing just 241 yards, but the real story was Jonathan Crompton. The much-maligned QB showed he can actually play a little bit, and it helped that he got a huge game from Gerald Jones, who overcame some dropping problems to light up the Dawgs. Now there are two weeks off before the big fish: Alabama. The Vols might not have enough in the bad to pull that off, but this win showed that the team has the potential to sting anyone in the SEC. Oct. 3 Auburn 26 … at Tennessee 22 Wes Byrum hit four field goals and Ben Tate ran for an 11-yard score as Auburn got up 23-6 in the fourth quarter. Tennessee got its offense in gear too late as Montario Hardesty took a pass 62 yards for a touchdown, and Daniel Lincoln hit a 26-yard field goal to make it a seven point game, but Byrum’s fourth field goal, a 22-yarder put it away. The Vols bombed away for 79 yards in the final few seconds with a 32-yard Denarius Moore touchdown coming with no time left on the clock to make the score closer, but the Tigers controlled the game. Rico McCoy and Eric Berry combined for 30 tackles for the Vols. Player of the Game: Auburn RB Ben Tate ran 25 times for 128 yards and a score and he caught two passes for 17 yards. Tennessee: Passing: Jonathan Crompton, 20-43, 259 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 21-90, 1 TD, Receiving: Gerald Jones, 7-75 Auburn: Passing: Chris Todd, 19-32, 218 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Ben Tate, 25-128, 1 TD, Receiving: Mario Fannin, 6-25 What It All Means: Jonathan Crompton had a decent game, and he didn’t make any major mistakes, but it wasn’t enough to get the offense going until it was too late. Montario Hardesty tried to carry the attack, and the defense did its part by keeping it close, but there isn’t enough firepower to beat the better teams. It’s not what the coaching staff wants to do, but it needs to take chances and accept the Crompton mistakes to have any prayer to stay with Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina over the next three weeks. Sept. 26 at Tennessee 34 … Ohio 23 The Tennessee ground game took over when needed, and the defense held firm late in a tougher-than-expected win. Monatario Hardesty started off the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown run, and Jonathan Crompton threw two touchdown passes connecting with Brandon Warren from three yards out and hit Bryce Brown for a 26-yarder. But Ohio stayed in the game through the air with Theo Scott throwing for 319 yards with a two-yard touchdown pass to LaVon Brazill, but the Vol defense held tough late to secure the win and came up with an interception for a score in the second. Ohio got a kickoff return from Chris Garrett for a score after the Hardesty run. Player of the Game: Tennessee RB Montario Hardesty ran 20 times for 140 yards and a touchdown, and he caught two passes for 29 yards. Ohio: Passing: Theo Scott, 30-52, 319 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Donte Harden, 7-19, Receiving: LaVon Brazill, 8-92, 1 TD Tennessee: Passing: Jonathan Crompton, 17-34, 222 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 20-140, 1 TD, Receiving: Denarius Moore, 4-47 What It All Means: Welcome to the Tennessee formula. Get the running game going, hold on to the ball, and try to keep the mistakes to a minimum. Jonathan Crompton threw a key interception, but the game was mostly out of his hands for key stretches even though he threw 34 times. The Vols held on to the ball for 42:35 and was able to keep the Ohio offense off the field, but the secondary struggled. Up next is Auburn, and the defense will have to take things to a whole other level while the offense will have to try to be mistake free. Sept. 19 at Florida 23 ... Tennessee 13 Tim Tebow took over the offense and ran for a one-yard score and Jeffrey Demps ran for a seven-yard touchdown as Florida held a 23-6 lead after three quarters. Tennessee kept it interesting wit a 17-yard Montario Hardesty touchdown run in the fourth, but it wasn't enough to get back in the game. Caleb Sturgis connected on field goals from 37, 29, and 35 yards out for the Gators. Player of the Game: Florida LB Ryan Stamper made 12 tackles with three tackles for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble Tennessee: Passing: Jonathan Crompton, 11-19, 93 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 20-96, 1 TD, Receiving: Bryce Brown, 3-34 Florida: Passing: Tim Tebow, 14-19, 114 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Tim Tebow, 24-76, 1 TD, Receiving: Aaron Hernandez, 4-26 What It All Means: The Vol offense needs a quarterback the coaching staff can trust, after Jonathan Crompton has thrown five interceptions in two games, but it's not like the receiving corps is doing much of anything to help him out. The passing game is going to be about hoping for short plays to turn into long ones, but those aren't going to come against a defense as fast as Florida's. The defense, led by the magnificent Eric Berry, did its job against the one-dimensional Gator attack (all Tebow, all the time), and now if the O can do something, anything, the season will turn around with Ohio coming up next before dealing with Auburn. Sept. 12 UCLA 19 ... at Tennessee 15 Kai Forbath hit four field goals and Kevin Prince connected with Chane Moline for a 12-yard score as UCLA stunned a mistake-filled Tennessee. The Vols turned it over four times, but was able to rally late with a Daniel Lincoln's second field goal of the game and a sack of Kevin Prince for a safety. It wasn't enough as the Vols were stuffed late by the Bruin defense and finished with just 208 yards with 98 on the ground. Player of the Game: UCLA LB Reggie Carter made 14 tackles and a tackle for loss Tennessee: Passing: Jonathan Crompton, 13-26, 93 yds, 3 INT Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 26-89, 1 TD, Receiving: Quintin Hancock, 5-58 UCLA: Passing: Kevin Prince, 11-23, 101 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Jonathan Franklin, 17-80, Receiving: Logan Pausen, 2-22 What It All Means: And there's the Jonathan Crompton who stunk up the Tennessee offense throughout 2008. He completed half of his passes for just 93 yards with three interceptions, but he was hardly the only culprit in the loss. The offensive line failed to get much of a push, with the running game averaging just 2.6 yards per carry, while the entire offense never quite found a rhythm. That's a problem with Florida coming up next. The offense can't just be good; it has to be fantastic with Crompton needing to play the game of his life. Sept. 5 at Tennessee 63 … Western Kentucky 7 It took a quarter to get warmed up, and then the Tennessee attack got on a roll with Bryce Brown kicking things off with a two-yard touchdown run before Jonathan Crompton took over the game. The much-maligned quarterback threw five touchdown passes to five different receivers, and Montario Hardesty added a 43-yard run as the Vols had few problems moving the ball. David Oku added two short fourth quarter scores. Western Kentucky scored in the third quarter on a 19-yard Bobby Rainey touchdown run. Player of the Game: Tennessee QB Jonathan Crompton completed 21-of-28 passes for 233 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions Western Kentucky: Passing: Brandon Smith, 8-13, 44 yds Rushing: Bobby Rainey, 8-41, 1 TD, Receiving: Jack Doyle, 4-10 Tennessee: Passing: Jonathan Crompton, 21-28, 233 yds, 5 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 18-160, 1 TD, Receiving: Marsalis Teague, 6-86, 1 TD What It All Means: Every team needs a little tuning up to start the season, and Tennessee needed a quarter. Yes, it was only against Western Kentucky, but after last year, cranking out 657 yards of total offense had to feel like a breath of fresh air, while the defense kept the Hilltoppers to 83 yards. The O line dominated and eventually started blowing open mile-wide holes as the ground game ripped off 380 yards. The two picks thrown by Jonathan Crompton have to stop; with this D and this running game, he can’t make mistakes. Copyright © Scout.com and CollegeFootballNews.com | |||