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Tennessee’s 4-4 Record Reflects the Two Different Teams Kiffin Has Put on the Field This Season

November 4, 2009 By J-Dools Leave a Comment

Standing at 4-4 on the season, the Lane Kiffin Project has been somewhat successful.

The Volunteers have put two different teams on the field this year: one has been reminiscent of last season’s mediocre squad, with a sputtering offensive attack; the other has been a motivated SEC contender that can play with any team in the nation.

A week ago, the Vols had a chance to knock off one of the top teams in the country in Alabama. Tennessee dropped the game 12-10 after a last second blocked field goal by Alabama’s gargantuan defensive tackle Terrence Cody. Finishing games in the fourth quarter has been an Achilles heel for Kiffin’s squad.

Tennessee v Auburn: Underachievers and Overachievers

October 2, 2009 By J-Dools 2 Comments

The Tennessee Volunteers come into their match-up against Auburn a little battered and bruised. The Vols will have to step up and play through the pain to shut down an undefeated Auburn team.

UT Running back Montario Hardesty suffered a knee injury last week against Ohio. Hardesty has been limited in practice but expects to play Saturday. This season has been a coming-out party for Hardesty and the Vols will need him to carry the football.

Nearly the entire Tennessee defense is dealing with minor injuries. Monte Kiffin will have to prepare this unit to face a high-octane Tigers offense. Auburn has scored over 35 points in each of their games so far.

However, everything isn’t as doom and gloom as it sounds for Tennessee.

Tennessee-UCLA Preview: Lane Kiffin’s Vols Look for Revenge Over Bruins in Knoxville

September 10, 2009 By J-Dools 3 Comments

Jonathon Crompton threw 5 TD passes in a game.

No, that wasn’t a typo.

Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton really threw 5 TD’s in a single game. (A short pause for you to google this if you still can’t believe it.)

Crompton and the Vols steamrolled right over the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 63-7 on Saturday, racking up 657 yards of total offense. Crompton had a career day with 233 yards passing to go along with his 5 TD’s. He showed maturity and, unlike last season, appears comfortable in Lane Kiffin’s pro-style offense.

However, the Volunteers’ running back corps refused to be shown up by their senior quarterback. As a team Tennessee rushed for 380 yards and 4 TD’s, averaging over 8 yards per carry. Senior running back Montario Hardesty had 160 yards on 18 carries, with a huge 43-yard TD run.

Tennessee’s offensive “Freshman Four” also played well, having a coming out party against Western Kentucky.

Running back Bryce Brown scored UT’s first TD of the season and finished with 104 yards on 11 carries. His fellow frosh back David Oku had 42 yards and 2 TD’s on 8 carries. Marsalis Teague was the leading receiver for the Vols. Teague caught 6 passes for 86 yards and a TD. Nu’Keese Richardson made an impact all around, catching passes, returning kicks, and even running the wildcat formation.

Lane Kiffin’s focus, however, is not on the blowout victory of last week.

The Vols are preparing for a rematch against UCLA after losing a heartbreaker in Pasadena last season. As a former USC coach, Kiffin is no stranger to the Bruins either. Thus, there are plenty of storylines heading into Saturday’s game in Knoxville.

Before we break down the matchup, here are the particulars:

UCLA Bruins at Tennessee Volunteers

UCLA-Tennessee Date: Saturday, September 12th
UCLA-Tennessee Location: Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee
UCLA-Tennessee Kickoff Time: 4:00 ET
UCLA-Tennessee TV: ESPN
UCLA-Tennessee Point Spread: Tennessee -7.5
StubHub: Tennessee-UCLA tickets
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The matchup between Tennessee and UCLA is completely different than last season. In ’08 the Vols were a team searching for an offensive identity and UCLA was lucky to scrape out a win.

This season the Vols appear rejuvenated on offense with their explosive young talent and offensive mastermind Lane Kiffin at the helm. And though the offense has improved vastly, the strength of this Vols team is still the defense, led by its all-world safety Eric Berry.

In Monte Kiffin’s first game as UT defensive coordinator, the Vols held Western Kentucky to 83 yards of total offense. The Hilltoppers only managed 34 yards rushing, averaging a laughable 1-yard per carry. The scary part of UT’s defensive performance is that Berry didn’t play all that well and the defense still held strong.

Berry and the Tennessee defense could have a field day against UCLA’s freshman quarterback Kevin Prince, who threw two picks against San Diego State in the Bruins opener. Prince doesn’t seem experienced enough to go up against a top-level SEC defense and will likely turn the ball over multiple times.

The Vols will have to be careful of their own turnovers however. Jonathan Crompton will have to keep an eye out for UCLA safety Rahim Moore, who had three interceptions last week against SDSU.

Lane Kiffin, though, appears to be more than capable of putting together an effective offensive game plan. And if Tennessee’s offense can produce even half as well as they did last week, the Neyland faithful should once again be singing Rocky Top at the top of their lungs.

And the Vols, coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in school history, should be 2-0.

My prediction for Saturday’s game: Tennessee- 31 UCLA- 17

Filed Under: CFB Tagged With: bryce brown, college, David Oku, Eric Berry, football, Jonathon Crompton, Lane Kiffin, Luke Stocker, Marsalis Teague, Montario Hardesty, ncaa, Nu'Keese Richardson, Pac 10, SEC, SEC East, Tennessee, UCLA, Volunteers, Western Kentucky

Lane Kiffin Hoping to Put “Rocky Top” Back on Top Sooner Rather Than Later

September 4, 2009 By J-Dools 1 Comment

[Editor's Note: This is the first article from new MSF writer Mike Dooley (aka J-Dools), a student at the University of Tennessee, originally from Dearborn, MI, who will be covering the Vols and the Detroit Tigers. We're happy to have Mike aboard and hope you enjoy his first effort below, a preview and prediction for Lane Kiffin's first season at Tennessee.]

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As college football begins once again, fans can rejoice that ESPN will have more to cover than the Little League World Series. My apologies to Chula Vista, California.

For students at the University of Tennessee, such as myself,Â the start of the season means gratuitous amounts of orange and a sharp increase in whiskey sales.

Putting the Lane Kiffin offseason media circus behind us, it is now time to start playing football, and probably the start of the in-season Lane Kiffin media circus. The Vols kick off the season against Western Kentucky this Saturday and barring a repeat of last yearâ€™s debacle against Wyoming, UT will start off the season with a â€œWâ€.

[Editor's Note:Â Follow these links to StubHub for great deals on Tennessee football tickets, and all NCAA college football tickets. Plus, get ready for Saturday with the Week 1 college football TV schedule from MSF.]

The season will really start for UT in week two versus UCLA. The down-to-the-wire loss to the Bruins in Pasedena last year still lingers in the minds of the Vols. This year the Bruins travel to Knoxville and Kiffin will be under extreme pressure to win the rematch.

But will Kiffin be able to quickly turn this program around? That is the question everyone is asking about the Volsâ€™ young new head coach.

Coming into this season Tennessee is unranked for the first time in 19 years. However, Kiffin seems poised to revive this program. Kiffin has brought in an elite coaching staff with NFL credentials and outstanding recruiting skills.

tennessee Volunteers 2009 season preview, outlook, prediction, tickets, logo Laneâ€™s father, Monte Kiffin, left the NFL and followed his son to Tennessee as the defensive coordinator. Coming to UT, Monte was effectively handed a top level defense and was told â€œHere you go, have fun.â€ Monte will help bring out the full potential of 3 time All-American safety Eric Berry. (A scary thought for all opponents.)

The offense is completely revamped with Kiffinâ€™s pro style playbook and zone blocking system. This is a much needed change after the abysmal offensive performance last season. The Vols have the electric Gerald Jones returning at receiver, who will be a year older and should be a major offensive weapon. Jones is currently injured, but should be able to return in time for the rematch against UCLA.

The added youth to this team will have an immediate impact as Kiffin assembled a great recruiting class. Top-ranked running back Bryce Brown will play a major role in the offense, likely splitting carries with senior Montario Hardesty. His fellow freshman back David Oku will also see time, likely as a third down back.

Speedy freshman receivers Nuâ€™Keese Richardson and Marsalis Teague will provide big play potential to the passing game. Also, freshman cornerback Janzen Jackson may battle his way into a starting role on the defense.

The most important factor in the â€™09 Volunteers season, of course, will likely be the play of senior quarterback Jonathon Crompton. Last year Crompton threw for a meager 889 yards, with only five touchdowns and four interceptions. The Vols need Crompton to emerge as a solid starter in Kiffinâ€™s offensive system.

My prediction for the 2009 Tennessee Volunteers season: 8-4 (4-4)

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* – Eric Berry photo credit: TNJN/Hall, Adrian via Tennessee Journalist

Filed Under: CFB, Featured Column, SEC Football Tagged With: bryce brown, CFB, David Oku, Eric Berry, Lane Kiffin, Monte Kiffin, ncaa, Nu'Keese Richardson, SEC, tennessee volunteers, Tennessee Volunteers Football

Tennessee Volunteers 2009 Football Season Quick Preview: Kiffin Has a Plan, Now Needs a QB

August 18, 2009 By Brandon Chandler Leave a Comment

Lane Kiffin - Tennessee Volunteers Not many people like new Tennessee head football coach Lane Kiffin.

A few years ago, Kiffin was named as the youngest head coach in NFL history by the Oakland Raiders. It is a role he is used to, as this season he will be the youngest active head coach in Division 1-A.

He takes over for Phil Fulmer at Tennessee, a man who was a bit of a legend for winning the 1998 national title, but had allowed the program to sink pretty low by the end of his career. After getting a taste of success with that national title, Tennessee is not a team that is ready to fall back into the pack. This is especially true in the very tough SEC East, where Georgia and Florida annually battle for supremacy.Â

It will take some time, but Kiffin has brought a new attitude to Rocky Top.

He has already angered Florida head coach Urban Meyer by accusing him of cheating. That drama has been played out on college football message boards and such around the country. He has also made insulting remarks about other teams within the Southeastern Conference.

Still, Kiffin knows how to recruit. He has already upgraded the talent level in Knoxville, especially with the signing of Bryce Brown. Brown was long thought to be the best high school player in the country for this incoming recruiting class. He had committed to Miami long ago, but Kiffin swooped in and stole him from the Hurricanes. This is an especially daring move in that Bryce’s brother, Arthur, is a linebacker at the U.Â

Tennessee was an uncharacteristic 5-7 last year and did not go to a bowl game. They also very nearly lost at home to Northern Illinois, a team that was barely above .500 in the Mid-American Conference. SEC teams obviously very rarely lose non-conference games at home, especially against teams from the MAC.

Tennessee’s biggest liability heading into 2009 is at the quarterback position. The Volunteers were so desperate for quarterback help that they tried to raid Miami once again. When Miami starter Robert Marve decided to transfer, Tennessee tried very hard to bring him to campus. Even though he would not have been able to play in 2009 because of NCAA rules, it still would have been a nice addition to the program. Marve chose Purdue instead, leaving Tennessee to debate its quarterback situation both now and in the future.Â

Saying the quarterbacks were awful is like saying the Tennessee orange uniforms are a bit loud and that Peyton Manning was an alright player when he was in Knoxville. Â Three quarterbacks combined to complete fewer than half of their passes for 1,750 yards and eight touchdowns with nine interceptions. Those are the kinds of numbers that won’t have fans taking a sharpie to their media guides in order to write out Manning’s name. Indeed, those are the types of numbers Manning used to put up in about four games.

Simply put, Tennessee has to get better play from the quarterback position if it is going to improve this year.

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Brandon Chandler is a sports writer for www.sportsfantreasures.com. He would like to invite you to check out their Tennessee Volunteers Store and Tennessee Volunteers Apparel online today!

Filed Under: CFB, SEC Football Tagged With: bryce brown, CFB, Lane Kiffin, SEC, tennessee volunteers

LOTD: Could Prized Recruit Bryce Brown End Up in Knoxville With Lane Kiffin, Tennessee?

February 19, 2009 By Jerod Morris Leave a Comment

The recruiting sage of top-rated Class of 2009 recruit Bryce Brown continues.

Apparently, according the Devin’s Landing where today’s Link of the Day is located, Wichita, Kansas high school senior RB Bryce Brown has had his scholarship offer rescinded by Randy Shannon and the University of Miami.

To give you some background, Brown originally committed to the U and Coach Shannon, but has been playing games over the last two months. He did not sign an official Letter of Intent and there was speculation that he could wind up taking a detour to the CFL instead of going to college. There are some other pretty ridiculous stories too, which you can find linked to from the article I’m about about to send you to.

As we have documented here at MSF, and as has been documented all over the Internet for the past month, Lane Kiffin is proving that even douche bags can get head coaching jobs in the SEC. I realize that Bobby Petrino proved this last year, but now that we have a second occurrence we can officially call it a trend.

Since being named head coach at the University of Tennessee, Kiffin has accused Urban Meyer of recruiting violations that weren’t recruiting violations, has disparaged his 2009 recruiting class by saying they aren’t up to the standards of Tennessee, and has had three recruiting violations of his own self-reported by the university. Great start Lane. You know you are a true artist of douchebaggery when you can make Al Davis appear lucid, cogent, and forthright.

Here is an excerpt and your Link of the Day:

LOTD: In Which Little Lane Becomes Aroused — (Devin’s Landing)

Now taking bets on how long it will take Lane Kiffin to commit (known) recruiting violation #4 by FedEx’ing butthole recruit Bryce Brown a Cadillac Escalade. Bring your stopwatch, we need NFL combine-like technology to measure how quickly this could happen down the the 1/100th of a second.

…

For our money this is match made in heaven between the greedy Brown/Butler duo (who have already teased about taking CFL money rather than playing college ball) and the flagrantly insecure Kiffin, who wants ALL THE TOYS, DADDY! ALLALLALL OF THEM! We can totally see him promising Brown a spaceship fully equipped with unicorn pilot if it will get him to sign.

And some others. Enjoy, and go Hoosiers! For the record, I have a great feeling about tonight’s game against Wisconsin. We’re at home, Devan Dumes is back, and the karma gods of basketball owe us one of the banked in 3 at the buzzer that Wisconsin used to beat us last year. Let’s get win #2 tonight guys. You deserve it.

Devan Dumes back in actions — (FortWayne.com)

Hoosier fan support shocks, pleases Crean — (Evansville Courier & Press)

Could high school sports be cut in Orange County, Florida? — (Sparty & Friends)

Marvin Harrison’s days in Indy are done — (Adam Schefter NFL.com blog)

Trade finalized between Bulls and Kings — (ESPN.com)

If that was Kirk Hinrich’s last game as a Bull, at least it was a good one — (Tremendous Upside Potential)

2010 and the great free agent myth — (Hoops Addict)

An APB On A-Rod’s Cousin — (The Money Shot)

There’s Just Something About Dallas — (No Guts, No Glory)

Ken Griffey Jr. headed back to Seattle — (MLB Trade Rumors)

Albert Haynesworth to test free agency — (ESPN.com)

Browns probably not on Julius Peppers’ trade list — (Dawg Pound Daily)