MSF Podcast: NFL Draft Talk with Scouting Legend Gil Brandt

March 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment
gil-brandt-interview

What, you thought we were only talking about college basketball this month?

Luckily, I was fortunate enough to get one of the most experienced and respected voices in the NFL – Gil Brandt, the father of modern NFL scouting and the Combine – to join me recently for a podcast that will provide an insightful respite from our wall-to-wall March Madness coverage.

Mr. Brandt and I spoke for nearly a half hour about a wide range of topics. If you’re an NFL fan, this is a podcast that you will not want to miss.

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Filed Under: NFL, Podcast Tagged With: Eric Berry, gerald mccoy, gil brandt, Jimmy Clausen, joe haden, ndamukong suh, NFL, nfl draft, sam bradford, scouting combine

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

November 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment
tennessee-black-jerseys

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.

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Filed Under: CFB Tagged With: Alabama, bryce brown, Eric Berry, Jevan Snead, Jonathan Crompton, Lane Kiffin, Layla Kiffin, Memphis, Ole Miss, SEC, SEC East, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Volunteers

Lane Kiffin and the Vols Head Into A Bye-Week After Blowout Victory Over Georgia

October 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Last week, Georgia was supposed to walk into Knoxville, smack Tennessee right in the mouth, and walk out with a victory.

Apparently Lane Kiffin and the Vols didn’t get the memo.

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Filed Under: CFB Tagged With: Alabama, Bulldogs, college, Eric Berry, football, Georgia, Jonathon Crompton, Lane Kiffin, ncaa, SEC, SEC East, SEC West, Tennessee, Vols, Volunteers

Tennessee v Auburn: Underachievers and Overachievers

October 2, 2009 By 2 Comments
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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.

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Filed Under: CFB Tagged With: Auburn, bryce brown, CFB, David Oku, Eric Berry, Jonathon Crompton, Lane Kiffin, Montario Hardesty, Monte Kiffin, SEC, SEC East, tennessee football, tennessee-auburn

UT v UF: They’re Not Who We Thought They Were?

September 26, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Both Tennessee and Florida learned a lot about themselves after the 23-13 Florida victory last Saturday. The Gators might not be the untouchable #1 team they seemed to be, and the Vols still have some fight in them.

Tim Tebow and company were supposed to wipe the floor with Tennessee and were favored by 30 points. But when Eric Berry knocked Tebow flat on his back, the Vols made a statement that they weren’t going down easy.

This game was an all-out war between two SEC teams and rankings didn’t matter. If a few key plays had gone differently, this game could have gone either way. But in the end, Florida was the better team and came out on top.

Though Tennessee lost the game, they now have some of their swagger back that they had lost after the UCLA game. The Vols head back to Knoxville this Saturday to face the Ohio Bobcats.

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Filed Under: CFB Tagged With: agony, CFB, Eric Berry, Florida, Gainesville, Gator Hater, Gators, Jonathan Crompton, Knoxville, Lane Kiffin, ohio, SEC, SEC East, Tennessee, The Swamp, tim tebow, Urban Meyer, Vols, Volunteers

Florida-Tennessee Preview: Tim Tebow Ready to Make Lane Kiffin Eat His Words

September 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment
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florida-tennessee preview, prediction, point spread pick, tv kickoff time | Lane Kiffin comments about Urban Meyer, FloridaLane Kiffin has said a lot of things, the guy loves to talk.

Kiffin especially likes to talk trash about Florida and their head coach. During the offseason, Kiffin’s comments about Urban Meyer and Florida included accusing Meyer of being a cheater in regards to recruiting.

Kiffin also got people riled up immediately after he signed with UT when he said he couldn’t wait to sing Rocky Top all night long after beating Florida.

Someone get Lane some more Hater-ade.

[Editor's note: I am making a quick addendum to J-Dools' fine work and embedding Rocky Top -- the greatest fight song in all of college sports -- here in this post because, unfortunately, I don't think the Vols will be hearing it much on Saturday; they certainly won't be singing it, and nor will anyone else, on Saturday night. But we can at least enjoy it right now]

As a Vols fan I love the trash talk; I think it’s great.

The problem is that the Vols are reeling after a dissapointing loss to UCLA and now have to face the Gators in The Swamp.

This Saturday, Kiffin likely will be forced to eat his own words.

Tennessee at #1 Florida Preview

  • Tennessee-Florida Date: Saturday, September 19th
  • Tennessee-Florida State Kickoff Time: 3:30 ET
  • Tennessee-Florida TV Channel: CBS
  • Tennessee-Florida Point Spread: Florida -29.5

It’s no secret how much Florida hates Tennessee and especially Kiffin. They have been throwing darts at his picture all summer. It wouldn’t surprise me if there is a bounty out on Kiffin in the city of Gainesville.

Setting the media circus aside, there is still a football game to be played. That part also doesn’t look too good for Kiffin.

florida-tennessee preview, prediction, point spread pick, tv kickoff time | Lane Kiffin comments about Urban Meyer, FloridaFlorida returned nearly all of their starters from last year’s national championship squad, most importantly quarterback Tim Tebow. (a.k.a God, Jesus, Chuck Norris, etc.)

The ’09 Florida Gators look as good as ever, having not allowed a touchdown in either of their first two games. This team has the capability to run the table in the SEC and making it back to another national championship.

The ’09 Vols looked a lot like the ’08 version when they dropped a 19-15 decision to UCLA on Saturday. The offense was booed of the field and Jonathan Crompton would have been banished from Knoxville if the fans had the power. Things are definitely looking bad for Crompton when a fellow UT student invites me to a Facebook group titled “Jonathan Crompton Please Retire From Football.” (I joined the group.)

As much as I would love to see the Vols go into The Swamp and beat Tebow and the Gators, its just not going to happen. Florida is faster, stronger, and better than Tennessee. The Gators tore apart UT in the return game last season, and with a pair of track sprinters returning kicks it can happen again.

Urban Meyer wants nothing more than to run up the score on the Vols and to get back at Kiffin. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him going for two point conversions all game. Mr. Perfect (Tebow) and his offense will come out firing on Saturday.

But there is always a glimmer of hope. If Vols safety Eric Berry can have a big game and lead the defense, Tennessee could catch the Gators being overconfident. The best chance Tennessee has is to try to keep the score low.

I want to stress that I am a Volunteers fan, but I am also a realist. There is a reason Florida is favored by 30 points.

This rivalry game will be fun to watch because of the bad blood between the teams. In the end, I think Florida will punish Kiffin for being too much of a Gator Hater.

My prediction: Florida- 41 Tennessee-17 (It hurts me to say that)

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* – Lane Kiffin photo credit: USC photo via Majorly English

* – Tim Tebow photo credit: NFFootballReport

Filed Under: CFB Tagged With: CFB, Eric Berry, Florida, Gainesville, Gator Hater, Gators, Jonathan Crompton, Knoxville, Lane Kiffin, SEC, SEC East, Tennessee, The Swamp, tim tebow, Urban Meyer, Vols, Volunteers

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

September 10, 2009 By 3 Comments

tennessee-ucla tickets, preview, prediction, kickoff time, tv, time, dateJonathon 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

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 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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Tennessee Volunteers 2009 season preview, outlook, prediction, tickets, logoAs 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, 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 year’s debacle against Wyoming, UT will start off the season with a “W”.

[Editor's Note: 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 Vols’ 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, logoLane’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 “Here you go, have fun.” 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 Kiffin’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 Nu’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 ’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 Kiffin’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