2009 NCAA - Tennessee
Few sportswriters outside of the Knoxville area will have it better than their beat writing friends who cover the Volunteers. That is, if new 33-year old head coach Lane Kiffin continues to be the quote machine that he has been for the last eight months. He's accused Florida coach Urban Meyer of cheating, made statements belittling Georgia's recruiting efforts and was accused (he denied it) telling another recruit if he chose South Carolina "he'd be pumping gas the rest of his life," like all other players from that state who had gone to South Carolina. Kiffin claims he was just kidding, but he wasn't joking when he also said that not everyone is cut out for the new UT program. There were, at last count, ELEVEN departures since spring ball started. His father, Monte Kiffin, architect of the "Tampa Cover 2" defense, came on to run the defense after 13 seasons with the Bucs. Jim Chaney, the offensive coordinator during the high-scoring Drew Brees years at Purdue, will be the OC here.
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Tennessee
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The biggest concern is at QB, where the Vols threw for more interceptions than touchdowns. Both Johnathan Crompton and Nick Stephens are back, but the dropoff at that position from Erik Ainge's 2007 numbers probably cost Phil Fulmer his job. UT returns seven starters from an offense that scored just 17 ppg (nearly half the 33 ppg in 2007). Stephens seems to be the best fit for Kiffin's system, though Crompton figured to be the starter out of spring. Stay tuned. Watch for incoming freshman Bryce Brown out of the backfield; many were calling him the nation's top overall recruit. On the other side, the Vols yielded just 17 ppg and 2.8 yards per carry. In a 5-7 season, these numbers were all the more impressive, as the defense ranked No. 3 in the country. UT recovered only three fumbles last fall, a number that almost has to go up. Good talent (including stud SS Eric Berry, one of the best ever to wear Vol orange) is at all levels and will be paramount to helping the offense learn its way. PK Daniel Lincoln had a small dropoff last fall, but was a Frosh All-American in 2007. |
ASK the bookie? - The Vols have eight games in friendly Neyland Stadium, which should be enough for them to get above .500 after a brief slipup. The Vols probably won't do much better than seven wins, but that should be enough to get them back into the bowl picture in Kiffin's first season.
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