The 2006 season has been a good one for Tennessee football fans. Not only has UT bounced back from a painful 5-6 campaign, but this year’s team has also been extremely entertaining to watch.

Some folks appreciate each and every win that comes down the pike. Others want style points. Some of these fans have openly complained that Tennessee football — even when winning — had become less fun to watch over the past few seasons.

That’s not a legitimate complaint this year.

UT’s offense has been high-flying and the defense has come through in the clutch.

With the exception of those Vol fans who would predict a UT win over the Indianapolis Colts, most people wouldn’t have predicted a 7-1 record at this point, with the loss coming by a point to a top-10 opponent. Again, very entertaining.

So it’s too bad that there appear to be storm clouds on the horizon.

First, Tennessee has become perilously reliant on the passing game. It’s one thing to be a pass-first offense, it’s another to be a pass-only offense. The Vols are getting close to the latter.

Against South Carolina, Tennessee passed on its first nine plays of the second half. They went on to pass on 17 of their first 20 plays and one of their three runs was actually audibled into by Erik Ainge.

Fun to watch an aerial show like that? You bet. But it’s also becoming easier and easier to defend.

It’s no coincidence that Alabama and South Carolina have made life tougher on Ainge. The Vols’ ground attack, once the backbone of the program, has become almost non-existent. And that’s dangerous ground to be treading on.

Fullbacks, an important facet of the UT land attack, have played so poorly that they’ve been replaced by tight ends. (When was the last time Tennessee featured their tight ends more than their fullbacks?)

The offensive line, so brilliant in pass protection, has been so weak in short-yardage run blocking that UT’s ol’ over-the-top tailback dive has been replaced by quarterback sneaks and one-yard passes to the aforementioned tight ends.

Add to that a corps of running backs who just flat aren’t healthy right now and you’ve got a pretty one-dimensional offense. That makes life a heckuva lot easier on opposing defenses.

If Tennessee continues on its current statistical path, the Vols will finish with more pass attempts than rush attempts for just the third time in 115 years of playing football. A fella named Peyton Manning was at the helm for those other two seasons.

That’s one concern. The other is brought about by the combination of UT’s quarterback situation and LSU’s pass rush.

The Tigers lead the SEC in sacks with 26. Consider that a high-pressure system.

The Vols have one hobbled quarterback and one inexperienced one. That would be a low-pressure system. And that’s not a good mix.

Tennessee created this mess all on its own. For the second time in his career, Ainge has had his season sabotaged by a bad play call. Please don’t give me the "if it had worked" line, either.

When you don’t have a running game and your whole offense is centered around your quarterback (who’s putting up All-American type numbers), it’s probably best to not call plays that are DESIGNED to get him hit.

Even the now-famous Manning bootlegs were called at the goal line, where Manning could avoid contact.

Now Ainge is gimpy. His backup, Jonathan Crompton, is green. His running skills and recruiting hype have led many to want him on the field over Ainge anyway. If he plays today against LSU and performs well — look out. The dreaded quarterback controversy will once again descend on Rocky Top.

On the other hand, if Crompton performs poorly and the Vols fail to overcome the Tigers, then one bad play call (perhaps offensive coordinators David Cutcliffe’s only one of the season) will be to blame.

To alleviate this problem, the Vols probably need to play today’s game the old-fashioned way ? with a solid ground game (if there’s ever a time to manufacture a rushing attack it’s now) and with a stifling defense.

LSU’s JaMarcus Russell hasn’t exactly been the SEC’s most dependable quarterback in big games. Against Louisiana-Lafayette, Arizona, Tulane, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Fresno State he’s completed 77.7 percent of his passes with 14 touchdowns and just one interception.

Against Auburn and Florida he’s completed just 57.8 percent of his throws with one TD and three interceptions.

Like so many times before, this game rests on the shoulders of UT coordinator John Chavis and his defense. Can they confuse and confound Russell? Can they carry a hobbled quarterback and a green quarterback to victory?

The odds would probably say "no." But the odds were against Tennessee being 7-1 at this point, too.

John Pennington hosts The Hall’s Salvage Sports Source on Sunday at 11 a.m. on WATE. He also writes a blog at govolsxtra.com.