Tennessee Stat Book
Wisconsin Stats
TAMPA, Fla. — The venue changes. The weather changes. The opponent changes.
Today, even the year will change.
But the circumstances have stayed pretty much the same for Tennessee’s football team.
Once again, the Vols find themselves playing against a stacked deck.
For the better part of their preparations for today’s Outback Bowl against No. 18 Wisconsin (TV: ESPN, 11 a.m.), the No. 16 Vols have had been dealt one distraction after another.
They’ve had six players declared academically ineligible.
They’ve had two coaches — offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe and wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor — announce their departures from Tennessee after today’s game.
And they’ve even had pundits changing their mind about their status as the favorite against the Big Ten’s fourth-place team.
The Vols have their backs to the wall.
So what else is new?
“We’ve got a lot of focus,” senior defensive end Xavier Mitchell said. “I think the guys really want to go out with a win, especially with the way we ended the SEC championship in Atlanta. That’s a big thing, getting the win, ending the season on a good note and kicking off the next one.”
It’s a rare occurrence, too.
Tennessee (9-4) hasn’t won a bowl game since defeating Texas A&M in the 2005 Cotton Bowl, and the Vols have won just two of their last seven bowl appearances.
Wisconsin (9-3), meanwhile, has been a bowl dynamo.
The Badgers are 9-3 in their last 12 bowl games and have defeated Auburn and Arkansas in their last two bowl games.
If Wisconsin defeats Tennessee today, it will join Michigan as the only other Big Ten team to post three consecutive bowl wins over an SEC opponent.
And if the Badgers wind up victorious, it will have a lot to do with quarterback Tyler Donovan.
Donovan enters his final collegiate game with 2,452 passing yards, and is perhaps more dangerous with his feet than his arm.
“I think he’s outstanding,” UT coach Phillip Fulmer said. “He throws the football extremely well, obviously runs their offense very well. He really is a playmaker when starts moving in the pocket or breaks the pocket.
“He’s a guy that can scramble and give you problems.”
Wisconsin tight end Travis Beckum, the Badgers’ leading receiver with 73 catches for 960 yards, causes plenty of problems, too.
Tennessee will try to handle those challenges without two of its better players on defense.
Linebacker Rico McCoy, UT’s second-leading tackler, and starting defensive tackle Demonte’ Bolden won’t play after being ruled academically ineligible.
Ellix Wilson will start at middle linebacker, moving Jerod Mayo into McCoy’s spot at weakside linebacker.
Ryan Karl is expected to start, but he could be slowed by a broken right elbow.
On offense, the Vols will be without their leading receiver in Lucas Taylor, another academic casualty.
Josh Briscoe, who has 49 catches for 456 yards and five touchdowns, will see increased playing time, as will true freshmen Gerald Jones and Denarius Moore and sophomore Quintin Hancock.
After today’s game, the Vols will say goodbye to key seniors in quarterback Erik Ainge, tight end Chris Brown and safety Jonathan Hefney, as well as Mitchell and Karl.
They’ll also say farewell to Cutcliffe and Taylor, and in all likelihood two more in running backs coach Kurt Roper and tight ends coach Matt Luke.
Cutcliffe will leave to become head coach at Duke, and Taylor will take over as co-offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State following today’s game.
Roper and Luke are expected to follow Cutcliffe to Duke.
Soon thereafter, the Vols will have a new coordinator in place.
And they hope to have some positive momentum heading into the recruiting season and spring practice.
“You always want to finish well,” Fulmer said. “It makes the offseason go better. It makes recruiting go better.”
Whether or not Tennessee can finish 2007 with 10 wins — it would be the first 10-win season since 2004 — will have a lot to do with that same old formula.
“Our team has had a lot of adversity during the course of the season and potential distractions, and they have stayed the course,” Fulmer said. “I’m very hopeful that they continue to do that.”
Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.
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Comments » 38
jobrando#216494 writes:
What's the vols record last 10 bowls....maybe a "finish well" Jan 1st
DennisVols writes:
Who will beat who? On any given week this is a guess at best. All this “I predict” BS about if we played so-N-so or this team is better than that team is just an opinion without any merit or substantial proof to back it.
“Guaranteed” Take a look at this season.
9/01/07 #5 Michigan VS Appalachian State: No top 10 1-A school playing at home had ever lost to a 1-AA team. Score: Appalachian ST. 34- Michigan 32
On 9/08/07 #11 GA VS USC @ Athens: GA fails to score a TD. USC finishes 3-5 in the conference and 6-6 on the year. Could USC beat GA at the end of this season? Most would say no but on that Saturday they were the better team.
9/15/07 #9 Louisville lose to UK 40-34. How many honestly predicted UK to beat Louisville that weekend? #11 UCLA got beat 44-6 by Utah that same day. Did anyone believe this was going to happen?
9/22/07 # 10 PSU loses to an unranked UM, Syracuse beats #18 Louisville
9/29/07 #18 SFU beats #5 WVU. Could they do that now?, Colorado beats #3 Oklahoma. Who would take the Buffs in a rematch right now? MSU beats #9 Wisc.
5 times this year the #2 team in the nation got beat by an unranked or lesser ranked team. The #1 spot has change hands 6 times due to losses.
Of the final top 25: 9 of those teams were not ranked in the top 25 on 9/8/07, Six of the teams are now ranked higher than they were at that time, UT is one of the six. Eight of those teams finished off worse in the polls, including UF, UTX, WVU, & Wisc., and nine of the top 25 on 9/8 did not finish in the top 25.
So who could beat who and on what day or who’s field? Could have UT’s season been better? Yes given the right situation it should have been. Could it have been worse? Just look above to answer that. UT coaching staff did a good job of preventing a tail spin after the UF and Bama losses. The same could not be said for Cal.s coaches following the loss to OSU.
Go Vols!!!
ncvol17 writes:
Seems like in the Distraction Bowl it is UT= 10+ and UW = 1. Their 1 is what to eat for their pregame meal Ham & Eggs or Steak & Eggs.
1974Vol writes:
Fans are distracted, media is distracted, I don't think the are kids are distracted. Even with academic casualties, the Vols match up well with Badgers. Our LB's can run with QB Donovan and TE Beckum, so they won't beat us. If Ainge plays his B game or better and they don't turn the ball over, the Vols win. The defense will show up and play well, just like last year when they only gave up 13 points. The offense just stunk it up and fumbled the game away. The game runs through Ainge and Foster, if they play well we win.
stroker writes:
dlskaggs I would like to know your point buy that post is to much. Wish I were a speed reader.
DennisVols writes:
My point is that in this season nothing that we thought was going to happen, happened. Don't count UT out in this game even with all the stuff going on.
I know all about the disappointments, Cal, UF, and Bama but this team has been down nd counted ot so many times already and with each time they came out swinging and won.
DenmarkVol_aka_Mbumburu writes:
That's right, Coach Fulmer. "Stay the course." Keep using that phrase in every media interview and it will be the epitaph to your career if you don't REALLY shake things up, starting with yourself.
I have $200 on the Badgers by 13. Make me lose my money, Coach Fulmer.
invisiblekid writes:
Good question TDTN. I respect everything Karl brings to the table but I remember Justin Harrell trying to play with one arm a couple of years ago and it not working out too well. Focus, distractions, coaching changes, fan opinions, none of that will matter come tommorow.
stroker writes:
Good commentary dlskaggs. I agree and feel the same. Hope we are right on.
texan writes:
mbumburu,
If I got paid 2mil + to keep saying the same thing over and over I would keep saying the same thing over and over. Would not you?
bugman (Inactive) writes:
is anyone going to actually waste their day watching Tennessee loose?
pdhuff#552644 writes:
mbumburu- possibly you could donate you winnings to a fund at a readily available K Kreme store close to campus. Ahem.
Also, if anyone thinks losing Rodney Garner didn't affect us by drying up the fertile Georgia. Consider- Auburn and Clemson have a total of 36, yep, 36 players out of the Peach State!!!
To those that poo-paw Phil's current standing at 43rd in recruiting, with the top 100 already committed, take a look at our defense this year. Nuff said.
AlpharettaVol writes:
Unless I'm badly mistaken, no one who contributes to this board is going to be coaching or playing a single minute in the Outback Bowl. They are, however, going to be the first to be Monday morning quarterbacks. There is an old story about Bear Bryant, who was approached by a fan on a Monday after a loss. The fan said, "I've been thinking about that key play all weekend and I think you should have made another decision." Without hesitation the Bear replied: "If I'd had all weekend to think about it, I might have made another decision too. But unfortunately I only had 20 seconds or so to make my decision." All you second-guessers might keep this in mind once the Outback Bowl is over, no matter which way it goes.
bugman (Inactive) writes:
thats real deep Alpha. May you continue posting mind blowing information such as that in the future.
invisiblekid writes:
AlpharettaVol, I don't expect my opinion to make one iota of difference in the game tommorow or anyone's life on this board. That being said, this is a message board which is open to the exchange of opinions and ideas regarding a subject that most of us holds in high regard, UT Football. Just my opinion, but I don't think it would be quite as interesting if we all limited our comments to a hearty "GO VOLS".
TommyJack writes:
AlpharettaVol: Not sure, but I think you wuz female dog-slapped.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Doldrums are here. Saw them arrive.
vol4good#206163 writes:
Py Yow Invisible!
CoverOrange writes:
I-kid, opinions? Yeah. Ideas? Oh, no, no, no. Can't have those, someone might get a wrong one. And then what would we do?
DenverVol writes:
tr763 - here's an idea for your new year's resolution...learn some grammar.
time to man up Vols. smash them in the mouth and end this misery of "losing" (not "loosing") the big games.
Ainge has a big game. VOLS by 6
GO VOLS!!
bugman (Inactive) writes:
"tr763 - here's an idea for your new year's resolution...learn some grammar."
awwww someone didn't do their yoga today *tear drop*
stroker writes:
Cats 35 Seminoles 28. Go Cats unless you are playing the Vols.
invisiblekid writes:
All of our heads would probably explode according to some on here WD40Vol.
invisiblekid writes:
Thanks TNGeoff and Happy New Year to all of you guys. Gotta go entertain some guests.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
wow, did you guys see UK do evertything they could to lose that game??? man, that team has a tough time.
Ihe LB makes a great interception...take a KNEE!!!!
Glad to be wrong on that one, I thought FSU would still putll it out because UK would screw up. UK did screw up, but pulled through.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
Auburn's offense looks absolutley sick. where is the team that beat UF and hung tough in other games???
newtonrail writes:
VolnDothan, who would you give SEC coach of the year to? Surely not Les Miles.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
Man, that Auburn game had some pop to it. that big boy 'stump' is tough!!!
good hard play by both tigers. I'd bring clemson into the sec any time, and maryland too. they play hard, tough football.
calivol writes:
VolnDothan, get a clue. I noticed you didn't mention who you would've voted as SEC Coach of the Year. Let's hear it. Because from where I stand, anyone who can win 8 games with that pitiful Mississippi St offense, including wins over Bama and at Auburn and at Kentucky (all bowl winners), gets my vote any day of the week. If that's white guilt, then fine. Consider me guilty as charged.
vol52 writes:
I agree with calivol!
mdvol writes:
Karl could beat Wisconsin with one arm tied behind his back.
TommyJack writes:
VolnDothan: No guilt here, bub. I have no problem with Croom. 8 wins at any MS school is remarkable.
CoverOrange writes:
Oh, wait, mdvol, he does have one arm tied behind his back, or is that just the way he has been playing all season? J/K
philfan writes:
SEC-4
Opponents-0
I hope we make the record 5-0. Wouldn't it be great if the SEC could finish 8-0, and then finish off OSU with a blowout win.
Anyone who would bet against the Vols on bowl day should not be allowed to post comments on this board. Mbumburu, your motto is, Whatever direction the wind is blowing. I pull for the Vols, always. you should have donated that 200 dollars to your favorite charity (and I don't mean yourself).
Kwitcherbellyachin writes:
First half assessment -
The officials should be ashamed of themselves if they are susceptible to "suggestion", as they were when the Wisc coach kept whining about the hits on his QB, and then they give them a ticky-tack personal foul on Antonio Reynolds (I think). And why was that strip on the screen pass not reviewed? It was an obvious catch.
From a Vol perspective, Lucas who? The WRs have played great, although the Badgers don't seem to play man very well. So far, the only thing that has stopped us has been, well... us. And for those who whine about not seeing enough "imagination" in the playcalling, that little Lennon Creer hidden handoff play is more imagination than we need. If we what we do well, and do it mistake-free, we will win.
THE_VOL writes:
Kwitcher - STFU YOU MORON!!! Vols have had at least 3 hits that should have been flagged (glad they weren't) and I guarantee you they will get called 2nd half if they continue. Screen play wasn't reviewed because it was ruled incomplete on the field - dead ball. No review same as down by contact call. LEARN THE FREAKING RULES IDIOT!
As for the WRs, we should have at least 2 more scores (1) Briscoe quit on deep route in 1st quarter that ended up a yard long. (2) Moore gets caught from behind by a damned LB!!! And that trick play to Creer was NOT imagination just more Cutcliffe stupidity! Duke deserves him!
philfan - are you drunk too??? SEC will end up 5-4 or 6-3 at best. And OSU will whip LSU's ass!
dgb63#654261 writes:
Man we have to get up on them early in the 3rd. Now we are trading punts. We have to play the entire game..
WYLOVER writes:
worst coached game i have seen in a while on both sides. our red zone play calling makes me sick. good luck with that duke.
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