Vol Report
Tennessee Stat Book
B QUARTERBACK
Tennessee put it all on Erik Ainge’s shoulders in overtime and he delivered — barely. The senior was 6-of-9 for 77 yards in four overtimes, but did throw an interception that could have easily cost the Vols the game.
Ainge showed what can happen when he’s more aggressive — as critics have clamored for — as he threw into coverage three times for interceptions.
Stuck in pocket and took a huge hit to convert winning two-point conversion.
B RUNNING BACKS
Arian Foster (4.4 yards per carry) and Montario Hardesty (3.2) ran well considering the barely adequate running lanes. Foster led the Vols with nine receptions for 98 yards and showed enough speed (and wherewithal) to score on game’s first play.
However, Foster dropped a pass that would have resulted in a first down in the second half and was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty in overtime.
C+ RECEIVERS
UT’s receivers were great in the first half, then awful in the second. Had the Vols lost on Saturday, dropped passes would have been the main reason why.
Reserves Gerald Jones and Quintin Hancock made two of the game’s biggest plays.
C OFFENSIVE LINE
Should have been able to run block much better against a run defense that ranked 94th in the nation and tenth in the SEC heading into Saturday’s game.
However, pass protection was key in overtime as the Vols relied on the passing game.
B- DEFENSIVE LINE
Xavier Mitchell’s second quarter interception killed Kentucky’s momentum and led to seven points and a 24-7 lead just before halftime. Tackle Demonte’ Bolden forced a fumble which was recovered by end Wes Brown. Antonio Reynolds also registered a sack.
B- LINEBACKERS
Jerod Mayo had 19 tackles, Ryan Karl had 10 and Rico McCoy had nine. Thirty-eight tackles by the starting trio? Not too shabby.
Mayo, who’s playing as physical as ever, also registered 1.5 tackles for a loss and forced an interception with a jarring hit on a Kentucky receiver.
Karl was called for pass interference in the first half. Reserve Ellix Wilson’s third-down sack tied him for the team lead with three. That’s good news for Wilson, bad news for John Chavis.
D SECONDARY
Bad day for the secondary, but that’s somewhat to be expected playing Kentucky’s skill position players.
Cornerback Brent Vinson dropped an interception and struggled before getting hurt. Safety Eric Berry dropped two potential interceptions in the second half.
On the bright side, nickel back Ricardo Kemp had two sacks and an interception. Defensive backs deserve some credit for coverage as the Vols recorded six sacks.
B+ SPECIAL TEAMS
Very average except for game-saving block by Dan Williams on 34-yarder.
Dennis Rogan avoided a disaster with a diving catch on a punt return. Lennon Creer muffed a kickoff, preventing him from a return. Britton Colquitt sent a kickoff out of bounds. Daniel Lincoln was 1-for-2, missing from 47 yards.
B COACHING
Great offensive game plan. Play action and rollouts befuddled Kentucky over and over again in the first half. Four and five-wide receiver package was also effective in overtime.
UT’s defense played softer coverage in second half, allowing Kentucky back in the game. Still, multiple-blitz scheme led to six sacks.
E OVERALL
The Vols get an E for effort and there was plenty of it. UT made enough mistakes to lose two games, but never quit and are headed to Atlanta.
Memorable moments in Pat Summitt's…
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Phillip Fulmer through the years
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 117
FWBVol writes:
E also stands for East of which the Vols are Champs. Of course the real championship is set to be won Saturday in Atlanta. I agree for the most part with the grades. The secondary is still experiencing growing pains.
Say what you will about this team, but if were the reality show Survivor, the Vols have won permanent custody of the immunity idol.
bluetickhound writes:
I think there should be a disclaimer before future UT games warning those who have high blood pressure or a heart condition that it is advisable to change the channel. I'm 25 years young, and I still felt like my head was about to explode round about OT#2.
JacksonvilleVol writes:
Waitaminute-- a "B" for Quarterback? Seriously. I don't care if he threw the interceptions, did you see the shootout in overtime? Not many quarterbacks in this country can keep up score for score with Andre Woodson like that. At least a B plus or A minus. Hell, 7TD is enough for that.
Ah well, everyone let's celebrate! We're East Champs, and we have the guts it takes to win against LSU! Go Vols!
bobo_the_vol writes:
I'd give the D-line and Linebackers props .. Kentucky has some good running backs and relies a lot more on the run than what we saw today .. also got big-time pressure on Woodson early that let us jump out to the big lead. A bit slow in the second half and OTs, though .. mostly due to the 'Cats going to a quicker passing game. A couple of sacks and a pair of INTs from the front 7 .. hell yea.
And I think the Secondary did a bit better, considering who they were playing. Kentucky could only score by taking advantage of their height on fade routes .. though they left way to many WRs wide open late. I'd give them a D+ .. and Ainge gets an "A" in my book .. two of those INTs were off of tips and he made throws when he needed to .. the WRs catching was a different story ..
pabashia#208095 writes:
B for coaching is a bit too generous.
Conservative play-calling in the second half and soft defensive coverage is what led to blowing the lead in the first place.
Coaching was C at best - A for the first half, D for the second half, C+ for overtime.
nicavol writes:
The real weak link was Cutcliffe in the 3rd quarter and early 4th. Since we went 3 & out to many times our defense got worn out. This has happened to often this year. This lack of action and dropped passes let the Cats back in the game. But the players no doubt have great heart and determination, and I think great future talent. Mayo was a monster! Ainge showed resilience, Foster showed toughness and is the heart of the team and Fulmer showed confidence in his team by correctly going for it on 4th down. And young players made big plays when we needed someone to step up. Gerald Jones' TD catch was a game/season saver! We just need Coach Cut to play 4 quarters because he kills our defense. Great to be a Tennessee Vol!
VOLinDAWGland writes:
I agree with Bobo...Ainge was aggressive and it helped the offense. The INTs were either not a result of bad throws but either receiver mistakes or just plane great defensive plays. Sometimes you do have to recognize that the other team simply makes a great play and you can't blame the offense. Hopefully the receivers got the drops out of their system as this game would have been over in the 4th Q if they'd made some plays. I liked the offensive game plan. Keep it up Cut!!!
Southland writes:
give the defenbse an A They stayed on the field thanks to stupid play calling in the second half. Our motto "go as conservative as you can and try to hang on to the lead without scoring more" The defense held on barely and then finally in overtime the offense came through but even then the defense had to pull it out for us. The defensive players needs two days off just to recover
rparham#223742 writes:
Interceptions will kill you. The one on OT was an attempt at a back shoulder throw that everyone is doing now and was the result of a lucky bounce, give it to the defense. The one on the out route was a horrible throw. It was behind the receiver instead of up and out where your guy is the only one that can get it. The first one looked like it was miscommunication or a bad throw, would need to ask someone to tell the difference.
My complaint all year has been on our DB's. Berry's a keeper, potentially a future NFL star. Hefney is okay, hasn't played as well as last year. Otherwise, it is my opinion that we need to make corners a priority in recruiting again this year and get some depth and hopefully another freshman star. We haven't consistently covered anyone all year.
Finally, they need to change the rules next year on overtime penalties. Just like Foster's unsportsmanlike was enforced on the next OT, the personal foul on Berry's facemask should have been enforced on the next OT. I know the rule doesn't allow it now, but it gave UK a free shot at whatever they wanted to do in that situation. Enforce any personal foul on the next OT if applicable.
BUT, we are in the SECCG! Going to Atlanta! and I will be there this year!
mtnvol writes:
Allison Kraus:
Oh, Atlanta!
I hear you calling.
I'm coming back to you,
one fine day!
Titan writes:
I still don't see why folks want to throw out the "conservative" play calling line - that song is really getting old. If you noticed, we WERE throwing the ball in the second half. Lucas dropped a sure fourth down conversion attempt - is going for it on fourth down conservative? Austin dropped a third down pass that would have been a first down - is throwing on third in your own territory conservative? Foster dropped a third down pass. Last week we threw 14 times in a row and people complained that we got away from the run. I guess with some posters, it's dang if you do and dang if you don't. The perpetual complainers will always find something to complain about. Antonio Reynold chasing down Woodson on the last play is one of the best effort plays you will ever see. Reynolds had been pushed up the field on the rush but when Woodson took off running, Antonio turned around and chased him down even though Woodson had about a five yard head start. Plays like that win championships.
chiefrobbie#576269 writes:
The coaching staff deserves an F--it was stupid to go to the super soft zone in the second half. They play so much not to lose. Larry Slade is the worst secondary coach in the SEC if not all of college football. He has to go! The only player in the secondary is Berry.
vol_in_lsu_land writes:
LOL, My God people I think we could be sitting here, hypothetically, after a national championship victory and there would be people calling for some coach or another's job. The state of Tennessee sure does produce some brilliant arm-chair coaches considering our lack of blue-chip players on recruiting day. rotflmao
THE_VOL writes:
Well call me an idiot then cause this staff has been totally unimpressive AGAIN this entire season. I didn't think I'd ever see a team luckier than 1998 but this one has it beat hands down! This team winning the East only PROVES how bad (okay, call it average) the SEC is this year! They've won ONE game against a GOOD team yet there they are. And now get to face what could well be an uninspired and distracted LSU team - that when you get right down to it, isn't as great as the hype anyway. Congrats to ALL the players though - you won despite the adversity otherwise known as your coaches!
wisonsinvol writes:
Titan, I am with you. Some of you guys calling Cut conservative in the second half are folks I tend to agree with, but not this time. Please explain why you are thinking it was conservative. I saw good play action passes, rolling pockets, first down throws in addition to good runs. I also saw three dropped passes, two on 3rd down and 1 on fourth down, and two missed blocks that killed drives or put us in a 3rd and >10 situation. That's not conservative play calling to me, it's Rogers doing his usual and Lucas not looking like Lucas. The one block Jacues MacClendon whiffed on was very uncharacteristic. I do believe the offensive line will not grade out very well on film. Foster ran harder than he did all season to get what he got - good job of ending plays moving forward.
What about those announcers. Buerline was all about KY and evertime Foster ran for three yards he was stopped at the line of scrimmarge and evertime KY was stopped at the line, they gained two yards according the play-by-play guy. Pathetic.
leedsvol2007 writes:
Ainge deserves a A for his play. To heck with the interceptions if Rogers and Taylor catch the 3rd down throws the game never goes to overtime.
There is a lot of deserved criticism of the secondary but in the future Rogan and Vinson are going to be stars. Berry is already one of the best players in the league. We have invested this year in what I'm predicting is going to be a great secondary next year. Especially considering the depth that will be added when the injured players return.
I have a lot of admiration for Vinson. Vinson looks to me like he is playing with a subluxating shoulder. I can tell you from experience that when he makes a tackle with the bad arm or extends that arm to block a pass the shoulder is partially dislocating. It is extremely painful and no matter how often it happens its scary.
He was close to making what would have been two crucial interceptions. When he is healthy and gets a little more experience he is going to make those plays.
I wonder how much credit should go to the Florida player that said the Vols quit in Gainesville. They don't quit in fact the one thing above all that got this team to Atlanta is their competitiveness.
GoVols!
DroopyDrawers writes:
CBS is worse than ESPN when they are ragging on the VOLS.
tennecwingrider writes:
Great job. My heart cannot take another one like this!!! Three tickets available for SEC Game. E-mail to: tennecwingrider@yahoo.com if interested. $175/ea. Must sell all three together.
tennesseevol#258284 writes:
How anyone can give the LB play a B- based on Jerod Mayo's play is amazing.
doctorvol#211700 writes:
even though I was ready to fire the coaches in regulation with the "prevent the win" defense, we had opportunities to put the game away with ints, although difficult, on the last drive. The coaches score very highly, however, in preparing our kids mentally to have heart and to keep fighting. This was demonstrated yesterday tremendously, and also over the last several weeks.
arkyvol writes:
i thought to myself at half, 'kentucky is gonna score 28 points', so all we needed was another t.d. or two, and we're home. sure enough, kentucky came roaring back, but where the heck was our offense? dropped passes and dumb playcalls. with the exception of the fumble recovery (thank goodness!), UT's offense sucked the last half. its nice that it finally rewoke in the o.t.
jweaver3#395614 writes:
Great Game, The overtime was the best I've seen since the six ot's against Ark.
Glad to win the east
GO VOLS!!!
LET'S GET OUR PAYBACK FROM 01 AND BEAT LSU AND ON TO NEW ORLEANS!!!
TXVOLSFAN
thevol writes:
Hey THE_VOL- Don't steal my name then spew that kind of nonsense. You are an idiot. Ha. Go Big Orange!
DooleyNoted writes:
LSU is beatable. I don't want to see any "I hope" and "we'll try" from the players and coaches this week. Go to Atlanta and finish the deal.
Colliervol writes:
Agree with Wisconsinvol. If Taylor or Rogers make those catches in the 4th quarter to extend the drives, overtime doesn't happen. I don't think it was play calling, just execution.
On defense in the second half, I do think they got away from what they were successful at in the first half. (Although, you could tell that Woodson was unloading the ball a lot quicker and not giving UT the chance to get to him as they had been.) Where I was really screaming was on KY's last drive in regulation and the first overtime. I will never understand why anybody plays a prevent defense especially in overtime.
But, at the end of the day, nothing matters but the fact they earned a C. And that's for Champion.
ULTIMATEVOLUNTEER writes:
THE_VOL obviously has never played football or any other competitive team sport. he sits on the couch and criticizes everything if it isn't perfect. by his logic all the other coaches (with 3 or more losses) in the sec must really be bad! we all play the same teams in the sec. ut survived...others didn't. hats of to fulmer.
ULTIMATEVOLUNTEER writes:
THE_VOL obviously has never played football or any other competitive team sport. he sits on the couch and criticizes everything if it isn't perfect. by his logic all the other coaches (with 3 or more losses) in the sec must really be bad! we all play the same teams in the sec. ut survived...others didn't. hats of to fulmer.
fivolfan writes:
question...why opt for defense in the first OT after our D just suffered through 17+ play on the last drive of regulation?
AllVol writes:
Dropped passes and all aside, it was a Herculean, heroic effort by the whole team to win this game, and we sure as hell can beat LSU if we're focused.
I am not anything close to a coach, but I don't understand the soft zone in the second half. I don't understand it at all.
An SEC Championship for the Vols would make this Phil's best coaching year by far--bar none.
As Captain Kirk would say, "Make it so." GO VOLS!
mdvol writes:
Can you say oops?! Not so fast, CBS.....
http://leftofdial.com/?p=311
ThurmondEppy writes:
Great article on espn
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns...
Still think our players don't read or hear about the negativity our so called "fans" spew?
gohawks1 writes:
VOLstuckINky - I think you'll be living in peace for more than 1 year. KY loses Woodson, Little, Burton, and Tamme to graduation, as well as a couple of offensive linemen. This was KY's best shot at the Vols in many years..... the streak will continue!
wisonsinvol, I agree with your assessment of the announcers - pitiful. We get that from everybody. Keith Jackson was one of the worst, and I was glad to see him semi-retire from announcing.
sphs_vol - welcome back from the dead! Doesn't it feel good to be alive again? I'm not 100% sold on Fulmer yet, but I am still proud to have him as a coach. He's a decent guy, very respectable, and has the well-being of his players in mind at all times. The college football landscape is changing, though, so I hope he can tweak his coaching philosophy to remain fully competitive. Looks like we're on the right track!
WOO HOO! On to Atlanta!
TommyJack writes:
Are we on a mission to recruit midget DB's?
daddyaxe writes:
vols survive worst call ever in ncaaa football i think this crew as a whole needs to be talked to....as for cbs espn and the rest of the media eat your heart out were going to the show go vols
gohawks1 writes:
daddyaxe, which call are you referring to? There were so many that I can't pinpoint just one.....
Teresa writes:
"E" has to be for Excitement. Instant classic. I thought I was having a heart attack when we blocked the field goal. I actually chewed two aspirin just in case...
Pops writes:
Its about time that Herbstreit, of College Game Day, got UT figured out. When we are underdogs and everyone doubts us we win. When we are supposed to win we play poorly. Fulmer and the vols are like a wounded animal that is most dangerous when its hurt. This young resilient football team will hopefully lay the foundation for the rebirth of Tennessee Football. Go Vols.... SEC East Champs
PS. 7 Touchdown throws for Ainge deserves better than a B
volinc writes:
Grade for Heart and Never Quitting = A+
inquiry writes:
This score card is meaningless to me, sorry I read it.. Tennessee won and is heading to Atlanta.. and the only scorecard that counts is Tennessee 52-Kentukcy 50.
wyomingvol writes:
CR, Pennington, Adams, Greer, where are You? Most likely upset and fuming that TN won and nothing to b*&^h about.
mbradshaw1#655539 writes:
FF-To CBS for switching from the Tennessee-Kentucky game To the Florida-Florida State game where I live in Florida. I hope I can get back home sometime soon. (East Tennessee)
mtnsvol44 writes:
Whats missing from this picture? Vols ahead 31-14 and decide to sit on azz and count the game over as they have done so many times before. I am VERY happy we squeaked by but our luck will run out sooner or later playing "not to lose". As another poster said earlier, there definitely needs to be some "tweaking" in the program.
Oh yes, John Thornton needs to keep his *&^&@ nose out of the AD's business. The time of "big money" controlling college sports is out!
koamalina writes:
Mediocre grades for a team that played mediocre football for most of the year. But I will take a 9-3 record and the opportunity to play for the SEC Championship despite the mediocre play over the praise of the talking heads and the opportunity to watch the championship on TV from Athens any day! BTW, someone at espn.com needs to face reality and put Tennessee at the top of the SEC East instead of UGA.
murrayvol writes:
D for the secondary is generous given Willingham's gaffes on coverage.
When do you know it's over? When Burton lines up on the 5 yard line and Willingham is 3 yards deep in the endzone.
And does anyone ever remind these guys that when the receiver looks back for the ball it's ok for you to do the same? At least Eric Berry is back there to knock someone into next week occasionally.
murrayvol writes:
Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings mtnsvol44 but big money and college sports are joined at the hip and that relationship isn't going away.
DenmarkVol_aka_Mbumburu writes:
Yes, one of you made the point about us going to that super-soft zone in the second half. Well, what were we playing in the first half? Man? I don't think so.
What was the difference in coverage between the halves? Looked to me like we were stll trying to blitz, though maybe not as often. Did our corners and safeties back off the line a bit more?
Yes, it seemed that we started the second half in that "let's not lose" attitude. We didn't seem to attack as much or as well. Maybe KY just figured out out to handle it.
What I can't understand is why we played that super soft zone coverage in the 2H and all the OTs. We were basically giving them the 5-8 yarders and focused entirely on giving up the big play overhead and long.
Again, I smelled that "we've built a comfortable lead now let's not lose it" defensive strategy.
Anybody who's ever played in the secondary or coached it care to enlighten me?
DenmarkVol_aka_Mbumburu writes:
BTW, has this secondary played man coverage at any time this season? Hang on...just remembered...weren't we in man coverage last night when Willingham got burned in the corner?
Are we good enough to play man-to-man coverage? Have we done it much?
Educated observers (coaches, players) please teach me.
eefor10c writes:
A little grading of my own. Class-Fulmer A++; tee, hee Hooker, John Adams, John (my secret sources) Pennington,the KNS staft and especially their two hour bash Fulmer show each day. Also throw in Jimmy Hymans who, I am sad to say, jumped on the Fulmer bash wagon. Their grade on Class F-------------.
asand211#361548 writes:
I did not see the conservative play calling on offense that many people are screaming about. I think the problem was dropped passes that would have extended at least three drives. The conservatism comments should be reserved for the defense. How many times are you going to let Kentucky gain 8 and 10 yards on that little pass into the flats? Come on Chavis. Also, at least two dropped balls by defensive backs would have ended the game in regulation.
james#216392 writes:
I was at this game sitting among several KY fans and it was a great day for college football. Sure, the Vols should have won it without the extra periods. A catch here, an inceptions there and KY was cooked but that didn't happen and it turned out to be a super great game.
As to grading the offensive line for the run, did you notice that KY often put 8 guys on the line? They dared TN to throw the ball which Ainge did fairly well. Receivers get an F in the second half. Drops killed TN. The defense coaches get an F in the second half for playing 30 yards off the ball. Pressure is what helped GA beat KY and is what helped TN to the lead. Then, Chavis, as always, put the "prevent TN from winning" defense in and almost lost the game. Great game plan, why not stick with it in the second half?
Good Luck in Atlanta
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