Event Details
- What: Tennessee at Alabama
- When: Saturday, Oct. 20, 2007, 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m.
- Where: Bryant-Denny Stadium
- Cost: Not available
- Age limit: All ages
Tennessee Stat Book
When Tennessee got on the plane to California nearly two months ago, the 2007 football season was a blank canvas.
We all had a general idea what we thought was going on that canvas. Even if wasn't the same idea, we all had one.
Being that Saturday's visit to Alabama marks the start of the second half of the season, we pause for a midterm review.
Raise your hand if you predicted 4-2 at the halfway point.
My hand is up. I had not only the bottom line right, but also how the Vols got there week by week.
As for the details, can't say that I saw 59-20 coming. Ditto for a 28-0 halftime lead on Georgia.
Without further ado, we compare preseason expectations to midterm reality.
Preseason: Inexperience in the secondary is scary. All-SEC safety Jonathan Hefney is the only returning starter.
Midterm: Bingo! Couple a season-ending injury to corner Antonio Gaines and the fact that junior-college stars Nevin McKenzie and DeAngelo Willingham didn't exactly hit the ground running, and UT is starting two true freshmen.
Eric Berry and Brent Vinson are improving game to game and may be stars in time, but learning on the job has a price. Furthermore, Hefney is only now recovering from a shaky start.
Preseason: The defensive front four was hardly dominating in 2006 and its best player, Turk McBride, left for the NFL.
Midterm: Another concern borne out. The Vols aren't getting much disruption and are on pace to match last year's subpar 17 sacks. On the other hand, tackles Demonte Bolden, Dan Williams and J.T. Mapu are starting to close down the middle.
Preseason: Senior Erik Ainge should be one of the best quarterbacks in the SEC.
Midterm: Ainge has been outstanding. I'm not sure UT fans fully appreciate the way he's commanding the offense.
Preseason: Poor Ainge. The new young receivers better come on fast because the returnees are ordinary at best.
Midterm: Surprise. One of the returnees, Lucas Taylor, is having an All-SEC year, and the others, Austin Rogers and Josh Briscoe, have combined for 56 catches. Newcomers? No impact.
Preseason: This is a make-or-break year for the offensive line, an under-performing position for several years.
Midterm: Not bad. They won't let anybody touch Ainge and after a slow start the running game is flexing some muscle.
Preseason: The Vols will miss LaMarcus Coker's home-run ability in the run game as long as he's suspended.
Midterm: Maybe, but Coker has been a minimal factor (4.1 yards per carry) since his return. Lately, Arian Foster (5.5 ypc) and a healthy Montario Hardesty (4.5 ypc) look like a solid one-two punch.
Preseason: With unproven receivers, the tight ends must step into a lead role in the passing game.
Midterm: Chris Brown sure has, but he's gone it alone since Brad Cottam's preseason injury.
Preseason: Keep your fingers crossed when unproven, inconsistent Daniel Lincoln lines up a kick.
Midterm: Along with Taylor, the redshirt freshman is the biggest individual surprise on the team. I'm not sure even Lincoln's parents would have predicted 12-of-13 on field goals.
Preseason: Hefney, Jerod Mayo and Britton Colquitt are first-team All-SEC.
Midterm: Of the three, only Colquitt looks like a good bet for postseason honors. Mayo may yet bust loose after moving from outside to middle linebacker.
Taylor, Lincoln and Brown are producing like first-team candidates. Ainge is deserving but so are Tim Tebow and Andre Woodson.
Preseason: UT's most talented recruiting class in years will have to help early and often.
Midterm: Other than Berry and Vinson, no newcomer has had a major impact. The staff would love to see defensive end Ben Martin finish strong.
Preseason: The two toughest challenges come early, on the road at Cal and Florida.
Midterm: That may yet prove accurate but South Carolina and Kentucky didn't get the memo.
Preseason: Florida or Georgia will win the SEC East. Put the Vols anywhere from second to fourth.
Midterm: At 2-1, Tennessee at least controls its destiny. But the Vols will have to run the table and that looks like a tougher task than it did two months ago.
Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com.
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Comments » 35
Medalist writes:
Bama game could be a shoot out. We'll need some big plays offensively to keep the points rolling. May need to see #22 unleash a break away.
DennisVols writes:
Finally a level headed look at a team that had many questions before the season started and has really lived up to most of them, fell short at some, and exceeded at some.
For all the belly-aching about this team here we are at the mid-point with the opportunity to win the division. Which by the way was all we had at the start of the season, a shot at winning it.
Freshmen have to learn on the run in games and adjustments have to be made.
UT's defense gave up and average of 41 points per game through the first three games. Over the past 3 it is at 20.6. That is still more than anyone wants but with a 20+ point reduction you have to see the improvement there.
Taylor has been the receives coach for 2 years. Last year he got receivers that had under-performed for their entire UT career to rise above and become what everyone expected. This year the questions were even bigger and now we are seeing receiver emerge that are outdoing some of last years performers.
There will always be missed tackles, dropped passes it is a sport not an exact science but there is plenty of reason to believe this team has and is going in the right direction.
CrankE writes:
Running backs:
I wonder if we should be surprised at Hardesty and Foster turning it up behind a line that is getting some push. Is that line play not a better match for their running styles?
Coker may be better suited to come in and just make something happen on his own, when there's little to nothing there. Changing direction, bouncing it outside, etc.
Just a thought.
____________________________
Also, Erik Ainge really is doing a fine job. He's making smart decisions, he's spreading it around, and not hurting his team with mistakes. He doesn't have to be Peyton Manning-he just has to be Erik Ainge.
Two things need to feed each other down the stretch. So long as he remains injury free, I think UT has a chance to win out. And so long as the offensive line and the backfield are making rushing yards, I like Erik's chances for staying healthy.
BEAT BAMA!!!
vtvol#210290 writes:
Oct 18, 2007 07:57 PM | 3 views [edit]
You have been waiting for it and here it is--the all-new PATS rating for the 2007 CFB season. For those of you who are unfamiliar with my PATS ratings hre is an explantion:
The BCS is the most subjective process of determining a true champion in lieu of a playoff. It is comprised of human polls as well as computer polls to help determine a true 1 versus 2. It does leave out two crucial components to help weigh how each team with like records perform; performance against the Las Vegas point spread and its relation to a team's strength of schedule. I have taken the top 25 teams as chosen by the Oct. 14, 2007 BCS poll and have examined each team's schedule to date. I took a sum of point differences versus the spread in each team's games it has played and divided by a subjective strength of schedule comprised of an average of three polls: The Athonsports.com 119, CBSSportsline.com 119, and the Collegefootballnews.com 119. The reasoning behind using the Las Vegas spread is because it is a subjective weight that is backed monetarily and could not be compromised because of the losses which Las Vegas sports books and casinos would incur if it was. I used the above mentioned websites because of each's attention to total college football reporting. The higher the PATS rating the better the team with like losses. As the season progresses and each team's body of work becomes more total and comprehensive a clearer picture of who is truly deserving of the BCS 1 vs 2 game will come into focus.
Without further ado here are the 2007 midseason PATS.
South Florida 6-0 43.53
Kansas 6-0 29.03
Arizona St. 7-0 22.54
Ohio State 7-0 15.05
Boston College 7-0 14.21
Hawaii 6-0 -36.66
Oregon 5-1 43.26
Kentucky 6-1 37.88
Cincinnati 6-1 33.33
Missouri 5-1 27.35
Oklahoma 5-1 20.32
West Va 5-1 16.92
Texas Tech 6-1 13.77
South Carolina 6-1 7.00
California 5-1 -1.71
Virginia 6-1 -2.03
LSU 6-1 -3.00
Virginia Tech 6-1 -11.41
So. California 5-1 -47.19
Florida 4-2 0.00
Georgia 5-2 -.34
Tennessee 4-2 -.90
Texas 5-2 -10.10
invisiblekid writes:
I think Strange is on target with his assessment. One area not mentioned in depth however was the LB's. Going into the season they were supposed to be a strength with the talk of a 3-4 defense. I think to this point they have to be classified as a major disappointment. Still half a season to go.
aj_vol#248433 writes:
PATS = Points Against The Spread?
Gimme a break man...the best teams simply win regardless of what the betting line happens to be.
Looks like you wasted a whole lotta time coming up with that garbage.
Do you think Florida cared that it won 1 point games vs Tennessee & S. Carolina last year after they destroyed the Buckeyes in Tempe?
vtvol#210290 writes:
So that the fact that these ratings bear out that an undefeated Hawaii and a one-loss USC are both extremely overrated when compared to other teams with comaprable win-loss records means nothing. This is a weighting system and not a predictor. This is saying that maybe Oregon and Kentucky are much more deserving of number 4 and 5 spots in the BCS than LSU and Oklahoma. To answer your question, it was the STRENGTH of those victories against UT and SC that helped to boost UF past Michigan into the BCS title game.
volgrog#210164 writes:
vt,
You've got way too much unstructured free time, dude.
newtonrail writes:
Well done Mike, even if this CR guy from Bama keeps using his sarcasm keyboard. Boring, CRbama.
texan writes:
"Preseason: UT's most talented recruiting class in years will have to help early and often."
Mike, where is your preseason prediction on coaching these kids and what do you think now on that subject?
rootin4volz writes:
Hey CRVol...How about keeping your pie-hole closed?
mloaks#222092 writes:
Posted by rootin4volz on October 19, 2007 at 8:51 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey CRVol...How about keeping your pie-hole closed?
2x^ Well put, bravo!
missrvrvol writes:
Fluff piece. Looks like we are happy with mediocrity. WE ARE THE IOWA OF THE SEC!
waterskier3#226480 writes:
no we are the ohio state of the big 10 every year OS is mentioned to win the big 10 and every year they choked with cooper and lost their bowl games..... hey does that sound familiar? yes we're in the top 25 and yes we have great recruiting classes but no championships... OS finally decided to go in a different direction and they are better for it.......
if fat phil does not take this opportunity and win the sec east then he has under acheived and should not be given an extension and be told you must win it all next year or your fat butt is fired.... enough is enough...... its called paid for performance and he is not performing at a 2M level
asleep#212036 writes:
The other problem with the PATS rating is that the Vegas spread has nothing to do with football, or any sport for that matter. The bookies simply adjust the point spreads to get equal money on either side, pay the winners with the losers' monies, and pocket the 10% or so "fees" they charge for the bet. Therefore, the point spreads are manipulated based on the emotions and whims of the betting public. Please don't insult me by saying betting is a science. Beating the spread is nice if you place a bet, a pile of pooh if you don't. To quote Al Davis, "Just win baby!". We were about 8 point dogs to the Dawgs and about the same to UF. Still think PATS is an important stat?
GO VOLS!!!
jdcdjc#246285 writes:
Looking back over the years, the Vols have never done too well with PATS. Most the time they just never seem to cover the spread.
I feel real good about our chances Saturday. The Vols are starting to come together.
reachkim00 writes:
GO BAMA!!
mjohnsonvols writes:
Looks like they (KNS Staff) just wants you to shut up! I for one loves your remarks on Fulmer (sorry Foolmore) I disagree with you but love to see you get everybody rowdy on here.
Go Vols I'm behind you 100% (i'm still drinking the kool-aid) If we loose Saturday and Kentucky wins we can still win the east Keep the faith.
DenmarkVol_aka_Mbumburu writes:
Nice piece, Mike.
CoverOrange writes:
I'll take that bet JW. Pennington is fiercely independent and Adams doesn't read anything he didn't write. My money would be on the all knowing all seeing big brother Phil Kaplan. The next question is who hit the (Suggest removal) button?
BOASoldier writes:
CRass ... someone serving their country has everything to do with you or anyone else posting on this board. IF they were not serving their country we would all be writing in another language about the war being waged in our own back yards... so before you jump on anyone that serves our country and fights for people like you to have the freedom to say what you want ... think a little bit... use that head for something besides a hat rack or solar panel. CR you aren't worth the lint between the toes of the men and women who serve in our military ... not worth the free air that they provide.... stand down panzy. Next conversation ... anyone with intelligence may talk now... that doesn't mean you CR go back to the corner before you are beaten again. Thanks for trying though we appreciate it when you try to play with the grown ups.. it's cute but it's kinda getting sad now.
BOASoldier writes:
You know all of this how? How do you know how much football I have or have not played? And when have i ever mentioned wrestling ... hmmm haven't done that since what sixth grade. Yeah let me tell you type 1 diabetes is such a CONVENIENT cop out ... you should try it some time. I would also be happy to show you how much of a gimp I am any time you would like to see. Cause unlike some people I don't have to hide behind a computer to make myself feel big.. wasn't that you Brad Paisley sung about? "So much cooler online"
BOASoldier writes:
It's also nice to turn things on everyone that questions your self perceived authority.... weren't you the same poster who told someone else that it wasn't that hard to post something in such a way that it wouldn't get removed and that it was childish for them to stoop down to language that was unappropriate for this site... yet how many times did your messages get removed on this thread alone.?
Colliervol writes:
As usual, the posts disintegrate into several children not being able to play together. Guess I don't have to click on this article anymore. Thanks for shortening my reading list.
lail#204076 writes:
CRVol, the user agreement spells it out.
http://www.govolsxtra.com/privacy/#user
CoverOrange writes:
Is there a limit to the number of times you can get a post deleted? Daily limit or cumlative? Guess I could go read the user agreement but that would be boring.
CoverOrange writes:
Maybe it is automatic CR. See if you can "suggest removal" of your own post.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Lets' dwell on the important things. Such as Phil is getting enough to eat, Smokey is healthy and the band is as good as ever. The cheerleaders are cute and the Cumberland is nice. What you say, our linebackers are slower than a Vw out of gas! Our defensive line is leaky and we're smart enough to kick out of bounds on special teams! See I told y'all ALMOST everything is perfect. It will be after we tear Saban and Fitzsimmons Hupertus Wilson a new one Saturday. We will not be 4-2 anymore, We'll be ready to pluck a chicken.
murrayvol writes:
CR, if you can get 2 more posts removed, you'll be Guinness worthy. We've pulling for you boy. Go for it!
murrayvol writes:
And now I'm joining Collier on the sidelines.
TommyJack writes:
CR: Maybe KNS has an age 16 rule...
phi0129 writes:
You Fulmerons still supporting this idiot? Doesn't go for it on 4th and 1 to save 20 yards when our O line has been moving them ALL DAY LONG!!! Now instead of us maybe getting the last TD to go up now they are going to run out the first half with a TD and up 10. yeah thats great leadership...WE SHOULD BE KILLING AL!!!!
utclassof1992 writes:
Stay the course!!! Stay the course!!! Giving up 41 points to an SEC team is progress. Heck we gave up more than that to Florida. See the progress? Bye-Bye FOOLmore. I just watched Bama put 41 points on us with less talent. What's gonna happen when they get Saban quality players? I know, we'll stay the course and keep working enroute to some 5-7, 4-8 seasons.
utclassof1992 writes:
This team quit halfway through the third quarter. Stay the course!!!
NCCOLTSFAN writes:
It's Pretty Simple Really!
We still don't have a win this season over a quality team!
Still think we will run the board folks!
Wake up rocky top!
And our announcers stink as bad as the defense!
All they can talk about is a player's potential or how they have been banged up all season!
Tell us again Tim why the offense cannot stage a come back.
Who is hurt now???
Thats it!
Blame it on the injuries and the refs!
Calm down Smokey.
The retirement home is ready for you and Fulmer!
The Tide had 510 total yards! Sad indeed!
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