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Confidence and success quite often go hand in hand. For Tennessee's offense, there's been little of either all season long.
"I don't think I ever walked off the practice field saying, 'We're finally close to where we need to be,' " UT offensive coordinator Dave Clawson said Tuesday. "It was part personnel and part a new scheme and part a new coach. It was probably all those things. I don't think at any point as an offensive unit that we had confidence going into a game or even into a scrimmage."
Clawson will coach his 12th - and final game - with the Vols (4-7, 2-5 SEC) in Saturday's season finale against Kentucky (6-5, 2-5) in Neyland Stadium (TV: ESPN2, 6:30 p.m.).
And the offense that will take the field looks little like the wide-open, multiple-formation attack Clawson talked about 10 months ago when he was hired to replace David Cutcliffe.
As spring practice and fall camp wore on, confidence continued to wane. As the losses piled up during the regular season, UT's offense continued to become more and more basic, Clawson said.
"What does the offense look like now even compared to UCLA or UAB or the spring game?" he said. "If you're struggling and you're not doing well, it's always better to do less than do more. Probably we pared it down to a point where we're a lot more predictable than we'd like to be and a lot more one-dimensional than we'd like to be.
"When I took the job and the season started, this is not what I envisioned this offense looking like."
With one game left, UT's offense already looks like one of the worst in program history.
If UT fails to score at least 24 points Saturday, the Vols will have scored their fewest points since 1965, when they tallied 193 in 10 games.
Barring a monstrous game Saturday, the Vols are on pace for their worst passing output in nearly two decades, and without at least 140 rushing yards against the Wildcats, UT will finish with its lowest total since 1964.
Clawson and UT coach Phillip Fulmer pointed to several factors that played a role in UT's offensive struggles this season: a new system, injuries that limited practice time for major contributors during the spring, inconsistencies in every facet of the game, poor quarterback play and a lack of explosive plays.
"The change in systems was harder than I ever imagined it would be and that slowed things down considerably," Fulmer said before listing some of those reasons. "Even with all of that, we should have been better than we were offensively."
With little success - and almost no consistency - from spring practice through 11 regular season games, Clawson said players had a hard time buying into his system.
And he doesn't blame them.
"I have mirrors in my house," he said. "At what point did we have a great scrimmage or a great game that they'd say, 'Man, this offense is great?' We never, ever had that.
"We never had enough sustained success for them to really buy into it. I don't fault them for it. I thought they competed and worked hard. I thought they believed in what we were trying to do. It just never clicked."
That's not for a lack of pushing buttons.
In a 20-10 victory over Vanderbilt, the Vols played four different players at quarterback including wide receiver Gerald Jones and safety Eric Berry. All three scholarship quarterbacks have played this season, and none has played more than seven games.
"As the season wore on and we got in the position we did, I think we started trying new things just to try to get a spark," Clawson said. "You got to a point to where you couldn't just keeping saying, 'We're going to keep doing the same thing and think that it's going to get better.' "
With the coaching staff on the way out after Saturday's game, Clawson won't have the chance to turn things around next year.
"I've been through it before," Clawson said. "I've had other seasons like this. In all those cases, I've had an opportunity to try to make it better and in every case it has."
On Tuesday, Fulmer reiterated his belief that the current staff could rebound from this year's woes if given another year. He also said he was prepared for a change in philosophy with a new coordinator, even if it hadn't been Clawson.
"Whoever it was, it was going to be some change," Fulmer said. "We made some decisions that if we had it to do over again - and that's life - that you would do things differently. I'm not saying who we hired. If you go back and change, you'd certainly change how you did things."
Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.
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National Signing Day 2010
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Comments » 208
tnbigg writes:
Sadly...it showed BIG time...
tnbigg writes:
Is it just me...or does the disgraceful offensive line get a free pass...again...
GOBIGO72 writes:
I've never seen a disaster like this disaster. Not sure if it wsa Clawson's offense or the disability of his QB, but together they put the worst offense together thta I have ever witnessed in Neyland stadium. It was just shake your head pitiful.
tnbigg writes:
"Shake your head pitiful"...man...that sums it up perfectly...
ctownvol writes:
I don't think ANYBODY should get a free pass. I think the "D" has earned their pass though.
volfan_in_mississippi writes:
"When I took the job and the season started, this is not what I envisioned this offense looking like." ???????
vol98champ writes:
I bet a lot of people could write a book on how not to do it. At least 20 people(all offense) would have at least one chapter.
ctownvol writes:
Ya think?
volfan_in_mississippi writes:
I am glad he cleared that up.
bmaples writes:
So -- and I'm serious with this question -- what was Clawson's record before coming to UT? Was he known for building great offenses, or for great schemes, or great play-calling, or for working hard? What was his record?
zqvol writes:
It is what any rational person expect last spring. Again Hamilton pulled the plug two years too early. So now we deal with 5 - 7 years of mediocrity.
ncvol17 writes:
Clawson will go down as a foot note in UT history. Not a good foot note but a foot note. UT's all time worst team and one of the absolute worst offenses ever in UT history.
Teach your kids that for future UT Trivial pursuit....
GOBIGO72 writes:
Is it a violation to pay a player not to come back?
Its not like he'd be a player anymore. He could declare he's not coming back and then we could hand him the check.
hotrodvol writes:
Yea me either.
ctownvol writes:
Who all ya got in mind? Heck, we're payin' a boatload to get Coach Fulmer to go away. What's a little more gonna hurt?
blitzshoot writes:
No excuse. The offensive line is the worst I have seen in a long while at UT. No excuse. lack of confidence comes from a lack of leadership.
ncvol17 writes:
Clawson said he thought the UT football program was more stable than it turned out to be. Yeah, it was b4 he got here.
99gator writes:
so basically.....you lied.
other euphamisms can be used. but, it is what it is.
the "good week of practice" stuff. that wasn't true.
gaging the percentage of the offense that you had installed and were able to execute. that wasn't true.
putting the ball in the playmakers hands. that wasn't true.
and yet......you weren't able to keep the mouths shut of several players (namely jonathan crompton) when you knew dang well that y'all were clueless on that side of the football.
i have so much i can say here. i'm mad for y'all.
this staff deserved exactly what it got.
ctownvol writes:
Thanks for your empathy or sympathy or whatever, but if you think you're (notice the apostrophe bama987) mad... you have no clue. Good points nonetheless.
blitzshoot writes:
Hopefully they man-up Saturday and send their coach out with a victory. If not, each one can go down that pine rail.
LiveFaith writes:
>> "I've been through it before," Clawson said. "I've had other seasons like this. In all those cases, I've had an opportunity to try to make it better and in every case it has." <<
Interesting point. What would the G-gun, the blackberry , mobile BJ Coleman or Tahj Boyd been able to accomplish with a full offseason to prepare? Yes, this is probably the worst UT offense in my memory, but Clawson's success came this way in the past. Top tier (ex-top tier?) SEC progs are not capable of weathering 4&8 these days to get there tho.
Four years ago, who outside Happy Valley was giving geriatric Joe a chance. Now look! We'll never know about the Clawfense.
ctownvol writes:
Oops. Sorry bama987. An apostrophe is that little thing dangling between the u and r in you're. It means it's a contraction. It's basically combining the two words you and are. Hope that clears it up for you, but I get the feeling that was way over your mullet.
Contraction: a shortening of a word, syllable, or word group by omission of a sound or letter ; also : a form produced by such shortening
MANVOL writes:
Interesting..If you go back and read the archives on UT Sports.com the coaching staff had nothing but positive quotes after spring practices. "this offense was ahead of schedule and the players didn't seem to have a problem with the offense." Fulmer
threehundredbowler writes:
Either these players were too dumb to learn or Clawson was just a terrible teacher.Either way, this was the poorest excuse for a Tennessee football team I have watched in my 50 years of following the Big Orange. Fulmer really blew his career with Clawson.I believe things would have worked out well if Fulmer had gone for a big time offensive coach. We will never know.Like some of us in our business decisions,we do what we think is right at the time only to have that decision backfire. When that happens,it takes a lot of hard work to recover.Our next coach will have a lot of hard work to do to get this ship back on course.We need to be patient and allow him time to do the job.This program did not collaps over night.It will not be repaired over night .By the way,for all you english professors out there,I do know paragraphs but it is easier to keep typing than to space.Call it being lazy if you will.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
I guess its dawned on Mr. Clawson why there was no mad rush to work for Phixable.
"Stay the course" until it becomes a corpse.
"Work like heck" while others where scheming workable game plans to actually compete in the SEC.
Sorry, Mr. Clawson, your timing could not have been worse.
When Cut left, they never tried to close the barn door again.
3 days and some hours. In memory of Ashley.
anecastro74#247283 writes:
It pains me to say it, but Clawson's offense MAY in fact have been just to complicated for these guys to digest and absorb... Let's face if, the intellect of the athletes that he had at Richmond, Villanova and Fordham is light years ahead of MOST of the guys that he had here on the Hill(and believe me---it certainly pains me to say that as a 1997 graduate of UT) but clearly he was never able to implement ALL of his packages... I just don't think the guys were capable of taking it all in.... Clearly this is not the same offense as the prolific offenses that Clawson had at his 3 previous stops and he had inferior athletes in all cases...
All that being said, it starts with a good QB and clearly UT has at least 2 guys that can't play at this level... Again, I'll reference Richmond and Villanova---he had great QB's at those stops that made the thing go... I hate that he is leaving under these circumstances... He IS a good coach!!!
southernson writes:
LOL Most of you Listen to Judge kissfulmersbutt, and Jimmy knowseverything way to much. Look fliping the line is not new. Its done in High school every day. You put your fastest or biggest to create mismatch. This is not Clawsen play book. Remeber in the UCLA game 2nd drive the side line reporter said Tennessee changed its play cards. In there wrist bands .. Look back its there.. Fulmer pulled his playbook . Fulmer is to blame.
ctownvol writes:
I'm afraid learning is way beyond this dude.
anecastro74#247283 writes:
Yes to all your question... I posted a comment just a moment ago that summarized the problems that I believe he had in trying to make his offense work here... He won coach of the year at Fordham, Asst of the year at Villanova and Coach of the Year at Richmond... The guy can flat out coach, unfortunately it's our loss...
blitzshoot writes:
If UT cannot do any better than this... its in a heap of trouble. Clawson sounds like he has no clue.
tnbigg writes:
The shocker to me is that half of our questionable preseason defensive line surpassed anybodys wildest imagination and performed extremely well...the other two...well...one has to be the biggest bust in Tennessee history...
BUT...the offensive line wa heralded as all get out...and they ended up being what most would say are easily the worst offensive line in Tennessee football history...
Head scratcher Bro'...
blitzshoot writes:
PD, please let me know...
who the heck is Ashley and Dupree?
Thanks
ctownvol writes:
So if that were the case, why couldn't a smart man like clawson figure out a way to "dumb it down" a little? I coach 5th graders and don't expect them to understand every aspect of football. I put them in situations that utilize their talents to help us be successful and win football games.
ctownvol writes:
No doubt brother. If I keep scratching my head at the rate I have been... Hello Hair Club for Men!
anecastro74#247283 writes:
He did for the most part, heck you saw them play this year... I saw his teams at Villanova and Richmond play on many different occasions and the stuff they wer running at UT was a shell of the offense he ran in his previous stops.. The other component of their futility was the lack of a competent QB.... I don't think we can discount how bad their QB play has been as well as the offensive line....
RockyTopReign writes:
How much dumber could he dumb it down? It's nowhere near his offensive scheme. Im glad we finally had a coach put it on the players a little when he said part of it was personnel. Someone who will let him run his offense will get a good coach one day.
ctownvol writes:
Good points. I also don't know just how much of a hold Clawson had on the reigns. Seems like maybe there was another set of hands holding on...
MANVOL writes:
From what all I have been told that Clawson wanted to open the QB job two weeks into the fall practice because Crompton was not getting it. Fulmer would not allow this to happen. He told Clawson "Crompton is our QB". There was a intense discussion during halftime of the UCLA game about switching QB's. I am not saying Clawson is a OC genius but Fulmer hand tied him with his stubbornness.
anecastro74#247283 writes:
Oh there's no doubt that Fulmer's fingerprints were all over their gameplans all year long... Don't forget he use to be the Offensive Coordinator, therefore I'm sure he had "plenty" of "input"....
RockyTopReign writes:
I still am not convinced that we don't have a talented QB. There is no way the guys we have that are that highly touted are that bad. Not all three. It's like they all have high school experience but none of them have had the time to get into a rythm or see the field. I still put the blame on the line. Vandy would rush six or seven and there was always someone getting double teamed. No one could succeed behind this line including Peyton except maybe someone like a Vick who could run.
MANVOL writes:
Dave Clawson, Richmond's fourth-year head coach, has proven himself as a program builder after just eight years as a head coach. Clawson helped the Spiders to their third Atlantic 10 Conference title in eight years and guided them into the NCAA I-AA Playoffs for the first time since the 2000 season. The offense has combined for 8,817 yards over the past two seasons, which is the most-ever in back-to-back seasons in Richmond football history. Twenty-four All-Conference honors have been won by Clawson-coached players in his first three years on the Richmond campus. Tutt's 3,047 yards of total offense in 2005 gave him the all-time career lead for the Spiders, while his career total of 6,872 ranks second all-time in Richmond annals. An All-Conference quarterback has emerged from Clawson's offense nine of the past 13 years, including all three of his final years at Fordham. The other four honorees came in Clawson's tenure as offensive coordinator at Villanova (1996-98) and Lehigh (1994-95).
He seemed to have been able to coach other QB's.
CAN YOU SAY HAND TIDE?
More to read if interested.
http://richmondspiders.cstv.com/sport...
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Err, Ashley was the offical doldrum calendar watcher who daily told us how many days till we roared into action vs UCLA.
He stepped on someone's corns at GVX and sadly the countdown is gone.
Dupree is Gen Watermelon's second cuzin by his 3rd wife's side of the family. Tied into the Kingsportvol family tree with only one branch. Was in charge of the buggies at Halls Crossing K Mart and tried for months to get on at K Kreme because he like to see the red light come on.
Clearer now?
blitzshoot writes:
yes sir.
asleep#212036 writes:
The sad part is that we all KNEW they were lying. After watching the UCLA game, it was obvious they had no clue. I don't know what else the coaches are supposed to say but I have never seen a team that started so badly show absolutely no improvement over the course of an entire season. I agree, Fulmer and Clawson get exactly what they deserved.
MANVOL writes:
Jimmy Hyams is a promoter to bring Fulmer back. Hamilton made a mistake. I report you decide.
volsbandit writes:
did anybody else notice chavis changing his defense up as the season progressed? he knew his job was in jeopardy, and his defense was playing tighter, especially with the receivers. they weren't playing five or so yards off the receivers and playing that stupid zone package as much like they usually do. i think he knew what was up.
99gator writes:
and this is good too.
within the article it says......
Clawson said players had a hard time buying into his system.
but, not much later it says......
I thought they believed in what we were trying to do.
asleep#212036 writes:
I'm glad someone said it. Many of those 4 and 5 star athletes don't perform quite as well in the classroom, hence the difficulty changing to a complicated spread offense in one off-season. I think he might actually know what he is doing but doesn't have the players and wasn't able to adjust his offense to fit the personnel. Disaster. He didn't do his homework on the state of the UT offensive personnel before he took the job and he will pay for it. Go Vols!!!!
gohawks1 writes:
Now that's funny right there. Of course, that's just the Cliff's Notes version. There are so many more layers to the legend of Dupree.
xvolx writes:
In other words, since it cost you your job; you should have given off. cord. job to trooper. But he was popular, you couldnt have that.
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