It was a festive atmosphere Saturday afternoon inside the University of Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena before the Vols' football game against Northern Illinois.

UT donors gathered for the annual Volunteer Athletics & Scholarship Fund (VASF) Day for a pre-game barbecue and festivities.

There were UT's cheerleaders and the dance team, Smokey, inflatable games, face-painting and even live music by a band called Uncle Funky and Friends.

All the fun, however, seemed to contradict the uneasiness among many UT football fans - and donors - concerning the direction of the program under head coach Phillip Fulmer.

"I do believe there's time for some new blood in the head coaching position, I do," said Chattanooga's Brian Williams, a VASF donor for nine years.

"He's been good, but it's just too conservative. There's been too many times we've played not to lose and we've lost, instead of being aggressive and taking it a full 60 minutes, and I don't see that happening with Phil being the coach."

Williams said he thought the off-season hiring of Dave Clawson as offensive coordinator might be enough of a change.

"We just recently had a change this past year with the offensive coordinator and everything, and it seems like we still have the same situation we've had previous years, being too conservative, not being open with the offense," Williams said.

"I think Phil needs to open up and let the offensive coordinator run the offense like he should."

Murfreesboro's Bob Simerly has been coming to UT football games since 1949, and now makes the drive to Knoxville with his wife, Sarah. They've been VASF donors since the program started and are still on board with Fulmer.

"A lot of it depends on this year," Bob Simerly said. "I think they need to give him the opportunity to finish out this year and see how it goes then."

Harriman's Bill Young is still on Fulmer's side, too. Young is a first-year VASF donor, but previously had season tickets as a UT staff member.

"I've not given up on Coach Fulmer," Young said. "I think Coach Fulmer's a good coach. I think his record speaks for itself, but I think there's going to have to be some changes made, philosophies, recruiting. We've slipped somewhere along the way.

"I believe (Fulmer) can pull it back but it's going to be a tough road. The SEC is a lot harder conference than it used to be. It's harder to get a program back."

Jerry Ward, 54, of Bristol, Tenn., has been a VASF donor since 1985, and he's ready for a new head coach.

"I really think it's going to have to take a change," Ward said. "He's a good guy, a good coach, but I think he's too loyal. You need to make some changes. We haven't improved since the start of this year. It goes back a couple of years.

"Last year it was a good year, but I think it's time for a change."

Many believe Fulmer won't step down under any circumstances, and Ward believes if the Vols continue their slide the coaching situation could get "ugly."

"I would like to see him retire at the end of the year, or before the end of the year,' " Ward said. "He's got a great record, but times have changed. I think he really needs to go ahead and back down, take a job with the A.D. (athletic director) in fundraising or something along that line, but it's time I think (for a coaching change)."

So does Chris Parrott, a 1990 UT graduate and VASF donor since the program started.

"Up until this season I have defended Phillip Fulmer because he was my school's coach," she said. "It's getting harder for me to defend with the performance on the field."

Parrott sees the coaching change that UT made in basketball, hiring Bruce Pearl to invigorate the program, and hopes the football program could find as good a fit.

However, it took UT several tries before finding a Pearl-like fit for the basketball program.

"I predicted at the beginning of the season we'd probably be 5-7," Parrott said. "Again, I respect Phillip Fulmer. I'm so glad he brought my school a national championship (1998), but it's probably time, and I think it would be a good, positive change."

Good Crowd: Mark Ingram, UT's associate athletic director for development, estimated Saturday's crowd at VASF Day to be 5,000 to 6,000.

"We've got a great crowd, which is a tribute to our donors and their support of the program," Ingram said. "We have almost 10,000 donors in the VASF. Generally we have about 5,000 come to VASF Day. I would say we will have that today, if not more."

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.