Is it time for a warm, feel-good story for underachieving Vols?

On Tuesday, Tennessee offensive coordinator Dave Clawson provided a rare moment of levity.

During his weekly press conference, Clawson showed his quick wit with a rapid comeback when asked about Mississippi State, which held previously undefeated Vanderbilt to 107 yards of total offense in an upset win last weekend.

"Trying to make me feel good?" Clawson joked.

Six games into the season, Tennessee is still looking for a reason to feel all warm and fuzzy.

When the Bulldogs enter Neyland Stadium tonight for a 7 o'clock kickoff (TV: Pay-per-view), Tennessee will be at a crossroads.

Even with No. 2 Alabama coming to Knoxville next weekend, a win would give the Vols some much needed confidence - and a little forward progress - after starting the season 2-4. A loss, meanwhile, would drop the Vols to 0-4 in the SEC for the first time since 1977.

For Tennessee (2-4, 0-3 SEC) to win, it will have to improve offensively against a defense that is among the most physical it will face all season.

But aside from those 107 yards of total offense allowed last week, the Bulldogs (2-4, 1-2) haven't exactly been a brick wall.

Georgia Tech's option offense rolled up 438 yards rushing against the Bulldogs, while LSU scored 34 points and picked up 427 yards of total offense.

Still, Mississippi State's pass defense ranks second in the SEC and third nationally, allowing opponents an average of 138.2 yards per game and has forced five interceptions.

"They don't really get out of position," said UT quarterback Nick Stephens, who has yet to throw an interception since taking over the starting job three weeks ago. "They're well-coached, they're fast, they make plays. That's what they do. We just have to know when to take shots. We have to throw strikes and catch balls. Back to the basics. We just have to make plays."

Clawson wants to see Tennessee's offense improve, despite the challenges Mississippi State poses.

"We need to (improve)," he said. "That's the challenge of a coach. You take your team and keep your foot on the gas and work like crazy to make it better. The results so far are not what we wanted or had worked for, but it doesn't mean you stop working. We're going to be better this week."

It would be hard to be much worse, especially in the run game.

Against Georgia, the Vols finished with 1 yard net rushing and ran only 45 plays on offense. Tennessee added more contact to practice this week in an effort to improve those numbers and hopes some combination of tailbacks Arian Foster, Montario Hardesty and Lennon Creer can get hot this week.

Offensively, Mississippi State can certainly relate to UT's struggles.

Like Tennessee, the Bulldogs benched their starting quarterback and have gotten solid play from Tyson Lee, who hasn't thrown an interception in 93 attempts. They've struggled to score points, too, ranking last in the SEC in scoring offense (16.3 points per game), one spot ahead of the Vols (17.3 points per game).

But State wins and loses with a running game that features a physical offensive line and a physical back in Anthony Dixon, who averages 71.2 yards per game and 4.4 yards per carry this season.

"That's how they design their offense," UT defensive coordinator John Chavis said. "They're a downhill team that's going to get behind their pads. They're going to try and block you and knock you off the ball up front. You shouldn't expect anything different from Mississippi State."

Tennessee, meanwhile, expects a lot more of itself.

Six games into the season, the Vols are still hoping to find an offensive identity. They're trying to find confidence. And they're trying to find a way to salvage the season after falling out of the SEC East race last week in Georgia.

And UT coach Phillip Fulmer, who needs one more win to reach 150 for his career, is under fire again. This week, athletic director Mike Hamilton said he'd like to stick to his usual practice of evaluating coaches and programs after their season is over.

Dissension within the program is one of the few reasons Hamilton said he would intervene. According to senior wide receiver Josh Briscoe, Tennessee isn't there yet.

"We're not looking at the next level or where we're going to be at next year," Briscoe said. "We're looking at finishing out strong so that when people talk about this 2008 year, they're talking about the year that started out 2-4 and ended up going to 8-4 and maybe winning a bowl game."

Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.

© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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