It's back to game week for Tennessee's football team.
A season-opening loss to UCLA in overtime was six days and some 1,900 miles ago when Tennessee returned to the practice field Sunday night.
As the Vols prepare for their home-opener Saturday against UAB (TV: WVLT, 12:30 p.m.), coach Phillip Fulmer is ready to move ahead. But he's not exactly ready to forget what happened last week just yet, either.
"We're moving toward UAB, but I don't feel any better today than I felt on Monday night after the football game," Fulmer said Sunday night during his weekly teleconference. "That's what I expect to see from our team as far as our responsiveness."
According to Fulmer, the Vols responded well during two days of practice last week.
And if recent history is any indication, the Vols should respond on the field, too.
Last season, the Vols had mountain-top highs with unexpected wins over Arkansas and Georgia and sea-level lows in blowout losses to California, Florida and Alabama.
By the end of the season, Tennessee hung in long enough to represent the East Division in the SEC championship game against LSU.
While no one is predicting the Vols will beat Georgia and Florida in the regular season, Tennessee's players aren't ready to write off the season after one loss.
That's what 2007 did for the Vols, says senior guard Anthony Parker.
"I think the guys who have been through it and actually played through it, I think that allows us to lead the younger guys . . . out of that situation, getting them on the right track," he said.
Although the Vols are 0-1 - and by virtue of their open date this weekend, the only winless SEC team two weeks into the season - Parker says it's important for the Vols to approach Saturday's game like they're 0-0. That would be the same approach if Tennessee opened with a win.
"Yeah, it hurts, and it's a bitter taste in your mouth, but you've got to realize there's 11 games ahead of you," Parker said. "And you've got to play all 11 like you didn't lose any games and you didn't win any games."
For the Vols to get on the winning track, they need to correct mistakes in all phases of the game that added up to the three-point loss. Fulmer said Sunday night he also wants the team to be more coachable and make strides toward finding an offensive identity against UAB (0-2).
But according to Fulmer, the early indications have been positive.
"I think we're responding the right way," he said. "We all learn from our history, our past. I don't like being in this situation, and I don't think the players like it either. Each team has its own personality, its own leadership, its own merit. I believe this team has good leadership and good ability and will respond accordingly."
Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.
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Comments » 235
rubbervol writes:
stay the course
vtvol#210290 writes:
I hope they don't ever forget what happened on Labor Day night. That being said, I just hope that going froward that all of the "correctable mistakes" have actually been corrected.
1974Vol writes:
This team needs to move the ball at will on UAB and pitch a shut out on D or something approaching the above to get their confidence back for the gauntlet their about to run through the next month.
rubbervol writes:
win
vols1314 writes:
rubbervol I agree with you just not completly.
Win BIG!
Sheepscape writes:
Well said, all.
djgovols writes:
I look at it this way. Have been a Vols fan all my life and always will be. It simply just hurst when we loose a game like UCLA and we cant make sense of it. But it is just one game. The initial reaction is to circle the wagons and give up hope. Im not sure how good or bad this team is yet but once they establish this I will not stop loving the University of Tennesse and the players and coaching staff that represent "our" team. One way or the other I will be in section O on saturday afternoon's. Now once the season is over change may be in order but that is not going to happen now or during the season unless Coach Fulmer decides he has had enough which he wont and shouldnt it would kill the team not to mention recruiting efforts already underway. Lets see what happens folks and then hold our judgements until the end of the season not after one game. If change needs to be made lets talk about it then not when nothing can or will happen. GO VOLS !!!!
GoVols88 writes:
I read Fulmer's comments but after watching the UCLA game my major concern is not the players. IMO we have the players that can do the job (offensively). We have a talented and experienced Oline with an All America, an all SEC receiver along with G Jones and many other veterans, an All America tight end, and a highly recruited, 4th junior QB with somewhat experience. My concern is coaching. I'm concerned if the coaches can adjust during a ball game. I'm concerned if the players give great effort but we plan poorly. I'm concerned why our offense doesn't run the football when we have an all SEC running back and great backups. I'm concerned about what we heard from the fall practices about getting the ball to play-makers yet we could not do that. Yes, I am very much concerned about our coaching. This may change but right now I give the Clausen hire poor marks, especially with the talent he has. And lastly, I do not want to hear after we clobber the very poor UAB that we've got things back on track. We better beat them easily. Florida is the measure of improvement. JMO
WalkingClassic writes:
We need to put up 63 before any SEC team fears us
TrueVolFan writes:
What you saw Monday night was the difference in opening at home to Ga Southern and flying 2000 miles to play a decent, but well coached team in the Rose Bowl. Ga Southern had 1st and goal on back-2-back drives with the Dawgs only having 10 points on the board. The difference? Playing at home and having time to adjust to mediocre talent. It took UF until the 2nd Qtr to score on Hawaii, and were fortunate the QB overthrew a streaking receiver or would have been down 7-0. Look around the country, it happens in opening games every year! Teams look slugish, out of rythem, and coaches do the same. Look at last nights UF-Miami game. A Miami team that won 5 games last year and way overmatched by the Gators held them to 9-3 until the fourth qtr. My point? I was just as disappointed at the way we played AT UCLA, but I'm not going to jump ship because we lost a season opener 2000 miles from home! You KNOW Hamilton isn't going to get rid of Fulmer so why spend all your time complaining. Stay faithful and lets support OUR Vols through the good times and the bad.
NGage writes:
Same song, another verse.
Good grief, I'm tired of year in year out having this same kind of season. Always starting in the hole, always having to fight back to have a decent season. Always the same mistakes, over and over, and over.
Rinse repeat, until you are 8 or 9 and 4. Mediocrity, thy color is orange.
Way to set the bar high, Hamilton. Phil....just milk it for all it's worth, work like heck, review the film, and just do enough to keep your fat paycheck coming in. Must be nice to be so financially connected to the big wigs that they are willing to let you run into the ground the program you once lifted up.
Resting on your laurels, living off of past glory.
Yeah!!.....no wait, YAWN!
britt writes:
Now is the time to set the tempo for the rest of the season. This years team theme was supposed to be "Carry the Fight" but against UCLA we went right back to taking whatever their defense would give us. Im tired of hearing about outscheming the D and trying to trick everybody. Thats a gameplan for weaker teams that dont have the athletes to match up with their opponent. This is Tennessee. We have the players. We need to get back to out executing and out hustling everybody. Thats what makes teams great. Doing what you want when you want to because you want it more than the other man...thats carrying the fight.
Laydbakvol writes:
Beating UAB 17 to 10 won't cut it.
MrBamSeydu writes:
George Bush and Phil Fulmer would get along great.
DennisVols writes:
We will have to see. UF did not look impressive against UM Sat night and everybody knows now the secert. Blitz blitz. Tebow doesn't recat well to it and Auburn, GA and MI used it to beat them.
I will want to see big changes come Sat agaont UAB though.
TommyJack writes:
Beating UAB 63-0 or 83-0, or 33-0, doesn't prove squatola. We're supposed to compete with the big dogs. Stay the stinking course.
Sheepscape writes:
One game? Hardly. It's been years in the making.
GoVols88 writes:
Walking Classic ...... don't assume any comments (from anyone) about the Vols performance against UCLA is an indication of no support. Especially on a message board where people leave comments. Couldn't be further from the truth. And, I am a Fulmer supporter. But I also don't assume or justify a poor performance based on others poor performance. But last Monday night both teams played their first game. The only major difference - the Vols had all their projected starters healthy and playing. And their offensive coach did what an offensive coach should do, he adjusted. Like I said, a very poor coaching performance by our coaches.
BigVolinCarolina writes:
Now is not the time to turn things around--the off-season was the time to do that.
On another, I don't know that I can say much more about UT football than I already have the past 7 days. If only I cared as much about my job as I do about Coach Fulmer's.....
ZR writes:
knoi Remember last year everybody? The ship sunk, but somehow it bounced off the bottom and was above the surface for 2 games.
When the 8th game is on the line, Phill Fulmer will deliver and get that contact extension!
GerryOP writes:
If we make it through September.....
So far, not so good....
vols1314 writes:
Look at it this way UT has usually had a open week before florida but this time we don't. And you know what has been happening lately with that open week. I am trying to look at the bright side while most of you other people are still whining over a loss to ucla (who isn't in the SEC by the way which means we can still go to Atlanta). Plus Florida has a open week.........
yeavols#228407 writes:
This pretty much sums it up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOx5S7...
KHVOLFAN writes:
What I saw Monday night was a team with better coaching in UCLA. Fulmer lets get the ball into our playmakers hands and dont stop. We ran the ball good against UCLA but you decided to start passing. I do not understand?????????? If it works why make changs and the PREVENT is so STUPID after we get a lead. It is like you are playing to keep the lead because you are afraid you cant score again and that isnt Tennessee fottball to me, that is a coach that knows he will get outcoached by every team. GO VOLS!
posivol writes:
colts got stomped at home by da-bears w/ a homer q.b.--fire dungy,what has he done latley.
manning was injured and slow to move his feet (kept getting sacked) bring in sorgy sometime-----jeez-
addai and clark--how pathetic (cant play hurt).
oh and the defense sucked too!
WOW---sounds like half the jerks that post here--huh kingport-tngeoff-ctvol-et al===FAIRWEATHER FANS---you know who you are.
Hunter writes:
The team responded well in TWO DAYS of practice last week. TWO DAYS. I'm sure Tuesday was a day to rest up from the physical beating of a Pac-10 team, so Wednesday and Thursday? Did we give the fellas Friday off for outstanding effort? What is this, summer camp at Tellico?????
Does all the "change" Barack GoBama and Johnny Mac keep talking about involve UT football?
yeavols#228407 writes:
Fair weather fans BLAH BLAH BLAH...at least the colts won lately
yeavols#228407 writes:
like within the last 10 years...here ya go
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOx5S7...
volunteer_cowboy writes:
BLAH BLAH BLAH..... colts got beat!!!!
volunteer_cowboy writes:
Last year after we got beat in the sec championship game, everybody said Ainge sucks, he cost us the game wait till next year we have all of our O-line returning and our secondary plus morely we will be awesome with crompton as QB. Next year is here and were already looking foward to next year but guess what we lose all of the O-line, both RB's and most of this years Defence!!!!! soooo if you think this year sucks, as the saying goes in knoxville, wait till next year!!!!!
BNR10 writes:
I would never thought I would say this with the talent we have on this team but this is going to be a long and sucky year!
cwisenhower#637741 writes:
When Houston Nutt was being introduced as head coach for Ole Miss football, he said something really interesting...
"You wanna know how I spell fun? W-I-N."
That's the best thing we can do, is go out and have some fun.
newtonrail writes:
When you have an inexperienced QB, and OC, you play a couple of patsies to start the year. At least one. We should have never agreed to swap to get on TV Labor Day. Florida, Auburn, Ala, Ga, etc always play at home against cream puffs. When Georgia plays in Sun Devil Stadium on Sept 20Th, it will be the first time that Ga has played a regular season non-conference game outside of the states of Georgia or SC since 1972. The SC games were Clemson and SC before it joined SEC. Nice Home Field Advantage. No UCLA, Cal, Notre Dame.
Timed_vol (Inactive) writes:
Nah, what you guys are overlooking is this:
Crompton sucks as a passer. I thought this when he played agaisnt Ark and LSU, and still think it. He has happy feet, and no touch.
Seconaly, Chavis calls a bad D game quite often now. Those drive by UCLA may have happened anyway, but damn, man up and play.
Finally, no one has mentioned this, but on UCLA's final TD drive, they quick-counted on the first play and caught UT being unredy. THAT goes directly to the players. Defensive players should ALWAYS be in at least 'ready' position (2 point stance) when the offense comes up to the LOS. Linemen should already be in 3 or 4 point stances (as their position dictates).
snafu14u#241639 writes:
My concern is Clauson as a QB coach. Crompton has not made any progress as a QB.If Crompton continues to play with these fundimentals as a base then it does'nt matter how many "play makers' we have.His progress will dictate how well we do in the SEC. bonzaivol
Volalumnus writes:
Even if TN wins out the rest of the year, there is no excuse for what the coaching staff has been doing on the field the past several years.
My bet is they already have their speeches ready about how they 'have' turned things around with gleeful anticipation of beating UAB.
volthrunthru#658770 writes:
I am concerned that Crompton is not up to competing against top tier teams---even those in the top 25, rather than top 5---
teams like UCLA is. He really accomplished not as much as the 3rd team UCLA quarterback, overall---
a 3rd team quarterback who threw 4 picks in one half, but rebounded with a patchwork OL and his top 2 receivers out with injuries sustained in the game,
with enough to get them into a position to win.
At times the UCLA QB look very bad---and very good; Crompton looked consistently mediocre. A lot of bad passes, running into his own running back, etc.
I am really concerned that the OL was as bad as they were in pass protection---but part of that is due to the QB tipping the play by leaning before the snap count, staring at the receiver so defenders know how to defend,
rather than looking away,
and other things a guy who has been in the system as long as Crompton has been,
should not be doing at this point in his development.
Clearly the new OC is not Cutcliffe, and his much publicized offense is not as good as Cutcliffe's---and his results are not Norm Chow's---but then, whose are.
Wonder why we could not have hired Norm Chow. Both he and Clawsen were available at the same time.
MidTennVol writes:
Ha -- Perfect commentary on the state of the program: a headline in the hometown newspaper the second week of September reading "Now is the time to turn things around."
What more needs to be said? LMAO.
GoVol writes:
If Fulmer actually learned from the past,the UCLA debacle would have never happened. That's the problem, Fulmer doesn't learn and fails to make the necessary adjustments, i.e. Chavis, Slade, himself!!!
hcjournals#206623 writes:
Dear tngeoffthe cuff:
Your negativsim and those like you are getting really old. Same thing with tommyjack and others. I don't care for your excuse that to criticize is your God given right and you are just as loyal as the next guy. Ever since we won the national championship there has been this lunatic fringe who thinks ya'll have some right to be jerks because you spend money on coolers and t shirts.
Put a lid on it. When we win you'll say you were just looking out for the program. Instead, just look out the window. There are your fans lining up to pay to hear what you have to say......
Go Vols. We're with you. Not just win or tie..........
ect1983 writes:
hcjournals----1. If you dont like someone else's opinion, dont read it; 2. You dont rule the world ...No one has to put a lid on it including you and your your pitiful little cheerleading posts....just because numerous people disagree with you doesn't mean they are jerks, lunatics, etc.....3. You probably are or were a high school cheerleader
hcjournals#206623 writes:
Just a thought....
Let's try to be as positive this week as we can. We have a chance to correct our mistakes and have a successful and fun season. If you want to be negative, please wait a few weeks and see how you feel. There are thousands of us out here who want to enjoy this site. We are not as arrogant as to believe that we are going to educate everyone with our brilliance. I'd rather sit back and get good stories and hear how we are bouncing back and going to class and things like that rather than how great Oscar Meyer or others are better than us. No one is better than us. And yes we are still feared. UAB and Florida aren't looking forward to coming to Neyland. If you want to know where your real power lies, it isn't on this blog. It's in being part of the 108,000 fans who make Knoxville the best place to be on the earth on a Saturday...............
hcjournals#206623 writes:
Dear ect:
Sorry things are negative in your life right now. This isn't your therapy session. Work harder, be nicer and stop looking to us to solve all your problems......Thanks for coming out.
Singaporehillbilly writes:
"The sky is falling, the sky is falling!" This after one (1) game. All of you negative posters should get a life, and don't let a game, whose participants are 18 to 22 years old, determine your mood. Try this, stop trash talking at work about something you have no control over. Go Vols and go undefeated at Neyland in 08.
xvolx writes:
these are the same people that say they believe in free speech, but will vote for obama and his liberal friends that want to suppress free speech for anyone that doesnt agree with them. at least fulmer has learned a new word.
jmbigorange#280428 writes:
VOLUNTEER-COWBOY...Next year we lose 2 O-Lineman (Parker, Foster), 1 RB (Foster), 2 WR (Briscoe, Taylor), 2 D-Lineman (Ayers, Bolden), 3 Lb (Wilson, Mckenzie, Myers-White) possibly Rico if he decides to go pro, 1 DB (Willingham). That's not to bad. Remember i'm listing starters. Know your facts.
hcjournals#206623 writes:
Dear xvolx:
You are exactly wrong. Free speech is what it's all about. Being a jerk is not what it's all about. Those of us who are positve are taking over. We outnumber you and tnge and tommy and working and all the rest of you.
McCain is Positive. So is Sarah. You are not. Get with the program.......
leedsvol2007 writes:
We can't replay UCLA. Norm Chow who is a Hall of Fame offensive coordinator saved some alignments for the end of the game hoping he could spring them on us before we could respond. They kept the game close, he was able to use his package, and we got beat. Bully for him and UCLA.
To say that Clawson can't coach is very premature. Anyone who plays golf and has made swing changes knows the day you are able to just play without thinking about those changes is when they begin to work.
It looked to me late in the game we got there at least for now. UAB appears to have a good offensive team but has problems defensively. This should enable us to move the ball and get some confidence while the defense will have to play and get better to insure we win this game.
The real season consists of Florida, Auburn, Georgia, Alabama,Missisppi State, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. UCLA was a tough loss but if our team takes away the right lessons from it we will have a chance to win conference games.
Fulmer and his staff also need to take stock. I think they need to ask themselves if they are coaching with the same hungry attitude the exhibited from 1992 through 1998. In other words are they trying to take it to the opponent with aggressive play calls or playing not to make mistakes.
There has to be a balance and a good design to taking risks. Again as an avid golfer I watched a playing lesson from the pros with Gary Player. Describing a par three he said left is dead and playing to the right was the right strategy. But he also said with the pin tucked on the left side to try and score you had to aim to the right but draw the ball toward the pin even though a hook might get you in trouble. He went on to say he did not win his major championships playing stupid but at the same time had to take risks to win.
Lately when the chips are down Fulmer and Chavis have been playing to the right and not drawing the ball. They got to learn to be a little more unpredictable.
And we as fans have to appreciate them for trying to win if the risk is not rewarded.
GoVols!
eb502us#225637 writes:
Is it me or is it every year that I read an article like this after the first or second game?
jmbigorange#280428 writes:
55vol... Nfl is a different animal than college. Spurrier and Saban are awesome coaches who sucked in the NFL. I personally think Gruden would be a good college coach. I think he would be able to recruit well and that's where it all starts. But no use in talking about it cause it ain't gonna happen.
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