Auburn Tigers
Eight years ago Dave Clawson ran into Tony Franklin at a coaching clinic in Washington. The main topic was Xs and Os.
Next time they run into each other at a clinic they'll have a broader shared experience to discuss. For instance, they can commiserate about the growing pains of 2008, when both were new SEC offensive coordinators.
First, however, Clawson and Franklin will be in different booths at the same press box Saturday in Auburn. They won't be matching wits, at least not head-to-head, but they'll be essentially in the same boat:
Trying to get their respective offenses on track after an uneven start at a high-profile program with high-profile expectations.
Clawson left a head-coaching job at Richmond to come to Tennessee as David Cutcliffe's replacement. He's the first "outsider" hired for the job since 1983.
Franklin also left a small pond for a big one. He was putting up prolific numbers as offensive coordinator at Troy before Tommy Tuberville hired him to replace Al Borges.
Clawson and Franklin are among five new offensive coordinators in the league this year. There's also Kent Austin at Ole Miss, Jim McElwain at Alabama and Paul Petrino at Arkansas.
Under Austin, the Rebels are averaging 10 more points a game than last year. McElwain has improved Alabama's third-down conversion rate significantly. Petrino is helping his brother, Bobby, transform the Razorbacks from a running team to a passing juggernaut.
For a variety of reasons, things haven't gone exactly as either Clawson or Franklin drew them up on the board.
If you think Clawson was frustrated by nine three-and-outs at UCLA or to come up empty on 14- and 11-play drives to the goal line against Florida, Franklin can top that.
Well, almost. Imagine if Auburn hadn't kicked a field goal and would have lost 2-0 to Mississippi State.
A Birmingham News headline after the 3-2 Auburn win read, "You mean Auburn fired Borges for this?"
"The product is not good right now, and that's my fault,'' Franklin told the New York Times last week.
The product got some better in a 26-21 loss to LSU last Saturday. Auburn managed 320 yards and scored two offensive touchdowns.
Still, Auburn is last in the SEC in third-down conversions (28.1 percent) and 11th in red-zone offense (68.8 percent).
Tennessee is slightly ahead of Auburn in most SEC offensive stat rankings. But if it weren't for dreadful Mississippi State, the Vols and Tigers would be at the bottom in a couple of categories.
Like Franklin, Clawson is dealing with the nuances of breaking in a new starting quarterback. That still doesn't explain all the mistakes and botches. Tuesday, Clawson said he's addressing the issues the same as he did when he was a head coach.
"Every job I've been at,'' he said, "at some point you're coaching a team that's not playing as well as it should.
"The challenge of turning it around, no matter what your position, is the same.''
Most UT fans expected a faster start. Some wonder if Clawson is struggling to adjust to life in the bigger pond. Receivers coach Latrell Scott, who came with Clawson from Richmond, doesn't buy it.
"Dave is Dave,'' Scott said. "He's not putting any undue pressure on himself. There's not any more nerves than if he was getting prepared for James Madison.
"Dave was one of the brightest offensive minds in college football. We believed that when he got here and we still believe it.''
Auburn fans are asking some of the same questions about Franklin, who installed a spread offense at a program that needed to upgrade its passing attack.
Franklin is scrambling to solve Auburn's problems. He worked the first three games on the sideline, then went up to the press box against LSU.
Clawson hated to leave the heartbeat of the sideline when he came to UT, but said Tuesday he still feels the press box helps him see the field better.
As Franklin would agree, what he wants to see more than anything is one of his guys crossing a goal line on a regular basis.
"The bottom line is we need to put points on the board,'' Clawson said. "That's the job of an offense.''
Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strangem@knoxnews.com.
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Comments » 49
jmbigorange#280428 writes:
It's hard to run the type of offense you want to run when you don't have the personel (QB) you need. The only reason Meyer had success so early is because he had Tebow to bail him out.
wkjq#213863 writes:
exactly!
mdvol writes:
"The bottom line is we need to put points on the board,'' Clawson said. "That's the job of an offense.''
Brilliant.
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rblakeh writes:
That's a very good point. Still, great coaches make do with what they've got. Go check out Thaddeus Lewis' stats after one year under Cutcliffe. 63% completions, 5 TDs, 0 ints, and a QB rating of 135.
If Clawson truly is as great as they say he is - and I am still holding out hope that he is - he will adapt to the players that he has.
vol4good#206163 writes:
At this point, wouldnt you at least look at the 2nd or 3rd guy in a game situation. If nothing else, mabye you learn that they are no better. Hell, they couldnt be much worse.
VolPride_13 writes:
Yeah, hopefully he can mold Coleman or Stephens or maybe Nunes, when he gets here!!
Don't wanna wait that long though.
samjrr writes:
Go Vols beat the Tigers
jmbigorange#280428 writes:
I agree.
jmbigorange#280428 writes:
I agree to an extent. Cutcliffe is one of the best QB coaches in the country and he's a disciplinarian. Also you have to take into account who Duke has played. I think Clawson will be very good. He's been successful everywhere he's been. No reason he can't be here. Plus i don't think he's been able to install his whole offensive package because Crompton can't handle it.
bubbajim writes:
Slow down, we don't play Memphis until next year. Wait, you mean Auburn. I guess. I admire your attitude.
rblakeh writes:
You are correct in that Duke is playing nobody, but those same nobodies have been beating them on a regular basis.
Regardless, I too think Clawson will end up being a good thing for UT football. I'm not sure that Crompton can't handle it, but I do think it would be tough for most quarterbacks to learn 3 different systems within 4 years. Hopefully he grasps this system soon.
BillsBrother writes:
And who's responsibility is it to bring in the talented personnel each year? It all falls back on the head coach.
rblakeh writes:
Ok, this is the biggest stretch of all. CPF is supposed to be clairvoyant? He should have recruited a QB for Dave Clawson's system before he knew that a)Cutcliffe was leaving and b)Dave Clawson was going to be the new OC?
Woops. I mean, uh, Fire Fulmer!
yeavols#228407 writes:
Has anyone heard about Fulmer meeting with Johnny Majors? There appears to be a rumour and trying to verify..anyone know?
eb502us#225637 writes:
I have seen nothing yet to indicate that Clawson has a clue of what he's doing. I'm not ready to say he was a mistake, but then again, my patience is limited given what I've seen so far.
jmbigorange#280428 writes:
I'm not a Fulmer fan by any means and i'm not defending him so i don't know what you are getting at regarding my post. I'm just tired of people throwing Clawson under the bus already when he obviously has little to work with at QB.
jmbigorange#280428 writes:
Good points and good post. Nice to chat with someone who knows a little something about football. Too many people get on here and just rant with no knowledgable info.
govols22231 writes:
The frustration did get to me, look at my comments that i have posted. I was mad too but now I feel like an idiot when i look at them because personaly i feel fulmer is a good coach and he will turn it around like he always dose. I apoligize for saying that stuff about him. I have learned that you just have to let the loses go and hope for the best when we play next
WeLoveTennesseeVols writes:
If you fans want instant potatoes just go down to the cafeteria nearest you. Great food just takes a little longer to come out. But it sure beats the meat and potatoes you guys are used to.
VOLKING writes:
I've been waiting 10 years and all I'm getting is chopped liver and Orange Kool-Aid. I see you have been drinking it too.
volunteer_cowboy writes:
Tennessee's money machine begins and ends with football. The fortunes of the entire athletics department hinge on the success or failure of Tennessee's football team, and losing, even for a little while, is not an option. In a state that ranks 36th in individual income, Tennessee's marquee public university hovers just outside of the top 10 college athletics department budgets in the country. In the fiscal year that ended in 2006 — the latest year for which figures are available for all the top institutions — UT earned more than $68 million in athletics revenue. The 10th-highest-grossing university that year, Penn State, earned roughly $70.5 million, according to an analysis of U.S. Department of Education records conducted by Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal. Ohio State led the list with nearly $105 million. UT officials understand that winning football is the fuel of their financial engine. A few losing seasons, and T-shirts, ball caps and bumper stickers with the ubiquitous orange "T" stop selling as briskly. Disgruntled alumni could stop cutting big checks. Ticket sales could dwindle and multimillion-dollar payments from major bowl appearances could dry up. That would be a doomsday scenario with repercussions far beyond the football program — one that university officials arrive at work every day fighting to avoid. Football took in more than $23 million in ticket sales last season. By comparison, the men's basketball team, which had its most successful season ever and sold out most of its games, earned $5.4 million. Those are the only two sports at Tennessee that consistently turn a profit.
GreerVol22 writes:
If you listened to Clawson's interview the other day, he refered to Gerald Jones as an "extremely bright kid". I think Crompton is doing all he can. he's always been a big arm chunker and little else. Clawson's attack depends on precise execution by 11 guys. I'm not sure we have the smarts for it.....but then again, how smart does one have to be to just hand the ball off at the 2 yard line?
richvol writes:
Agreed...Clawson will be good, let's give him time.
I believe that things will get better quickly if and when Fulmer lets Clawson decide who plays. Fulmer is insistent on Crompton and Foster being the starters...even though many can see that others probably would be more productive.
I would bet that Crompton was promised by Fulmer that he would be the starter after waiting behind Ainge for three years. He was probably told if he would not transfer that he would be the man. Well that's fine if you produce but he is not getting it done.
1974Vol writes:
The G Gun is what I thought Clawson was brought in to install. If Crompton struggles again early at Auburn, which given what has transpired so far this season is almost sure to happen, the we got to turn Jones loose. Let's just go Spurrier on Crompton and Jones and whoever can move the ball gets to play.
threehundredbowler writes:
Why in the heck do you people have to re-type what someone else posted before you can do your post?Just refere to the post and time posted.Takes too much time to read the same thing 50 times in each article.
imnotwithphil writes:
Heard of the Run & Shoot? I think Clawson is running a variant called the Stop and Poop. He's not the man and his offense isn't the plan. Hopefully he's renting...
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pdhuff#552644 writes:
Our biggest problem is located about 320 miles South of the Tenn line. In eastern Alabama. It has a fierce defense and it is upset.
Cinch 'em up, men.
This other big issue will recify itself.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
300bowler, the way the site is set up these days, if one clicks on "reply to this post" the site itself prints the post one is responding to. You can see how it does this if you read my response to you. I assure you that I did NOT type out your post before I responded to it.
KENVOL writes:
How much "COACHING" does it take to teach someone to hand the ball off to the running backs? How much "COACHING" does it take to teach senior lineman to block? If we could block and hand the ball off we would have given Florida a better game.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Well, I'll be darned; it didn't print your original post this time. Come to think of it, I might not have hit "reply to this post" in writing my own this time, since yours was near the end of the queue anyway. Nevertheless, the way I described it is USUALLY the way it works now.
dirtywhiteboy writes:
what happened to the days of having a great offense and not so good defense? just can't quite get them both going at the same time.
LostinNCVol writes:
Hire Butch Davis!
99gator writes:
sjt18
welcome back
murrayvol writes:
I'll bet that went well.
murrayvol writes:
Tee Martin had even less game experience (16 snaps as I recall) than JC and he worked out alright. He was, however, surrounded by a cadre of great athletes on both sides of the ball.
My biggest gripe w/JC is locking on to the #1 receiver and not letting go.
BTW, welcome back. Your extended absence was a source of concern to many.
Ralph_Crampton writes:
Also guys it could be that Clawson is shellshocked at the speed of D-1 football...much different than atRichmond. I don't want to be personal, but having observed athletes for many years, it appears that Crompton is not athlete enough to play D-1 football. You are either an athlete or you are not. No amount of practice or adjustments will overcome that fact. It seems that he lacks the foot speed to position himself in pocket to make quick decisions...and he never will have. What Vols need is a scatterug QB, who can throw a monkeywrench into opposing defenses by having several options in the pocket...he can change pocket from left to right....fake the pass and run...fake the run then pass...or if not sure, he can handoff to running back down the middle. Vols had such a back a few years ago in QB named Schaffer. This guy was so quick that he could stop on a dime and reverse the opposite direction. He once ran through a team for a touchdown without the opposing tacklers laying a hand on him. He had some off-field problems...but Vols seemed to let him slip away without much effort to keep him. It makes one wonder what would have happened if he had remained at UT. Don't feel bad about loss to Gators, guys, few if any teams in the nation could match Florida"s big and quick players on Saturday.
DennisVols writes:
Last year at this time we were 1-2 with a lose to a Pac -10 team we should have beat and a beat down by UF, This year were start of 1-2 with a loss to a Pac-10 team we should have beat and another loss to UF.
SSDD
For the last decade UT wins enough to go to a bowl game(NON-BCS) with the exception of '05 when we didn't even go to a bowl. We beat Vandy, UK, and other teams in the SEC, we should always beat, most of the time('05 loss to Vandy) and usually beat one of the top SEC teams(GA, UT is 3-1 lately) but we lose the big games most of the time. Got to the SECCG 5 times this decade(record 0-5).
The excitement has gone for the fans of UT football. No longer do we go into a game facing a top 10 team favored to win, at the start of the season we are usually picked 3 in our division.
This bothers me a lot. Don't spit out the lack of talent excuse the records show that in most of the last 10 years UT has been in the top 10 in recuriting.
It all boils down to fundamentals, and passion to win football games. Meyer has the best players on his team begging to play Special Teams. Miles didn't have to wait 10+ years to rebuild LSU back into the National Champions, Saban's 2nd year just starting and from what I saw Saturday they can beat anyone in the conference.
Don't get me wrong Fulmer wins a lot of games but the fact is we don't win the "The Games" each year.
We will probably straighten up enough to wind up in another bowl and probably win it giving false hope that next Year is the year. But look back at the last 10 and you will see a lot of SSDD
Lukewarm is what UT football has become.
law_vol writes:
Did you watch the game? He didn't commit the personal foul (Senior Arian Foster who's penchant for screwing up grabbed that one), but Crompton did pass the ball to his first option without bothering to notice that Hardesty was about to get blown up by the defender. Crompton was more intent on completing the called play than simply throwing the ball away under pressure.
Maybe you are right about the play on the one not working anyway, but Coach Clawson has already stated that Crompton extended the ball too soon resulting in the fumble (same mistake the second team made in practice that week when Clawson stopped practice to address it), so what are you talking about saying that JC didn't mess up? Regardless of whether it was a bad call, if he doesn't fumble we can gamble on fourth down or let Lincoln work on his confidence with a chip shot (instead of only saddling him with 50+ kicks).
On the next long drive, if FL didn't give us a gift by having 12 on the field, Crompton's horrendous throw for an interception would have stood, and you wouldn't be making excuses for why he is throwing another interception a few plays later.
I do agree that poor clock management (again) didn't help, but I don't subscribe to interceptions being ok because the coverage was good.
And no, Crompton is not a lost cause, but lets call a spade a spade thus far and see if/hope he can turn it around.
LostinNCVol writes:
Does anyone hear me hire Butch Davis!!! Seriously what does everyone think about Butch.
shoalcreekvol writes:
Here you go:
http://twooutrally.blogspot.com/2008/...
ect1983 writes:
Guys.....For all our comments, criticisms, etc (I have many)......It all comes down to this.
We have a Fat and Happy, Rest on My Laurels Forever,Arrogant,Coach (you fans are too stupid too understand, and never played sports, much less football, or you wouldn't boo) who cant or wont play true freshman (aren't you glad u went to Fla, Percy ?), rarely , if ever coaches anyone UP, thin-skinned, reacts to newspaper columnists (and OBVIOUSLY has someone write for him), never learns from mistakes.......we have been "FIXING" special teams for years; just wait till next year.......last time I checked, making the ssame mistake over and over again is just plain stupid; Thank God we didn't kick to Brandon James 3 years in a row....and on and on and on.....PLEASE RETIRE PHIL...........PLEASE........AND MikeH, IF he doesn't, if you can't arrange a buyout(I doubt you will since you gave Phul a raise in 2002 before the 30-3 Maryland shellacking and didn't learn from that outcry), then, by Golly, dad -gum, Gee-Whiz, go to Clemson and take Phul with you
madcow26#524674 writes:
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threehundredbowler writes:
seems to me it would be less reading if I started my reply with:In response to johnlgOO@10:21am and then type my reply.
ibvolman writes:
Best 1-2 team in the nation...
Best 13th ranked QB in the SEC...
Best 108th ranked special teams in the nation...
rocky_topper writes:
I hate to break the news to Clawson, but Franklin has a better boss!
DanvilleVolMan writes:
Bottom line is we don't have the marquis players anymore and that falls back on recruiting. UT has the biggest operating budget than anyone in the country and we, for some reason, can't get the top players anymore. Why is that? I wonder.........Recruiting falls back on the coaches, right? www.hirestevespurrier.com
philfan writes:
Tennessee is not 1 and 3. We are 1 and 2. Give both Clawson and Franklin a break. They have new jobs at different institutions, and there is always an adjustment period. We are not winning enough games as quickly as you would like us to, apparently. It would appear you are wishing Tennessee bad luck. Madcow 26, you really a mad cow.
Moaninglikeheck writes:
Hey genius, nobody is retyping anything. Have you noticed the "reply to this post" option on the left of each comment? When you click on it, your reply automatically quotes the post you are replying to.
So actually, it is MUCH easier to use that convenient function than putting a "time stamp" on comments you are replying to because that forces people to scroll up and down to see what the eff you are referring to.
And if rereading a comment bothers you: Solution...don't reread it!!!!
Knoxobserver writes:
I just can't get excited about this team or its prospects. I thought we would lose to UF worse than we did, but it was bad enough. No, coach, I don't think you suddenly got stupid. I think you don't have the team prepared to play. To the players who are "incredulous" that we are booing what we see. I wasn't at the game, but I was watching on TV and I booed too. I booed inept play and coaching. When you run a play, I expect you to execute. That simple. When you repeatedly do NOT execute, when you repeatedly make fundamental mistakes - that is inept play and poor coaching. Period. UT will actually show up tomorrow at Jordan-Hare and will probably play their best game of the season so far (I know, short trip). I think Auburn will still outplay them and we know Tuberville has already outcoached Fulmer before the game even starts.
UT 17 - Auburn 28
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