Strange: What a difference a year makes

I'm not sure exactly how Mike Hamilton spent his Sunday. This I do know:

It wasn't as gut-wrenching as the one following the South Carolina football game a year ago.

Perhaps Tennessee's athletic director had to field a couple of phone calls assuring deep-pocketed boosters the black jerseys won't be coming out of the trunk again any time soon.

That's ice cream and cookies compared to coming to grips with the fact that it's time to fire your football coach.

The coach who won you a national championship. The coach who essentially devoted his adult life to UT football.

On Saturday a year ago, Tennessee fans watched South Carolina dominate a bumbling Vol squad, 27-6.

On Sunday a year ago, I wrote a column quantifying how low the season and the program had sunk. I'm pretty sure it's the most negative piece I've ever written about UT football.

On Monday a year ago Big Orange Country digested the news that Phillip Fulmer was out after 16 seasons. Some of us attended a press conference that was, by turns, both sad and angry.

Today, the mood is considerably different.

That's an understatement, of course. A big one.

A year ago, Tennessee football was embattled and dysfunctional. Today Tennessee football is vibrant and relevant.

That's not to diminish all that Fulmer accomplished, nor to say all the issues that led to Fulmer's exit have been solved. They haven't.

That's not to say all the wounds resulting from the Fulmer exit have healed. They haven't.

But as any CEO knows, you're not going to please all the people all the time. You do what you think is best for the big picture, understanding some pain will be involved.

With a year to reflect on the decision to make a change, the majority vote is thumbs-up.

With 11 months to reflect on the choice of Lane Kiffin to right the ship, the majority vote is thumbs-up.

Tennessee was 3-6, 1-5 SEC, after the South Carolina loss a year ago. The Vols were ranked a dismal 114th in the nation in total offense, averaging 272 yards a game.

Today, after whipping South Carolina 31-13, Tennessee is 4-4, 2-3 SEC. The Vols are 59th in total offense, averaging 379 yards a game.

Those numbers represent a solid improvement, not a dramatic one.

Want dramatic? Try this:

In 2008, the Vols lost to Florida and Alabama in Neyland Stadium by a combined 44 points.

In 2009, the Vols lost on the road to No. 1-ranked Florida and No. 1-ranked Alabama by a combined 12 points.

But judging change isn't about mere numbers. It's about attitude and atmosphere.

In hiring the young and relatively inexperienced Kiffin, Hamilton opted for promise and energy over a proven track record.

Two of the candidates Hamilton might have considered, Brian Kelly of Cincinnati and Gary Patterson of TCU, continue to have amazing success. Both are undefeated. They're ranked No. 4 and 6, respectively.

Troy Calhoun, the quiet candidate, is quietly leading Air Force toward a third consecutive bowl bid. Two veteran possibilities, Butch Davis and Mike Leach, aren't doing anything to make you wish Tennessee had hired them.

Kiffin, meanwhile, has rattled cages throughout the SEC and beyond. No 4-4 program and coach in America have gotten more exposure.

In short, I can't imagine that UT fans would swap him for any of the above-mentioned alternatives.

Kiffin is the first to say that the process of restoring the Vols to the prominence of Fulmer's best days is still in its early stages.

A Neyland Stadium ticket isn't as precious as it once was. For a variety of reasons, empty seats are not unusual. Attendance is actually slightly down from 2008.

It will take more than one recruiting class to restock the talent pool and the beef up the depth chart. The 2010 schedule is daunting.

So it will be a while before we have a definitive read on Kiffin.

But compared to a gut-wrenching weekend one year ago, whether you're Mike Hamilton or Joe Fan, you should feel encouraged about where your football program is when you woke up today.

And more than where it is, where you think it's going.

Mike Strange may be reached at strangem@knoxnews.com or 865-342-6276.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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