Publicly, Jonathan Crompton hasn't changed.
The results are better, there's a new SEC player of the week award to his credit, and after tearing up Georgia over the weekend, plenty room for the Tennessee quarterback to vent his frustration over all the criticism he's faced.
But the senior was in no more hurry to address it during a trip to UT Medical Center than he has been at any point this season, big game or not. Privately though, it's becoming increasingly more clear the Vols are well aware of the skeptics, which gave them a feel-good story even before visiting hospital patients on Monday.
"I give all the credit to Crompton, really," wide receiver Gerald Jones said. "For the most part, I think he played amazing.
"He was a totally different person out there. He was comfortable. You could see him in his progressions looking at his first read, then checking it down to his second reads, it was crazy. We were like, 'Wow, where did this come from?' "
UT has maintained that potential was there all along, though it's been a struggle to get it to translate from practice into games.
That's prompted an enormous amount of venom to be directed at Crompton as the Vols stumbled out of the gate, particularly on offense and in the passing game. But Crompton has never made excuses, he's continued to point out how close the attack was to exploding and has thus far refused to let on if he's bothered by the negativity.
"No, I really don't want to talk about it," Crompton said. "You've got to be patient. I mean, this game is a matter of inches. A lot of the people from the outside looking in don't understand that if you just maybe get this guy down right here you've got a 70-yard gain instead of a 2-yard gain. A lot of people like that don't understand.
"We understand on the inside because we watch the tape and we listen to the coaches and they tell us, and we go back and talk to each other. We know what the game is really about and how the game is played. That's how you don't get frustrated because you see it on film and see we're that close."
The Vols finally arrived offensively against Georgia, though the wait wasn't really easy for anybody inside the locker room or out.
There's also no guarantee they will be able to keep rolling up points once the second half of the season starts after their bye week, though it obviously won't hurt now that the questions about uncertainty at quarterback are on hold.
"It shows what kind of resiliency he has," left tackle Chris Scott said Saturday. "He's a player. He stays out there in the midst of everything that's going on with him, and I don't think it bothers him too much because I don't see it. He's always optimistic when I see him or when I'm around him, and that's good to see.
"You hear (criticism), of course, because it's out there. You can't pay attention to it because if one little piece gets inside the locker room, it could tear you apart. Jonathan's so optimistic, I don't think it really got to him. He just knows he has to go out and play, the coaches are going to put us as a team in a good position to win and all we have to do is go out and execute."
That's been easier said than done so far this season.
But at least against the Bulldogs, Crompton has never made it look simpler - and he doesn't want to talk about that anymore either.
"It's been good, but really I'm just concentrating on the next opponent," he said. "That's the thing that a lot of the team has been doing. We've already kind of watched the film and got it out of the way individually because the coaches aren't really here.
"We're just trying to keep moving on because we know what we can do now."
Crompton has been trying to show that off publicly all year. But if the wait took a toll on him along the way, he's still keeping that private.
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Comments » 72
SEC__Headgear writes:
Keep him moving. Remember "Sundance"? can I move?
He needs to move
TurboVol writes:
Yes Sir...Keep it rolling
SmokeyHound writes:
beat alabama - is all I can say
twowords writes:
I told all of you lay off him and let them give him some confidence and look what happened.
crimsonviper writes:
It is nice to see him take the high road.There is a lot he could have said after all he has been through.
I admit he is a better man than me,I don't think I could have shown the class he did.Good for him.
jmr68ut writes:
You go J C - good luck in future games. Beat Bama!!!!
pammyvol1000 writes:
Go get those Bammer Jammers JC!
Cldvols1 writes:
MV, is that Multi Venereal? There's nothing you can come on here and say to try to criticize the Vols this week. JC had his best game of the season and hopefully that will carry over to the second half of the season. So let us Vol fans be optimistic while you take yourself back under that bridge, troll. Go Vols!!!
WNCVOL32 writes:
Excellent points. Even after one of his local hometown newspapers wrote a scathing article about how bad he was (Asheville Citizen Times a week ago was out of line), he still kept pushing and pulled it together. Class act! Keep it up Jon. Some of us still believe. Go VOLS!!!!
CLEMSONVOL716WASBANNED writes:
WD..seems like you may be onto something, this writer puts out a story and immediately the trolls appear.
writer#358485 writes:
As usual, I agree with Boliver Bob. The Vol team that played Saturday can play with, and beat, anybody. Georgia is no slouch in talent.
I think it just has taken awhile to get Kiffin's system and the personnel in sync. They were in-sync Saturday and if they stay that way, Bamer better watch out.
Saturday's team would be undefeated if they'd played that way since the beginning. Let's hope they look like that the second half of the year and there will be a very nice bowl at the end. Go Vols!
TommyJack writes:
Agree...UGA has been talent rich for years. Coaching? Not so much.
dma38256#264746 writes:
Now that's funny.
ramrodjack writes:
Crompton shows Class, Charter, and Commitment ......
VolinCalif writes:
Among your other problems ,you can neither count nor read.
NoogaVol55 writes:
I am glad that JC played well but I will keep my praise to a minimum until I see Crompton and the offense do this consistently. That being said, good game JC...let's keep this train a rolling!!
rockytop#413695 writes:
Okay, I'll tell you where you are wrong. Crompton was almost exclusively under center in the pro set the whole game. Rarely was he in the shotgun. He did play action naked bootlegs from the pro set. So, there goes your dumbazz theory about the shotgun. So, your "brilliant" insight is not so brilliant after all. You are a real tool.
Likearose writes:
Jonathan Crompton does have class and character. Few people would have responded to criticism the way he has. I'm proud he's a VOL! He's got my support and admiration! Good job JC...on and off the field.
PEYDAY writes:
Where is everyone that was asking why LK had not put Stephens in? If Stephens had started this game we would have missed this great performance. Think about that the next time you are sitting in the stands booing the team you claim to be a fan of!
Ironcity writes:
Who says Stephens couldn't have had a great game. I for one am glad for Crompton. Nobody deserved a big game more then him, however you are judged by consistency at the QB position. JC hasn't shown that in his career. The UGA game was a huge step but he still has 6 games that the team needs him to perform at a high level. If he does that, then I will congratulate not only Crompton but the coaching staff for truly coaching him up. If he leads the country in picks after the 12th game, I will probably be one of the posters wondering why we didn't change QB's 2 months ago. I still think the jury's out on JC. His performance going forward will determine this teams fortunes over the next 6 games. I hope hes up to the task.
volcap2 writes:
Is JC that good or Dawgs that bad
rdgshackelford writes:
Wyche Doctor say he cured Crompton. Wyche Doctor didnt say that medication take 6 games to kick in.
Bones never lie, but they not 100% up front all the time either
ps sorry for stealing your writing style. the post just made more sense if it was a conversation between two cave men.
pikavol writes:
there are some bad internetz goin on here.
witch doctor not one of them... bad internetz never effect the bones...
momentum... big wave that crashes on the crimson tide... build... make it strong.. believe.. make it orange..
phi phi
VOLinAthensGA writes:
No matter if Jonathan wins another game this season, he deserves this for enduring what we have put him through when he has struggled.
Salpointe writes:
Agree, the offense and Crompton did great! But does anyone care to comment about our defense? Fans are saying that the GA offense was not up to par. I don't know about that but what about the job our defense did? The fact is that the defense is little noticed but they are turning in performance after performance. After all, it was the defense that put our offense out on the field so long. Come on guys, Monte has that defense humming along and I believe this is the only blog about the defense! Remember, the offense can win games for you but the defense can keep you from losing them. They are two sides of the same coin that are equally important in the W-L category.
macman2 writes:
That is funny - Georgia's defense is weaker than Western Kentucky's. Did you watch the Georgia - LSU game? Or the Georgia - Oklahoma State game?
Kiffin read your posts is even funnier.
QB_10 (Inactive) writes:
24 Hour rule has passed- it is one game- solid W, but lots of season left
ethanfrome writes:
I havn't been this happy since we hired Dave Clawson!!
leedsvol2007 writes:
This was the first opportunity I had to see Crompton play live. He has a very good arm and he is quicker than he looks on TV.
The difference I could see in this game is he threw the ball on time with accuracy. Plus, Kiffin used counter action to disguise the bootleg plays. Overall I think his play should give him the confidence to improve the rest of the season.
He will not have the numbers against Bama he had last week. Both Mallet and Snead struggled against their defense. He is going to have to make the plays that are there. If we can get first downs and keep the defense fresh we have a chance.
GoVols!
P.S. Seeing Berry play live for the first time makes you realize just how good he really is. To me he, Reggie White, and Carl Pickens are the best athletes I have seen play at Tennessee.
QB_10 (Inactive) writes:
Go take a look at what BGSU QB is doing this year, then you will see who the problem was....Philly Steak
WytheVol writes:
The good news is that Crompton just unleashed Hardesty and Brown. Bama will NOT look as timid as the previous teams we've played and stack up to stop the run. Crompton proved he CAN beat you with his arm, and the recievers proved they CAN make some plays too. Saban knows they'll have to at least respect that. If they start stacking the box to stop Hardesty and Brown, look out for those quick screens and slants. If nothing else, Crompton garnered respect from the Bama defense in two weeks. The key will be the O-Line stopping that good defensive front of Bama. If they can slow Bama's pass rush, I think Crompton & Co can have another big day! But look for Hardesty to do some damage to the Bama defensive stats on the year! Win or lose, I say it will be a great game!
GO VOLS!!!
WytheVol writes:
Good post. But I think Snead is worse than Crompton and Saban & Co. knew what to expect from Ark... I think UT will give Alabama more fits than either Miss or Ark did. It'll all depend on which team shows up on the 24th. The UCLA offense or the UGA offense... None the less, Saban took note and his game plan has and will continue to change. He's now knows that UT can light up that defense if his players miss any assignments. Again, I'm not predicting a win (definitely HOPEFULL), but I see UT playing with them better than anyone else has thus far.
utvolfan98 writes:
Agreed! I have never allowed my children, who are now grown, to ever boo anyone or anything. It shows a complete lack of class & poor character. Anyone who has ever booed the Vols is not a true Vol Fan, & they do not deserve to wear the Big Orange. You boo-birds know who you are, & you should be ashamed.
marvinVol writes:
Great job JC, I felt like Kiffin knew what he was doing. Keep it going.
Go Vols!!!
WytheVol writes:
I agree with you PEYDAY. We should not help to kill the morale of this team by booing... Not if we are true fans! But I will say in defense of some of the Crompton nay-sayers... Most of them have gladly come back and publicly eaten their crow!! They are as happy as you and I about his last 5 quarters of play.
givehim6 writes:
The game against UGAwas great! But we got tomove on to Bama. What you said is a something that bothers me, Bama and other teams know Crompton weakness and will try to keep him in the pocket, our O line needs to make sure he can move around back there.
DC_Vol writes:
Thanks for recognizing UT's moral victory. I agree with you MVuniv we would have beaten Florida in the swamp this year if we had Peyton, Clausen, Ainge or the New Crompton. You are not so bad afterall. Thanks for recognizing the improvement of UT this year. Go Vols!!!!
mytrifecta writes:
I was one of the fans asking for Stephens. And why wouldn't we ask for a change? Prior to this game, Crompton was statistically one of the worst QB's in college football and had lost the confidence of his teammates. Look at the comment made by Jones in the article. The players were as shocked as anyone by his performance. To go from worst to SEC Offensive player of the week was a turnaround no one could have envisioned. With that said, Crompton showed us Saturday what the coaches have been seeing in practice and I couldn't be happier for him personally as well as this team. I truly believe we'll look back at the Georgia game in a few years and recognize it as the turning point for this coaching staff and program.
mytrifecta writes:
Crompton was 20-27 Saturday...he made all the throws...in the pocket and out. I know this because I've watched the replay three times. If he can continue to play even close to how he played Saturday our offensive coaches can make adjustments based on how the defense is playing him.
DC_Vol writes:
Great post! Yes Hardesty will now have much more room to run. Georgia was completely thrown off guard and had the box stacked most of the game. Martinez refused to change their game plan much to our advantage. Hardesty should have more room to run this week.
Now interestingly enough Hardesty is second in yards in the SEC with 672 yards despite playing against a stacked box all year. Hardesty will be the leading rusher in the SEC this year with QB support. Also Hardesty is splitting time with a true freshman and still putting up these incredible rushing stats.
Just for the record, Hardesty is also ranked ahead of Florida's star running back Tim Tebow. In fact, he has twice as many yards as Florida's Heisman tropy running back.
Someone remind me why Hardesty was on the bench last year and why he only had approximately 350 yards for the entire season last year.
DC_Vol writes:
Orangeluvr,
MVuniv was acknowledging that UT should have won the Florida game. What is there not to agree with there? I just wish we were playing Florida at the end of this year. UT gets better and better each week. Don't be surprised if we upset Alabama. If Crompton plays close to his play at Georgia there will be an upset in Tuscaloosa. Go Vols!!!
DC_Vol writes:
Yes it will say Crompton SEC player of the week!!!
WytheVol writes:
Thanks DC_Vol. My understaning is that Hardesty has had a good run of bad luck when it pertains to injuries over his career. I remember our first of the two game series w/Cal, he had an awsome run for a TD, his freshman year I believe. He has been banged up this year too, but I believe between him and this coaching staff, he (and they) are determined to see him on Sunday's. He has gone through a lot and has decided he is going to be the offensive leader on this team. I don't recall any player of recent years who puts as much effort out as he does.
You could see in the GA game... that 39 yard TD he had. He had been patient all game, you never saw any frustration. He knew all along he was going to break one at some point and that he just had to be patient and take what he was given. You talk about a man that will seize an opportunity. No better example of Carpe-Deim than him.
He has the brain to go with the talent. The sky is the limit for him!
cooper65#432178 writes:
Congrats to Jon for one good game in a row. When he shows some consistency, I will lay off. He has been the worst college QB I have seen for 2 years so I'm not going to annoint him anything now. His statistics against W KY and GA, except for ints were good, but those are weak defenses. Considering Ark put up 44 against Auburn, our output against Aub doesn't look so good. We've got Bama coming up, if Jon can get 150 yards and more TDs than ints, I will apologize. We have a good team, good coaching, and some excellent recruits lined up. The future looks good, but we have to upgrade the QB position. The UCLA loss was inexcusable and Auburn should have been a win.
leedsvol2007 writes:
Hardesty had a series of injuries last year. When he was healthy he played.
In fact he was slated to play ahead of Foster his freshman year when Riggs was the starter and tore an ACL on his first carry. He has always had the ability but had not been able to stay healthy.
As for Bama, if we are going to beat them we are going to have to play a complete game with few turnovers and vastly improved kick coverage.
Bama is a complete team and probably would not have had to stack the line to be salty against the run.
The match-up between our centers and Terrence Cody will be a key. Hopefully, Josh McNeil will be able to play some snaps to insure Sullins is fresh.
GoVols!
bretonbound writes:
Please give me a break! Why have we heard from only one media person that Crompton pulled off his amazing performance against the worst secondary in the SEC? Besides Georgia's secondary being statiscally the worst, their entire defense is pitiful. Anyone notice that UT receivers generally had no defenders within ten feet of them? Just as I don't buy Crompton's amazing turnaround (in one week), neither do I believe UT receivers suddenly got with it, either. Georgia's defense was only marginally, if that, better than Western Kentucky's.
Anyone's blood orange enough to bet on how this QB & receivers perform Oct. 24?
DC_Vol writes:
Thanks LeedsVol,
I had forgot about Hardesty tearing his ACL on the first carry. I hope Hardesty stays healthy the rest of the year and ends up a first round draft pick.
Your analysis about the center position against Bama's outstanding nosetackle is accurate. I am concerned as well. I think the Sullins boys have improved each an every week. I am hopefull they will perform well.
Down_The_Field writes:
i knew coach bryant was alive and living in the same condo with elvis. keep it up brainiac and CLK will start letting you call the plays.
tenndave writes:
I APOLOGIZE for being negative about Jonathan and joining the pack of wolves calling for his head. Looking back, I think the thing I admire most is his perspective on it and how he has ignored the criticism. He is indeed a leader and I understand why he was elected a captain. That doesn't mean he will do this again or it may mean he has found the solution and will do it every week. Either way, he is an incredible young man of character who is proud to be a Vol. And whether you agree or not, he is our VOL QUARTERBACK for the remainder of this season, and I wish him and the Vols good luck. Way to go JC. GO VOLS!!! WOW what a game.
tenndave writes:
You know, sometimes it is more about character, loyalty and effort than it is about winning. Don't get me wrong, I want to win them all but he has made me look at this picture with real perspective. But still, BEAT BAMA!!!
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