Strange: UT's body of first-half work has lost luster

By Mike Strange

Sunday, October 18, 2009

No game, no report card.

And yet, from a perception standpoint, you could make a case that Tennessee football seemed to lose a little ground over its open date.

As the Vols head into an historic Alabama week, their body of work thus far appears a tad diminished after judging their rivals' performance on Saturday.

Historic?

Yes. Alabama is the new No. 1 team in the land according to the Associated Press poll. The Tide supplanted Florida, who, as No. 1, downed the Vols 23-13 on Sept. 19.

Never before has UT played two No. 1-ranked teams in the same season.

Tennessee (3-3, 1-2 SEC) takes a 2-7 record against No. 1 teams into the 3:30 p.m. (TV: WVLT) match with Alabama (7-0, 4-0) at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

Diminished?

Yes, if we play the comparison game. And with no real game, that's the only game available.

Consider Florida.

The Vols earned kudos for hanging tough in The Swamp last month. There was never a point where they felt as if they might somehow upset the Gators, but still the Vols made a game of it when few expected them to do so. They lost the game but won the press conference.

Arkansas more than made a game of it Saturday in Gainesville. The Razorbacks, 24-point underdogs, pressed the Gators until the buzzer. Florida escaped 23-20 on a field goal with nine seconds left.

Where UT managed 210 yards of offense, Arkansas had 357.

Conclusion: Perhaps Tennessee's effort in The Swamp wasn't quite as remarkable as we thought.

Consider Auburn.

After the Tigers' 26-22 win in Neyland Stadium on Oct. 3, Auburn was 5-0 and looked miles ahead of Tennessee in the rebuilding race.

New offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn seemed on his way to the College Football Hall of Fame. Auburn shredded UT for 459 yards and held the ball nearly 10 minutes longer than the Vols.

Since then, the Tigers have been throttled by Arkansas and Kentucky. Yes, that Kentucky. In Jordan-Hare Stadium no less.

Quarterback Chris Todd hasn't thrown for as much yardage the past two weeks combined as he had against the Vols.

Conclusion: How did Auburn manage to look so superior on the Vols' home turf two weeks ago?

While we're at it, consider UCLA.

After the Bruins got out of Knoxville with a 19-15 win on Sept. 12, I thought Rick Neuheisel's crew might be a surprise in the Pac-10 and that Tennessee's loss wouldn't look so bad by November.

Wrong. UCLA is on a three-game losing jag after getting walloped by Cal 45-26 on Saturday.

Conclusion: The UCLA loss is looking worse by the week.

To be fair, the Vols' wins over Georgia and Ohio are holding up.

Georgia handled Vanderbilt with authority in Nashville. Ohio (5-2) is on a three-game winning streak.

When last seen, Tennessee was playing its best 60 minutes of the season in a 45-19 rout of Georgia.

When next seen, the Vols will need all that momentum at their backs and more. Regardless of what happens at Alabama, Tennessee must keep plugging - and improving.

South Carolina is ranked No. 19 in total defense and played respectably at Alabama.

Speculation about an Ole Miss demise was unfounded. The Rebels, ranked No. 23 in total defense, got back on track with a dominating win over UAB.

Vanderbilt can't score but is No. 24 in total defense.

Memphis? The best spin you can put on another loss is that Bearden product Matt Reagan kicked a career-long 48-yard field goal.

Finally, there is Kentucky. Despite the absence of its best cornerback, the Wildcats held Auburn to one offensive touchdown. And won on the road with a pair of green quarterbacks.

So maybe it wasn't just Tennessee's past that bears reconsideration after the weekend. It's the future, too.

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