Kiffin: Special teams 'killing us'

Another week for Tennessee has meant another week of fixing special-teams problems.

The Vols hope to get through Saturday's game with South Carolina without making any terrible gaffes in the kicking game - for a change.

Kickoff coverage wasn't a disaster against Alabama, but the Tide still managed a 30-yard return to its 45 to set up a short drive for a field goal.

The killer breakdown was the inability to protect on field-goal attempts. Two were blocked.

"We're not very good on special teams ... and it's killing us,'' said head coach Lane Kiffin.

Look for defensive tackles Montori Hughes and Dan Williams to beef up the line in hopes of preventing penetration on field-goal attempts.

Long range, Kiffin said shrewd recruiting evaluation is the answer.

"We've got to continue to recruit great players and great depth,'' he said. "If you start missing on five or six guys every year, with four classes that's 20 to 24 guys you can't play at this level.

"Special teams will always have to do with the bottom of your recruiting class, so you've got to be recruiting really good players and not missing on guys.''

At least three walk-ons have been playing on UT's kickoff units.

Berry Appreciated: As it's turned out, Eric Berry's Heisman Trophy campaign might not have been so unrealistic after all. None of the favorites - all quarterbacks - has made an iron-clad case yet, leaving the door open to a defensive player getting in the discussion.

"If we were taking care of business and winning more games and the ball bounced to him a couple more times,'' Kiffin said. "It doesn't seem like there's a front-runner or anybody with big-time stats running away with it.

"So if there was a year, this would have been it.''

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is a Berry fan. This time last season Berry was on a highlight-reel binge. He had a 45-yard interception return against the Gamecocks.

"It took about two minutes to run him down on that pick he had,'' Spurrier said.

Everyone knows about Berry's phenomenal interception-return ability, but he's pretty nimble with a fumble, too.

He has 101 yards on three career fumble returns, an average of 33.6.

Spurrier Near Milestone: Spurrier is one SEC win shy of tying Johnny Vaught of Ole Miss (106) for second on the all-time league chart. Paul "Bear" Bryant had 159.

Of Spurrier's 105 SEC wins, 87 came at Florida and 18 at South Carolina.

Monte Vs. Spurrier: As Tampa Bay's defensive coordinator, Monte Kiffin split two games against Spurrier during his two seasons as head coach of the Washington Redskins. But Kiffin got the one that counted, a 35-13 victory in 2003 in which the Redskins were sacked six times and threw two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown.

Spurrier dominated a 2002 preseason game, 40-14. That's the one Kiffin recalls.

"He came out no-huddle,'' Kiffin said this week. "It's preseason, what are you going no-huddle for in preseason?

"You know what a good guy he is, though? Honest to gosh, he told one our equipment managers ... he went out before warmups and Steve told him, 'Tell Monte I'm going no-huddle to start the game.'

"So I think he's just trying to throw us off. He went no-huddle. It's preseason, but that's the kind of guy he is. He's a good guy - but I hope he loses.''

Rocky Road to Rocky Top: The rockslide that closed I-40 earlier this week was well-timed for UT fans who are glad this isn't their year to go to Columbia.

That makes it a headache for South Carolina fans trying to get to Knoxville. Wonder if that was a factor in South Carolina returning about 3,500 tickets.

Extra Points: Tonight matches the youngest teams in the SEC. South Carolina has 15 true or redshirt freshmen on the two-deep depth chart, Tennessee 14. ... The Gamecocks have never beaten UT in consecutive years. They won 27-6 last year in Columbia. ... UT tight end Luke Stocker has already matched his 2008 total of 13 receptions. ... The Gamecocks are 4-1 this year in games decided by a touchdown or less; UT is 0-3. ... South Carolina linebacker Eric Norwood has made mid-season All-America in several publications, including The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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