Kiffin Era starts with lots of offense, defense: 63-7

Photo by Michael Patrick

Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton hands off the ball during action in Tennessee's 63-7 victory over Western Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 4, 2009 at Neyland Stadium.

Jonathan Crompton had no sooner let the pass go when he was hit by a Western Kentucky defender. The senior quarterback would see this play reach its conclusion from the vantage point of the Neyland Stadium turf.

The crowd’s eruption told him the story:

Quintin Hancock gathered in the perfectly timed throw in the end zone.

Crompton pointed both arms toward the sky in celebration.

Even flat on your back, Saturday was a great day to be a Tennessee quarterback.

That, as much as anything, symbolized a clear transition from the agony of 2008 to the promise of 2009.

“We don’t think about last year,’’ said Crompton, a year removed from 5-7 and no bowl bid. “ We just think about now and in the future.

“Coach came in here and gave us a clean slate.’’

The Vols wrote all over that clean slate in coach Lane Kiffin’s debut, blasting to a 63-7 rout of the overwhelmed Hilltoppers Saturday before a crowd of 98,761.

The play described above put UT up 21-0 on Western Kentucky midway through the second quarter and was the second of five Crompton touchdown passes — two to Luke Stocker and one each to Hancock, Brandon Warren and Marsalis Teague.

That’s one more than Crompton threw in all of 2008. As a team, Tennessee managed only eight TD passes in its most offensively challenged season in more than 40 years.

But touchdowns came fast and easy Saturday. Everything did, once the Vols escaped a scoreless, mistake-prone first quarter.

Tennessee amassed 657 yards of offense, of which 380 came on the ground.

Montario Hardesty rushed for 160 yards, averaging 8.9 yards per carry. Freshman Bryce Brown added 104 yards on a 9.5-yard average.

Crompton was 21-of-28 passing for 233 yards.

Seven different Vols reached the Western Kentucky end zone — including three true freshmen.

The prolific numbers signified the most yards gained since Peyton Manning’s senior year of 1997 in a shootout with Kentucky. It was UT’s biggest rushing binge since 406 yards against Vanderbilt in 1994.

“That does not surprise me, how these numbers are,’’ Kiffin said. “That’s the way we expect to play.

“I never said how many games we’re going to win. I said we’re going to play physical and we’re going to play smart.

“You saw that today.’’

The defense played so physical that Western Kentucky had only 9 yards of offense at halftime. The Toppers finished with 83 yards.

Their only score was a 66-yard drive late in the third quarter that began after UT started playing reserves.

Bobby Rainey scored on a 19-yard run to make it 35-7.

After which the Vols answered with a 75-yard drive. Crompton’s second TD pass of the day to tight end Stocker made it 42-7 on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Moments later, linebacker Savion Frazier recovered a Western fumble, setting up a 22-yard TD drive. Crompton flipped a 5-yard pass to Teague to make it 49-7 and he was done for the day.

Nick Stephens guided two scoring drives, both of which were punctuated by David Oku touchdowns.

Three times the defense gave the Vols a short field.

In the second quarter it was first-time linebacker starter LaMarcus Thompson blowing up a Hilltoppers’ run and recovering a fumble at the 17.

On the next play, Crompton found Stocker for a 17-yard TD and a 14-0 lead.

In the fourth quarter, cornerback Brent Vinson intercepted a pass at the Hilltoppers’ 46 to set the table for Oku’s first score.

It was Western Kentucky’s defense making the plays in the first quarter.

The Hilltoppers curtailed Tennessee’s opening drive by intercepting a deflected Crompton pass.

UT’s second possession ended in another turnover when Hardesty fumbled after a short pass reception.

Finally, the Vols got it right on their third try, driving 81 yards all on the ground.

Brown scored on a bulldozing 2-yard run on the third play of the second quarter and Tennessee led 7-0.

“After the first quarter, I don’t know what happened,’’ said Western linebacker Thomas Major.

What happened was Tennessee scored 63 points. Had it not been for the first-quarter mistakes, it would have been a real basketball total.

“Scoring 63 points in three quarters was good to see,’’ Kiffin said, “but we have a long way to go. There were a lot of things to remind us of that today.’’

Namely, the three turnovers.

“The two interceptions on tipped balled, those weren’t (Crompton’s) fault,’’ Kiffin said.

The only fault Kiffin could find with the defense was the letdown after he lifted the starters that jump-started Western Kentucky’s scoring drive.

The offensive onslaught left the kicking game little to do.

Daniel Lincoln never attempted a field goal. Chad Cunningham never punted.

On the only fourth down UT faced, Kiffin went for it on the opening possession of the third quarter. Crompton’s pass was batted down.

“I didn’t want us to come out of the locker room and not score,’’ Kiffin said. “We didn’t really want the momentum to switch there.’’

It didn’t, despite the failed gamble. The defense got a stop and nothing else happened until Hardesty roared 43 yards for a touchdown to make it 35-0.

The beat-down resumed and never let up.

“We’ve been working nine months for this point,’’ said Hardesty.

“We put our identity on how we’re going to play this year.’’

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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