Adams: Offensive line setting attitude for Vols

By John Adams

Monday, September 7, 2009

Tennessee began a new era and brought back memories of an old one in the same season opener Saturday.

My first memories of covering UT football on a daily basis included a lot of people getting knocked down. The people getting knocked down were opponents within striking distance of UT's offensive line.

That was back in the late 1980s when Johnny Majors was the head coach and Phillip Fulmer was one of the best offensive line coaches in the game. That was when guys like Harry Galbreath, John Bruhin, Eric Still, Antone Davis, Charles McRae and Tom Myslinski were repeatedly bouncing defenders off the Shields-Watkins turf.

They didn't just do it against football's have-nots. They did it against almost everyone.

I'm not comparing UT's offensive line to those lines. I am comparing the mindset.

UT coach Lane Kiffin is as committed to a physical running game as he is to a pro-style passing game. Majors' offenses in the late 1980s strived for the same balance.

Even while the Wide Receiver U. moniker was still in vogue, UT was establishing its true identity up front with a group of blockers who so often imposed their will on the competition. No one is suggesting UT has that kind of talent or depth now. But its heart is in the right place. You establish the attitude first, then recruit the talent and depth.

On any given UT play Saturday, you could see someone from Western Kentucky on his back. That was the foundation to UT's 63-7 victory and 657 yards against a drastically inferior opponent.

When your offensive line prevails, everything else often falls into place. Your backs have room to run. Your quarterbacks have time to throw. And your defense has time to rest.

You could see the drop-off in Oklahoma's offense even before quarterback Sam Bradford was injured in an upset loss to BYU on Saturday. You saw the difference in the offensive line, which was without four starters who helped carry the Sooners to last season's national championship game.

Oklahoma couldn't run on the Cougars. And, as the sling encasing Bradford's throwing arm showed, the Sooners couldn't protect their quarterback, either.

Freshman Matt Barkley is being hailed as one of the most promising quarterbacks in Southern California history - and that's saying something - but his 15-for-19 passing debut wasn't all about his talent. It was a tribute to one of college football's most formidable offensive lines.

You also saw the impact an offensive line could have in Alabama's 34-24 victory over Virginia Tech. It became better as the game went along. The runners, and first-year starting quarterback Greg McElroy took it from there.

You even witnessed the clout of an offensive line at the end of UT's 5-7 season in 2008. UT's offensive line played its best in the last two games, a 20-10 victory over Vanderbilt and a 28-10 win over Kentucky. In each game, UT rushed for more than 200 yards.

Those games were more about power than finesse. So is the Kiffin system. And it should bring out the best in veteran guards like Vladimir Richard and Jacques McClendon, both of whom obviously know their way around a weight room.

Tackle Chris Scott endorsed that approach against the Hilltoppers. He was named SEC offensive lineman of the week after being credited with six knockdown blocks.

UT won't block UCLA the way it blocked Western Kentucky. But it can try. And if it fails initially, it shouldn't feel compelled to throw more than 40 times, as it did in last year's overtime loss to the Bruins.

The Vols have run into success under similar circumstances.

Following a 5-6 year in 1988, UT opened its next season with a lackluster 17-14 victory over Colorado State. You didn't know where the team was headed until it played the Bruins the following week in the Rose Bowl.

Late in the first quarter, UT began a touchdown drive that would define its season. It drove 90 yards in 15 plays, all of them runs. And just like that, the Vols were off and running to an 11-1 season, a share of the SEC championship and a No. 5 national ranking.

Even in a new era, that's worth remembering.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.