GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The old question about Tennessee-Florida: Do the Vols have a chance?
The new question: Do the Vols have a chance of not being embarrassed?
My answer: A resounding “yes.”
In fact, if UT follows my game maxims — all of which I think General Neyland would approve — it won’t get beaten as badly today as it did two years ago in The Swamp (59-20).
My maxims:
n Stop Percy Harvin: Of course, I realize he no longer plays for the Gators. I just wanted to start with a maxim that’s easily achieved, for confidence purposes.
Give yourself a pat on the back, guys. You already have stopped Harvin, which is a lot more than the 2007 team did.
n Don’t give the ball to Arian Foster: Of course, I realize he no longer plays for the Vols. So there’s another confidence builder.
No playing equals no fumbling.
n Don’t punt or kick the ball to Brandon James: This is an absolute. If you think, “We’re not backing down from anybody,” then you’re giving up seven points. HE WILL SCORE.
So squib-kick it or pooch-punt it. Try a rugby-style punt or an onside kick. Have your punter throw the ball to a wide receiver or a Florida defensive back.
But don’t kick the ball to Brandon James.
n Forget the score when you’re on defense: No matter what happens to the Vols offensively, the defense has to forget about it. Its secondary can match up with Florida’s receivers. Its defensive ends can match up with Florida’s offensive tackles.
n Forget the score when you’re on offense: This is a tough one, but it’s necessary.
Run the ball and run the clock. Don’t force anything.
Play as though you’ve got a lead, as preposterous as that might seem to the odds-makers who have made Florida a 29 1/2-point — or is it 49? — favorite.
n Don’t punt or kick the ball to Brandon James: I can’t stress that enough.
Florida 31, UT 10: Given the disparity in talent, there’s no shame in losing to the Gators by 21 points.
The talent gap will widen when UT has the ball, but there’s no reason to believe UT’s defense will collapse against the Gators as is it did two years ago.
Also, Mother Nature could be a UT ally. A rainy afternoon — and it rained in Gainesville all week — will slow down Florida’s sprinters.
Arkansas 27, Georgia 23: Apparently all you need to beat the Bulldogs in a regular-season game is a little extra time.
Oklahoma State had all of preseason to get ready for the Bulldogs, whom they defeated in the opener 24-10.
Last year, Georgia Tech had nine days to prepare for the Bulldogs; Florida had two weeks. They combined for 94 points in their victories over Georgia.
Did I mention that Arkansas had an open date last week?
Vanderbilt 20, Mississippi State 17: Despite all the hoopla surrounding a winning season and bowl victory, the Commodores haven’t lost sight of their tradition. What does that mean?
It means they’re in the middle of another slump, which includes six losses in their last seven SEC games.
The Bulldogs can empathize. They have lost five of their last six SEC games.
Kentucky 20, Louisville 10: If former UT coach Phillip Fulmer is serious about wanting another coaching job, he would be better served hanging out near Commonwealth Stadium than commenting on behalf of CBS about the goings-on in The Swamp.
The Cardinals might not ask third-year coach Steve Kragthorpe back for the second half if they are trailing at halftime. And if Fulmer is in the neighborhood, how could they resist?
He’s 16-0 against Kentucky.
South Carolina 38, Florida Atlantic 13: Don’t be surprised if South Carolina athletic director Eric Hyman interviews Owls coach Howard Schnellenberger while he’s in Columbia: just in case.
If South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier decides to call it quits, Schnellenberger would be an obvious candidate. If you think he’s too old, you haven’t been paying attention.
The Gamecocks just want a coach who has won a national championship somewhere else.
Auburn 31, West Virginia 23: Who would have guessed that the Tigers would come into this game with the more exciting offense?
Answer: Anyone who is familiar with Gus Malzahn, Auburn’s first-year offensive coordinator.
But did anyone see Onterio McCalebb coming?
Auburn’s freshman running back ranks first in the SEC in all-purpose yardage, second in rushing and sixth in kickoff returns.
Alabama 41, North Texas 3: The Mean Green is quietly establishing itself as one of the worst football programs in the FBS. And SEC schools are starting to take notice.
LSU defeated North Texas 41-3 last season. Arkansas beat it the year before 66-7.
Now, it’s Alabama’s turn to take advantage of a program that has been outscored by an average of 47 points in its last six games against BCS teams.
LSU 45, Louisiana 13: You know you’re in trouble when you’re a Sun Belt Conference team playing in Tiger Stadium.
Look for LSU coach Les Miles to continue to show his support for other in-state programs, which the Tigers have outscored 221-39 the last five games.
Ole Miss 52, Southeastern Louisiana 7: The Rebels also might develop an affinity for Louisiana schools under second-year coach Houston Nutt.
Nutt won his last game at Arkansas against LSU in 2007, then oversaw a 31-13 Rebels rout last season in Baton Rouge.
He likes Louisiana-Monroe even better. Nutt’s teams have won their last four games against the Warhawks by a combined count of 196-35.
Southeast Louisiana should be just as accommodating.
Top 25: Texas 41, Texas Tech 23; Southern California 42, Washington 24; Penn State 38, Temple 7; BYU 37, Florida State 31; California 40, Minnesota 23; Ohio State 45, Toledo 20; Oklahoma 37, Tulsa 20; Oklahoma State 45, Rice 10; Virginia Tech 31, Nebraska 24; TCU 45, Texas State 7; Cincinnati 34, Oregon State 31; Oregon 34, Utah 27; Kansas 41, Duke 17; North Carolina 27, East Carolina 17.
Record: 39-7 (.848) overall, 19-17 (.528) against the spread.
Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.
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Comments » 25
gtown_vol writes:
Will Adam's ever leave town?
gtown_vol writes:
No need in reading the article... who would?
Gators0608 writes:
So a rainy day will help the voles slow down Florida's sprinters. I like and respect Mr. Adams column, but he apparently did not see the Florida- FSU game last year. Gators like it wet.It will be interesting to see if kiffy boy is stupid enough to kick to Brandon James; yeah,based on what we have seen of and heard from kiffy boy, he is stupid enough to kick to James.
jandrew5 writes:
This guy is like a child who thinks he knows somthing about football..dont waste your time reading this garbage..
Cldvols1 writes:
Closet Gator! Couldn't even get half way through the article. Go Vols!!!
rab63 writes:
I wonder if Adams ever participated in a team sport......other than "Red Rover"?
CRFVols writes:
Ok....I can't even finish this article after "onside kick"....Really???
So just give them a short field and if we do stop them we give up field position? What a moron!
And NO, General Neyland would not be happy or approve of these.....I don't believe he would reflect on what doesn't matter and has no purpose of even being mentioned....i.e. Percy Harvin and Arian Foster.
Adams is retarded. I'm sure there's more idiotic things in this article...but I can't bear to finish it.
arlvol writes:
Jort, I hope we do kick to BJ and Berry knocks his teeth out!
munchie writes:
Yeah, and you all wanted to flame Adams when he wrote the truth about Fulmer. Adams is rational: No one REALLY thinks UT will win. We can watch, we can cheer, but don't hate on Adams--he's simply callin' 'em as he sees him.
crimsonviper writes:
John Adams,
You make Paul Finebaum look like a literary genius.
VolunteerLifer writes:
Adams, your maxims are stupid.
RockyTopVolFan writes:
WARNING: This whole web page is not worth reading and is a total waste of time.
GO VOLS!
Down_The_Field writes:
lite steady rain benefits offense.
heavy rain benefits defense.
btw - go back to school.
RussellP writes:
I am predicting one of the great upsets in college football this year. UT 21, UF 17.
Florida is overconfident, after running up the score against 2 high school junior varsity teams. They have not yet been tested, while UT was in a close, tight game last week. The psychology is all in UT's favor. Next, the difference in talent on the two teams has been woefully mis-reported...strictly from a talent and skills point of view, these teams are very closely matched. If the Vols can strike first, knock Florida out of its stride, then, yes, I believe we have an upset in the making, and Lane Kiffen will indeed be singing Rocky Top all night long!!
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Another poster on another thread ran down DaDA's whole list to put the lie to that argument, which, in his usual OCD way, he posted on, I guess, every other football article. His argument was, as usual, completely beside the point. The MAIN thing is, OF COURSE, there were decent players on ALL of CPF's teams. However, the guys BESIDE them and BEHIND them were not nearly of the same high caliber! Heck, Bill Battle's teams had stars--Condredge Holloway and Stanley Morgan ring any bells?--but the reason both Battle's and Fulmer's teams eventually went down was that they lost the quality-numbers game to our principal rivals.
Darkside writes:
Adams is a joke.
prideofthesouthland writes:
Rozier's gone.
RockyTopReign writes:
For those wondering why UT recruited Crompton:
What was seen him in was what every other top notch school saw in him -The number 3 rated (some places number 2) qb in the country. (Behind Sanchez and former LSU QB Priloux(sp??) It was a big get for UT and I was excited about getting him. Crompton helped recruit alot of good players to come with him. When we had Ainge and Schaffer playing so well at the time he was a SR in HS he still pledged his honor to the University he dreamed about playing for. (largely bc of shuler.) Granted he has not played well but he always wanted to be a vol and stuck to his commitment even though it appeared we had two great QBs at the time.
Shoulder surgery, 5 offenses, 4 coordinaters, booing fans, poor line play, subpar recievers and death threats. Not the perfect situation for any QB. Sometimes I bet he wishes he had taken kiffin and Carols offer to USC.
I truly hope he pulls out of it and figures it out. Though I really wonder what he is seeing sometimes when he lets the ball go.
Crompton's Timeline:
When he signed-excitement, next great UT QB
After LSU 2006- next great UT QB
After Clawson- Worst UT QB ever, why did we sign a loser?, etc. (p.s. DEATH THREATS TO A COLLEGE KID)
After WKU- Kiffin has turned him around he is going to have a great year.
After UCLA- (see above after Clawson)
After he beats FLA-(see above after WKU)
GO VOLS!!
PoochPuntOn3rdDown writes:
"So squib-kick it or pooch-punt it. Try a rugby-style punt or an onside kick. Have your punter throw the ball to a wide receiver or a Florida defensive back.", John Adams wrote.
Hey John, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave any references to me out of your hateful and cynical articles, and reserve them for articles pertaining to the Johnny Majors era, the true pinnacle of Tennessee's pooch punting success. You now owe me $63.03 in name-dropping royalties. Make check or money order payable to the VASF.
Go Vols!
TN - 21
Fl - 20
May I live in blissful, homer delusion for one more night!
Orangeblood13 writes:
idiot
I concure with the witch-doctor
corrinebrown writes:
Do the Vols have a chance of not being embarrassed,only if hey duct-tape Kiffin's mouth
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Somebody who uses THAT screen name should be the LAST to talk about duct-taping someone else's mouth(;-P)!
OrangePride writes:
OK....don't kick to James. We got it. Here's a few OrangePride Maxims.
1. Keep Crompton inside what is a safe envelope and not throwing the ball all over the field where it can be intercepted.
2. Play error free special teams (yes, no kicks to James...we got it.)
3. Use some swing passes and screens to Oku and Brown to slow down the Florida fronts.
4. Let Williams spy Tebow to cut down on those 8-15 yard scrambles.
5. Receivers must run every route like their scholarship depended on their performance on that play alone! No lazy routes and no drops...none!
Step up Vols! Make ESPN look stupid!! GO BIG ORANGE!!!
utang1602#204610 writes:
While I know John Adams writes inflammatory, sarcastic articles for the purpose of humor, I think it's distasteful to throw punches at a player who isn't even at UT anymore. Focus on the here and now, and for heaven's sake, quit picking at Arian Foster. He gave his all for Tennessee and he's graduated and moved on. It's about time you do too.
RockyTopRenegade writes:
Still singing all night long!!!! GO VOLS!!!!!
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