Quarterbacks C
Jonathan Crompton struggled early and threw an ugly pick on the first possession to set up a Hokies touchdown, but he bounced back in the second quarter with a couple timely throws, including a deep hookup with Denarius Moore to keep the Vols alive.
Running backs C
Montario Hardesty often had to look hard for running room, but when the senior found space he turned in another hard-charging effort. His four-yard, tackle-breaking spin for a touchdown was a signature moment. Tauren Poole was effective in limited action.
Wide receivers C-
Denarius Moore and Gerald Jones both came up with big grabs in the second quarter to give UT some life on offense, and Moore capped off a drive late in the first half with a short touchdown to get the Vols back from a 14-point deficit. Moore did drop a sure touchdown, and the run-blocking wasn't great.
Offensive line D-
Crompton was under a great deal of pressure from the Hokies and was sacked six times. UT struggled to move the line of scrimmage much in the running game as well. A sack on the fourth-quarter drive sealed the loss.
Defensive line D
Dan Williams had another productive performance in the middle of the line, but for the most part nobody up front was all that effective. Wes Brown was limited by his leg issue and didn't play much, though Montori Hughes showed potential in his place.
Linebackers C
UT couldn't create much pressure up front, but it got it from the linebackers. Rico McCoy was slowed with a wrist injury in the first half, but he returned to make a big sack and create pressure. LaMarcus Thompson and Herman Lathers both played inspired defense, but there were enough breakdowns to let the Hokies run at will.
Secondary C
Eric Berry delivered a bone-rattling hit and shadowed Ryan Williams all over the field. Janzen Jackson turned the tide with a ridiculously athletic interception and broke up another pass in the first half to show flashes of his great potential again, but the secondary also got burned deep.
Special teams C
Berry looked like he should have been the return man all along, and UT largely held its own against Virginia Tech's famous special teams unit. But the lack of a kicking game bit the Vols when they had to try a pooch punt with a chance to try a field goal and draw closer in the second half.
Coaching C-
UT opened the game with an unusual approach to the passing attack and adjusted too late to a more traditional game plan. The Vols never seemed to adapt on the other side of the ball and were repeatedly gashed.
Overall D
The Vols rallied from an early hole and had a chance to embrace their season-long emphasis on resiliency, but they only had enough juice to do it once. In the end, UT was once again doomed in the Dome.
- News Sentinel Staff
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
Tennessee defeats Georgia 3-2 in…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 115
kdaff51 writes:
First......no way to finish the year. Talent pool is lacking. Recruit, recruit, etc...
DennisVols writes:
There were too many dropped passes in this game. 3 of which were TD passes, 2 by Moore in the 4th and 1 by Jones in the first half and that doesn't even include all the other drops.
Crompton was hit late 4 times by my count with no roughing calls made.
This team went a long ways given their starting point. In the end the lack of depth, talent level at key positions, short 28 scholarship players, having to bring a QB from the worst in the conference to one of the best was actually a good start. It wasn’t either Kiffin’s fault for the mess they inherited here. No one likes losing and you can bet this staff doesn’t like it more than the last one seemed to. How quickly we seem to forget the 10 years it took to get to Fulmer’s firing and did you actually believe it was going to be fixed in 1?
Face the facts we got beat by a coaching staff that has been in place more than a decade longer than ours has, a team with more players on scholarship currently than we do and a higher level of talent than we have at this point. If you expected magic you better go to Disney Land. The rebuilding process is going to take time. It has started good and looks to be continuing. Jumping on this staff for your perceived notion that we should have done more is nuts. This team was predicted to finish no better than 4th in the east at the beginning of this season. Many predictions had UT with another losing season this year because of all the above mentioned issues. The improvements are there and going forward is better than the direction we had been going the past 10 years.
Keeping it Real
Go Vols!!!
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
Thanks DennisVol for always Keeping it Real!!! We need more people like you on here that actually has a brain and does "keep it real"!!
VOLS...TCB...Keep on keeping on......GBO!!!!!!!
west_tn_volfan writes:
Very good post. It will take time to build the talent back to a championship level.Lowest talent level since Majors came back in the seventies.
TennesseeTuxedo writes:
The Vols program lacks talent along the front line and it lacks talented depth. The previous staff neglected the program for far too long and this current staff won 7 games in 2009 with less talent than the 2008 team that finished at 5-7. Kiffin will need 2-3 more years of recruiting to properly fill the needs of the program to get it to the point where they can contend for championships.
http://www.thevolunteeronline.com
timetofireclk writes:
Quarterback D
Running Back c-
Wide receivers D+
O line F--
D line C
Linebackers C+
seccondary C
Special Teams B
Coaching D
Overall D--
volpreacher writes:
couldn't have said it better myself.
timetofireclk, you need another team to cheer for. Fulmer is not coming back and we are lucky for that and CLK is going to build a dynasty. Give him time. If you don't want to wait, leave.
UTVOLSRROCKN writes:
I would imagine that the report card you gave them is MUCH better than the report cards you got in school.....that is....if you indeed ever went to school! I especially disagree with the QB grade you gave to JC! He never gave up and he got the hell beat out of him with the 6 sacks..especially the last one. Guess you are happy he is in the hospital now!!!!!!!
VOLS....TCB...Keep on keeping on.....GBO!!!!!!!
runninbroke writes:
Quarterback- B- (one bad pass)
running backs- C
Wide Receivers- C (couple terrible drops)
O LINE- F
D Line- D
Linebackers- C
Secondary- C
Special Teams-B
Coaching- C-
Overall- D
Too many mistakes to have against a team with better talent. Its alright Vol fans. Another good recruiting class or two and we will be back.
keepitreal4vols writes:
C- for Coaching?
How about a F-
DannyVol writes:
After a whole season under Kiffin, I still have no feel for where the program is headed. On one hand, the transfomation of Crompton was amazing; but on the other, receivers running routes out-of-bounds and dropping multiple touchdown passes throughout the year was disturbing. While getting to a bowl game was unexpected by many and took quite a patchwork effort by the coaches, false starts in the bowl by senior o-linemen and arm tackling by UT linebacker are inexcusable. Those things cannot be fixed by recuiting alone.
Overall, given the lack of talent this season, seven wins was somewhat of an acheivement. However, what gives me pause was the fact that no real leadership ever seemed to emerge from this team. So, after a whole season of ups and downs, there is little to truly assess this coaching staff with. We won nearly all the games we were supposed to, lost a couple we should have won, and lost all of the games we were projected to. From all indications there may be even less evidence to gauge Kiffin by next year because he inherited so little depth along both lines.
For now, I am sticking with the guy and hope the new recruits provide him with the tools he needs to put his stamp on the program. But, recruiting alone won't solve all the problems so obviously on display in Atlanta. I hope it is a matter of working out the kinks and not a systemic issue. Either way, by 2011 its going to be a smashing success or an absolute debacle.
Ringside writes:
Is UT better than last year, yes and the same will be able to be said next year. GBO!
rockydog writes:
Although this loss stings, the Vols will be alright. It might be rough sledding next year with a good portion of the team's talent departing and a tough schedule, but they are on the right track. It just may take longer than most of us had hoped. Keep the faith. Go Big Orange! Sign a huge class!
volswithclass writes:
Good 1st start Lane - Only 145 wins behind Fulmer.
jmanvolfan writes:
Games are usually won and lost in the trenches. Faster, bigger, stronger players kicked our butts. I thought our guys played hard but were just overmatched.
vol98champ writes:
I didn't expect a win, but I hoped we would be competitive. Virginia Tech looked ever bit like the 2nd or 3rd best team in the country. I truly believe we played 3 of the 5 best teams in the country this year, and we played them with rubber bands and elmers glue. I have a gut feeling that Saban wouldn't want to play VT again. That was a much better team than Alabama played in the first game.
PMC2726 writes:
I'm not upset with the result -- we were incredibly low on defensive manpower and clearly beat up. What upsets me, however, is Lane's decision to run the ball on 3rd and long in the 4th quarter. After suffering through Fulmer's "play not to lose" mentality, I was hoping that our coach would be someone who would play to win. CLEARLY, Lane was more worried about keeping big games close this year than actually playing to win. I don't like when fans booo their own team, but Kiffin deserved the booing he got from the vol crowd in Atlanta after that call.
The next year or two is going to be tough -- more ups and downs. Hopefully more up than down. On top of that, right when we start competing for SEC titles and nationally, Monte will be gone and most of our coaching staff will have been cherry picked by other teams.
It's always a struggle. Go vols.
rockydog writes:
So when do you see us competing for SEC and national titles? I know this was an ugly loss, but its not as bad as it seems. Assuming you're right about the coaching situation, LK will hire good replacements (definitely will be hard to replace Monte though). As far as not playing to win, you base this on one call? I didn't like the call either, but considering the way the o-line was protecting Crompton and the way the receivers were dropping passes, an at least 26 yd(I forget the exact distance) pass play probably seemed unlikely. Perhaps he hoped to catch VT off guard with a big run and go for it on fourth down. I don't know. I did notice he kept Cropmton in instead of playing someone who would be around next year, even when the game was most certainly over. Maybe things will look brighter to you tomorrow. Go Vols!
Atuss writes:
When you can't block them up front, you look bad. No real deep threat allowed VT to play eight in the box. UT did pick on the corner who replaced the academically ineligible guy but Crompton had no time to stretch the field consistently and no real play maker to do it with.
As a big fan of the Buc's and Monte I have seen him coach now for roughly 200 or so games. Gap assignment D-Line play will lend itself to misdirection rushing success which was the adjustment VT made at the half. You have to have the personnel to do that and they do.Obviously the two deep balls over the top which led to ten points were uncharacteristic.
middlesister writes:
Huh... I thought the Vols lost the Chick-Fil-A bowl. Not the Chik-Fil-A bowl. Guess they blew both.
rockydog writes:
Does ayone know what happened with BB? I never saw him in the game. I missed part of the game, but maybe I just missed him. I did see him on the sidelines during one shot. It was great to see Poole get some carries. I thought he looked pretty good considering he didn't get much blocking. Did Poole out practice Brown and thus get the carries? Just wondering. I haven't heard anything and wasn't able t listen to the radio show after the game.
Ironcity writes:
QB C Good effort
RB C- They tried
WR C- To many drops no blocking
OL F Enough said
ST D Did nothing horrible but did nothing even average
DL D Ends were really disappointing
LB D- Made tackles 10yds down field never got across the line of scrimmage
DB C Would have been higher if not for the blunder at the end of half
C D- Worst game in Kiffins career. Didn't matter but when its 3rd and 24 and your down by 13 with 10 minutes left and your dee is gassed, you have to try to make a play with your Senior QB. Same with other conservative calls early in the game.
Bottom Line without the Jimmies and the Joes it hardly matters about the X's and the O's.
Coach lets go get some talent!
AlpharettaVol writes:
While I generally agree with your thoughts, I felt we looked a lot like we did at the beginning of the season, not at the end. There seemed to be a lot of indecision on the field and many times I saw players just standing around. CLK said he planned to open up the offense in this game but my observation is that we did just the opposite. Lots of predictable plays. He stubbornly stuck with the quick screen to the wide receiver even after it was clear that it wasn't working. The tight end (Stocker) was non-existent until late in the third quarter. And, how could Jackson possibly let a receiver get behind him at the end of the half?
Even with these shortcomings, I am pleased with the progress this year and believe that we will be improved next year. Let's hope that we have some freshmen who can come in and play immediately, though.
ClintTNKnox writes:
First, bad game. Second, does Crompton have tunnel vision? He only looks at the receiver he's throwing to, and he can never see any blitz coming...ever. He had decent arm strength, but so did Jim Bob Cooter. How was Crompton our best quarterback?! He freaks out every time a receiver is covered. Like the INT vs. VT. Really Crompton? Really? I thought quarterbacks were taught to have a second option, or scan the field. The whole team had a bad game, but I am so glad he is gone. Now he can go back to N.C. and run for office.
tennisvol writes:
Coaching is too high with a C-. Should be more like a D-. VT scoring at the half should never have happened. Only way was to throw the long pass with 9 sec. left and it looked like Jackson was the only defender back. Poor strategy by UT. What was Monte thinking?
SummerfieldVol writes:
I think the ballgame was over with 2 seconds left in the first half. Misreading that play took the wind out of Tennessee's sails. I do not understand the scheme for pass blocking. It was obvious that our right tackle was having his problems with VT's left defensive end. Why did we not keep another back on the field to help with pass protection or at least put a tight end over there. He was killing us. It was so obvious they were going deep with the last play of the first half. They had nothing to lose. You never let a receiver get behind you if you can help it - especially when you know what the play will be. That one play cost us the game because we were never the same team. Who should have been playing centerfield to prevent this play from happening? I know we will be better next year, but you sure hate to go out on a bad note.
jmr68ut writes:
Eric Berry is an outstanding young man and great ambassador for UT. Best of luck as you go to the next level Eric. Looking forward to watching you reach your potential in the big leagues. Happy New Year -you deserve it.
rdr4vols writes:
For several days I felt it may be a rough game. Just had that gut feeling the Vols would struggle and it was sadly true. Now I'll have to put up with the chokie hokie fans at work here in KPTas we're too close to the Va. state line. I did notice that coach K did not do much speaking to Beamer after the game but he did looked a little shell shocked. The Vols played hard but w/o the much needed depth and athletes to compete there will be hard licks and bumps along the way. Some of the play calling was questionable, especially running the ball so much when there was more hokies in the backfield than Vols.Crompton was successful rolling out but was dismal most of the time while running for his life. This was somewhat reminded me of the Ol' miss game. Overall the team just was not there mentally. They appeared to be in a daze for three quarters. This was a humbling experience for all involved. But don't despair my fellow Vol fans we'll be back. Just remember it took Johnny about eight years to win his first conference crown.
AtLeastMyTeamHasPerfectSeasons writes:
You guys see one of the hostessess from HostessGate on TV during a crowdshot with :18 to go in 1st half?
mtvols writes:
Brown had a concussion earlier in the week. He was cleared to play but they didn't want to risk it.
AtLeastMyTeamHasPerfectSeasons writes:
Report Card? They failed miserably. This requires a TOUGH summer school session.
lomas98 writes:
Facemask penalty on Martin on 3rd down in the first quarter was a huge penalty. They would have settled for a fg instead of getting more downs and a TD. FG before half was huge breakdown. There is 7 additional points for Tech they got as freebies. Can't do that against good teams. Moore's TD drop was obvious. Those 3 plays combined with Tech pinning their ears back when we were in obvious passing downs gave us no chance. I think that is why the gameplan was a little convervative early because Kiffin wanted to keep their defense guessing. The 3rd and 24 run and subsequent punt with 8 minutes left was the worst play call of the year, but wasn't why we lost. I hope we can replace some seniors. They seem to be the ones making most of the plays.
rockydog writes:
Thanks for the information. Just goes to show that we will have a great group of running backs next year. Just need to find some big uglies to block for them.
volbald writes:
Reality is that Bob Stoops went from DC at UF to Okl. and in two years, with boys that couldn't win four games a year under the prior Okl. coach, won the NCG. The same reality is that Kiffin and company arn't going to be able to emulate Stoops.
Etacovda_00 writes:
Virginia Tech: B+ + +!!
GO HOKIES!!!!
CrankE writes:
I remember that facemask penalty. Just dumb. Remember that the play before that, the UT lineman on the left side was outright tackled by the VT offensive lineman. Should have been a holding penalty, but the ref kept it in his pocket. Thanks.
I can understand getting soundly beat by more talent on the field and a deeper bench. But UT looked flat from the opening gun. Almost as soon as UT got hot, they went cold again. Sigh.
There were some good play calls in this game. The screen to Hardesty. The play action to Moore for the ensuing TD. Crompton throwing on the naked rollout. But there were some God-awful calls too. All in all, a very disappointing end to this season.
537081 writes:
defence can't make a tackle with out a handle. no wonder tne passing game sucked people were left unblocked other than 2nd quarter I thought they kinda sucked everywhere. Talent? coaching? What I don't know, but if somthing isn't done we get more of same next year.
rockydog writes:
Why so negative? Kiffin may not win the NC in two years like Stoops, but neither have 99.8% of other coaches. Maybe the previous coach hadn't left the talent level as low as what Kiffin inherited. Maybe you should consider the fact that Oklahoma plays in a weaker conference that only in the last few years has seen any team not named Oklahoma, Texas, or Nebraska do anything. So therefore he would have had a easier road to the NC. Now consider Stoops reputation now. He gets to the NC based on beating Texas (most years), and then loses the game. Sometimes he loses with what most consider the better team. Consider UT's and OU's records this year. I think they were the same. Consider that both teams had a lot of injuries. Consider UT played two teams that were ranked #1 at the time and played them close. OU played the #2 ranked team once and lost big (a team that some don't consider to actually be the number two team). Further consider that Stoops is firmly entrenched at OU while Kiffin had two months to recruit to try and raise the talent level. Kiffin has UT on the right track despite some the losses. Don't let one loss color the whole season. A loss at the end doesn't ruin the whole season just like a win at the end of a 2-10 season doesn't make it a winner. Keep the faith if you are a true Vol; consider converting if not.
VOLume27 writes:
As they say in all the old Kung Fu Hong Hong Street Fight movies:
"YouTooGoodForMeNow . . . IGetYouLater!!"
We'll get better.
rockytopatl writes:
I agree totally. How was that team not in the ACC championship game?
fortsanders writes:
Grade inflation on the coaching. Should have been "F" for failure.
utkjoe29 writes:
I saw here alright, she blew a kiss into the camera... Couldn't miss her!
rockydog writes:
People, lighten up. Yes, last night was a bad loss. There have been others during the season. Don't let a those ruin what has been a good season. I agree UT looked flat coming out. That happens sometimes, even to really good teams. Consider all that this team has had to endure this season: injuries everywhere, dismissals, three boneheads (yes, I'm including Jackon) who drug down the whole team with their stupidity, investigations that get displayed everywhere without any real merit, and getting passed over for the bowl you should have gotten due to your finish in the conference. Plenty of distractions to hinder a team. Don't panic. UT is on the right path, even if it takes a little longer than what most hoped. Go Big Orange!
Vol_in_Mich writes:
I think Brown had a concussion (happened in practice last week)
Poole did look good. I think we'll be pretty good running the ball next year if the guys get some blockers.
Go Vols - Keep the faith!!!
rockydog writes:
Thanks - Go Big Orange!
yabadabadoo1026 writes:
quit disparaging walkons who thru hard work beat out others with lots of stars by their name------weve had highly stared recruits who never accomplished anything----if the walkons are the best we got dont knock them but knock the started ones who got beat out--------Reviez is a walkon too but apparantly the best LB we had when he went down
stars mean nothing if they dont develope enough to make the field
scvols writes:
Looked like a top 10 team playing a lower level team. Looks like it will be 2 years before we will be a good top 25 team.
mtnsvol44 writes:
Some have said Daddy Kiffin is the best d coach in football. Where was he last night, partying in downtown Atlanta while D players sat on butts??? Well, as a matter of fact both O and D players sat on butts!!
KFDLaw writes:
You are so correct. A lot of Vol fans want an immediate turn around. It is not going to happen. I thought we might finish 4-7 with the level of talent we have and the schedule we faced. Next year, we may struggle to get to 6-6, but that does not mean Kiffin is a sorry coach. He is still dealing with the former staff's recruiting of mediocre players, especially linemen on both sides of the ball. These guys played above their heads against far more talented players this season and proved to be a real bunch of scrappers. Until Kiffin gets some of his recruited talent aboard with a couple of years under their belt, we will continue to face seasons like this one. Last night's debacle in Atlanta demonstrated the gap in talent between Tennessee and teams like Virginia Tech. Some Vol fans look at games like the one with Alabama and expect results like that every week. Alabama took us for granted, our guys played their best game and we still lost. We are no where near the talent level of an Alabama. We are more like a South Carolina at the moment. We have mid-grade players being coached to their maximum potential. Sticking our nose in the air and saying "we are UT and we are top drawer" does not make it so. The program has lost a lot of its luster since 1998, and if we had the old coaching staff back we would still be suffering from lackluster recruiting and frustrating coaching errors. At least now we have the coaching, and when we get better players we should start to rise again toward the top.
NobodyCares (Inactive) writes:
TIME OUT! Go to your room and stay there until your attitude improves.
Oh ... Happy New Year!
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