Event Details
- What: Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt
- When: Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010, 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
- Where: Vanderbilt Stadium
- Cost: $50
- Age limit: All ages
Even after Tennessee's carefree romp at Memphis, Derek Dooley expressed some disappointment that the Vols missed some opportunities to really bury the Tigers in the second half.
One week later, after UT kicked Ole Miss while it was down with 21 unanswered points in the second half of Saturday's 52-14 victory, the coach had few gripes.
"The team stayed focused," Dooley said on his Sunday teleconference. "I told them in the second half I didn't want anyone looking at the scoreboard. It was 0-0 and we were going to go out and play as hard as we did in the first half.
"And they did that."
It just hadn't happened in that fashion since the Vols' season opener against UT Martin, when they outscored the Skyhawks by 30 in the final 30 minutes. In between that game and Saturday's, UT (4-6, 1-5 SEC) was outscored 158-52 in the third and fourth quarters, a stretch that included three scoreless second halves.
The term "second-half meltdown" came up more than once in Dooley's news conferences throughout the rough patch. And each time it did, he bristled at the notion that UT was exclusively an underachieving team after halftime.
In hindsight, now that it appears UT's second-half woes have been temporarily remedied heading into Saturday's game at Vanderbilt (TV: CSS, 7:30 p.m.), Dooley said he felt the same way.
"I've always felt like there were problems that were happening in the first half and over time it was a cumulative effect," Dooley said. "It wasn't that we played great in the first half and it was a disaster in the second half.
"What it comes down to is we're not giving up as many big plays on defense and we're finishing drives on offense, scoring points."
Though he was speaking about the season in general, Dooley might as well have been talking exclusively about UT's 41-10 loss to Alabama in October, the last instance where the term "second-half meltdown" is applicable.
The Vols, trailing by just a field goal at halftime, drove into Alabama territory on five of their six second-half drives, but came away with no points. Meanwhile, Alabama used four plays of 35 yards or longer to rack up 28 consecutive points and coat the Neyland Stadium seats in crimson by the end of the game.
"They were the same problems throughout the game," Dooley said. "But the deeper you go into the game, the problems get bigger and bigger."
Suddenly, though, those problems have vanished, instead being replaced by minor bumps that are easily fixable.
In the third quarter Saturday, as the Vols led 38-14, Dooley, disappointed after a false start and an ugly incompletion, angrily called a timeout and ran toward the huddle. It wasn't a conversation typically seen between a coach and his players during a rout-in-the-making.
"It wasn't 'How you guys doing?' " Dooley said with a laugh. "We were moving slow and it was still early in the third. This is when you can screw the game up. It was just important that I make sure the team didn't get complacent."
Four plays later, Tauren Poole sprinted into the end zone from 36 yards to officially stomp on the Rebels' fleeting hopes.
"We had to keep playing," Dooley said. "If you don't, then you make bad mistakes and then all of a sudden things tip on you."
The reasons for the abrupt turnaround lack specifics, as Dooley and players generally cited "better execution" as the key toward maintaining solid play through all four quarters.
But senior wide receiver Gerald Jones had a metaphor, one that echoed Dooley's belief that the largely inexperienced Vols can't do anything but improve.
"You can't force a 14-year-old to be a grown-up quickly," Jones said. "Eventually when they're 18, 19, 20 years old, they learn more stuff, so they eventually become a grown-up.
"With this team, we couldn't tell them to mature fast. We started off not the way we wanted to start, but now this 14-year-old team is starting to become 20 or 21, and we're starting to learn what it takes to win the ballgame."
Andrew Gribble covers Tennessee football and recruiting. He may be reached at 865-342-6327. Follow him at http://twitter.com/Andrew_Gribble and http://blogs.knoxnews.com/gribble/
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Comments » 37
BillyVol writes:
Mr. Jones you are a man among boys.
MiserableFloridaVol writes:
...and we're playing Memphis, Ole Miss, Vandy, and Kentucky and going to the Music City Bowl. We're getting better, but we've got a long way to go. This should have been the year that the East swung back to TN now that Tebow is gone and we missed our chance. I just hope Spurrier doesn't get a foothold on the east.
ibvolman writes:
Huh???? No, this year has gone about as expected with the fact that there is little to no depth, and an extremely young team. This team has more freshman starting than any other team in the SEC. This year was supposed to be a down year. Next year will be much better, but it will be about 2 more years before the Vols are back to top level form. It takes a little while to build depth. Dooley is doing things the right way, and will have the ship turned around as soon as possible. We just have to be patient.
hcjournals#206623 writes:
Screw Spurrier. Don't worry about him. We need a top 5 recruiting class with this late momentum. The coaches should be crowing about the next great QB we have unveiled. We need a lot of help and will need at least 10 freshmen to contribute next year....Work it.......Now.....
mikethehistorystudent writes:
If we can get past KY and Vandy I'll be tickled. I think we can do it because this team has really improved since the season started. Kentucky is going to be tough. They beat S.C. and last week they beat Vandy.
Our future with Brey and Hunter looks promising, and Dooley is the kind of coach a player should want to play for. I don't see us getting any top 5 recruiting class, but a top 10 may be possible with some luck. A bowl would really REALLY help.
MidTennVol writes:
I'm gonna miss G. Jones.
LimeyVol writes:
I think the team are going to miss G. Jones. As much as I'm excited for next year, with Jones and Reveiz going, the team are going to need some of the younger players to step up as leaders.
halloffamebowler writes:
I agree basically with everything except for the Bowl game.We should take care of Vandy,but Ky. will be a whole different ball game.To beat them,Tennessee will have to play as well as they did Saturday.If not,we will be looking forward to next year as well as 5-7 again for the third time in 5 years.Tennessee can do it but Cobb and company will be trying to not let it happen.
HsvAVol writes:
Another odd headline. Who are these headline writers?
Bogus writes:
I think some of the leaders are emerging. Malik Jackson is starting to take over, James Stone may be a captain sooner than we expect, then there's Austin Johnson, Janzen, and of course Bray. I think we can all feel that Bray is really taking over this team. Especially after the Memphis game. When he asked Jones if he had a TD yet, then threw one to him, that's something a leader does. A leader takes care of his men, and you can tell they enjoy playing with him.
pauln500#205995 writes:
"Another odd headline. Who are these headline writers?"
I think the headline should be taken from the new movie to be released soon -BIG ORANGE COUNTRY STRONG !!
nocleats writes:
Vols should be focused on 2 things, Improving and Vanderbilt. There are still a lot of things to improve on. And anyone who looks past Vandy is crazy.. If Vandy wins this week they consider it a great season, and they save their new coaches job,. Local papers here are saying if Vandy wins, coaching staff stays, lose and Caldwell will be replaced. Also several Vandy players have said they see Tennessee as very beatable this year, (they are) and Vanderbilt has a certain amount of confidence about this game. Also throw in how much Vandy HATES Tennessee and you have the makings of a trap game for a young Vol team just learning how to compete and win. Focus on Vandy! John Majors quote: 1 time a Vol player said " we are going to go to Nashville and play Vanderbilt." Coach Majors frowned and raised his voice and sternly announced " SON, you dont go to Nashville to play Vanderbilt, You GO to Nashville to KICK VANDYS Arse !"
iowavol writes:
...and the reality is that it took 21 points off of turnovers for Spurrier to beat us this year????? Had Bray started the game, who knows. Give me a break, Spurrier is a non issue once we get our depth back.
kazoo writes:
Things always seem better for the Vols in November when the schedule gets easy. There is always this illusion of improvement. Fulmer would always pretend late in the year that the Vols were on the upswing, thanks to his great coaching, when the reality was/is that we'd only walked over the conference doormats. I like Dooley, and I do hope things will slowly start to turn, but I don't subscribe to this notion that UT is much better. We are simply now playing weak teams. It's all about beating bama, florida and georgia--not vandy, kentucky and ole miss.
Bellem13 writes:
Sad to say, from my point of view and what he did to those "poor pitiful little GATORS" he already has.
OTPVol writes:
Let South Carolina enjoy their year in the sun. God knows they deserve it. The fact they won the East makes me think they may have been off on that Mayan calendar date by a couple of years though...
utfan36 writes:
bray should have been the starter all year! the way he (ut as a team) is playing we could have been 6&4 rite now never now.but i do no simms will not start at ut! and worley coming next year not much futcher for simms
utfan36 writes:
typo 5&3
wmaatl writes:
Although the players and coaches talked of commitment at the beginning of the year, they are just now believing in themselves and showing more commitment than a VOL team has shown in a few years. The Big Orange will be back; DD has them moving in the right direction. It just takes time. GBO!
tnsportsman writes:
AMEN COACH MAJORS! Majors and Cafeo were Neyland trained to HATE Vaaaanderbilt, OUR VOLS need a little George Cafeo Vaaaanderbilt Hate Pep Talk, wish he was still with us!
VOLS COME TO MY HOMETOWN NASHVILLE AND KICK SOME commode-a-dore ARSE! Neyland hate of Vaaanderbilt, less we never forget!
No Excuses, just do it!
GO VOLS, WE ARE THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE!
hikerdude writes:
Just curious. Does anyone know what Fulmer's record against top 25 teams was during his last 5 years?
nocleats writes:
Wish they would let Coach Majors come talk to the team about the Vandy game. Maybe the Reviez Brothers could get their father to talk about how his position coach, Coach Cafego, got his "mean on" for this game. Faud could also tell about the cheap shot Vandy took at him in 82 on a kickoff when 2 players went straight for his legs as soon as he kicked off. This isnt just a game, its bigger than that and the players need to know.
VOLliven2it writes:
Yes we are now playing weak teams "kazoo" but we have solidly whipped, even wiped them out and have looked better doing it. So that is something. No we should never take Vandy lightly. They will be gunning but we are better than them even if not as much better as usual.
Kentucky is a solid team we will have to play our best to win. But this young team in Orange has come a long, long way and have a long way still to be back on track. I for one am going to enjoy this one and each win we have.
As for Bray starting all year, it's all speculation. If he gets in against a tough defense and has his confidence shattered early or gets hurt, we are back with Simms and it just is not a lot different except, he might not be ready to play now. The way the coaches have done it, he is very ready to lead this offense. Go Bray, GO VOLS!
OrangePride writes:
Wait a second here. "This should have been the year the East swung back to TN now that Tebow is gone and we missed our chance?" How did you come to that original conclusion given the defections, new coaching staff, and all these freshman in the lineup? From day 1, just about everyone knew this was a "rebuilding" year for this program.......and that means growth, experience, and a coming of age process...NOT challenge for the east championship. So, if it's to be the Music City Bowl, I'm celebrating (but we are not there yet!) along with many others. Two weeks ago we were left for dead, so for any bowl conversation to be in the discussion is reason to feel to good. We'll worry about Spurrier later. GO VOLS!
bigorange61 writes:
What really hurts is we should be 5-5 now. We had LSU beat had we not had the substitution debacle.
gatorhator4eva writes:
ahh, 9/17/11 cant get here any quicker. i see us with bray and hunter jumping all over the swamp.
CoverOrange writes:
I think he is lamenting the departure of Fulmer. "Miserable" is under the delusion that history repeats itself ad nauseum and Fulmer would have had UT in Atlanta this third year since the last Atlanta appearance. I'm sure he discounts including getting beat by Auburn or LSU in the game.
VolunTenMile writes:
Yet another gem from the KNS's Department of Redundancy Department!! :)
TNVol71 writes:
This team really does need to focus on Vandy. Lose to the Dores, and nothing else will matter: no .500 season, no bowl, just a long winter of "what-ifs". I have been a Vol fan long enough to see UT lose to Vandy late in the season, and it is horrible. Let's beat Vandy, then figure out Kentucky and go from there.
OrangePride writes:
And I'm sure you're correct that this is a Fulmer-firing hangover. All of these people who keep writing about the "Fulmer years" and our decline from grace and our current "mediocre" performance want to forget that we had 2 horrid years out of Fulmer's last 3. We DID NOT have a very bright outlook. A lot of top recruits NEVER panned out or, in a lot of cases, even play. Did I like the way it was done? No....I thought the way it was handled was a really shabby way to treat the man. But I didn't think making the change was unwarranted. Frankly, the program was not headed in the right direction and, without Cut, probably was not going to turn around. So we continue to build and we should ALL....including the Fulmer lamenting folks.....just try to support this team and this staff. I think we are climbing back out of the pit that Kiffin left us in. GO VOLS!
MiserableFloridaVol writes:
Exactly!!!
cooper65#432178 writes:
No way is this the year, the East, West, or Middle should have swung back to the Vols. That is totally unrealistic. Our freshmen are growing up now and next year looks promising (but we need a good recruiting class) However in Sep/Oct , the Vols were boys playing against men. Things are changing and hopefully we can close 2010 out with 3 more wins.
1Volunteer writes:
I disagree with that. Once LSU got the ball at the 2-yard line, they had us. Our substitution debacle was caused by the Tigers indecision, running players on and off. Our defensive unit had to counter every move they made, and it was crazy in those closing seconds. LSU had 3rd down; they should have spiked the ball then had time to set the play they wanted. UT would have set the defense, then whoever won the line of scrimmage would take the win. As it was, that is what happened after the penalty.
Don't blame the Vols for a "substitution debacle." Blame them for letting the Tigers get the ball on the 2 yard line. That should not have happened.
1Volunteer writes:
What makes that a better question?
tdvol1989 writes:
Now that is not a smart statement. What you mean to say is that you wish Bray had started this season and played this well the whole time. But, that wasn't an option. Bray had to make adjustments to the college level.
As soon as he was ready AND we got past the teams that could beat him up, he played. Dooley did the smart thing.
I am not one to think the press is always right, but we were picked 5th in the East for a reason. Winning out and finishing 4th is better than predicted. Get over the woulda-coulda-shoulda's and be glad he is playing now. We did not lose 1 game that we should have won. Yes, in hindsight, we almost beat LSU, but they are a better team than we are. Our day is coming and be thankful we are headed up instead of headed down like we were 2 yrs ago.
Smokey314 writes:
Vanderbilt is a very winnable game but they should not be penciled in as a win before the game is played. Remember last year in Neyland, they were very much in the game late in the 4th, until my man Wes Brown got an interception and drug the RB about 10 yards for a TD. That is one of my favorite memories as a Vol fan. If the team stays focused on their execution, hopefully they can put it away earlier than last year, THEN concentrate all their thoughts and efforts on the kitty cats and the bowl berth.
KingDanno writes:
I have the LSU TN game DVR'ed. LSU also had too many players on the field also when we were flagged. The penalties should have offset and the game would have been over. They didn't count the LSU players of course. LSU was at home and it was total bs. I watch every TN game from CA and we were robbed! Horrible calls. But, I am very pleased with bray and D Rodgers and J Hunter. We are going to be a high flying attack next year and the year after. We will be a top ten team again 2012 season. We may even be the beast of the east next year. Dooley is the man, GBO!!
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