University of Tennessee Athletics
2001 Outlook
March 06, 2001 | Football
2001 Tennessee Football Outlook
The 2000 Tennessee football season covered a large range of emotions for head coach Phillip Fulmer, his coaching staff and players.
Putting a young and relatively inexperienced team on the field for the start of the season gave coaches and fans feelings of uncertainty and anticipation. After a confidence-building win against a solid Southern Mississippi team, the Vols suffered heartbreak in early-season losses to Florida and at LSU, followed by a tough road defeat at Georgia.
Excitement followed in the form of a sixth consecutive victory over archrival Alabama that began a stretch of six straight wins to end the regular season and secure a New Year's Day Bowl appearance in the Cotton Bowl against Kansas State.
The 2001 season figures to be less of an emotional roller-coaster. Unlike last season, Tennessee heads into spring drills with experienced players at nearly every position. The Vols also return key players who established themselves as leaders a year ago and appear poised to handle that role again.
Those key ingredients have Tennessee aiming high. The Vols hope to challenge for a third Southeastern Conference crown in the past five seasons. UT also hopes to rejoin the mix of teams competing for a national championship, a position the Vols have become accustomed to in recent years.
Offense
Any recap of Tennessee's 2000 season must include talk about the quarterback position. At the start of fall practice, the Vol coaching staff knew it would be forced to put an inexperienced player on the field. The candidates included a sophomore, a redshirt freshman and a true freshman or as Coach Fulmer described the group young, younger and youngest.
By season's end true freshman Casey Clausen had emerged as the team's signal caller and a potential future star at the position. Clausen entered the starting lineup against Alabama and made a strong impression the remainder of the season, in leading the Vols to wins in each of their last six regular season contests. The 6-4 Californian completed better than 62 percent of his passes for a UT freshman record 1,473 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also showed the savvy of a veteran in leading the Vols to wins on their final drive in consecutive road games at South Carolina and Memphis. Clausen earned third-team freshman All-America honors from The Sporting News and frosh All-SEC honors.
While Clausen has taken hold of the quarterback position, an able backup is in place in junior Joey Mathews. The Sevierville native opened the 2000 season as the starter, but missed the next two games because of a knee injury and was unable to regain a turn in the rotation at quarterback. Although Mathews' game experience is limited, the fourth-year junior has an excellent grasp of the UT offense. Clausen and Mathews were Tennessee's only scholarship quarterbacks heading into spring practice.
In the backfield there are huge shoes to fill at tailback where Travis Henry's eligibility has expired. Henry rushed his way into the Volunteer record book over the past four years and finished his Tennessee career with a school-record 3,078 rushing yards. Last season he ran for 1,314 yards and scored 11 touchdowns while earning first-team All-SEC honors. Fifth-year senior Travis Stephens is ready for his shot at the featured rushing role in the Tennessee offense.
Stephens spelled Henry in 2000, rushing for 359 yards and seven touchdowns and enters his senior season with 872 career rushing yards. In 1998, Stephens and Henry filled in admirably for the injured Jamal Lewis and both played a key role in the drive to a national championship. Stephens missed the Cotton Bowl with shoulder injury, but should be ready for action this spring.
Stephens is Tennessee's only experienced scholarship tailback heading into spring drills. However, return specialist Leonard Scott boasts breakaway speed and has played a part-time role at the position, while redshirt freshman Corey Larkins will be tried at the position after spending last season in the secondary and Michael Brewster should again provide depth at the position. Fulmer ensured a competitive situation at the position in the fall by signing an outstanding group of running back prospects.
Senior Will Bartholomew is the latest in a long line of outstanding fullbacks at Tennessee. Like many of his predecessors, Bartholomew doesn't get the glory of carrying the ball on a regular basis. Instead, Bartholomew knows his main role in the offense is that of a lead blocker, a duty he handles to near-perfection. This fall the Nashville native will be a strong contender for the Jacobs Trophy, given to the SEC's top blocker, and could also expand his role as a pass catcher out of the backfield. A year ago, Bartholomew caught 14 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. Joining Bartholomew at fullback is sophomore Troy Fleming, who played in all 12 games last season. Fleming rushed nine times last season and caught six passes and his versatility could also earn him a look at tailback. Senior Thomas Stallworth moves from linebacker and will provide depth at the spot.
The Vols had a big turnover in the receiving corps, where seniors Cedrick Wilson and David Martin departed. Like Travis Henry, Wilson left a strong mark in the Tennessee record books and will be missed as a go-to receiver at key spots in tight games. At 6-5, Martin provided a big target and finished with a strong senior campaign.
Fulmer expects to field another receiving corps that will rival past Vol units, which has helped Tennessee earn the label “Wide Receiver U”. Leading the corps will be junior Donte' Stallworth, who has shown the speed to be a game-breaker as well as the toughness to make a clutch catch across the middle. Last season, Stallworth was second on the team with 35 catches for 519 yards and two touchdowns. He was on the receiving end of five of the six longest pass plays of the season and appears poised to step into the role of UT's go-to receiver.
Stallworth won't be without help at receiver, as senior Eric Parker brings ample experience to the table, having played in 33 games and starting 19 in the past three seasons. Parker caught 23 passes last season for 333 yards and two touchdowns and also returns punts. Senior Bobby Graham should see an expanded role and sprint star Leonard Scott could also figure in the mix at receiver.
Tight end appears to be in solid shape. Fifth-year senior John Finlayson is one of Tennessee's most experienced players, having played in each of the Vols' 37 games the past three seasons, including 22 appearances in the starting lineup. Like fullback Will Bartholomew, Finlayson is a key cog in UT's blocking schemes and has shown excellent pass-catching ability. An honor student, Finlayson has already earned his undergraduate degree and will play this fall as a graduate student.
Joining Finlayson at tight end is sophomore Jason Witten. The 6-5, 265-pound Witten began his career at defensive end, but switched to the offensive side early in the season and has shown enough skills to earn rave reviews from the UT coaching staff. Senior Ed Butler and redshirt freshman Courtney Rogers could also fit into plans at tight end.
The offensive line underwent growing pains and fought through injuries in 2000. While the unit lacked the consistency of past Vol offensive lines, UT still managed a third-place SEC rank in rushing offense as the line began to gel late in the season. Part-time starter Toby Champion and reserve Bernard Gooden have completed their eligibility, but the core of the line returns intact.
Leading the way is senior Fred Weary, who has experience at both guard and center and returns after missing most of the 2000 season with an ankle injury. Weary started all 12 games at guard in 1999 and moved to center to anchor a young Vol offensive front last fall. However, Weary went down in the season’s second game and had season-ending ankle surgery shortly thereafter.
In Weary's absence, redshirt freshman Scott Wells stepped in at center and started the final 10 games. Wells made drastic improvement throughout the season and will be a key factor in 2001. Sophomore Jason Respert saw limited action as a true freshman and could also figure in the equation at center.
At guard, junior Anthony Herrera returns after starting nine games last fall and should anchor one of the two spots. Weary could join him at guard. Junior Will Ofenheusle started five games at guard last season and should be in the rotation at either guard or tackle. The Vols will also look to Terriea Smalls, Reggie Ridley, Brad Hilsher, Victor McClure and Guillaume Dumont to compete for playing time.
Tennessee appears to be well-stocked at offensive tackle with the return of bookends Reggie Coleman and Michael Munoz. The pair made steady improvement throughout the season and give UT great size and athletic ability at the tackle position. Both players started every game last season and could become contenders for all-star honors this fall. Ofenheusle may also figure into the tackle mix. Big things are also expected from Sean Young, who missed most of last season with an elbow injury.
Defense
Undoubtedly, everyone in the football world has heard the axiom "Defense wins Championships." Tennessee must address a couple of key questions on defense, but in the end it appears to have the necessary components on defense that could help the Vols compete for a championship.
It starts up front, where defensive tackle John Henderson returns for his senior season. In 2000, Henderson had one of the most dominant seasons ever by a Tennessee defender, as the Nashville native led the SEC in sacks with 12 and had 21 tackles for loss. Henderson recorded a sack in nine of 11 regular season games and led the Vols with 30 Big Plays. His performance was recognized on both the conference and national level, as he became Tennessee's second winner of the Outland Trophy, presented annually to the nation's top interior lineman. He was also a first-team All-America and was a unanimous pick as the Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-7, 290-pound Henderson bypassed a chance to move onto professional football, choosing to return to Knoxville for the 2001 season.
In addition to Henderson, plenty of experience returns at the defensive tackle spot. Junior Edward Kendrick started all 12 games opposite "Big John" last season and will again compete for a starting job. Junior Albert Haynesworth has good potential and late in the 2000 season showed signs of becoming a dominant force on the Tennessee front. Another junior, Rashad Moore, played a key role on the defensive front until a foot injury forced him to miss the season's final five games. Sophomores Lynn McGruder and Chavis Smith also return after gaining valuable experience last season.
Tennessee has a physical and emotional leader at defensive end in senior Will Overstreet, who has made a strong impact on the Vol program for the past three years. Overstreet earned first-team All-SEC honors last fall and constantly harassed opposing offenses, leading UT in quarterback pressures, including a school-record seven against LSU. As a senior, Overstreet also figures to be one of the players teammates look to for leadership on the field and in the locker room.
On the opposite end, senior Bernard Jackson stands first in line to inherit the position left by the graduated DeAngelo Lloyd. Jackson split time last season and has the ability to become an impact performer in UT's attacking defensive system. Juniors Omari Hand and Constantin Ritzmann have also shown ability and will compete for starting positions, while sophomore Kevin Young also hopes to get into the mix for playing time.
The biggest uncertainty on defense heading into the spring figures to be the linebacker position. Playmakers Eric Westmoreland and Anthony Sessions, UT’s starting outside linebackers have both departed. However, the unit became more settled last fall when senior Dominique Stevenson announced he would return for a fifth year in the UT program. Stevenson is a two-year starter who enters his final season as the Vols leading returning tackler with 157 career stops, including 71 last season.
As the veteran leader of the linebacking corps, Stevenson appears poised for a run at all-conference honors. Stevenson also has experienced backups behind him in junior Keyon Whiteside, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against South Carolina, and sophomore Robert Peace, who played an increased role late in the season and was a special teams standout.
Westmoreland played a key role on the UT defense for five seasons, recording more than 250 career tackles, while Sessions became a big-play defender in 2000. The task of replacing that duo will not be easy, but defensive coordinator and linebackers coach John Chavis has plenty of talented players to evaluate this spring.
The leader to replace Westmoreland on the strongside is junior Eddie Moore, who made his mark as a special teams standout last season. Moore made 34 total tackles on the season, including 16 on special teams and also played a key role in the win at South Carolina after Westmoreland left with an injury. Senior-to-be Andre James also stood out on UT's special teams and boasts the athletic ability to be a playmaker at linebacker. On the weakside, both Kevin Burnett and Tony Campbell gained valuable experience behind Sessions. Both possess great speed and instincts, traits for which Tennessee linebackers have become known. Redshirt freshman Karlton Neal is also hopeful of joining the mix at linebacker.
With the trend toward wide-open passing offenses, a dependable secondary is paramount to the success of any defense. Tennessee has ample talent in the defensive backfield and hopes to use spring drills as a time to put the pieces into place before fall camp.
The secondary will look to third-year starter Andre Lott for leadership in 2001. A Thorpe Award semifinalist, Lott hopes to settle back into his natural position of cornerback next fall, after spending last season playing both safety positions. Lott started all 12 games at corner in 1999, but moved over to free safety at the start of last season, only to switch to strong safety just two games into the campaign. Lott, who has 18 career pass breakups, has excellent cover skills. His presence at corner should solidify the secondary.
The starting cornerbacks from last year, Teddy Gaines and Willie Miles, return for their senior years and should once again factor into UT's defensive plans. Gaines had 35 tackles and eight breakups last season, while Miles had 37 tackles and a team-high 10 passes broken up. The cornerback mix also includes sophomore Jabari Greer, who saw extensive action as a true freshman, mainly serving at UT's nickel back in passing situations. Mark Jones also saw action at cornerback after moving from receiver early in the season and looks for added playing time.
Despite Lott's likely move back to cornerback, three players with starting experience return at safety. Sophomore Rashad Baker moved from offense to defense early in the season and quickly became a starter, settling in at free safety. He started eight games, made 31 tackles and broke up two passes. Veterans Tad Golden and Steven Marsh earned starts last season and both have experience at each safety position. Senior Buck Fitzgerald played in every game last year and will bid for playing time, while O.J. Owens is expected to make an impact after missing the majority of 2000 with a shoulder injury.
Special Teams
Heading into the 2000 season, Tennessee' placekicking job was up in the air. By season's end, Alex Walls had taken a tight hold on the job and become one of the nation's most accurate kickers. Walls, who earned a scholarship early in the 2000 season, connected on 18 of 20 field goals as a sophomore, including hitting his first 14 attempts of the season. He was perfect on 39 extra-point attempts. Walls tied the school record with five field goals against Florida and set a UT record for most extra points in a game. His rise to success included selection as a second-team All-America. He was on the first-team All-SEC squad and was one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Placekicker Award. Walls also handled kickoff duties late in the season and could be called on to handle that chore again.
Fulmer is hopeful that someone will take Walls' lead and take hold of the punting job. The graduation of fifth-year senior David Leaverton, a consistent performer, leaves the Vols inexperienced at punter. Junior Seth Reagan and freshman Dustin Colquitt will get their shots to earn the job in spring drills.
Tennessee should once again have the ability to make a difference in the return game as Leonard Scott and Eric Parker will handle kickoff and punt return duties, respectively. A junior, Scott has already proven to be one of the top kickoff return men in UT history and averaged nearly 24 yards on 27 returns last season. Parker ranks second at UT in career punt returns with 94 and last season returned 35 punts, averaging more than 10 yards per return. Rashad Baker also returned punts last season and could be called on for duty in that area.
The Schedule
Tennessee's 2001 slate is very demanding, pitting the Vols against a formidable foe on a weekly basis in some of college football's toughest venues.
Traditional Eastern power Syracuse will visit Big Orange Country on the first day of September to open the season. Following that contest six of UT's next seven games are against 2000 bowl participants, including the annual SEC East showdown with Florida, Sept. 15 in Gainesville. Tennessee must also visit archrival Alabama Oct. 20 and will take part in one of the nation's premier intersectional battles of the 2001 season when it visits South Bend, Ind., to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Nov. 3.
