University of Tennessee Athletics
Lofty Preseason Rankings--A New-Era Blessing
July 22, 2005 | Football
July 22, 2005
While we're not disposed to count our chickens prematurely, the Tennessee Vols' season-opening rank as a top-10 team doesn't bother us one bit.
In fact, while it's way too early to break out the champagne, the Orange and White's standing among college football's elite could develop into cause for celebration.
Especially after what happened to Auburn last season. All the 2004 Tigers did as one of the Southeastern Conference's best teams in years was plow through their rugged schedule unbeaten ... and then when the pairings for the BCS championship game were revealed, find themselves assigned elsewhere.
The Tigers' problem? They were ranked seventeenth preseason and couldn't dislodge Southern California and Oklahoma from the hold they had maintained on the top two spots in the polls dating back all the way to August.
Tennessee has no comparable problem. The thrashing the Vols gave Texas A&M in the SBC Cotton Bowl, combined with a media-acclaimed recruiting haul second to none, has lifted UT into consideration as a national title contender.
As a practical matter - giving his team a shot at the all-important BCS golden crown - Phillip Fulmer welcomes the opportune positioning the rankings provide. But as a cautious veteran of 14 years as a head coach in the pressure-packed SEC, Fulmer knows with certainty that acclaim at this point is unearned and unwarranted.
UAB will be a tough opening test for the Vols. Or, perhaps more to the point, for the doctors and trainers who are counting on summer rehab to restore health to the inordinate number of players sidelined in spring practice.
The schedule-maker showed no kindness when he dispatched the Vols to Florida and LSU on successive Saturdays in September. But, as everybody understands, the path to the championship of the SEC has never been strewn with roses for anybody, Tennessee included.
Fulmer and his Vols, eight-deep in returning starters on offense and seven-deep on defense, know the challenge, and they know the rewards.
"We have a chance to be a good football team" is about as far as Fulmer will go in assessing the prospects.
Tennessee has the coaches and players. How far they will progress toward winning a championship that is considered within range will depend on how successfully the pieces can be brought together. Factored in, also, will be the strength and will of 11 talented opponents, although Vols fans don't usually like to bring that little matter into the equation.
By Haywood Harris
TENNESSEE TO OPEN 2005 SEASON AGAINST UAB SEPT. 3
Tennessee kicks off its 109th season of varsity football Sept. 3 versus UAB at Neyland Stadium at 12:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on JP Sports. The Vols and Blazers have only one previous gridiron meeting, which was a 37-13 Tennessee homecoming victory Nov. 7, 1998 (UT was ranked No. 2 at the time and went on to win the national championship).Vols head coach Phillip Fulmer is 11-1 versus current members of Conference USA. Four Vols are natives of the state of Alabama, including Jason Allen, Wes Brown, Arron Sears and Jayson Swain.
10 VOLS GARNER COACHES' PRESEASON ALL-SEC ACCLAIM
Four Tennessee Volunteers--tailback Gerald Riggs Jr., offensive lineman Arron Sears, defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona and defensive back Jason Allen--garnered first-team Preseason All-Southeastern Conference honors as voted on by the league coaches.Tennessee ranked third in the SEC with 10 total players named to the three teams, while UT's four first-team selections trailed only Auburn's six.
A pair of Vols offensive linemen made the second and third teams, respectively, in Cody Douglas and Rob Smith. Defensive end Parys Haralson and linebackers Kevin Simon and Omar Gaither were each placed on the second-team defense. Placekicker James Wilhoit earned second-team special teams recognition.
HARALSON NAMED TO HENDRICKS AWARD WATCH LIST
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A native of Flora, Miss., Haralson is two-time Tennessee co-captain who tallied 43 tackles, seven sacks and 21 QB hurries as a junior last season. He has 30 career TFLs and 12.5 sacks to his credit.
MAHELONA TABBED FOR OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LIST
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The Outland Trophy has been awarded to the best interior offensive or defensive lineman in college football since 1946. The winner is selected by the FWAA's All-America Committee, which selects the association's 25-man team and picks three Outland Trophy finalists.
Tennessee's former Outland Trophy winners include Steve DeLong (1964) and John Henderson (2000). Henderson was also a finalist in 2001.
ALLEN, MAHELONA ON NAGURSKI AND LOTT WATCH LISTS
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Awarded to the best defensive player in college football, the Nagurski Trophy has been a staple of the FWAA's awards since 1993. It is sponsored by the Charlotte Touchdown Club.
Former Vols Al Wilson and John Henderson were finalists for the Nagurski Trophy in 1998 and 2000, respectively. Former linebacker Kevin Burnett was on the Watch List last season.
The Lott Trophy -- named after Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott -- goes to the college defensive player of the year who has the biggest IMPACT (Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity) both on and off the field. Last year marked the award's inaugural season. It is sponsored by the IMPACT Foundation of The Pacific Club.
TENNESSEE BOASTS TRIO OF PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAS
Three different Vols earned 15 preseason All-America honors from at least one publication.DB Jason Allen - Athlon, CBSsportline.com, Lindy's (2nd), Nationalchamps.net, Playboy, Street & Smith's
DE Parys Haralson - Athlon (2nd), Sporting News (2nd)
DT Jesse Mahelona - Athlon, Blue Ribbon, Lindy's, Nationalchamps.net, Playboy, Sporting News, Street & Smith's
VOLS EARN PRAISE IN 59th ANNUAL BIRMINGHAM NEWS SEC FOOTBALL PREVIEW
Tennessee is rated first in "overall football strength" among all SEC teams in the 59th annual Birmingham News SEC Football Preview, as voted on by the league's 12 sports information directors. The Vols received eight first-place votes for overall football strength. UT was also picked to repeat as SEC Eastern Division champion.In addition, senior linebacker Kevin Simon was voted the conference's most underrated player, senior defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona was voted the league's best defensive lineman, senior defensive back Jason Allen was voted the league's top cornerback and junior kicker James Wilhoit was tabbed as the SEC's top placekicker.
Tailback Gerald Riggs Jr. was selected as the SEC's second-best Heisman candidate, and quarterback Erik Ainge and inside linebacker Simon were voted the second-best players at their respective positions.
QUARTERBACKS
The Vols return two signal-callers who boast starting experience from a season ago ... Sophomore Erik Ainge set a new UT freshman record by throwing 17 TD passes in 2004, while senior Rick Clausen stepped into the starter's role late last season and led Tennessee to the SEC Championship Game and a 38-7 rout over Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl ... Vols fans will also closely follow the progress of talented incoming freshman Jonathan Crompton as he shows off his skills in preseason drills.TAILBACKS
Gifted senior tailback Gerald Riggs Jr. compiled more than 1,100 rushing yards last season despite splitting carries with the departed Cedric Houston ... Riggs now appears primed to shoulder the load as UT's "showcase" back and maintain the impressive 5.7 yards-per-carry average he posted as a junior ... Redshirt freshman Arian Foster earned praise during spring practice and will serve alongside JaKouri Williams and David Yancey in a backup role.WIDE RECEIVERS
Tennessee returns four receivers who tallied at least three TD catches and averaged more than 13 yards per catch in 2004 ... Sophomore standout Robert Meachem averaged a team-best 18.4 yards per reception last season ... Senior C.J. Fayton racked up 94 yards and one TD during UT's Cotton Bowl win over Texas A&M ... Bret Smith led the Vols with five TD receptions a season ago, and Jayson Swain's 29 receptions in 2004 are more than any other returning wideout ... Senior Chris Hannon has nine career TDs to his credit ... With little to no experience to their collective credit, backups Casey Woods, Bill Grimes and a bevy of newcomers also look to emerge as playmakers.OFFENSIVE LINE
The Vols averaged 4.7 yards per carry and netted 2,418 yards on the ground last season but now have to fill the void left by two departed starters (Michael Munoz and Jason Respert) ... Returning veterans and preseason All-SEC honorees Rob Smith, Arron Sears and Cody Douglas will occupy the left guard, left tackle and right guard positions, respectively ... Junior David Ligon emerged from spring practice as the starting center, but senior utilityman Richie Gandy will make a case for playing time while bouncing back from an off-season injury ... Names such as Eric Young, Anthony Parker, Ramon Foster and Steven Jones make the second-string appear solid.DEFENSIVE LINE
Tennessee's defensive front, in the opinions of some publications, enters the season as the best in the nation ... Preseason All-America candidates DT Jesse Mahelona and DE Parys Haralson will wreak havoc along the line of scrimmage ... Haralson's 21 QB hurries last year tied the UT single-season record, and Mahelona recorded a mind-blowing 18.5 TFLs and five sacks ... Senior DE Jason Hall has 50 career tackles, and junior Justin Harrell closed out last season by earning Defensive MVP honors in the Cotton Bowl ... Junior Turk McBride posted 13 "big plays" on defense in 2004 ... Sophomores Antonio Reynolds, Jared Hostetter and Xavier Mitchell will see action, as will heralded newcomer Demonte Bolden.LINEBACKERS
Senior MLB Kevin Simon is eager to lower the boom on opposing ballcarriers after sitting out nearly all of 2004 with an injury ... Fellow seniors Omar Gaither (92 tackles in 2004) and Jason Mitchell (57 tackles in 2004) are penciled in to start at the strong and weak sides, respectively ... Senior Jon Poe and junior Marvin Mitchell are backups at MLB, while Ryan Karl and Daniel Brooks should see playing time as backups on the outside.SECONDARY
Big Orange fans breathed a sigh of relief when Jason Allen announced his intentions to return for his senior season ... The Preseason All-America candidate has moved to his favored corner position, and will look to post numbers similar to last season's (123 tackles, seven passes defensed as a safety) ... Sophomore Roshaun Fellows appears to be the game-one starter at right cornerback, while Jonathan Hefney and Antwan Stewart occupy the free and strong safety positions, respectively ... Others sure to see action in the defensive backfield are Jonathan Wade, Corey Campbell and Inquoris Johnson.SPECIAL TEAMS
Junior placekicker James Wilhoit is still riding the momentum of his game-winning FG vs. Florida last season and is sure to come through with more clutch kicks in 2005 ... Freshman punter Britton Colquitt fills the vacancy left by his older brother and appears to more than ready for the job ... the elusive Jonathan Hefney is the Vols' No. 1 punt returner, while Gerald Riggs Jr. will field kickoffs along with Hefney ... Inquoris Johnson is listed as a backup returner for both punts and kickoffs.10 SEASONS = 101 VOL VICTORIES
Tennessee's 100th series meeting against Kentucky to end the 2004 regular season resulted in the Vols' 100th overall victory in the last 10 years -- a figure that leads the SEC.The Vols are 101-25 since the start of the 1995 season and assured themselves of ending this season as the conference's top team over the last 10 years for the second year in a row. Tennessee went 99-26 in the 10-year period that ended after 2003.
Florida sports the second-best record in the last decade, entering the 2005 season at 96-30. Georgia follows at 88-35 and LSU at 81-40. Auburn is 80-42 over that span.
Other SEC schools in order: Mississippi 69-49, Alabama 69-52, Arkansas 69-52, Mississippi State 52-64, South Carolina 49-64, Kentucky 43-71 and Vanderbilt 25-87.
NUMBER SWAP
Preseason All-SEC performers Kevin Simon and Gerald Riggs Jr. highlight the list of Vols who are donning new numbers in 2005. Simon is wearing No. 2 instead of his old No. 5. Riggs switched from No. 31 to No. 21.Other Tennessee players with new uniform numbers include: No. 63 Ell Ash, No. 47 Britton Colquitt and No. 75 Anthony Parker. David Ligon wore No. 99 during plays in which he was an eligible receiver in 2004, but that number now belongs to freshman defensive tackle Demonte Bolden.
VOLS TO FACE SEC-BEST SEVEN BOWL TEAMS
UT's 2005 slate includes seven teams that participated in bowl games last season, marking the most bowl opponents of any SEC institution. An eighth school, South Carolina, declined a bowl bid after a 6-5 season. In addition, Tennessee is set to face five teams with new head coaches. Urban Meyer at Florida, Les Miles at LSU, Ed Orgeron at Mississippi, Steve Spurrier at South Carolina and Charlie Weis at Notre Dame are all beginning their first season as head coach at their respective schools.NON-CONFERENCE DOMINANCE
Since 1989, Tennessee has a 60-13-1 (.818) record in non-conference games.
Only five of those defeats have been in the regular season (Notre Dame in 1990 and 2004, at UCLA in 1994, at Memphis in 1996, and Miami [Fla.] in 2002). The other eight losses came in bowl games.
Under head coach Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee is 43-10 (.811) against non-conference foes. Fulmer's home record against non-conference teams is a daunting 29-2, with the two setbacks coming vs. Miami (Fla.) in 2002 and Notre Dame in 2004.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
ShutoutsSince 1992, no SEC team has pitched more shutouts than Tennessee's 13. The Vols have recorded at least one shutout in three of the last four years. Four times in the last 12 years UT has registered two shutouts in a season.
Road Success
Since 1992, the Vols have been a successful road team posting a 42-11 (.792) mark away from Neyland Stadium. Tennessee has not had a losing road record (including neutral sites) since 1982.
Scoring Streak
Tennessee has scored in 135 consecutive games dating back to a 31-0 shutout by Florida in Knoxville in 1994. It is the second-longest streak in the SEC, trailing Florida's 202. UT's home scoring streak is at 70, while it has scored in 136 straight games away from Neyland Stadium. The Vols' last road shutout was handed down by Georgia in 1981, 44-0.
Interdivisional Excellence
The Vols own the best interdivision record among SEC teams, going 29-9-1 (.756) against the Western Division since the league split in 1992.
Super Bowl Vols
Did you know that at least one former Vol has played in each of the last 14 Super Bowls? Darwin Walker -- a graduate of UT's engineering school who also owns Progressive Engineering Group LLC -- was one of the Philadelphia Eagles starting defensive tackles in Super Bowl XXXIX.
