University of Tennessee Athletics
2007 TENNESSEE FOOTBALL SPRING OUTLOOK
February 22, 2007 | Football
Feb. 22, 2007
| After a season restoring their credibility as a football team deserving of national recognition, the Tennessee Vols in 2007 are targeting a return to their more accustomed role as championship contenders. The outcome of early games, including road jaunts to California and Florida, will determine where the quest will be directed. Will it be toward national honors or a lofty status in the Southeastern Conference?
In either case, the Vols won't be proving again that the 5-6 downer of two years ago was an aberration, an unwelcome intrusion on a program that traditionally ranks in the upper crust of college football society. Most of the ingredients are in place for a serious run at a championship, including the momentum that fired the Vols to a 9-3 regular season record. Even an Outback Bowl loss to Penn State could have a positive effect. The 20-10 setback in Tampa might prod Coach Phillip Fulmer's squad into a higher gear, the sting of defeat serving as a reminder that a dedicated effort between now and the season opener is needed to restore Tennessee to powerhouse rank. Missed opportunity will be a recurrent theme as gridiron historians look back at the Vols' 2006 worksheet. Of the three defeats sustained in the regular season, two probably hurt worst -- a one-point decision to 2007 national champion Florida and a loss to LSU that came down to the final seconds.
Fulmer, however, doesn't want to engage in a what-might-have-been fantasy rewrite of history. He and his staff, headed by battle-hardened coordinators John Chavis (defense) and David Cutcliffe (offense), are zeroing in on a winning start. They realize that awaiting them through most of the schedule are eight SEC opponents, each of which, like Tennessee, dreams of representing the nation's strongest football league in contending for the national championship. The Vols' chances of surviving the brutal SEC gauntlet and going to greater heights should be enhanced by a freshman class that could provide a quick fix for depth problems that might arise during the season. In the shaky -- at best -- business of judging recruits, UT's freshmen have been ranked among the most promising yields nationwide. OFFENSEThe presence of Erik Ainge for a final fling puts the Vols one-up on most of the competition going into the 2007 campaign. The most accurate passer in Tennessee history, with his 67-percent completion mark edging out such notables as Peyton Manning and Daryl Dickey, Ainge is masterful at finding the bull's-eye. He had two games in which his consistency was especially notable, hitting 15 straight against Air Force and 11 against Vanderbilt.
Ainge in 2006 had 19 touchdown passes, bringing his career total to 41. Only two Tennessee quarterbacks have found paydirt more often, Manning (89) and Casey Clausen (75). He was mentioned often throughout the season as a possible All-America candidate, beginning with his season-opening performance against California. He riddled the Golden Bears for touchdown strikes of 12, 42, 80 and 52 yards in a 35-18 victory that let the football world know Tennessee was back in business. A fan favorite because of his rugged playing style, Jonathan Crompton shapes up as a worthy backup to Ainge. He took over the signal-caller post in the second quarter of the LSU game, eventually racking up two touchdowns passes. The second TD, a 54-yard bomb, allowed Tennessee to enter the fourth quarter with a lead over the Tigers. Nick Stephens, redshirted last year as a freshman, rounds out the signal-caller corps.
Tennessee approached the tailback situation by turning matters over to a three-man committee consisting of LaMarcus Coker, Montario Hardesty and Arian Foster. Most electrifying to Vols fans was the fleet Coker, but it's each to his own opinion as to who was most effective. They were close to equals in number of carries. Coker had 108 opportunities, netting 696 yards. Hardesty toted the ball 107 times for 384 yards, and Foster, despite injuries, picked up 322 yards on 91 tries.
In contrast to the well-stocked tailback position, fullback is a place where the coaches need to develop some assistance for David Holbert. After playing as a backup to the graduated Cory Anderson, Holbert is the lone returnee who has accrued any playing time. In his limited snaps, Holbert has proved himself a gamer with his attitude, but what he lacks is a background of success. At 6-1, 250, he can pretty well match the dimensions of Anderson, who was 6-3, 255. Holbert played in every game except Alabama and Penn State. Things have reached a frightening state when a football team's leading returnee at receiver is a tight end rather than some wideout with flashy statistics. Chris Brown meets that description at Tennessee following the loss of almost the entire pass-catching brigade. Brown at 6-3 and 250 is a strapping tight end, a senior with three letters who is a capable blocker.
Last year he figured prominently in the passing game when he snared a total of 31 catches for 235 yards. Brown's 7.7-yard average shows Ainge sought him out when picking up first-down yardage was a priority. Behind Brown, Brad Cottam is returning. He, too, caught a respectable number of passes, 14 in his case. As usual, UT won't be sending Brown and Cottam onto the field primarily to catch passes. Instead, they will mainly be bearing the tight end's burden, which means blocking, blocking and more blocking. It's troubling, to say the least, but Tennessee is facing up to a situation where the wide receiver pool was virtually eliminated. Meacham's absence was caused by his decision to enter the NFL a year earlier than Vol coaches had hoped he would. In his junior year, he had 71 catches for 1,298 yards and 11 touchdowns, initiating the thought in Robert's mind he was ready for a shot at the play-for-pay ranks. The second and third best receivers, Jason Swain and Bret Smith, who had 88 catches between them, have graduated. Returnees with whom the Vols plan to build a supply of sure-handed receivers include Lucas Taylor, Austin Rogers and Josh Briscoe. Lumped together, however, they have only 29 career catches to their credit. Obviously, the same situation prevails at receiver as at fullback in that the Vols coaches must reach deep into the roster to find men who can survive in the merciless SEC. Among those with high hopes they can fill the void are Quintin Hancock, Ja'Kouri Williams, Casey Woods and Slick Shelley. With Ainge established as one of the most productive passers in Vols history, it's essential that Tennessee provide quality receivers who can keep the passing game a prime weapon in the team's offensive arsenal.
The loss of Arron Sears, who anchored the offensive line, left a gaping hole at tackle. The coaches will bear down on the search for successors to Sears and another quality veteran, guard David Ligon. To be sure, there aren't any established returning stars of the Sears stripe; after all, topflight All-America linemen don't exactly grow on trees. But Josh McNeil, a 6-4, 280-pound sophomore, returns for his second year at center and has the ability to become one of the SEC's rising stars. He made his debut as a starter against Memphis and gradually gained the respect of the coaches with his consistent improvement. Their judgment was vindicated when Josh was named a freshman All-America. Anthony Parker is a 6-3, 305-pound junior who will man a guard position, while Eric Young, a 6-4, 305-pound senior, brightens the picture at tackle. Young has been part of the starting rotation since midway in the 2005 season. Some other candidates for offensive line duty are Jacques McClendon and Ramon Foster, both seeking playing time at guard. McClendon played in every game as a true freshman. Over at tackle, the Vols need a replacement who can reach Sears' level of proficiency. The one thing Fulmer wants to avoid is a drastic drop in production, which means somebody needs to step forward. DEFENSEIt's obvious there is an assortment of problems on the offensive side of the field, but -- to not feel left out -- the defense needs to overcome some huge obstacles of its own. Chavis, UT's defensive chief, is determined the Vols will put up a tougher performance than sometimes was the case last year in such categories as stopping running plays and surrendering points. It can all start with Xavier Mitchell and Antonio Reynolds, a couple of seasoned ends whose experience and know-how should be the keys to applying pressure from both ends of the defensive line.
Both are seniors, and both have made some pivotal plays in their UT careers. Mitchell, in particular, recorded a doozey. He thwarted a two-point conversion attempt by Air Force late in the Sept. 9 victory over the Falcons. He tackled the runner behind the line of scrimmage in a play that was crucial to Tennessee's 31-30 victory. Mitchell had a hand in 43 tackles, including eight for loss, four sacks among them. He also inflicted a team-leading 15 quarterback hurries. Reynolds accounted for 37 tackles, including 41/2 for lost yardage. He was in on one sack. With little experience at tackle because of the loss of both starters, the Vols will count on Mitchell and Reynolds to bring their games to a sharpness that will set the tempo for the defensive line. Robert Ayers, Wes Brown and Andre Mathis are other lettermen who will likely play behind Mitchell and Reynolds, both of whose varsity jackets are emblazoned with three letters.
The chase is on to see who will win the tackle jobs vacated by Turk McBride and Matt McGlothlin. McBride in particular will be missed, based on his statistics from 2006, including his rank as the team's fourth-leading tackler. He was in on 11 quarterback hurries and 81/2 tackles for loss. The most experienced candidates for the starting posts are Demonte' Bolden and Walter Fisher, both juniors, and J.T. Mapu, a senior. Mapu returned to the squad after spending two years on a church mission in Texas and Louisiana.
Bolden increased his presence as the season moved along and recorded the Vols' only sack against Kentucky in the season finale. Fisher, who had two tackles for lost yardage among his eight stops, gives promise of developing into a topflight lineman with big-play capabilities. One of the goals between now and the start of the season will be to create some decent reserve strength and to toughen up the overall force of the front four in providing game-altering destruction. Other candidates for action include Chase Nelson, Victor Thomas and Dan Williams. For consistency, you can't find a better position over the years at UT than linebacker. Even with the loss of Marvin Mitchell, the Vols' top tackler of 2006, from his slot in the middle, linebacker stacks up as the backbone of the defense. Jerod Mayo gives every indication he can be an All-America who can rank with the storied names in UT history. Last year, as he registered 83 tackles, third on the Vols chart, he also had five sacks among his 121/2 tackles for loss. Jerod was a second team All-America as selected by Rivals.com. Twice he was named SEC player of the week in leading the Vols to victory against Cal and Alabama.
Mayo will hold forth at weakside linebacker and will join senior Ryan Karl to provide Tennessee two returning starters. A steady and dependable performer at strong linebacker, Karl had 66 tackles, including six perpetrated behind the line of scrimmage. The probable starter in the middle, where Mitchell comported himself heroically, will be Rico McCoy, a third-team freshman All-America and a first-team frosh All-SEC choice as picked by conference coaches. A two-year letterman, Ellix Wilson, heads up the reserves. Also in contention for playing time at linebacker, their chances to be determined by their development between spring and fall, will be senior James Turner, junior Adam Myers-White, sophomore Dorian Davis and freshman LaMarcus Thompson.
Leadership in the defensive backfield must come from Jonathan Hefney, a three-time letter-winner who is winding up a star-studded undergraduate career. He was the starter last season at free safety and could return to that job or he could be assigned to cornerback, depending on how the cards fall in the meantime. Hefney collected 96 tackles, second only to linebacker Marvin Mitchell. Where he stood out like a charm, though, was pass defense, an area in which he distinguished himself by nabbing five interceptions. There was a string of three games in which he recorded an interception. the first Vol to do that since 2002. His best outing came against Air Force, a close-fought battle in which Hefney had 17 tackles. Hefney alone returns as a starter in the secondary, a disturbing thought concerning a part of the defense in which one false move will result in six points for the opponent. Most likely, coaches will make numerous personnel switches in the months leading to the start of the season to offset the loss of three regulars in the secondary -- cornerbacks Antwan Stewart and Jonathan Wade and strong safety Demetrice Morley. Several players have experience, including in some cases time spent as a starter. Among those getting a close look as possible replacements are seniors Roshaun Fellows, Antonio Gaines and Jarod Parrish, junior Sinclair Cannon and sophomores Marsalous Johnson, Ricardo Kemp and Antonio Wardlow. Another certainty: Incoming Vols will get their chance to display quickly how they can help shore up a secondary that is sadly lacking in proven performers. SPECIAL TEAMS
Last year, Jonathan Hefney was a semifinalist in national competition for the best kick return man in college football, an award so prestigious it is named after Randy Moss of Marshall University and NFL fame. Hefney, who has been entrusted with punt returns, averaged 12.1 yards on 17 opportunities, placing 33rd in the nation. LaMarcus Coker and Lucas Taylor averaged 20.0 and 16.9 yards, respectively, on kick returns. The Vols hope they can squeeze more mileage out of their kick return game this season. Fulmer won't settle for anemic production again. |
