University of Tennessee Athletics
Vols Still Pressing Run Game
September 06, 2011 | Football
Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley had a quick and simple response when asked during his weekly press conference on Monday what Cincinnati may see when scouting the Vols.
"They're not going to worry about our run game very much," Dooley quipped.
The coach was kidding. Sort of.
Tennessee had some difficulty in generating a consistent running game in last Saturday's season opener against Montana. Dooley and the offensive coaching staff talked throughout the offseason about trying to establish a ground game early, especially to compete in the Southeastern Conference. Saturday's game, however, presented some challenges.
All told, the Vols had 128 yards rushing in the 42-16 victory. Senior tailback Tauren Poole had 24 carries for 98 yards for 4.1 yards per carry to begin his quest for another 1,000-yard season. Freshman Marlin Lane surprised a lot of people with his 10 rushes for 35 yards, but his 18-yard run early in the contest accounted for most of that total. It just didn't carry over to more production.
"That word commitment is what I thought we lacked in the run game, with the runners committing to the run, with the linemen committing to what they see," Dooley said. "We obviously have to get more production out of the run game. I really and truly mean everybody. It always starts with coaching. The offensive line didn't play as well as they're capable of. We didn't block on the perimeter like we're capable of at receiver."
Other factors contributed as well. Lightning delayed the kickoff 93 minutes, and a downpour soaked the field at Neyland Stadium, making the footing difficult and the football slippery for the Vols. Tennessee fumbled the ball six times in the opener and recovered all of them.
But Dooley didn't blame it on the rain.
"There were some fundamental problems," Dooley said. "It usually goes back to fundamentals. What the weather does is expose fundamentals. The weather doesn't cause it. It's poor fundamentals. Sometimes you get away with poor fundamentals when everything is perfect.
"I'm glad we saw it, and really happy it didn't come back to haunt us. If those had been six turnovers, it would have been a whole different ballgame."
Montana didn't make things easy, either. The Grizzlies' defensive line unit installed shifts and stunts that took the Tennessee offensive line by surprise. The Griz blitzed heavily, disrupting the timing of UT's blocking. And they presented a 3-4 defense during the game that UT's coaches hadn't seen on tape at all.
"It slowed us down a little bit," Dooley said of the surprises. "That's not an excuse because every team is going to come in and do some different things."
Tennessee center James Stone agreed that the changes by Montana's defense were surprising. But the Vols were trying to work on better communication throughout the game on the offensive line, too.
"It was probably because it was the first game, just trying to get a feel for things," Stone said. "We've just got to be more comfortable and be ready. We've got to be ready to get after it, even if the other team is changing things and blitzing."
Stone said the offensive line has its homework assignment as the Vols begin to prepare for a fast, shifty and veteran Cincinnati team this weekend. The Bearcats return 18 of 22 starters from last year.
"I think we need to work on finishing our blocks more and just be ready for the stunts," Stone said. "Sometimes we weren't prepared for the stunts. We'd be going the right way, but there would be a little hesitation. We've just got to get more comfortable and trigger more."
