Tennessee's special teams haven't exactly been stellar this season.
Shock of all shocks, right?
"We're not very good in special teams," UT coach Lane Kiffin said. "I don't think that's a surprise to anybody, and it's killing us."
There are plenty of front-line players who contribute. Eric Berry, Janzen Jackson, Denarius Moore, Dennis Rogan - all of them have pulled special teams duty this season. But one of the reasons, according to Kiffin, is the Vols' lack of depth.
"We have to continue to recruit great depth and great players," he said. "You can't miss on any. You start missing on five, six guys every year, four classes, that's 24 guys right there sitting there that maybe can't play at this level. Special teams will always have to do with the bottom of your recruiting classes, recruiting really good players and not missing on guys."
Signing Day isn't until February, but the Vols will focus on a few short-term solutions in the meantime.
Last week against Alabama, punter Chad Cunningham altered his style, kicking lower line drives to limit Javier Arenas' chances for a return.
And personnel will continue to be shuffled, especially on field goal protection. Watch for a few bigger bodies up front - like defensive tackles Dan Williams or Montori Hughes - in the future.
Kicker Daniel Lincoln, meanwhile, is wait-and-see for Saturday's game after straining his quadriceps muscle in practice. He did not kick at practice on Tuesday, and he will be evaluated throughout the week.
Kudos for the coaching staff...the entire team looks more prepared/better caoched versus last year. Too bad about Daniel Lincoln...fans were unaware of his injury prior to AL game. Still, the future looks rosy with this staff. Good luck against USC Cocks!
How many recruits will Tennessee be able to sign this Feb.?
They need to put Eric Berry & Dennis Rogan on the return team, they would give us a great chance for a Touchdown on the kick return or punt return.
That's not a bad idea on Berry, but I don't think we'll see him back there.
And Rogan looked pretty good back there on punt returns last week against Alabama.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for commenting.
- Drew