The Inside Source

Posted: 10:58 p.m., 10/23/09

The Inside Source has moved to a different address, complete with a new look. Take a look here, at www.utsports.com/blog.

Jones making good on guarantee

Posted: 4:58 p.m., 10/21/09

After Tennessee’s loss to Auburn, Gerald Jones walked into wide receivers coach Frank Wilson’s office and made a guarantee.

“I said, ‘Be harder on me than you are any other receiver on this squad because I’m going to get better. I’m going to stay after practice,’” Jones said Wednesday. “I’m going to do extra work. I’m going to get better, and it’s going to show. I guaranteed him. I told him, ‘I guarantee you that.’”

Since then, Jones has been a man of his word. He’s stayed after practice throwing with quarterback Jonathan Crompton, most days for about 20 or 25 minutes, he said.

The results have been hard to miss.

Continue reading 'Jones making good on his guarantee'

Still competing in October

Posted: 10:26 a.m., 10/21/09

Since arriving at Tennessee, head coach Lane Kiffin has preached competition. And the Vols continue to live it out on the practice field.

Leading up to Saturday’s game against top-ranked Alabama (TV: CBS, 3:30 p.m.), the Vols listed four positions as up for grabs on the depth chart.

At wide receiver, five players -- Marsalis Teague, Gerald Jones, Nu’Keese Richardson, Denarius Moore and Quintin Hancock -- are in a log jam for two spots. Ben Martin and Gerald Williams, both of whom have started games this season, are still too close to call at defensive end.

Even tailback, where Montario Hardesty has been stellar so far, is considered up for grabs between Hardesty and freshman Bryce Brown. Figure on Hardesty getting the start there, but it’s still a point well taken.

“We’re not afraid to bench people and play guys if they’re practicing better and playing better,” Kiffin said. “We don’t keep playing the same guys because we’re supposed to.

“Your players feel that. They feel new guys stepping up. They feel guys go into the game and get plays because of how they practice. I think that’s how you breed competition and keep that going.”

Berry named Lott quarterfinalist

Posted: 7:22 p.m., 10/20/09

In perhaps the least shocking news of the season, Tennessee All-American safety Eric Berry is on the list of 20 quarterfinalists for the Lott Trophy.

Berry, a consensus All-American last year, is one of eight defensive backs on the quarterfinalists list. Six linebackers and six defensive linemen made the cut as well.

Berry was a quarterfinalist for the Lott Trophy last year. He was also a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award and a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.

This year's Lott Trophy emifinalists will be announced Nov. 3 and four finalists Nov. 24.

The Lott Trophy, named after Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott, is awarded to college football’s Defensive Impact Player of the Year.

Now in its sixth year, the Lott Trophy is the first college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player.

Sponsored by The Pacific Club Impact Foundation in Newport Beach, Calif., the award is given to the player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity.

Baseball updates

Posted: 4:27 p.m., 10/20/09

The baseball team, as well as other UT teams, will participate in the Light the Night Walk on campus next Thursday, Oct. 29.

The Vols have helped raise $15,000 in the last two years for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Click here to contribute to the team’s fundraising goal, or donate at any of the remaining Orange and White World Series games.

And if you're interested in reading more about the Vols baseball team, check out Matt Duffy's post on High Heat, where several UT baseball players will be blogging throughout the year.

Change up for Vols' offense

Posted: 1:50 p.m., 10/20/09

So far this season, the Vols have seen plenty of opponents run some version of the option. Now they’ll see the defensive equivalent.

Facing No. 1 Alabama on Saturday, Tennessee’s offense will have to contend with a 3-4 look up front from the Tide, something it’s not used to seeing that often.

“For not seeing very much of it, it is very different. Totally different,” UT coach Lane Kiffin said. “It’s not just because of where they line up. It’s the scheme that they play with and the style that they play with. It’s always been hard for people to transfer that in one week of practice.

“It’s like playing the option on defense.”

Just like a spread option offense, Alabama’s defense has put up a lot of gaudy numbers, too.

Through seven games, opponents are averaging just 2.2 yards per carry and 63.3 yards rushing per game. And while the Tide has the sixth-ranked pass defense in the SEC in terms of yardage allowed, they’re one of only two teams in the conference against which opposing passers have completed less than 50 percent of throws.

If that’s not scary, enough, Alabama has forced 10 interceptions this season and leads the SEC in sacks.

The Tide gets plenty of contributions from plenty of big players like linebacker Rolando McClain. Donte' Hightower was big, too, before he was injured. And another big reason is Alabama’s biggest defender.

At 6-foot-5, 365 pounds, nose guard Terrence Cody is tailor made for Alabama’s 3-4 scheme. And his biggest impact isn’t rushing the quarterback or bringing down the ball carrier, it’s his ability to play two gaps at once like some of the NFL’s best defensive linemen.

“Classic 3-4 front nose tackle,” Kiffin said. “They cause you a ton of issues. This is a Ted Washington-type of guy. These guys are just unmovable. Over the last 10 years a lot of good 3-4 defenses in the NFL, that’s what they’ve drafted. Vince Wilfork. This is one of those guys.”

Assistant coach ties 'overrated,' Kiffin says

Posted: 7:34 p.m., 10/19/09

For the second time this season, a Tennessee coach will be facing his former employer.

UT linebackers coach Lance Thompson left Alabama’s staff last season to join Lane Kiffin in Knoxville. And while Thompson recruited many of the Tide’s players and knows Nick Saban’s defense, it’s not as big of a factor as most people think.

“I think that’s a little overrated. We had Eddie Gran, and we lost to Auburn,” Kiffin said.

By the time Saturday rolls around, most coaches have a feel for what an opponent wants to do on both sides of the field and tendencies out of certain formations. That’s what watching all that film is for. The real challenge comes in stopping it on the field.

“We get paid to coach,” Kiffin said. “We get paid to watch a lot of film, stay here a long time to figure out what people do. I don’t think it helps that much.”

Getting to know Alabama

Posted: 2:15 p.m., 10/19/09

Tennessee will face a top-ranked Alabama team on Saturday for the third time in school history on Saturday.

Check out this week's Scouting Report for a quick primer on the Tide.

Older Entries