Tennessee-Martin
N/A0-0
Tennessee
9th SEC6-6
Tennessee-Martin @ Tennessee preview
Neyland Stadium
Tennessee is a team in transition.
After decades of steady leadership, the Volunteers will be led by their third coach in three years. Little known Derek Dooley takes over for Lane Kiffin, who after one year bolted for Southern California. Dooley, whose only head coaching gig was at Louisiana Tech, is a no-nonsense disciplinarian that is expected to give the program some direction after Kiffin’s cameo season. It’s already clear that Dooley will put his foot down, but what remains to be seen is if he can vault the Volunteers back into national prominence.
The Dooley era begins on Saturday when the Volunteers host Tennessee-Martin. Right now there are more questions than answers. Dooley was 4-8 last season at LA Tech and compiled a losing record in his three seasons; Tennessee finished last season at 7-6 and is 12-12 over the last two seasons; several of Kiffin’s recruits or commitments left after his announcement; the Vols lost two of their leaders and best players in safety Eric Berry and quarterback Jonathan Crompton.
The Volunteers have only four starters returning on offense. Quarterback Matt Simms edged ahead of freshman Tyler Bray to win starting position. Simms, the son of former New York Giant Phil, didn’t look great in spring practice but reportedly has been sharp down the stretch. The Vols do have some experience at wide receiver with starters Denarius Moore and Gerald Jones returning. High profile freshman Da’Rick Rogers should contribute immediately. RB Tauren Poole, seldom used under Kiffin, is expected to a major contributor this season and could have a breakout game against UT-Martin.
Tennessee is very young, so much so that Dooley orchestrated a mock game to get players and coaches acclimated to what to expect in their first game at Neyland Stadium with nearly 100,000 people.
It will be a learning process for players and coaches, but they shouldn’t have much trouble with UT-Martin, a Football Championship Subdivision school. The Skyhawks were 5-6 last season and always field athletic teams. In 2008, they were tied with Auburn, 20-20, in the third quarter but ended up losing 37-20.
After decades of steady leadership, the Volunteers will be led by their third coach in three years. Little known Derek Dooley takes over for Lane Kiffin, who after one year bolted for Southern California. Dooley, whose only head coaching gig was at Louisiana Tech, is a no-nonsense disciplinarian that is expected to give the program some direction after Kiffin’s cameo season. It’s already clear that Dooley will put his foot down, but what remains to be seen is if he can vault the Volunteers back into national prominence.
The Dooley era begins on Saturday when the Volunteers host Tennessee-Martin. Right now there are more questions than answers. Dooley was 4-8 last season at LA Tech and compiled a losing record in his three seasons; Tennessee finished last season at 7-6 and is 12-12 over the last two seasons; several of Kiffin’s recruits or commitments left after his announcement; the Vols lost two of their leaders and best players in safety Eric Berry and quarterback Jonathan Crompton.
The Volunteers have only four starters returning on offense. Quarterback Matt Simms edged ahead of freshman Tyler Bray to win starting position. Simms, the son of former New York Giant Phil, didn’t look great in spring practice but reportedly has been sharp down the stretch. The Vols do have some experience at wide receiver with starters Denarius Moore and Gerald Jones returning. High profile freshman Da’Rick Rogers should contribute immediately. RB Tauren Poole, seldom used under Kiffin, is expected to a major contributor this season and could have a breakout game against UT-Martin.
Tennessee is very young, so much so that Dooley orchestrated a mock game to get players and coaches acclimated to what to expect in their first game at Neyland Stadium with nearly 100,000 people.
It will be a learning process for players and coaches, but they shouldn’t have much trouble with UT-Martin, a Football Championship Subdivision school. The Skyhawks were 5-6 last season and always field athletic teams. In 2008, they were tied with Auburn, 20-20, in the third quarter but ended up losing 37-20.