Big Orange ready to roll this season
High school football is in its third week, but it?s not officially football season around these parts until the Vols kick off their season on Saturday against California. Big Orange fans can?t wait to here those famous words, ?It?s Football Time in Tennessee.?
Pre-season polls have the Vols at No. 23, and in my opinion that might be a little high after finishing with a 6-5 record last season. They need to prove they?re a top-ranked team, and they can do that with a win over California.
Like last year, this year?s team has talent, but hopefully the Vols will have something this year which they so sadly lacked last season ? chemistry.
The Vols played with little heart and emotion last season, which caused them to miss a bowl bid for the first time since 1988. The offense didn?t click, and the defense ran out of gas on several occasions.
Tennessee and California have meet two other times in school history as the Bears won in 1977, 27-17, and in 1987 the Vols posted a 38-12 win.
Offensively the Vols have struggled over the past couple of years. Randy Sanders, who took over as offensive coordinator after David Cutcliffe left to be the head coach at Mississippi, never was able to get any consistency out of his offense, which was do to his predictable play calling.
Sanders? departure last season open the door for the return of Cutcliffe. Cutcliffe, who was in charge of the Vols? offense from 1993-98, saw his offense lead the SEC twice in total offense. Over that five-year span, Tennessee finished with a 63-11 record with three SEC Eastern Division titles and two SEC championships and a national title.
Let?s face it, Cutcliffe is taking over what should be a pretty solid offense this season. Junior quarterback Erik Ainge should finally live up to everyone?s expectations, with two years of maturity under his belt. Running back Arian Foster should be stronger after his freshman season. Foster closed out last season with five straight 100-yard games, something the Vols are going to need this year if they?re going to compete for another SEC title.
The Vols are in need of guys who can make the big plays at wide receiver. Robert Meachem and Jayson Swain have the speed , but they?re going to have to be sharp on their routes and be able to come back to the ball when Ainge is in trouble in order to be successful.
Defense will be the big question mark for the Big Orange. The Vols lost three defensive lineman, all three starting linebackers and defensive back Jason Allen. The defense gave up just 906 yards rushing last season but 215 yards in the air per game killed Tennessee last year. So improvement in the secondary and finding replacements to keep the running yards in check might be a problem.
The Vols will have to rely on an inexperienced defense, which will be tested early against a quick Bears offense.
Opening against a top-10 team like California could make or break the Vols season. If you win, then both sides of the ball gain a lot of confidence. But if you lose and give up a lot of points and yardage, then this young defense might have a long season.
One big advantage Tennessee has this year is playing its first four games at home. If the Vols beat the Bears, look out Florida and Georgia, there might just be another SEC title heading the Vols? way.