Tennessee falls to Vanderbilt, 85-76

The No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers were unable to maintain their lead in an 85-76 loss to the No. 23 Vanderbilt Commodores.

The Volunteers held a four-point lead at halftime but really had some serious defensive issues in the second half.

Tennessee plays an up-tempo style that promotes giving up some easy baskets, but giving up 54 points in a half to Vanderbilt is ridiculous.

J.P Prince led the Volunteers with 22 points, but was also assessed two technical fouls during the course of the game.

Wayne Chism was held to just 8 points on 2-9 shooting. His struggles from the field have to be a cause for concern.

Friday, January 29, 2010 at 5:50 pm by steve

Tennessee takes down Alabama, 63-56

The No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers picked up a big road win over the rival Alabama Crimson Tide, 63-56.

Tennessee has had its share of struggles and letdowns in the past against inferior opponents, but they took care of business on this night.

Getting off to their usual sluggish start, the Volunteers trailed the Crimson Tide by one going into halftime.

Wayne Chism struggled in the first half, but scored all 11 of his points over the final seven minutes.

Scotty Hopson led the Volunteers with 17 points while Kenny Hall added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Friday, January 22, 2010 at 6:30 pm by steve

Rocky week on Rocky Top ends with Dooley’s hiring

By Bud L. Ellis

Derek Dooley holds a law degree from Georgia. But after what the Tennessee Volunteers have endured the past five days, hiring a Georgia Bulldog to lead Rocky Top Nation is just fine.

Especially when that new coach is every bit the opposite of the old coach.

Tennessee introduced Dooley Friday night as its new head coach, ending a maddening week in Knoxville that started when Lane Kiffin bolted the school to take the Southern Cal job.

Kiffin, boisterous and controversial, did direct the Vols to a second-place finish in the SEC East in his one season at the school. But his brashness didn’t sit well with many fans. That didn’t make his manner of departure any easier to take, nor did the subsequent list of candidates who were rumored to be in the running for the job but declined.

Dooley, son of legendary Georgia coach Vince Dooley, went 17-20 in three years at Louisiana Tech, where he also served as athletic director. In 2008, he led the Bulldogs to their first bowl victory in more than 30 years, as Louisiana Tech topped Northern Illinois in the Independence Bowl.

The 41-year-old spoke of building a program with class and dignity at his Friday night introductory press conference in Knoxville, highlighting the school’s deep tradition, certainly a smart play to calm the orange and white masses. Dooley worked under Nick Saban at the college level (LSU) and in the NFL (Miami).

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Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 10:27 am by bud

Tags: Derek Dooley, Georgia, Independence Bowl, Lane Kiffin, Louisiana Tech, LSU, Miami Dolphins, Nick Saban, Northern Illinois, Southern Cal, Tennessee, Vince Dooley

Volunteers lose Kiffin, forced to scramble

The Tennessee Volunteers are in scramble mode after head coach Lane Kiffin suddenly left to take the same position with the USC Trojans.

Kiffin was hired by the Volunteers just 14 months ago and was in the process of rebuilding the program.

Many around Tennessee liked Kiffin’s brash style and believe he was quickly turning things around.

The story is quite different now with his hasty exit, as the Volunteers faithful want his head on a platter.

Many of the players aren’t too happy that Kiffin is taking off, but some realize that it is just the nature of the business.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 7:24 pm by steve

Reports: Kiffin leaving Vols to take USC job

By Bud L. Ellis

Need proof that Lane Kiffin’s entertaining stint as University of Tennessee head football coach is over?

His picture, and that of his top two assistant coaches, is now missing from the UT football web site.

Kiffin’s one-year stint in Knoxville is over. According to published reports Tuesday night, Kiffin is returning to Southern California to take over the Trojans. Kiffin worked as an assistant under Pete Carroll, who left USC last weekend to take the Seattle Seahawks’ head coaching job.

Kiffin sparked the Vols to a surprising second-place finish in the SEC East and a berth in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, where Tennessee lost to Virginia Tech 37-14 on New Year’s Eve to cap a 7-6 season. His season was marked by controversy, though, including several minor NCAA violations.

Kiffin, who spent his one season at Tennessee constantly taking shots at his SEC rivals – in particular Florida coach Urban Meyer – isn’t the only one leaving for the West Coast. His father, defensive coach Monte Kiffin, and longtime USC assistant Ed Orgeron, also are making the move to Southern Cal.

In six seasons under Carroll as a USC assistant, Kiffin helped push the Trojans to the top of college football.

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Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 9:36 pm by bud

Tags: Chick-fil-A Bowl, Ed Orgeron, Florida, Lane Kiffin, Monte Kiffin, Pete Carroll, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee, Urban Meyer, Virginia Tech

Tennessee falls to Virginia Tech, 37-14

The Tennessee Volunteers fell short in a 37-14 loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

The Volunteers greatly improved over the course of the season and were hoping to end their season with a big victory over one of the top teams in the ACC. it wasn’t to be.

Tennessee held strong early and trailed by just a field goal heading into halftime. Things fell apart in the second half, as the Volunteers were outscored by the Hokies, 20-0.

The high-scoring affair was not the type of game the offensive-challenged Volunteers wanted to develop. Tennessee’s defense was the backbone of the team, and they couldn’t hold up their end of the bargain in this game.

Quarterback Jonathan Crompton was 15-26 for 235 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The much-improved signal caller will graduate, leaving the Volunteers looking for a new quarterback next season.

Saturday, January 2, 2010 at 11:23 am by steve