VolNotes:BamaWeek vol.3

[orange+white=heaven]

Morning Nationals!!!

"B" Day approaches folks, weather forecast looks pretty good.
I'm ready to Rock and Roll......

Now, for the Notes.....

tfpOnline:Vols Hope To Stop Run Game

"Conservative" has long been a trademark of Alabama football. Those titles were claimed with a safe, steady dose of run calls and hard-nosed defense. Only once in school history — David Palmer with 1,000 receiving yards on the dot in 1993 — has a Crimson Tide player totaled four digits receiving in one season.

"They’re not going to change their scheme," UT defensive tackle Turk McBride said. "They’re a run and attack, straight-downhill type of team. They’re definitely going to do that."

Could it work for an upset?

Well, this hasn’t been a typical season for Tennessee’s defense, either. Coordinator John Chavis’ unit ranks eighth in the SEC in rushing defense at 129.8 yards allowed per game. That’s far below typical standards on The Hill, considering a Chavis-coached defense has finished worse than fourth in the league only once in 11 years.

"We haven’t gotten whooped that bad," Chavis said, "but there’s been times we’ve been knocked around a little bit in our front seven. There’s no question about that, but those times are happening less and less."

"They’re keeping the ball about 34 minutes on an average," Vols coach Phillip Fulmer said. "We just can’t let that happen. We’ve got to do as good a job as we can possibly do. Third-down-and-short situations are going to be absolutely crucial to get us off the field, because they create some of those with their run game."

"That’s going to be a big key — keeping their offense off of the field," Alabama center Antoine Caldwell said. "If we’re going to have to run the football, then we’re going to do that a lot. We’ve got to stay on the field and keep them off the field.

"That’s probably the best way we can win."

tfpOnline:Commentery:Off Week Helps Tennessee?

And then there is the Southeastern Conference schedule, which has oddly — Bama backers would say wrongly — given the Vols an open week eight times over the past 10 years before facing the Tide. Bama has earned such a fall break only once over the same time period.

But current associate commissioner Mark Womack, who oversees the scheduling, says it owes mostly to luck.

"It just happens that Tennessee’s break in league games has fallen on that weekend the past few years," Womack said this week. "They have the option of playing a non-conference game there or taking the week off. The next two years they’ll play Mississippi State the week before the Alabama game, so they won’t have that break."

"And in 2011," adds UT athletic director Mike Hamilton, "we play LSU the week before Alabama."

It wasn’t always this way. From 1976 through 1986, Bama never had a break the week before UT and the Vols had only one, in 1978, which produced a 30-17 loss. Between 1987 and 1995, UT had two weeks to get ready for the Tide on three different occasions and lost all three. Not until 1996 did the Vols begin to take advantage of their week off.

Bama, by contrast, has had two weeks to prepare for UT only three times since 1976, and has a 1-1-1 record for those games, though its 17-all tie in 1993 was later changed to a loss because the Tide played an ineligible player.

"I guess you could say it’s an advantage for Tennessee," Alabama AD Mal Moore said, "but I think that will change with the changes upcoming in SEC scheduling. Open dates are very important now because we have 12-game seasons and because of how it affects your strategy for scheduling."

Tennessee’s open date next year will fall before the Georgia game. Alabama — which has no open dates this year — will have an open week after next year’s Tennessee game.

"It came at a good time for us," Fulmer said earlier this week. "We had three or four key guys, Jayson Swain, Arron Sears, two or three other guys were banged up and had a chance to get well. Hopefully, that will be a good advantage for us in this ballgame."

Given that UT quarterback Erik Ainge has already guaranteed victory, Fulmer may be onto something.

tfpOnline: Austin Rogers Has Mono

Tennessee sophomore receiver Austin Rogers may miss the rest of the season after being diagnosed with mononucleosis, coach Phillip Fulmer said Wednesday.

Rogers will be sidelined for at least three weeks with the illness, which shuffles the Volunteers’ anticipated receiving and punt return rotations for Saturday’s game against Alabama. Fulmer said he is looking into a medical redshirt for Rogers, who played the season’s first three games before spraining his shoulder Sept. 16 against Florida.

"He’s had a tough fall," Fulmer said.

Foster’s role increases
Tailback Arian Foster is healthy enough to assume a larger role, both in the backfield and on special teams.

Foster has been working as a kickoff return man alongside fellow tailback LaMarcus Coker. The Vols’ hope an influx of backfield talent will boost a kickoff return unit that ranks 111th out of 119 Division I-A teams.

"Takes me back to high school days," Foster said. "It’s going to be fun to get out there and dance a little bit."

Extra points
Injured cornerback Inquoris Johnson has returned from last week’s visit to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and wore a smile at the UT football complex Wednesday. ... Reserve offensive linemen Ramon Foster and Michael Frogg have both recovered from ankle injuries and could help Saturday, Fulmer said. ... Defensive tackle Turk McBride said he hasn’t been slowed by a hip pointer.

tfpOnline:Feature On Tide's Darby

He’ll try to continue his string of 100-yard games against a team that doesn’t allow many when Alabama meets No. 7 Tennessee on Saturday.

"I told you, he’s back, man," fullback Le’Ron McClain said. "For those who were down at the beginning, he wasn’t going nowhere. He just had to get back into it. We got seven more games? Look forward to it."

Teammates say the lighthearted Darby changed his rushing totals by changing his demeanor.

He stopped smiling.

"I just saw a whole different side of him where he was just seemed (ticked) off," fullback Tim Castille said. "I guess he just decided to turn it up. Blocking there, blocking not there, I guess he decided he was going to get yards. He just didn’t look happy to me. When he was running Saturday, he literally looked mad on the sidelines."

Tennessean:Alabama Native Swain Focused On recovery

Well, Alabama week is back for the Huntsville, Ala., product, and he's toned down his approach considerably.
He hasn't even called long-time pal and Alabama senior tailback Kenneth Darby on the phone this week. The two go back to their Pee Wee football days and lived around the corner from each other. Swain has known Alabama cornerback Ramzee Robinson since middle school.
"People come up to me and say, 'This is the Alabama game. This is your week,' " said Swain, who's been slowed by an ankle sprain. "It hasn't sunk in yet, because I feel every week is the week to go out there and make plays."

Swain isn't guaranteeing how healthy he will be Saturday, but there's also no way he's going to miss his last shot at the Crimson Tide.
"I do feel like I will be able to help this team win," said Swain, who's combined with Robert Meachem to form the No. 2 receiving duo in the country (175.5 yards per game and 11 touchdowns). "I probably won't be 100 percent, but I think I can make some plays to help this team win."

For Darby, this is a chance to even the score with Swain. The Vols won in 2003 and 2004, but the Crimson Tide won last season.
"There's a lot of bragging rights in this game, just bragging rights between me, him and Ramzee," Darby said. "(Swain) always used to brag when they were doing well."
Darby reminded Swain more than once this offseason about the Tide's 6-3 win last season. That's despite Swain doing his best to be incognito whenever he returned to Huntsville.
"I didn't want anyone to see me," Swain said. "I went home a little bit for Christmas, then came back up here and started working for this season. For me, Arron (Sears) and Wes Brown, it's that kind of game. You don't want to go home after a loss."

Praising Alabama: Swain said the Vols will be challenged by the Crimson Tide's defense, which is allowing only 280.6 yards per game.
"They fly around and have fun," Swain said. "…If we don't execute, then it is going to be a rough day. They are athletic and can make plays. They have squeaked by a lot of teams, but they can make plays."

Have A Great Thursday VolNationals!!!

Go Vols!!!

 

[obxvol]

What is the bit about Ainge predicting a win. Did he say something?

 

[VolinArizona]

What is the bit about Ainge predicting a win. Did he say something?

He didn't predict a win.

 

[newjersey4vols]

Ainge was talking about the difference in their attitude between last year and this year. He basically said that last year they kind of knew they could win and this year they KNOW they are going to win. He talked about it's a difference in attitude. Well...Alabama had decided to take this quote and are now saying that Ainge has guaranteed victory for UT. I guess coaches will use whatever they can find for motivation. (Like teams need motivation for a game like this)

 

[kcvols1]

True. It also seems like the fine distinction between describing your mindset and predicting a victory is lost on the Bammers. Whatever.

 

[orange+white=heaven]

Ainge's actual quote....

"There's a difference between knowing that, 'Yeah, you can win' and knowing that when Alabama comes in, that we're going to win the football game," Ainge said.
"That's how we feel now. We are going to win the football game.
"That's the attitude we have, and we didn't have that attitude last year. We were kind of, 'Man, I hope we play good. I hope this. I hope that.'

It came from his regular Monday press conference.
In context, no, he did not make a bulletin board prediction.
Take a bit out of context, and one could make it sound any way they wanted...

Bama doesn't need bulletin board material, they need to stop our offense...good luck with that.

 

[tidwell]

"And in 2011," adds UT athletic director Mike Hamilton, "we play LSU the week before Alabama."

Looking ahead much? :wacko:

We're going to hear that Ainge guaranteed a victory quite before and during the game, I fear.

Wonder whot he #1 receiving duo is now? Before the bye week, Meachem and Swain were still #1...

 

[LardButtPhil]

It's ridiculous that Tennessee always gets an off week before the Alabama game. Alabama does not get a bye week this year and David Cutcliffe and Phil have had 2 weeks to prepare for the game. I could understand if they had a bye week before Bama every now and then but it's EVERY year. Phil and former commisioner Kramer didn't set it up that way did they ? And Alabama doesn't seem to care ....

 

[orange+white=heaven]

It's ridiculous that Tennessee always gets an off week before the Alabama game. Alabama does not get a bye week this year and David Cutcliffe and Phil have had 2 weeks to prepare for the game. I could understand if they had a bye week before Bama every now and then but it's EVERY year. Phil and former commisioner Kramer didn't set it up that way did they ? And Alabama doesn't seem to care ....

Did you read the article?

It wasn’t always this way. From 1976 through 1986, Bama never had a break the week before UT and the Vols had only one, in 1978, which produced a 30-17 loss. Between 1987 and 1995, UT had two weeks to get ready for the Tide on three different occasions and lost all three. Not until 1996 did the Vols begin to take advantage of their week off.

 

[tidwell]

It's ridiculous that Tennessee always gets an off week before the Alabama game. Alabama does not get a bye week this year and David Cutcliffe and Phil have had 2 weeks to prepare for the game. I could understand if they had a bye week before Bama every now and then but it's EVERY year. Phil and former commisioner Kramer didn't set it up that way did they ? And Alabama doesn't seem to care ....

Really now?

 

[GAVol]

Phil and former commisioner Kramer didn't set it up that way did they ?

Of course they did. We're all out to get you.

 

[HawaiiVol]

I'm still amused by their infatuation with our coach and doughnuts.

 

[TravisHenryCBlockedMe]

Did you read the article?

Like you need to ask. Reading is optional at Bama.