Dougherty's Diatribe 10-1

More of the Same:

Another week of Tennessee football yields another week of negative talk about a very proud and historic program. Tennessee will be a relevant football program again. The obvious question many fans have is can the current administration get this program back to that elite level or will Mike Hamilton have to make another big hire?

Many think that Coach Fulmer will have beyond this year to turn things into a positive direction. However, the possibility for disaster certainly exists at 1-3 and 0-2. Can this coaching staff keep its players focused while utilizing a similar motivating tactic that they were forced to use last year? How many times will the mantra, “It’s us against the world” work? Can you use that thought with many of the same kids two years in a row?

The first obvious thing that needs to happen is there needs to be a change at quarterback. Jonathon Crompton is a good kid with some potential to be a fine SEC quarterback. However, he is definitely not there yet. I know it, you know it and more importantly his teammates know it. You have to make a change to prove to the players busting their butts to win football games that you are doing everything you can to ensure that happens each week. Even to the untrained quarterback evaluating eye, Crompton does not feel comfortable past one read, there are obvious communication errors and there are big mistakes in key situations. It’s time to give someone else a chance. Crompton simply has not developed as many thought he would have. And that is the most puzzling aspect to the problem at QB for Tennessee, a puzzle to which Nick Stephens perhaps has the solution.

Roll Tide:

Nick Saban is earning every penny in Tuscaloosa restoring Alabama quickly back to National prominence. The Tide walked into Athens, GA and perhaps played the best half of Alabama football ever. 31-0 at the half? Wow! John Parker Wilson is playing consistently at quarterback, the run production is a huge weapon, Julio Jones continues to be ahead of schedule and the defense is very disruptive. And, this football team does not make mistakes limiting turnovers and penalties. Bama is for real!

So is Vanderbilt:

Just a quick word about the Dores. Vanderbilt is undefeated and sits alone atop the SEC East. They’re ranked 19th in America and host Auburn on national television Saturday evening. If that wasn’t enough, Gameday will be broadcasting live from Nashville. I know you all know all of this. I just had to write it to know that it’s true. Regardless of how Vandy finishes this season, Bobby Johnson has taken this program to a level it has not been since the Reagan administration. And, without any four star recruits. Impressive!

Good News – An Unbelievable High School Story:

I am honored and blessed to handle the play by play responsibilities for the Ft. Campbell high school football program on Oldies 1480 WHVO out of Cadiz, KY this year. Having worked as a sports talk radio host at night for the last several years, I have missed out on one of my broadcasting dreams. And that is to do football play by play. Well, since leaving WLAC radio in Nashville in May, I have been given the wonderful opportunity to do just that this year. And, I could not have stumbled upon a more special situation and special people at a school located on an Army base.

It’s a different world on the post. It’s a world that is very secure and has to be. You must show you vehicle registration and insurance as well as your driver’s license to gain entry. They’re serious about many things at the base including high school football. Ft. Campbell won the State Championship last year but the story of this school and the people that make this program go, runs much deeper than that. From the principal to the coaching staff to the stat man that is my color commentator, everything is truly about the kids. Many of whom have one or both parents deployed overseas.

These kids must go through the trials and tribulations of being a teenager and finding self while also carrying the burden of worry with them. Worry that their mother or father might not make it home. And some have not or will not. These are serious issues for a young mind to deal with, but I see first-hand just how much these kids are loved and supported by the administrators at their school, by their classmates, teammates and the entire community. And it helps immensely.

Joe Dubin at News 2 in Nashville was touched by the Ft. Campbell football story and did a wonderful piece about this program and this topic last year. CNN followed up with an interview of Ft. Campbell Coach Shawn Berner and his quarterback last year C.J. Croft. Titans Coach Jeff Fisher was so moved that he invited Coach Berner and the Ft. Campbell seniors to be a part of his coach’s show one evening in Nashville. Winning a state title last year was special for this program and this community, but the journey towards that goal helped the kids to continue to try to define self while also providing an escape at some level.

The underlying theme of that journey last year and this will truly help create special men. And that is the real goal. Coach Berner instills discipline and loyalty among his players which creates a tight bond between the kids and helps them understand what is also important in the classroom and in life.

Shirts were distributed prior to the season with the words “Back to Back” on them. Some, including me, mistakenly assumed that a brazen goal of back to back titles was displayed on t-shirts and distributed serving as a confident visible goal. Coach Berner told me during one post-game interview however that the “Back to Back” really means that each kid had his teammates’ back; that there was a responsibility given to you as a Fort Campbell Falcon and that the players must depend on one another to be successful. In turn, they all respect each other which helps serve to unite them as they attempt to attain the goal of another State Title. And, that respect for one another helps teach them to be responsible men and grow as individuals.

This year, the Falcons may be better than they were a year ago. Ft. Campbell is 5-0 and ranked number one in the state while outscoring their opponents by an average score of 52-10. They have playmakers all over the field, each of whom can score anytime they get their hands on the football. The offense is run out of the spread formation and is directed by a junior quarterback serving in his first year as starter. The QB, Antonio Andrews, is a developing talent who has five career starts at the position. My initial thought about Andrews was that he had special ability in the open field and was especially adept at making people miss and was very good at breaking tackles. I thought safety or wide receiver at the next level.

As time goes on though, I see more than that. I see someone who is putting up gaudy statistics while not seeing many fourth quarter snaps. I also see a player that works hard and is becoming a talented passer as well. Andrews has completed almost 60% of his passes while throwing 10 TD passes and only 1 interception. He is learning to go through his progressions and is very patient with the football often waiting until the last possible second to throw the ball allowing his receiver to clear traffic and catch a pass in position to do something with it afterwards. The kid has 20 total touchdowns in five games. You will see him on rivals.com before long. Antonio Andrews is a special kid who defers praise at every turn, and if he continues to be humble and continues to listen to his coaches and continues to work hard, you will see him running the spread at the next level. In the words of my sports radio colleague George Plaster, book it!

One additional side-note about Andrews – this kid is so unselfish that you will find him trying to play defense anytime the coaching staff will allow, covering punts and snapping for field goals as well as extra points. He says he wants to do anything to help his team win. And he is not the only one. This team is filled with unselfish players and unselfish kids. I wish I had more space to tell more incredible stories about many of these kids, but that would take a couple of hundred pages.

It’s a special team filled with special players with special coaches in a special community with one goal; back to back. Again, I’m blessed to be on the periphery of this fine program. The parents deployed listen to the games at oldies1480.com and you can too. Thanks for allowing me to stray from my usual topic. Oh, and if you would like to experience this for yourself come to the Post, go to gate 4 and see how truly special a Fall Friday night can be.

Review of Picks:

After another mediocre week, I am 25-14 against the spread and 32-9 overall. I was 4-3 and 5-2 last week. The ATS winners were Ole Miss, Texas, LSU and Kentucky. My losers were South Carolina, Georgia and Auburn.

This Week:

South Carolina at Ole Miss: Rebs by 3. How does Ole Miss respond to their big win in the Swamp?

The Pick:  Ole Miss   20

South Carolina  13

Florida at Arkansas: Gators by 24 ½. The Gators will be motivated to right the ship following last week’s inexplicable loss at home to the Rebs.

The Pick:  Florida  45

Arkansas  17

Kentucky at Alabama: Tide by 16 ½. How does Bama react following their massive upset of the Bulldogs?

The Pick:  Alabama 16

Kentucky 13

Auburn at Vanderbilt: War Eagle by 4 ½. Vandy is starting to get respect, but not in Vegas. This is the fourth time Vanderbilt will play as an underdog and they are 4-0.

The Pick:  Vanderbilt 20

Auburn 17

Northern Illinois at Tennessee: Vols by 16 ½. Failure is not an option.

The Pick:  Tennessee 31

N. Illinois 10

Thanks for reading!

Brent Dougherty

brentdougherty@comcast.net