Vols’ new coordinator figures out offense’s strength
It’s curious that it took new Tennessee offensive coordinator Dave Clawson 1½ games to figure out that the Vols’ early season strength is a four-deep rotation at running back behind an offensive line that is more comfortable run blocking than trying to protect new starting quarterback Jonathan Crompton. The revelation of Tennessee’s 35-3 victory over UAB on Saturday is until further notice — meaning Crompton being able to complete anything other than a three-step drop — the running game has to set up Crompton’s hot-and-cold passing. At the start of Tennessee’s second possession of the second half, with 9:35 left in the third quarter and after Clawson was given smelling salts to wake him to the fact that the Vols could run at will against a UAB rush defense ranked 105 out of 118 Division 1-A teams, Tennessee gained 211 of its game-total 267 yards rushing in the final 24:25. The Vols sliced with Arian Foster (101 yards), they diced with Lennon Creer (93 yards, two TDs), they rocked with freshman Tauren Poole (43 yards) and they rolled with Montario Hardesty (28 yards, one TD). If Tennessee has any chance of hanging with Florida next Saturday, it has to be able run and control clock. In Tennessee’s current three-game losing streak to the Gators, the Vols have averaged a pathetic 30.6 rushing yards, including minus-11 yards two years ago in a 21-20 loss to the eventual ’06 BCS national champions. … Speaking of Florida, the Gators had an open date Saturday. In fact, half (Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Kentucky) of Tennessee’s eight SEC opponents have open dates before they play the Vols this season.
commercialappeal.com
9/14/08
