MrSEC.com » Tennessee

The Bowl Outlook With Two Weeks To Play

John — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:39:06 +0000

With two weeks to play, the SEC’s bowl picture is as blurry now as it was a month ago.

Florida and Alabama have been dominant and both have run away from the pack. On the other end of spectrum, Vanderbilt is the only SEC team already eliminated from the bowl picture.

The other nine teams in the league are still jockeying for position. With that in mind, here’s a breakdown of what each team has left between now and bowl bid time in two weeks:

School	Week 12 Opp.	Week 13 Opp.	SEC Title Game	Best Case Record	Worst Case Record
ALABAMA	Chattanooga	at Auburn	Florida	13-0	10-3
ARKANSAS	Miss. State	at LSU		8-4	6-6
AUBURN				8-4	7-5
FLORIDA	FIU	Fla. State	Alabama	13-0	10-3
GEORGIA	Kentucky	at Ga. Tech		8-4	6-6
KENTUCKY	at Georgia	Tennessee		8-4	6-6
LSU	at Ole Miss	Arkansas		10-2	8-4
MISS. STATE	at Arkansas	Ole Miss		6-6	4-8
OLE MISS	LSU	at Miss. State		9-3	7-5
S. CAROLINA		Clemson		7-5	6-6
TENNESSEE	Vanderbilt	at Kentucky		7-5	5-7
VANDERBILT	at Tennessee			3-9	2-10

We’ll dive into the prediction game at this point, but don’t go putting any money on these picks. My views are likely to change a whole lot come Sunday morning.

BCS Title Game (vs Texas)
ALABAMA, 13-0
Florida got the Tide last year, this year I’ll take Bama to exact revenge.

Sugar Bowl (vs TCU)
FLORIDA, 12-1
But I could see the SEC title game going the other way, too

Capital One Bowl (vs Penn State)
LSU, 9-3
The Capital One committee would love this matchup for attendance and TV purposes

Outback Bowl (vs Wisconsin)
Ole Miss, 8-4
I believe this is a year when the Outback will request a West Division team due to their better record

Cotton Bowl (vs Nebraska)
Tennessee, 7-5
When the Cotton Bowl goes with an East Division team, it’s usually Tennessee

Chick-fil-A Bowl (vs Clemson)
Auburn, 7-5
The Tigers played Clemson in this bowl just two years ago, but this one still seems to make sense from an attendance standpoint

Music City Bowl (vs North Carolina)
South Carolina, 7-5
How can the folks in Nashville pass up a game that was SUPPOSED to start next year’s schedule?

Liberty Bowl (vs East Carolina)
Georgia, 7-5
I think an upset Georgia fanbase will be seen as less likely to travel, thus the Dawgs fall all the way to the Liberty

Independence Bowl (vs Kansas State)
Arkansas, 7-5
It’s unlikely, but an Iowa State-Auburn matchup would be interesting here, wouldn’t it?

(UPDATE — I had a typo on my spreadsheet that has now been corrected… Arkansas is currently 6-4, not 5-7. Logic was right, record in table was wrong.)

Papajohns.com Bowl (vs West Virginia)
Kentucky, 6-6
At least the Wildcats will go somewhere south of Tennessee this year

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Afternoon Nuggets

John — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:48:36 +0000

1. Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun makes his weekend predictions here.

(Mr. Dooley takes his usual shots at Lane Kiffin and Georgia as well.)

2. Charles Hollis of The Birmingham News makes his predictions, too.

3. Geoff Calkins of The MCA has posted his picks for the weekend.

4. Tony Barnhart of The AJC has made his prognostications as well.

5. Finally, there is a chance that UGA VII will be laid to rest at Sanford Stadium in a private ceremony before tomorrow’s Kentucky game.

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Tennessee Headlines – 11/20/09

John — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:17:13 +0000

1. You know you’re not deep when walk-ons are having to step up on gameday.

2. Tennessee’s leaky kick coverage will be challenged by Vandy’s Warren Norman.

3. Eric Berry is one of five finalists for the Nagursky Trophy.

4. According to this notes column, Lane Kiffin had Daniel Lincoln kicking over tackling dummies yesterday… and the results were mixed.

5. Rico McCoy summed up the feelings of Tennessee’s senior class when he said, “It ain’t been pretty, but it’s been real.” In fact, this has been UT’s losingest senior class since 1980.

6. In basketball news, Tyler Smith is guaranteeing a championship in this weekend’s Paradise Jam tournament in the Virgin Islands.

7. Bruce Pearl is plenty happy to have landed one of the nation’s top players in Tobias Harris.

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Harris Picks Tennessee

John — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:27:24 +0000

Tobias Harris, a consensus Top 10 recruit has signed with Tennesee over Kentucky, Louisville, Syracuse, Georgia Tech, Maryland and West Virginia.

The 6-8 power forward attended Big Blue Madness in Lexington last month. He also made a surprise stop in Knoxville on Tuesday night to watch the Volunteers defeat UNC-Asheville.

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Sports Illustrated’s Fan Survey Puts SEC On Top

John — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:36:29 +0000

SI.com asked college football fans across the nation to weigh in on a number of topics in a recent survey. The fans responded.

Not surprisingly, the SEC ranked #1 in terms of the best conference in the land. The rest of the overall results are interesting — for example, most fans say they follow recruiting either “casually” or “not at all.”

The answers of SEC fans have also been broken down. Some of those results are as follows:

1. What is your biggest conference rival?

23.5% said Alabama, 17.5% said Georgia, and 17.4% said Florida. On the other end of the spectrum, more fans consider Vanderbilt to be a rival of their team than either Kentucky or South Carolina.

2. What is your favorite stadium to visit in your team’s conference?

24.8% said Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, followed by Sanford Stadium in Athens, Neyland Stadium in Knoxville and The Swamp. (Sounds to me like a lot of fans voted for their own home stadium ’cause most folks do NOT want to go to Tiger Stadium or The Swamp.)

3. Which school has the rudest fans for visitors?

LSU fans got 32.2% of the vote. Florida was next at just 19.2% followed by Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia.

4. Which school has the most polite fans for visitors?

Vandy fans got the nod at 37.4% followed by Ole Miss, Kentucky and Georgia fans. (So Dawg fans are both rude AND polite?)

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Around The SEC This Afternoon

John — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:59:49 +0000

We’ve still got the Mississippi schools to cover in our team notes, but first, here are some columns and blurbs from across the league:

1. It’s sad that some Georgia fans turn the UGA campus into a trash dump for each home game.

2. Travis Haney of The Charleston Post & Courier writes that Tim Tebow isn’t deserving of the Heisman in his weekly weekend preview column.

3. It says a lot about the depth of the SEC that the league should be able to fill all 10 of its bowl slots this year.

4. According to this SEC notes column, this year marks the first time Florida has logged a perfect conference record since their 1996 national championship season.

5. This by-the-numbers SEC column reveals that Urban Meyer has passed Tennessee’s Robert Neyland as the leader in all-time conference winning percentage (for coaches with more than five years experience). Meyer has won 80% of his league games… Neyland won 78.7%.

I guess it’s safe to say his spread offense has worked, no?

6. The Music City Bowl thinks it will likely land either Georgia, Auburn or Tennessee from the SEC and either Miami, Florida State or North Carolina from the ACC.

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Lighten Up, Francis

John — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:37:14 +0000

Just a quick note for a few of you who are getting way too bent out of shape over the statistics we post on this site.

I like to post numbers you might not find elsewhere. We use the Yards Per Pass Attempt stat a lot because many math-geek football fans believe it’s a good gauge of an offense’s overall success.

We use our own offensive and defensive efficiency ratings to show you which SEC schools are the best at scoring points and the worst at allowing points. Yards don’t go on the scoreboard, points do… which is why we like these stats.

We track the number of plays an offense typically runs between turnovers. Flip it and we use the same technique to show you which defenses are the best at forcing turnovers.

And sometimes we just like to have a little fun. Our “Fife Factor” ratings are a goofy little attempt to show which teams tend to shoot themselves in the foot with turnovers, penalties and sacks.

It’s for your enjoyment.

But sadly, a few of you get angry over the numbers.

So here’s how you can tell if you’re taking some of our more off-the-wall stats too seriously:

* If you take the time to send me an email about how I’m “cheating” your favorite team… you’re taking these stats too seriously.

* If you use the word “numerator” in a post on our messageboard… you’re taking these stats too seriously.

* If you get angry when you look at one of our rankings… you’re taking these stats too seriously.

We’re not launching a rocket to the moon around here, we’re just trying to give you some outside-the-box, interesting, fun, oddball ways to look at the SEC’s football teams.

But for those of you who are mathematically inclined, I’m more than willing to let you put your money where my emailbox is. I’m good with free labor.

If you’d like to doctor up your own digits, feel free to send them to me in a spreadsheet. As long as I can verify the numbers — and I think the breakdown is interesting and unique — I’ll post it.

As for the vast majority of you who seem to like our stat analysis pieces… many thanks and we’ll be sure to keep them coming.

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What To Watch And SEC Picks

John — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:22:42 +0000

ESPN.com’s Chris Low has posted his weekly “what to watch” column as we head into the next-to-last week of SEC action.

He’s also posted his predictions for this weekend’s games.

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Some Burning Questions From Tony Barnhart

John — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:11:20 +0000

Each Thursday, the much-respected Tony Barnhart of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution posts a list of his “burning questions” as we head into the weekend.

Today, he covers the following:

1. Can Georgia handle a little be of praise?

2. Can LSU get excited, or even interested, enough to win at Ole Miss?

3. Why is Alabama playing Chattanooga and why is Florida playing FIU?

4. Is Tennessee going to bounce back against Vanderbilt?

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Tennessee Headlines – 11/19/09

John — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:59:35 +0000

1. Likely to leave school early for the NFL, Eric Berry would be allowed to run through the T as a senior would. But Lane Kiffin doesn’t think he’ll ask for that, according to this notes column.

2. The draft status of defensive tackle Dan Williams has “skyrocketed.”

3. UT’s roster is getting way too thin at linebacker.

4. Walk-on Shane Reveiz is at the ready to help the linebacking corps.

5. Tennessee has become one of the SEC’s best passing teams.

6. Injured receiver Austin Rogers is seeking a sixth year of NCAA eligibility.

7. This writer says Kiffin must hand out strong discipline… or wind up “with the mess Phillip Fulmer failed to fix.”

8. Speaking of Fulmer, the former Vol coach says he’s got “something to prove” when he returns to coaching.

9. Kiffin said he meant “arrests” when he was talking about UT’s lack of “incidents.”

10. In basketball news, UT’s trip to the Virgin Islands for a tournament is a business trip.

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Lane Kiffin Teleconference 11/18/09

John — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:47:43 +0000

* Vandy is “a big matchup for us.” Vanderbilt has played Tennessee tough the last two times they’ve been in Knoxville.

* Dexter McCluster has “top-end speed” in addition to this small size and quickness which makes him tougher to defend. “I saw a first-rounder on Saturday.” Durability might be a question for him because he hasn’t carried the ball a lot this season, but he sees him as a tailback in the NFL.

* Tennessee will have to emphasize tackling this week against Warren Norman.

* Cornerback Dennis Rogan did not practice yesterday and there’s no word on whether or not he’ll play on Saturday.

* Stopping the run is “a very big key to the game.” Kiffin says his number one goal is to force Vandy into third-and-longs.

* “I don’t think the quarterback’s gonna be a real big deal in this game.” Kiffin said Vandy is a good run team and that they don’t pass very much.

* UT thought about moving Rico McCoy to middle linebacker, but that would result in a double-move. McCoy didn’t practice yesterday.

* Kiffin does not think Marsalous Johnson will go on Saturday.

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Kiffin Says Issue Wasn’t An Arrest

John — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:45:09 +0000

There will be two camps on this one, I assure you.

Last Wednesday Lane Kiffin went out of his way during the SEC teleconference to mention that Tennessee had not had an arrest in 11 months.

We learned yesterday, that days before that comment, a UT player had been cited for shoplifting.

According to Kiffin on a Knoxville radio station this morning, that’s the difference… citation versus arrest.

However, when asked about the arrest of three freshman (just hours after his teleconference), Kiffin said on Thursday, “We made it 11 months and 11 days without any incidents.”

So is an incident a citation or an arrest? Apparently it’s an arrest.

If you’re a Vol fan — Kiffin’s comments were just a straight telling of the facts.

If you’re not a Vol fan — Kiffin’s was intentionally trying to mislead folks by parsing words.

Either way, Mike Herndon of The Huntsville Times writes that Kiffin was right to boot two of those arrested for armed robbery last week from his team.

It will be interesting to see what — if anything — Kiffin is asked about these matters during today’s teleconference.

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Tennessee Headlines – 11/18/09

John — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:04:25 +0000

1. We actually start with basketball today due to the incredible statistics from Tennessee’s 124-49 win over UNC-Asheville last night. The Vols led 20-0 at one point and kept the Bulldogs from scoring a basket from the field until the 3:09 mark of the first half. I’ve never seen that before.

2. This writer points out that while other SEC schools are having rough starts against second-tier opponents, Tennessee dismantled their “upset special.”

3. Frank Wilson says his receiving corps is resilient and has character.

4. Lane Kiffin says it was “a very, very difficult decision” to dismiss two of the three freshmen who were arrested last week.

5. Several UT players say they back their coach’s decision.

6. It seems someone else has noticed that Kiffin went out of this way to say his program had had no police incidents last Wednesday, when in fact another freshman had been cited for shoplifting just a few days earlier.

7. Here’s the story on the shoplifting charge.

8. According to this notes column, Kiffin says that he’s been giving pro evaluations to some of his players.

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SEC Stats: Ball Security, Defensive Thievery And Turnover Margin

John — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:13:09 +0000

There aren’t many things in football that are more important than turnovers. They can stop drives. They can kickstart (or deflate) a team emotionally. And they can provide the turning point in a game.

For that reason, we actually look at turnovers using three different measures.

The first, is the old standard: turnover margin. Below you’ll see each team’s turnover margin as well as their current record.

Turnover Margin

Rank	School (Record)	Takeaways	Giveaways	Margin
1	Arkansas (6-4)	23	11	+12
2	Alabama (10-0)	20	10	+10
3	LSU (8-2)	17	8	+9
4	Florida (10-0)	20	13	+7
5	Tennessee (5-5)	20	16	+4
6	Vanderbilt (2-9)	18	15	+3
7	Auburn (7-4)	19	17	+2
8	Kentucky (6-4)	16	17	-1
9	S. Carolina (6-5)	13	17	-4
10	Miss. State (4-6)	19	26	-7
11	Ole Miss (7-3)	14	22	-8
12	Georgia (6-4)	8	22	-14

Observations:

* The four conference teams who have a +7 turnover margin or better are a combined 34-6.

* It’s amazing that Georgia has a -14 turnover margin yet still holds a 6-4 record.

Next, we wanted to determine which offenses did the best of holding onto the football. Our plan? Divide the total number of offensive snaps by the total number of giveaways. We call this stat Ball Security.

Ball Security

Rank	School (Record)	Off. Plays	Giveaways	Plays/Turnover
1	LSU (8-2)	595	8	74.37
2	Alabama (10-0)	674	10	67.40
3	Arkansas (6-4)	643	11	58.45
4	Florida (10-0)	664	13	51.07
5	Vanderbilt (2-9)	735	15	49.00
6	Auburn (7-4)	783	17	46.05
7	S. Carolina (6-5)	731	17	43.00
8	Tennessee (5-5)	677	16	42.31
9	Kentucky (6-4)	688	17	40.47
10	Ole Miss (7-3)	680	22	30.90
11	Georgia (6-4)	593	22	26.95
12	Miss. State (4-6)	680	26	26.15

Observations:

* The LSU offense hasn’t exactly been a juggernaut this year, but they have taken care of the football. Through 10 games, the Tigers have turned it over just 8 times. That’s a turnover once every 74.37 plays. Gary Crowton can at least be proud of that fact.

* As with Turnover Margin, the top four teams in Ball Security are a combined 34-6.

* How good might Ole Miss and Georgia have been if they hadn’t turned the ball over so much? The Rebels turn it over once every 30.90 plays yet are still 7-3. The Dawgs give it away once every 26.95 plays, but they’re 6-4.

Finally, we wanted to find out which SEC defenses are the best at forcing turnovers. As you might have guessed, we divided the total number of snaps a defense has run by the total number of takeaways they have forced. We call this one Defensive Thievery.

Defensive Thievery

Rank	School (Record)	Def. Plays	Takeways	Plays/Turnover
1	Florida (10-0)	593	20	29.65
2	Arkansas (6-4)	686	23	29.82
3	Alabama (10-0)	618	20	30.90
4	Tennessee (5-5)	656	20	32.80
5	Miss. State (4-6)	669	19	35.21
6	Auburn (7-4)	763	19	40.15
7	LSU (8-2)	694	17	40.82
8	Kentucky (6-4)	654	16	40.87
9	Vanderbilt (2-9)	771	18	42.83
10	Ole Miss (7-3)	660	14	47.14
11	S. Carolina (6-5)	697	13	53.61
12	Georgia (6-4)	654	8	81.75

Observations:

* Florida and Alabama rank in the top four in the conference in each of the three turnover stats that we track. No wonder they’re undefeated and headed for a showdown in Atlanta.

* Arkansas’ defense has given up a lot of yards and a lot of points this year. How bad might thing have been if the Razorbacks hadn’t forced a turnover once every 29.82 plays?

* Ditto for 4-6 Mississippi State and 5-5 Tennessee. Without forced takeaways, you have to think that both teams would be even farther down the SEC’s standings.

* Georgia takes the ball from its opponents just once every 81.75 plays. That’s less than one takeaway per game (with the average snap count being between 60 and 65). In fact, South Carolina ranks 11th in the Defensive Thievery yet they force a turnover in about 30 fewer plays than the Bulldogs.

(Notes — These statistics DO include numbers from all games, not just in-conference battles. If you see a typo, please email me. It’s late and my eyes are going.)

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SEC Stats: The Fife Factor, Week Eleven

John — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:24:26 +0000

Those of you who’ve followed this site all year know that I like to bring you stats that you just don’t find anywhere else.

Like the one below.

Coaches often tell their teams that they can’t afford to beat themselves. Well I wanted to see which SEC squads did the best job of avoiding self-inflicted wounds, so I came up with what we at MrSEC.com call The Fife Factor.

Penalties, turnovers on offense, and sacks are all killers. They are the equivalent of Barney Fife shooting himself in the foot.

Therefore, to arrive at The Fife Factor for each team, we tally up all of a team’s penalties, giveaways and sacks allowed. We then calculate the total number of snaps run by a team on offense and defense. We take that number, divide it by the total miscues, and arrive at our Fife Factor.

Without further ado, below are the SEC’s teams ranked from best to worst according to their proclivity for screwing up.

The Fife Factor

Rank	School	Off. Plays	Def. Plays	Penalties	Giveaways	Sacks Allowed	Total Miscues	Total Plays	Miscues/Play
1	Alabama	674	618	54	10	9	73	1292	17.69
2	Tennessee	677	656	50	16	11	77	1333	17.31
3	Vanderbilt	735	771	52	15	22	89	1506	16.92
4	Kentucky	688	654	56	17	12	85	1342	15.78
5	Auburn	783	763	77	17	15	109	1546	14.18
6	Miss St	680	660	58	26	14	98	1340	13.67
7	LSU	595	694	60	8	27	95	1289	13.56
8	Ole Miss	680	669	65	22	13	100	1349	13.49
9	Arkansas	643	686	75	11	20	106	1329	12.53
10	Florida	664	593	64	13	24	101	1257	12.44
11	SCarolina	731	697	69	17	33	119	1428	12.00
12	Georgia	593	654	79	22	11	112	1247	11.13

Observations:

* It’s no surprise that Alabama has been the most disciplined team in the conference this year. The Tide shoots itself in the foot (does a “Tide” have a foot?) just once every 17.69 plays.

* It IS a surprise that Florida ranks just 10th in the league in The Fife Factor. The Gators commit too many penalties and allow too many sacks for an undefeated football team. I suppose that shows just how athletically superior UF is to most teams. They can commit a miscue once every 12.44 plays and still win every game they play. But what will happen when a team that often hurts itself faces a team like Alabama — that doesn’t hurt itself — in the SEC title game?

* Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Kentucky are a combined 13-18, but those teams do not beat themselves. Coaches (and fans) always like to say “we just beat ourselves today,” but in the case of these teams, it’s not true. These are disciplined football teams. In all three cases, injuries have played a role in losses, but not a flurry of self-inflicted wounds.

* Teams that DO beat themselves? Georgia and South Carolina. The Bulldogs have committed more penalties than any team in the league and only Mississippi State has turned the ball over more often than the Dawgs. If you don’t have Tim Tebow and a suffocating defense, it’s hard to win that way. As for Carolina, a league-leading 33 sacks allowed have greatly slowed down Steve Spurrier’s offense.

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More Trouble For Kiffin’s First Signing Class

John — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:16:17 +0000

It seems that Tennessee has had yet another freshman football player find himself in trouble with the law in recent days. Safety Nyshier Oliver was cited on November 7th for shoplifting at a Knoxville mall.

Oliver was spotted putting a shirt worth approximately $110 into a Dillard’s bag. He was cited at 1:45pm on that Saturday… just five hours before UT was to play Memphis in their homecoming game.

Oliver was removed from the Volunteers’ dress roster and given some form of internal discipline.

That’s four issues in a week’s time and all involved members of Kiffin’s first signing class.

He will appear in court on November 23rd.

A shoplifting charge is relatively small potatoes when compared to the attempted armed robbery charges brought against three Tennessee freshmen last week.

But once again there seems to be an issue with Lane Kiffin’s comments.

Last Wednesday, during the SEC coaches’ teleconference, Kiffin — with no prodding from the media — brought up the impact that Ed Orgeron has had on discipline at Tennessee.

He stated that Tennessee had not had a player arrested in 11 months. I can understand the bad timing of three players being arrested the very next day, but the fact of the matter is, Kiffin knew that he was fudging the truth a bit on that one.

UPDATE — A day later Kiffin said that his team had had no “incidents.”

So, he either:

1) Went out of his way to push a statement that he knew to be questionable in the hopes of making it appear that he’s running a tight ship…

Or…

2) Pushed a statement that was correct… as long as NO ONE FOUND OUT about the shoplifting citation.

Either way you see it, you have to wonder why Kiffin would make such a statement knowing that news of the citation would probably come out at some point.

He also made a similar statement this past Saturday on CBS prior to Tennessee’s game with Ole Miss. He pointed out that the Vols had gone 11 months and 11 days without an off-the-field incident.

Well, he was close. The program had actually gone 11 months and 6 days without incident.

Tennessee fans will no doubt believe this all to be much ado about nothing, but one must wonder why a coach would go out of his way to promote a fact about his program… that he knew wasn’t true.

On another note, November 23rd promises to be a busy day in Knoxville. Not only will Oliver appear in court, but that will also be the day Janzen Jackson, Nu’Keese Richardson and Mike Edwards go before the bench.

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Lunchtime Links

John — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:15:44 +0000

1. It looks like the SEC will land 10 teams in bowl games… and here’s a guess as to where they’ll finish.

2. This writer tries to predict where the SEC’s teams will land this bowl season.

3. Here’s another look at possible SEC bowl matchups.

4. The BCS has created a new role for an “executive director.” Yeah, now the system will work.

5. Consistently, there’s no columnist in the SEC who is a bigger homer than this guy. Entertaining writer, but by far the man most anxious to praise the hometown team, players, coaches, etc.

And in case you missed them this morning and last night, here are a few more links from right here at MrSEC:

1. Not using Dexter McCluster more hurt Jevan Snead and hurt Ole Miss’ chances for finishing in the Top 10.

2. Alabama and Florida are crushing the competition in our analysis of SEC Pure Defensive Efficiency.

3. Georgia has passed Arkansas at the top of our SEC Pure Offensive Efficiency rankings.

4. There are still a lot of questions, rumors and disinformation swirling around the arrest of three Tennessee freshmen last week.

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Tennessee Headlines – 11/17/09

John — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:54:16 +0000

1. Tennessee hasn’t played its way out of an Outback Bowl trip yet.

2. It’s pretty clear that Janzen Jackson still has a chance to return to Tennessee’s team.

3. Nu’Keese Richardson and Mike Edwards were given the heave-ho yesterday for their part in an attempted armed robbery arrest last week.

4. First-year assistant Eddie Gran has already interviewed for the head coaching job at Memphis.

5. Lane Kiffin says losing assistants is “a good thing” for a program. In this story he practically campaigns for Ed Orgeron to land a new head coaching gig.

6. Most folks aren’t happy that Tennessee’s trip to Kentucky in two weeks has been set for a 7pm (cold) kickoff thanks to ESPN.

7. In basketball news, if UT defeats UNC-Asheville tonight, Bruce Pearl will have recorded 100 wins faster than any Vol coach since World War II.

8. In their opener, it didn’t look like Tennessee had any more zone-busters than they did last year.

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Morning News And Views

John — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:04:13 +0000

1. LSU expects Jordan Jefferson to be back under center against Ole Miss this weekend.

2. Andy Staples of SI.com explores where dismissed Vols Nu’Keese Richardson and Mike Edwards might land, reminds folks of Urban Meyer’s forgiving nature, and points a finger at Terry Bowden who’s built a strong team at North Alabama using other programs’ castoffs.

3. Some SEC assistants are being talked about in connection with head coaching vacancies. In fact, Tennessee’s Eddie Gran has ALREADY spoken with Memphis about their opening.

4. Here’s who’s hot and who’s not in the SEC.

5. Tony Barnhart of The AJC believes it’s time to add a new human poll to the BCS.

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SEC Stats: Defensive Scoring Efficiency, Week Eleven

John — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:42:50 +0000

To go along with our offensive pure efficiency rankings, here’s our weekly update on each team’s defensive scoring efficiency.

As usual, we track only in-conference games to avoid skewing the numbers with stronger/weaker non-conference schedules.

To determine which defenses force opponents to work the hardest to score touchdowns, we tally up all of the defensive snaps run by each SEC squad, divide that number by the total number of rushing/passing TDs they have allowed, which gives us a simple plays-per-touchdown allowed ratio.

Below are the numbers for each SEC defense through Week Eleven.

Pure Defensive Efficiency

Rank	Last Week’s Rank	School	Total Def. Plays	Total TDs Allowed	Plays/TD Allowed
1	3	Alabama	462	6	77.00
2	2	Florida	458	8	57.25
3	5	LSU	404	10	40.40
4	4	Ole Miss	394	10	39.40
5	1	Tennessee	407	11	37.00
6	6	Vanderbilt	494	18	27.44
7	8	SCarolina	504	20	25.20
8	7	Miss St	397	17	23.35
9	10	Georgia	479	22	21.77
10	11	Kentucky	386	18	21.44
11	9	Auburn	480	24	20.00
12	12	Arkansas	403	21	19.19

Observations:

* Teams have run 920 offensive plays against Alabama and Florida. Of those 920 plays, 14 have resulted in touchdowns. In other words, .015% of all offensive snaps run against the Tide and Gators end up in the end zone. The SEC Championship Game in Atlanta will BE the national championship game.

* Ole Miss continues to be the best defense in the SEC that no one talks about. Even without Greg Hardy, their defensive line dominated against Tennessee.

* In one game, Dexter McCluster and the Rebels dropped Tennessee from the best defense in the conference to the fifth-best defense in the conference.

* Vandy’s defense gets no help from its offense, but the Commodores are still in the middle of the league in pure defensive efficiency.

* In the last few weeks, Georgia has climbed from the league’s cellar all the way to 9th in defensive efficiency. Don’t get too excited, they’re still giving up a touchdown once every 21.77 snaps (about three per game).

* Arkansas’ offense is great. Their defense stinks. This weekend’s game with Mississippi State will be closer than you might expect.

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SEC Stats: Offensive Scoring Efficiency, Week Eleven

John — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:18:52 +0000

Every week we tabulate the efficiency numbers for each SEC offense based solely on their performance against other SEC teams. That way nothing is skewed by a game with a Furman, a Western Kentucky, or even a Virginia Tech.

The stat itself is pretty simple: total offensive plays run… divided by the total number of passing/rushing touchdowns scored. That gives us a “pure” plays-per-touchdown grade for each school.

Below you’ll find those numbers as they stand through this past weekend’s action.

Pure Offensive Efficiency

Rank	Last Week’s Rank	School	Total Off. Plays	Total TDs Scored	Plays/TD
1	2	Georgia	414	22	18.81
2	1	Arkansas	392	20	19.60
3	3	Tennessee	386	17	22.70
4	4	Florida	522	21	24.85
5	7	Alabama	456	17	26.82
6	6	Kentucky	413	15	27.53
7	5	Auburn	498	18	27.66
8	10	Ole Miss	420	15	28.00
9	8	LSU	372	12	31.00
10	11	SCarolina	545	14	38.92
11	9	Miss St	396	10	39.60
12	12	Vanderbilt	444	4	111.00

Observations:

* Once again, I want to make something very clear: Any Georgia fan calling for a cleaning of the proverbial house that includes the dismissal of offensive coordinator Mike Bobo… needs to have his head examined. The Dawgs’ offense — despite having to replace a first-round NFL quarterback and a first-round NFL tailback — are scoring more easily in SEC games than any other team in the league. Cry about the defense. Scream about the losses to Florida and Tennessee, but pipe down when it comes to criticizing the SEC’s most efficient offense.

* Too bad Troy isn’t in the SEC or Ryan Mallett and Bobby Petrino’s offense would still be on top of our standings.

* Tennessee’s loss at Ole Miss had more to do with their defense than their offense.

* Florida’s not dominant. Florida wins ugly. Florida doesn’t have a quick-strike offense. Whatever. The Gators score more easily than all but three other SEC teams. All in the nation’s toughest defensive conference. Facts are facts.

* Greg McElroy, meet Julio Jones. Julio Jones, meet Greg McElroy. Alabama, meet the Top 5 in SEC pure offensive efficiency.

* Just me, or is anyone else surprised to see Kentucky still in the middle of the pack on offense? It seems like they should be ranked lower. Four guys taking snaps on the season, yet Joker Phillips’ gang is still able to move the ball.

* Even after a six touchdown explosion against Tennessee, Ole Miss still ranks 8th in efficiency. Ya shoulda given Dexter McCluster the ball sooner, Coach Nutt.

* I’m not sure which offense has been more disappointing: LSU’s or South Carolina’s.

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Two Vols Dismissed, Jackson Banned For Now, Questions Remain

John — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:47:44 +0000

Tennessee’s Lane Kiffin announced today that freshmen Nu’Keese Richardson and Mike Edwards have been permanently dismissed from the Volunteer football team.

“After extensive and thorough research of the situation over the last four days and considering various disciplinary options, I’ve decided it’s in the best interest of our program to remove Nu’Keese and Mike,” Kiffin said.

“As I’ve said many times before, we hold our student-athletes to an extremely high standard on and off the field. Our student-athletes must be responsible members of society, and this type of conduct will not be tolerated.”

Freshman safety Janzen Jackson will remain on the team — for now — but will not be allowed to participate in team activities while Kiffin waits on more information.

All three players were arrested last Thursday morning for attempted armed robbery at a near-campus convenience store.

It should not come as a surprise that Jackson still has a chance to return to the team. It’s a common theme in the SEC that those players who have the biggest upside on the field get the longest leash off it.

According to sources close to the police investigation, there has been a pretty good bit of disinformation released into the public in an attempt to separate Jackson’s role in the attempted robbery from those of Richardson and Edwards.

Some in the Knoxville Police Department believe they have enough evidence — surveillance video and perhaps other sources — to make it quite clear that Jackson was involved in the incident and not just an innocent bystander.

Of course, police usually feel that they have all the evidence they need for a conviction. It’s up to the local DA to make the final judgement on whether or not to press charges.

On that front, it is believed that there is quite a bit of pressure on the Knoxville district attorney’s office to let this one slide. After all Jackson was on pace to be a freshman All-American this year and he figures to be next year’s replacement for Eric Berry, who will most likely turn pro early.

There is still quite a bit of speculation regarding what exactly took place in the early morning hours Thursday. Some close to the Tennessee program believe the attempted robbery might have been drug-related. A small amount of marijuana was found in the car. According to sources, the female driver of the getaway car also had enough cash on her to post her own $1,500 bail.

Others believe this was simply a random, one-time act. An incredibly bizarre, one-time act at that.

Still others say that this was not the first time that these three have been involved in off-the-field activities involving a CO2-powered pellet gun.

The arrested players aren’t divulging much aside from the fact that they did this because “they were bored.” And yes, that sounds just as unbelievable to me as it does to you.

Further muddying the waters, the victims in this incident did not call the police (they were summoned by a worker at the convenience store) and at least one of the victims has said that he’s not interested in pressing charges.

Also, it turns out, one of the victims was arrested in January himself for public intoxication and attempting to flee police officers (when he jumped out a window in his home).

If the victims do not press charges, that still might not be enough to let this one go by the wayside. The victims have already given statements to the police and identified the UT players as their assailants. If there is enough video evidence — or other evidence — then the Knoxville DA can still press charges against the players.

Also, if UT does plan to keep Jackson on the team and the charges are not dropped, Jackson will still have to get past a university board before he’s allowed back into school.

This one is far from over in Knoxville, and we’ll see if the stories of Richardson and Edwards continue elsewhere. Richardson was initially a Florida commitment and the Gators have allowed some of their own players who have been charged with felonies to remain on their team. Might UF be a landing spot for Richardson?

I doubt that Urban Meyer would go down that road, but if Houston Nutt was willing to sign Jamar Hornsby — after his dismissal from Florida — then anything is possible.

This is college football in the South. And as much as schools negatively recruit against one another with arrest and discipline information, if a coach believes a player can help his team, he’ll at least explore the possibility of bringing him in.

So don’t be surprised to see misters Richardson and Edwards pop up somewhere else. And for now, at least, it looks like Jackson will remain in Knoxville.

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SEC Commitment Comparison – 11/16/09

John — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:41:01 +0000

It’s Monday, which means it’s time to check our updated commitment Big Board for the SEC.

Only three schools received commitments last week (Arkansas, Auburn and Tennessee) so there’s not been a lot of movement up and down the chart.

Tennessee has moved up into a second-place tie with Alabama… and Auburn has widened their lead over Georgia and Florida.

As always, we use the Rivals.com rankings and assign one point for every star Rivals’ hands out. We also give 0-star athletes a 1-point value because we’re bleeding-heart softies.

Without further ado, here’s how things look less than 12 weeks from National Signing Day:

School	Commits	5-stars	4-stars	3-stars	2-stars	1- and 0-stars	Total Points	Avg. Points
LSU	23	0	15	8	0	0	84	3.65
Alabama	22	2	10	8	2	0	78	3.54
Tennessee	22	0	12	10	0	0	78	3.54
Auburn	21	1	8	11	1	0	72	3.42
Georgia	18	1	9	8	0	0	65	3.61
Florida	17	1	11	5	0	0	64	3.76
Vanderbilt	21	0	0	19	2	0	61	2.90
SCarolina	19	0	3	12	1	3	53	2.78
Arkansas	15	0	1	12	1	1	43	2.86
Kentucky	16	0	0	9	3	4	37	2.31
Miss St	14	0	2	8	0	4	36	2.57
Ole Miss	11	0	2	9	0	0	35	3.18

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Lunchtime Bites

John — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:14:27 +0000

Just a few more quick news items. We’ll dig into some recruiting updates shortly.

1. The SEC has named its Players of the Week for Week 11 of the season.

2. This year’s stat sheets prove that championship teams play great defense.

3. Here’s another excellent weekend wrap column from Paul Gattis of The Huntsville Times.

4. Chris Low of ESPN.com lists the players who’ve played their way into star status this season.

5. And who doesn’t love SEC power rankings?

6. Finally, in basketball news, Arkansas’ Rotnei Clarke (51 points versus Alcorn State) and Kentucky’s Eric Bledsoe (24 points in his debut game) have been named the SEC’s Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week respectively.

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Tennessee Headlines – 11/16/09

John — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:17:12 +0000

1. Lane Kiffin is giving his players an extra day off after a bad week and a bad loss.

2. Tennessee’s coaches are still trying to count up all of the missed tackles from Saturday.

3. The Vols’ injury woes continue, but Vandy’s offense might help the defense get back on track this week.

4. Then again, Vanderbilt and Kentucky haven’t been as easy for UT in recent years.

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SEC Schedule And TV Listings For Week Twelve

John — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:24:13 +0000

Each Monday we like to be the first guys on the block to bring you the television schedule and updated odds for the following weekend’s SEC action.

That way, you can print out the schedule, lose it sometime during the week, and then come back to print it out again… thus driving up our pageviews.

So here are this weekend’s games, where you can see them and what the oddsmakers think of them. All times are Eastern.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21ST

Mississippi State at Arkansas
12:21pm
ESPN Regional Syndicated Package
Arkansas -10.5

Chattanooga at Alabama
12:21pm
ESPN Regional Syndicated Package
No Line

Florida International at Florida
12:30pm
Pay-Per-View
No Line

LSU at Ole Miss
3:30pm
CBS
Ole Miss -3

Vanderbilt at Tennessee
7:00pm
ESPNU
Tennessee -17

Kentucky at Georgia
7:45pm
ESPN2
Georgia -7.5

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Top O’ The Morning News

John — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:22:21 +0000

1. The top eight slots in the BCS standings remain the same this week.

2. Lane Kiffin isn’t calling it a suspension, but the three players arrested last week are barred from all team activities while the coach continues to gather information.

3. Chris Low of ESPN.com tells you what he learned this weekend…

4. And he makes his bowl predictions for the SEC.

5. Stewart Mandel of SI.com wraps the weekend action and talks Alabama, Florida, LSU’s offense, and Dexter McCluster in the process.

6. Matt Hayes of The Sporting News doesn’t believe Florida should be #1.

And a recruiting story on the homepage to remind you to check out Josh Ward’s Recruiting page…

7. Brian McLaughlin of The Sporting News writes that Auburn’s making a splash on the recruiting trail.

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Dexter McCluster’s 4 TDs pace Ole Miss pass Tennessee, 42-17

admin — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:57:14 +0000

Ole Miss running back Dexter McCluster had 324 all-purpose yards as the Rebels ran over Tennessee, 42-17, Saturday afternoon.
(more)

Running Wild

admin — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:55:30 +0000

OXFORD — Dexter McCluster put on a performance for the ages, but when it was over, Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt wanted to salute the Rebels’ defense.
(more)

Lane Kiffin, Houston Nutt don’t agree on bowl talk

admin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:29:55 +0000

Bowl representatives will be closely watching both Tennessee and Mississippi today.
(more)

Orgeron’s return adds spice to Rebs’ game with UT

admin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:27:25 +0000

Former Ole Miss coach now with Volunteers
(more)

It Ain’t The Refs, It’s You

John — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:02:37 +0000

If you read this site, then you know I don’t believe in a league-sponsored conspiracy that’s driving officials to favor unbeaten Alabama and Florida over everyone else in the conference.

As a matter of fact, I’ve also made it clear that I don’t believe officiating is any worse now than it’s ever been.

In my view, the only difference between today’s officiating and that of 25 years ago is the way we now watch said officiating.

We have technology that wasn’t available years ago: more televised games, more cameras and angles at games, more highlight shows to air views from those games, more and better slow-motion technology, freeze-frame/zoom-in technology, even home DVRs that allow us to slow down, freeze and reverse any play we like right from our very own La-Z-Boy.

Combine those technologies with an explosion of social media and Stewart Mandel of SI.com writes that fans now have the power to “impact the game like never.”

And personally, I don’t think that’s a good thing.

So if you’re a Twitterer or a YouTuber or just someone who believes every photo or video you see posted on those sites, this article is one you need to read.

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UT’s Richardson Still In Jail; Jackson Won’t Play Saturday

John — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:12:32 +0000

Janzen Jackson and Mike Edwards got out of jail yesterday, but fellow freshman Nu’Keese Richardson is still in jail today.

Could the fact that Richardson is still in jail provide Lane Kiffin with an opportunity to say, “I haven’t gathered all information yet” and in turn play Jackson Saturday at Ole Miss?

Sounds unlikely, but this is college football we’re talking about. Coaches do everything they can to keep players eligible. And if a man can’t conduct first-hand interviews…

UPDATE — Tennessee has said that Jackson will NOT be on their travel roster for tomorrow’s game.

Whether Jackson is eventually suspended, dismissed or allowed to play on, this is a smart step for Tennessee from a PR standpoint.

It would not surprise me if athletic director Mike Hamilton and UT’s acting president were behind that decision. The arrests will be talked about during Saturday’s CBS broadcast and during the various highlight shows afterwards.

If Jackson were to have played, the issue would have been an even bigger angle of the media’s coverage of the game. And that would have been an even bigger black eye for the program and the university.

Not to mention what it might have done for Tennessee’s recruiting.

A smart move by UT’s powers-that-be.

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Afternoon Grab Bag

John — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:00:41 +0000

1. Pat Dooley of The Gainesville Sun looks around the conference and finds that conspiracy theories are ruining the season.

2. Adam West of The Gainesville Sun wonders if Tennessee assistant Ed Orgeron is a man athletes can look up to.

3. Troy’s Larry Blakeney continues to try and clear up stories that he predicted a Trojan win over Arkansas before the season.

4. Jeff Schultz of The AJC has made his predictions for this weekend’s games.

5. Tony Barnhart of The AJC has done likewise right here.

6. One Georgia fan / media member wishes that Mark Richt would lose his cool like Nick Saban on occasion.

7. Charles Hollis of The Birmingham News has posted his picks for this weekend’s action.

8. Geoff Calkins of The MCA looks at the arrest situation at Tennessee before going into his weekend predictions.

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Kiffin Right And Wrong To Take His Time

John — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:54:11 +0000

As everyone waits for Lane Kiffin to deliver some sort of penalties to the three Vols arrested for armed robbery yesterday, I thought I’d share a few thoughts on the situation:

* Kiffin is right to take his time and gather all information before dismissing anyone from his team. As we’ve seen in the past, sometimes first impressions aren’t what they seem to be (Duke lacrosse). And now there’s a precedent for a dismissed player to come back and sue his former school if he’s cleared of the charges he was dismissed for (Penn State). But…

* Kiffin was wrong not to announce yesterday that all three players were being placed on indefinite suspension. The world is watching this case — partially because Kiffin has been such a lightning rod since arriving in Knoxville — and he needed to TRY to get Tennessee out of the 24-hour ESPN news cycle. Instead, he’s left folks wondering what kind of program he’s running. Once he gathered all of the facts on the case, he could have dismissed or removed from suspension each player as he saw fit. Instead, he’s been seen on “SportsCenter” saying basically “no comment” for the past 15 hours.

* As I wrote yesterday, it seems to me that Janzen Jackson has the best chance of surviving this. His attorney has said he is innocent and hopes to clear up the mess in 24-48 hours. In time for kickoff in Oxford perhaps?

* If Kiffin keeps Jackson on the team, that’s one thing. He wouldn’t be the first coach to give a star more leniency than backups. But it will send a heckuva message if Jackson is allowed to play on Saturday. What might the CBS announcers say if Jackson makes some big plays against Ole Miss? Right or wrong it will certainly appear that Kiffin has chosen on-field success over off-field discipline.

* Even if Jackson is innocent of the armed robbery charges, he was still out with his two teammates at 1:45 in the morning in a car that had marijuana in it. This just days after he was suspended from UT’s game with Memphis. Word in Knoxville has Jackson failing a drug test, having girls in his room, skipping practice and trying to break curfew since he’s arrived on campus. Sound like someone who needs “the benefit of the doubt” in this case?

* Kiffin’s own players will be paying attention to the coach’s actions. A source in Knoxville tells me that some veterans (ie: Phillip Fulmer guys) believe there’s a double-standard when it comes to discipline. Fulmer’s guys have been driven away and dismissed for such things as having bad attitudes (Brandon Warren). Kiffin’s signees have been allowed to get away with more. If Kiffin goes easy on The Tennessee Three, some veterans might be ticked.

* This one instance is turning into a “put up or shut up” moment for Kiffin. Writers across the country are saying that the coach will lose all kinds of credibility if he doesn’t dismiss these players. Other coaches face player arrests and move on with their stiff or lenient penalties all the time, but Kiffin is being held to a different standard. Which is why…

* He should have kept his mouth shut regarding Urban Meyer’s recent one-half suspension of Brandon Spikes. It might not be fair to make this one case an end-all, be-all situation, but Kiffin literally asked for it when he joked about another coach’s discipline. In the coaching profession, that’s bad karma. Eventually, your guys will be the ones getting in trouble and you’ll be the one who has to mete out justice. Kiffin piped up, and now America’s columnists are waiting with poison pens to rip him if he doesn’t put up.

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Folks Are Pointing And Laughing At Arkansas, Ole Miss And Tennessee

John — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:20:11 +0000

Just a quick link to a blog by Chris Bahn of ArkansasSports360.com.

In it, Mr. Bahn points out all of the negative attention three SEC schools are drawing right now:

Arkansas — The basketball program’s decision to suspend FIVE players has led to coverage on the Huffingtonpost.com and Deadspin.com. And the coverage isn’t good.

Ole Miss — The Ku Klux Klan will hold a rally in Oxford because UM’s chancellor has dumped the song “From Dixie with Love.” Also, one of the school’s “student leaders” was caught on a cell phone camera using the crown mother of racial slurs.

Tennessee — UT graduate Clay Travis takes the program to task for the armed robbery charges brought against three Vol freshmen yesterday.

How might recruiting be affected at these three schools?

John Pelphrey might have helped his recruiting by showing he wants to do things the right way. Of course, he might also need to start chasing some kids who won’t get into trouble in the first place.

If I were a black athlete there’s no way I would go to a place like Ole Miss where the 1960s are apparently still alive and well. Klan rallies? A student leader using the N-word? There’s racism everywhere, but no other schools are fighting such public battles over this small-minded crap.

When Lane Kiffin finally decides what punishments to hand out, parents from across America will be paying close attention to see what kind of program he’s running. He’s run off some kids for their attitudes, what happens now that his signees have been charged with a felony?

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Tennessee Headlines – 11/13/09

John — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:39:36 +0000

We start in Knoxville this morning — for obvious reasons:

1. Vol fans (and everyone else) are still waiting for Lane Kiffin to announce some sort of punishment for the three freshmen arrested for armed robbery yesterday morning.

2. The talent of Janzen Jackson could wind up being wasted, according to this writer, but…

3. This writer noticed which Knoxville attorney was defending Jackson and he thinks that’s a sign the star safety will remain on UT’s team.

4. This Knoxville writer is confused about Kiffin’s decision not to hand out indefinite suspensions immediately.

5. The victims in yesterday’s robbery say they were “shocked” to learn their robbers were UT football players.

6. The arrests led to a circus-like atmosphere after Tennessee’s practice yesterday.

7. A writer for The Miami Herald blames Kiffin for “failing” Nu’Keese Richardson. (What will be the impact of the Richardson situation in the recruiting hot bed of South Florida?)

8. An Atlanta writer says “a lot of people are laughing at Lane Kiffin right now.”

9. This Nashville writer thinks armed robbery charges should result in “zero tolerance” from Kiffin.

10. Here’s a notes column on the Vols as they try to prepare for a game at Ole Miss on Saturday.

11. In basketball news, history will show that Bruce Pearl fixed UT basketball.

12. It looks like Scotty Hopson is ready to play like the McDonald’s All-American the Vols signed last year.

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Kiffin Still Gathering Info, Two Players Out Of Jail

John — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:58:39 +0000

A Knoxville television station is reporting that Tennessee freshman Janzen Jackson has been released on his own recognizance according to his attorney.

Jackson’s bond was originally set at $15,000.

Jackson’s attorney, Donald Bosch, said, “Mr. Jackson vehemently asserts his innocence and hopes to be able to demonstrate that in the next 24 to 48 hours.”

Co-defendant Mike Edwards has also been released.

As of 5:30pm ET, it appears that Nu’Keese Richardson is still in jail.

Lane Kiffin said moments ago that UT is still gathering information on the situation. When all of the information is gathered, Kiffin promised to make a decision at that point.

He refused to make any other comments. When asked about his players being out past curfew, he even said that he didn’t have any knowledge of the players being out past curfew.

Well, the arrest was made at about 1:45am, so you’d think Kiffin could draw a conclusion from that. Apparently not.

For now the players are not even on indefinite suspension. In fact, Kiffin did not rule out the idea of Jackson traveling with the team to Ole Miss this weekend.

On one hand, Kiffin seems to be doing absolutely nothing on the situation in the short term.

On the other hand, the fact that he has yet to speak to the players first-hand is actually a solid reason not to be tossing guys from the team just yet. Just think back to the Duke lacrosse case or the current lawsuit between Penn State and a player it dismissed from its football team.

That said, for Kiffin to refuse to discuss the situation will no doubt raise some eyebrows. One would expect the coach to deliver more than what amounted to a “no comment.”

Stay tuned.

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More Updates On The UT Arrest Story

John — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:08:15 +0000

Two of the victims in this morning’s attempted armed robbery have spoken with The Knoxville News Sentinel about the incident and — to be honest — their comments make the whole thing sound even weirder.

Corey Zickefoose told the paper that the man who approached their car with a gun wasn’t overly aggressive. “I could just tell he wasn’t going to shoot me. He didn’t have too much authority.”

Zickefoose said that he and the two other men in the car showed the robbers their empty wallets.

“I said, ‘Sorry, we don’t have anything to give you.” The men even offered the robbers a cheeseburger, “but they didn’t take that,” said Corey Smith.

As for the woman driving the getaway Prius? “She was smiling, with a big grin on her face.”

Well, she WAS charged with simple drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia… so that might explain the smile on her face.

Bizarre.

Meanwhile, The Sentinel’s John Adams writes that this is a perfect opportunity for Lane Kiffin to “prove he can walk the walk.”

And finally, according to Knoxville radio host Jimmy Hyams a source involved in the case has said that when the football players were asked why they did what they did, they said, “We were bored.”

Smart.

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The Fall-Out From UT Armed Robbery Could Be Felt For A While

John — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:09:18 +0000

The biggest story in the SEC today, obviously, has been the arrest on attempted armed robbery charges of three Tennessee freshman football players.

A quick scan of the situation shows just how far-reaching something like this could be. And I said, “COULD BE,” so don’t start firing off the “you hate the Vols” emails, Tennessee fans.

* For the three young men involved, they have probably thrown away their college careers at Tennessee. Nu’Keese Richardson and Mike Edwards will most definitely be dismissed from the team, while Janzen Jackson will probably be booted, too.

(I do believe that Jackson — due to the fact he wasn’t one of the two players to ask for money AND the fact that he’s the best player of the three — might get another shot in Knoxville. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Kiffin dismiss him from the team for now and then say that he can earn his way back for 2010 if he plays his cards right. The kid is can play… and that’s all many coaches care about. We’ll see.)

* If all three are heave-ho’d from UT, they might land somewhere else. If Houston Nutt was willing to take Jamar “I used a dead girl’s credit card” Hornsby he might be willing to take these guys. But even if the players do wind up somewhere else and do develop into good players, they have most certainly damaged their NFL draft stock.

* All of this is speculative as Richardson and Edwards might actually have to do some jail time on these charges. I doubt it, but they might.

* And what of the families of these three players? Today they’re trying to worry about huge bonds. Tomorrow they’ll have to deal with the embarrassment of everyone in America knowing what their loved ones did. Jackson’s father is a coach at Miami of Ohio. Think he’s busy game-planning today?

* And if the players do NOT land somewhere else, what will become of them professionally? These aren’t minors. A felony charge on a permanent record doesn’t look too good during an employer’s background check.

* As for Tennessee, the Volunteers were looking pretty good for their stretch run until The Tennessee Three decided to play Jesse James. Ole Miss will be without Greg Hardy this weekend which should have upped UT’s chances of winning on the road. Now that the team will have to deal with this distraction, who knows how Kiffin’s bunch will perform on Saturday?

* If the Vols lose, that could cause a monetary hit to the university in regards to their bowl destination. An 8-4 team could land in the Outback Bowl. A 7-5 team could land in the Chick-fil-A Bowl or worse. The farther the fall, the less the bowl payout.

* And what of recruiting? You can be certain that other SEC coaches will ask recruits — and their parents — if they want to go to Knoxville to team up with armed robbers. Might something so unsavory (it’s all over ESPN today) drive away some prospects who are already committed to the Volunteers?

* Let’s say Tennessee’s recruiting does take a hit, though I think there’s only a small chance of that. With a less stellar class and WITHOUT Jackson to help replace Eric Berry next year, Kiffin’s second season might not go as well as planned… putting him on a warmer seat heading into his third season.

* And get this one: even gamblers and bookies are affected by this nonsense. The line on the Tennessee-Mississippi game moved by as much as three points on some boards today when news of the arrests came out.

Perhaps this will be one small blip on the radar. But being that it comes so early in Kiffin’s UT career, it might have bigger ramifications than one would normally expect. It could be an example of the butterfly effect.

All because of the stupid decisions of three teenagers.

Fans of other schools shouldn’t be yukking it up too loudly, either.

As Kiffin has now learned, one day you’re talking about your school’s arrest-free record… and the next you’re dealing with an armed robbery.

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“The Blind Side” Shows High Expectations Of The SEC

John — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:25:40 +0000

I was talking to a friend last night about the latest trailer for “The Blind Side.” As most of you know by now the movie covers the rags-to-riches story of former Ole Miss left tackle Michael Oher.

Since the movie covers his recruitment to Oxford, the filmmakers hired a number of actual coaches to portray themselves in cameo roles.

As I ran through the list of coaches in the film for my buddy I realized something. Everybody has moved around since 2005.

Get this list of coaches who were chasing Oher the spring and appear in the film:

Lou Holtz — South Carolina (now starring as the goofy “Dr. Lou” on ESPN)

Phillip Fulmer — Tennessee (ousted last year and currently out of coaching)

Tommy Tuberville — Auburn (ousted last year and currently out of coaching)

Ed Orgeron — Ole Miss (ousted after 2007 and currently the assistant head coach at Tennessee)

Nick Saban — LSU (left LSU for the NFL and has now come back to Alabama)

Houston Nutt — Arkansas (driven out of Arkansas after 2007, he’s now at Ole Miss)

Not one of the coaches in the film holds the same job he had less than five years ago.

That’s a pretty good reflection of some pretty high fan expectations in the Southeastern Conference.

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Around The SEC This Afternoon

John — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:16:24 +0000

1. Dwight Collins of The Gainesville Sun writes that SEC teams still have a lot to play for in the season’s final weeks.

2. Travis Haney of The Charleston Post & Courier talks about the battles for better bowls in his weekend preview column.

3. Ron Higgins of The Memphis Commercial-Appeal is hoping for some turmoil in the SEC this offseason.

4. David Paschall of The Chattanooga Times Free Press has made his picks for this weekend’s games.

5. ESPN.com’s Chris Low has done the same here.

6. And he’s listed what fans need to watch for this weekend.

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CBS Ratings Through The Roof For SEC Football

John — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:03:49 +0000

CBS has announced that their college football ratings are the highest they have been in the 13 years since “The Eye” got back into the college gridiron business.

Not surprisingly, the network’s SEC package is also the top-rated college football deal in the nation.

Through the first 10 weeks of the season, ratings are up 29% over last year.

Fans across America might complain about the SEC and call it overrated, but on Saturday afternoons, they certainly flock to it.

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Vols Facing Steep Bonds

John — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:51:58 +0000

There’s a little more information out there now regarding the morning arrests of Janzen Jackson, Mike Edwards and Nu’Keese Richardson:

* Edwards and Richardson have been identified as the two players who donned black hoodies and approached a car with a gun and demanded money.

* Jackson has been identified as the player who came up afterward and told his teammates “We’ve got to go.”

* Edwards and Richardson are being held on $19,500 bond. Jackson is being held on $15,000 bond. (That ain’t cheap, folks.)

And mugshots of the three Vol freshmen and their female driver are now up at The Knoxville News Sentinel’s website.

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Could Kiffin’s Comments Come Back To Bite Him?

John — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:17:44 +0000

Lane Kiffin has had no problem running players out of Knoxville since he arrived last December.

About a dozen former Vols have left on their own or been encouraged to leave. That includes receiver Brandon Warren who was dismissed from the team mid-season for conduct considered detrimental to the team.

But the ex-Vols were all Phillip Fulmer Vols. To date, Kiffin has not had to end the career of one of HIS signees.

He has punished Janzen Jackson and Nu’Keese Richardson in the past two weeks, but he would not discuss at length why they were being punished.

Now, with those two — and fellow freshman Mike Edwards — all locked up in the Knox Country Detention Facility, Kiffin will be put to the test.

And don’t forget, it was just a couple of weeks ago that Kiffin felt the need to fire a shot at Urban Meyer’s disciplinary decisions at Florida.

When asked about Meyer’s one-half suspension for Brandon Spikes’ eye poke, Kiffin said of UF’s coach: “Obviously, he’ll discipline his team — or not — however he feels.”

While Tennessee fans surely loved the Spurrier-esque shot at Meyer, there’s a danger to popping off about someone else’s program. Especially when it comes to disciplinary issues.

It would be only a matter of time before Kiffin had some players get in trouble. It happens. So it might not have been the brightest move to open himself up to media folks (like me) who’ll hold him to his earlier comments.

After all, Spikes’ eye poke was considerably less serious in the grand scheme of things than having three players attempt to rob a group of people at gunpoint. (Sounds like a drug-related deal, doesn’t it?)

We’ll now see if Kiffin will discipline his team — “or not” — with more gusto than Meyer.

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Tennessee Headlines – 11/12/09

John — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:18:35 +0000

Not all the talk surrounding Tennessee today revolves around this morning’s arrests:

1. Ole Miss HAD a strong defensive front, but the loss of Greg Hardy is a big blow.

2. Ed Orgeron isn’t saying it, but he wants payback in Oxford on Saturday.

3. Before taking the Tennessee job, Lane Kiffin sought out the advice of Ole Miss legend Archie Manning.

4. Eric Berry says UT doesn’t double-cover opponents’ star receivers.

5. In basketball news, Tennessee will offer $5 tickets to veterans and their families for Friday’s opener against Austin Peay.

6. The Vols are waiting for signed letters of intent from a pair of guards.

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Arrested Vols Fled Scene In… A Prius

John — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:36:19 +0000

The Knoxville Police Department has released more details on the arrests of three Tennessee football players.

The oddest part: Janzen Jackson, Nu’Keese Richardson and Mike Edwards apparently fled the scene in a 2010 Toyota Prius driven by a woman.

A Prius?

Some of the other details:

* Three men between the ages of 18 and 20 were sitting in their car outside a convenience store near the the UT campus when two men in black hoodies approached.

* One man opened the driver-side door, pulled a gun and said, “Give me everything you have.”

* The other man opened the passenger-side door and said, “Give us everything you’ve got.”

* The victims said they showed the two men their empty wallets and said they had no cash.

* A third man then approached the car and told his two fellow football players, “We’ve got to go.”

* When officers found the Prius near UT’s athletic dorm, all four people were still in the car.

* In the car, police found an air-powered pellet pistol under the rear seat. Two black hoodies were also visible in the back seat.

* There was a marijuana grinder and a bag of what was assumed to be pot in the car as well.

(Insert: “Smokin’ weed and talkin’ sh*t like Lane Kiffin” joke here.)

* The players were taken back to the convenience store where the victims identified them.

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UT AD Won’t Comment On Discipline For Arrested Freshmen

John — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:07:38 +0000

UT athletic director Mike Hamilton isn’t talking about discipline for three freshman football players arrested for armed robbery this morning.

“At this time we are currently evaluating the circumstances surrounding an incident involving Mike Edwards, Janzen Jackson and Nu’Keese Richardson. Any decisions of comments regarding their status will not be made until the evaluations are complete.”

In most circumstances, coaches and programs give their players the benefit of the doubt until court cases are complete. (See: the Houston Nutt/Jamar Hornsby situation at Ole Miss.)

But armed robbery is a different beast. Armed robbery isn’t driving without a license, underage drinking or fighting.

So will Tennessee deliver a swift judgement on three players who used a handgun to rob someone at a convenience store?

Or will the fact at least two of those players have bright futures lead UT to take their time and let things play out in the court system?

We shall see.

Other questions brought up by this episode:

What will Lil Wayne think?

How long before someone blames an SEC official for these arrests?

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Orgeron Comments Prove Prophetic

John — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:36:55 +0000

On Monday, October 26th, UT assistant head coach Ed Orgeron spoke to The Knoxville Quarterback Club.

One of his quotes from that talk: “We’re not angels and we’re not going to recruit a bunch of angels.”

I’m guessing that quote will get some play today in East Tennessee.

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Radio Reports Have Third Vol Freshman Arrested

John — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:25:44 +0000

A Knoxville radio station is reporting that joining Janzen Jackson and Nu’Keese Richardson for this morning’s armed robbery was fellow Tennessee freshman Mike Edwards.

WNML-AM/FM has confirmed that Edwards, a defensive back, was the the third Vol football player arrested on charges of armed robbery outside a Knoxville convenience store.

Regarding the Jackson report that he had been punished for having a girl in his room earlier this season… Edwards was also involved in that escapade.

Suddenly the Volunteers’ Top 10 recruiting class from February is taking on a different look.

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