It's been a horrible season for the Volunteers who are 3-7 overall and just 1-5 in the SEC. But Tennessee can atone for that with a solid effort in Nashville vs. Vanderbilt.
Things went from bad to worse for Tennessee immediately following Philip Fulmer’s resignation, effective at the end of the season. The Vols had been struggling mightily prior to Fulmer’s announcement – heck, if they weren’t doing so poorly, he wouldn’t have quit.
Then came the 13-7 home loss to Wyoming, as 25-point chalk, as embarrassing a performance as we’ve seen out of Tennessee since their wipeout loss to Maryland back in the 2002 Peach Bowl. The Wyoming game came at the end of a brutal stretch for the Vols. They hadn’t had a bye since Week 2; had just suffered embarrassing beat-down losses at the hands of Alabama and South Carolina; and saw their head coach, under tremendous fire, announce his resignation, effective at the end of the season. No wonder they came out flat!
Now the Vols are rested and ready to take on their in-state foe, in the midst of a far better season than Tennessee is having. The Vols have absolutely dominated this series, winning 24 of the last 25 meetings in straight up fashion; 67-9-2 since 1928. Tennessee can avoid the worst season in the history of the program with a win here, and they are in an ideal position to do it.
Fulmer, talking about the impact of the bye week said, "We had a chance to do some fundamental work while also physically and mentally getting some rest after nine straight football games."
Tennessee certainly got healthy over the bye. Key defensive cogs Dan Williams, Walter Fisher and Ellix Wilson are all expected to be at or near 100% this week. That’s bad news for the sluggish Vanderbilt offense, a unit held to 14 points or less for five straight weeks before last week’s dominant showing at Kentucky.
While Jonathan Crompton is expected to start at quarterback for the Vols, redshirt frosh BJ Coleman had a phenomenal performance in the JV game last weekend, and should see some snaps here, particularly if Crompton struggles again.
Vandy just notched their sixth win last week, clinching bowl eligibility for the first time since 1982. This sets up as a major flat spot for the Commodores, even against an in-state rival that has dominated them for decades. There’s no question that Tennessee has the more talented personnel on both sides of the football. This week, I expect to see the level of effort that corresponds with that talent base.
Free Pick: Tennessee +3 (-110)