UT Vols Football Tickets On Sale

Tennessee Volunteers vs. Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	Saturday 9/4/2010 TBD	view tickets
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Oregon Ducks	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	Saturday 9/11/2010 TBD	view tickets
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Florida Gators	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	Saturday 9/18/2010 TBD	view tickets
Tennessee Volunteers vs. UAB Blazers	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	Saturday 9/25/2010 TBD	view tickets
LSU Tigers vs. Tennessee Volunteers	Tiger Stadium - Baton Rouge Baton Rouge, LA	Saturday 10/2/2010 7:00 PM	view tickets
Georgia Bulldogs vs. Tennessee Volunteers	Sanford Stadium Athens, GA	Saturday 10/9/2010 TBD	view tickets
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	Saturday 10/23/2010 TBD	view tickets
South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Tennessee Volunteers	Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	Saturday 10/30/2010 TBD	view tickets
Memphis Tigers vs. Tennessee Volunteers	Liberty Bowl Stadium Memphis, TN	Saturday 11/6/2010 TBD	view tickets
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Mississippi Rebels	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	Saturday 11/13/2010 TBD	view tickets
Vanderbilt Commodores vs. Tennessee Volunteers	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	Saturday 11/20/2010 TBD	view tickets
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Kentucky Wildcats	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	Saturday 11/27/2010 TBD	view tickets

SEC has had its share of lively debates for years

Thinking about what Tennessean columnist David Climer wrote recently, controversy amongst league members is nothing new. In fact, it has been a centerpiece of the vibrant history of SEC football since its austere beginnings in 1933.

During that time, there has been a goodly amount of sniping, good-natured and otherwise, among the member schools. It's all part of the ambience of SEC football.

Consider the 1963 Tennessee-Georgia Tech game. Georgia Tech was in its final year of membership in the SEC when it came to Knoxville on Oct. 12. Coached by former Tennessee quarterback Bobby Dodd (1928-30), the Yellow Jackets won easily, 23-6, over Jim McDonald's only Tennessee squad. Tech then left the league in a rules squabble in early 1964.

Late in the first half, Georgia Tech had scored on a "hide out" play, with receiver Ted Davis not returning to the huddle after an incomplete pass, choosing instead to go to a flanked position. Tech quarterback Billy Lothridge found him wide open for a touchdown to the south end, with Vol partisans crying, "Foul!"

When athletic director and former Vol Bob Woodruff complained to the media, Dodd responded by calling Woodruff "the worst public relations athletic director in the United States."

Just before the 1968 season, it was Tennessee and Georgia, mostly Georgia, clashing in the media over the advent of artificial turf.

During the summer of 1968, the verdant Shields-Watkins Field grass, the greensward on which Gene McEver, Bob Suffridge, Johnny Butler, Hank Lauricella, Bob Johnson, John Majors, and many others had created so many memories, was unceremoniously dug up and a green carpet laid down in its place.

Tom Siler reported Georgia was informed about the change by telegram June 17, with no one in the Georgia camp being reported amused.

"It's a radical move that should have been considered by the conference," Georgia AD Joel Eaves said. "Why didn't Tennessee bring this up when all of us met at Biloxi in May? We're thinking about voiding the contract. Maybe Tennessee can just put on an intrasquad game for the TV audience Sept. 14."

In the case of UT fans, Siler wrote that Vol fans "accepted the news stoically."

The game ended 17-17, one of the "classic ties" in Tennessee history.

Then there was the battle of SEC teams going to Auburn, with no one, save Georgia, wanting to make the trip. Alabama fought that battle especially hard. It was 1989 before Alabama made its first trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium, and they've played there every other year since 1991. There were those in the Alabama camp who said "Never," but the Tide came anyway.

After the city of Birmingham put down artificial turf on Legion Field in 1970, Auburn again made overtures to Tennessee about leaving Birmingham, suggesting Tiger "home games" in the series be played at Cliff Hare Stadium. That didn't happen initially until 1974, Auburn 21, Tennessee 0, and happened for good in 1980, Tennessee 42, Auburn 0.

There was serious conflict surrounding the 1972 game. Auburn had apparently scouted the Vols twice that season, a violation of SEC rules, with the Vols responding by wearing orange jerseys against the Tigers, also a violation of conference rules.

When the dust settled, Auburn knocked off heavily favored Tennessee, 10-6, in a major upset that really wasn't. Auburn finished 11-1, despite meager pre-season expectations, Tennessee 10-2.

LSU and Tennessee created some major brinksmanship in 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit southern Louisiana around the start of the football season. When it came time for the Tennessee-LSU game Sept. 24, with the aftermath of Katrina seen in all locales around Baton Rouge, LSU was insistent on playing that Saturday night.

With forecasts of bad weather and Tennessee officials understandably concerned about the safety of their team flying to Baton Rouge, there were forthright words in the media, both schools seemingly hardening their position. At one critical juncture, there were thoughts the game might not be played at all.

Reason prevailed, eventually, and the game was played Monday night, Sept. 26. The Vols flew to Baton Rouge earlier in the day, played the game, and flew home. There wasn't quite a full house at Tiger Stadium, but the game was a keeper.

LSU fans were eager for football after all the turmoil, and the Tigers on the field created excitement by bolting to a 21-0 halftime lead. Tennessee was down but not out, hanging around long enough to eventually send the game to overtime.

LSU scored first on a field goal, but the Vols won, 30-27, on a short run by Gerald Riggs, concluding a wild week.

With all this in mind, the "C" in "SEC" really stands for "Controversy."

There's certainly been a great deal of it over the past 76 years.

For Vols, Athletes in Action camp emphasizes competitive 'spirit'

On Tuesday, Tennessee opens its preseason football camp, sure to be replete with grueling conditioning drills and hard-hitting practices and scrimmages in the stifling heat and humidity of Knoxville in August.

Those occasional two-a-day practices can leave the participants drained.

For four members of the Volunteers’ football team, though, they might not seem so bad.

After all, they’ve been through “The Special.”

Chris Walker, Chad Cunningham, Daniel Lincoln and Nick Reveiz participated in an Athletes in Action camp shortly after spring semester finals at Tennessee.

“I can say it was the best experience of my life,” Walker said.

Held on the campus of Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colo., the event drew athletes from colleges and universities around the country.

“There were guys there from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Wake Forest, Florida State, kickers, athletes, football players, track, volleyball, whatever,” Lincoln said.

“Being able to share things with other athletes about adversity or hardships they’ve faced, you learn a lot.”

The football quartet was part of an 18-person contingent from UT that included Lady Vols basketball players Angie Bjorklund and Alicia Manning.

“We were competing every day,” Walker said. “They wanted us to use our competitive spirit in our sport for God.”

None of those competitions was more grueling than “The Special,” a succession of races, games and competitions that lasted more than 18 consecutive hours.

“You didn’t eat or sleep during it,” Lincoln noted.

“The Special” included basketball, a swimming relay, ultimate Frisbee, calisthenics and other relay races.

Walker, recovering from knee surgery at the time, could not participate in the actual competition.

“I did everything with them. I ran around with them and did the obstacle course,” Walker said. “I was with them for the whole 18 hours that they were doing stuff.

“It just broke us down to the point that we couldn’t depend on anything on this earth and no words could help anybody,” the Vols’ defensive end added. “Leaning on God was the only thing that we could do. It broke a lot of people down.”

The weeklong camp also included a run up a mountain then back down.

“That mountain is so steep and the elevation was crazy,” Walker recalled.

The experience forged a bond among the four UT football players. According to Walker, it also put the game in perspective.

“It’s easy to get caught up in sport, period, and putting sport at the top of everything, just because that’s all we know,” he said. “Easily, football gets put on a pedestal above everything else.”

Especially in the Southeastern Conference.

And while the Vols have a figurative mountain to climb to return to their previous level of prominence, for these four campers, how hard can that be after successfully ascending an actual mountain?

UT needs to fight on with ol' SC for recruits

As you might have noticed, Tennessee keeps bumping into Southern California on the recruiting trail. That's both a compliment and a challenge for UT.

USC has one of the greatest programs in college football, and you don't have to study ancient history to appreciate it. The Trojans haven't won fewer than 11 games since 2001 and won back-to-back national titles in 2003 and 2004.

So when UT shows up alongside USC on a five-star recruit's list of official visits, that's quite a compliment since the Vols have had two losing seasons in the last four years. But the challenge is just as obvious. How does a program with UT's recent track record beat out one of the nation's premier programs for the best players?

Answer: Become more like USC.

First-year UT head coach Lane Kiffin, a former offensive coordinator under Pete Carroll at USC, got the Vols headed in the right direction when he installed USC's offense this spring. The same quarterbacks and wide receivers who are attracted to USC's offense will be drawn to the Vols'. The most recent example: wide receiver Kyle Prater from Hillside, Ill., says he will take official visits to UT and USC this fall.

Prater might already be aware that the programs have more in common than offense. Southern California offers Hollywood, the Pacific Ocean and Rodeo Drive. East Tennessee offers Dollywood, Loudon Lake, and Parkside Drive.

The similarities don't have to end there, but it's incumbent on UT to adjust. After all, it's the one playing catch-up.

I realize that many fans become nervous when you start tinkering with tradition. As a traditionalist myself, I certainly wouldn't encourage a program to discontinue any tradition, unless, of course, that tradition repels recruits.

But the UT program also could benefit from adding a few traditions. And it wouldn't be that difficult.

For example, what's one more song? Rather than have the band play "Rocky Top" every five minutes at games, it could do so every 10 minutes. With those extra minutes, it could work in "Fight On," one of USC's school songs.

The beauty of that addition: You would have to change only two words. Instead, of "Fight on for ol' SC," (which appears twice in the song) UT fans would sing "Fight on for ol' UT." How simple would that be?

It would be just as simple to add a victory bell, which the winner of the USC-UCLA game keeps for a year. Since UT doesn't have a crosstown rival, it could make do with cross-state rival Vanderbilt.

Another welcome addition would be a jeweled shillelagh, which goes to the winner of the USC-Notre Dame game. UT doesn't have an intersectional rival quite as prominent as Notre Dame but it does have Memphis, which it plays occasionally.

Don't ask, "What does a shillelagh have to do with UT vs. Memphis?" If a recruit can see a shillelagh when he visits USC, you want him to see one when he visits UT.

You also want him to see a white horse.

Every time USC scores a touchdown at a home game, Traveler gallops around the Coliseum. It's one of the great traditions in college football and would have to be modified only slightly to accommodate UT.

You could replace the Trojan soldier aboard the horse with someone wearing a coonskin cap, then substitute a musket for the sword. The only other change would be the name. Traveler would become Rocky.

Think ahead to UT's homecoming game in November. As the Vols score a victory-clinching touchdown over Memphis - and the coveted shillelagh that goes with it - a Davy Crockett look-alike rides a majestic white horse around Neyland Stadium while the UT band plays the theme song from "Rocky."

Don't you get goosebumps just thinking about it?

Then, imagine what that would do for a recruit.

Five biggest questions facing UT Football

With football players reporting to campus at the University of Tennessee on Monday. We at InsideTennessee.com decided to look at the five biggest questions facing this 2009 Football Team as fall camp and practice gets underway here Tuesday. Go inside this FREE READ to see if you agree with our take as Fall Camp gets underway.

With football players reporting to campus at the University of Tennessee on Monday. We at InsideTennessee.com decided to look at the five biggest questions facing this 2009 Football Team as fall camp and practice gets underway here Tuesday.

Lane Kiffin enters his first fall camp as the Head Coach of the Volunteers, the former Oakland Raider head man has provided a lot of energy and excitement on the Rocky Top during the spring and off season.

That leads into question No. 1.

Will Kiffin’s Volunteers be as exciting and energized on the field as they have been off the field the past seven months.

If so all Volunteer fans are in for an exciting ride.

The players have shown they have bought into the new coaching staff, a more disciplined team has shown improvement in the classroom this past semester.

“We are the most talked about football team in the country,” Kiffin admitted at the SEC Media Days. “That was our plan. Not a lot going on in the spring, we wanted every young man in the country thinking about the University of Tennessee.”

If Kiffin’s Vols provides as much excitement and energy on the field, things could be very interesting this fall at Neyland Stadium.

This Tennessee team has everyone’s attention, now it’s time to see what kind of football team Kiffin will put on the field.

That takes us to Question No. 2.

Who will be the starting quarterback against Western Kentucky and more importantly the rest of the season.

The answer might be two different ones.

Some expect Jonathan Crompton to be the starter coming out of football camp, not if junior Nick Stephens has anything to say about it. If Crompton is the starter going into Western Kentucky, the next question will be how short of rope will he have throughout the season.

Will Stephens overtake from the start of camp or will take him a few weeks to do it, I guess you can that question 2 A.

You can’t have a successful quarterback without a solid wide receiving corp. That takes us to question No. 3.

How will the Volunteers cope with the early injuries of at least three key wide outs this summer?

Who will step up and provide the needed spark for whoever is quarterbacking to be successful?

Question No. 4 leads into the next important phase of the offense.

Everyone is expecting Tennessee to have a solid running game, the Vols did indeed sign the overall No. 1 player in the nation in Bryce Brown. Will Brown start the season opener, how much playing time will he get this fall. All important questions facing this team this fall.

Question No. 5, we have to leave one for the defense.

Yes everyone is aware of the dream team defensive staff that Lane Kiffin has assembled.

The key question will be how Monte Kiffin and staff be able to parlay their knowledge into this group of defenders. There is a lot of talent at several positions, but there also are a few key holes, especially at the linebacker position.

“Our ones will match up with the best of them on the defensive side of the ball,” Kiffin said in an earlier interview.”

So lets hope for no injuries because depth on the defensive side of the ball is definitely a question mark.

Offensive linemen Fulton, Pair commit to play for Vols

Offensive linemen Zach Fulton and Marques Pair committed to University of Tennessee football coaches Monday afternoon, becoming the Volunteers' 10th and 11th public pledges for 2010.

Fulton, a 6-foot-5, 305-pounder from Homewood-Flossmoor High School near Chicago, is rated by Rivals.com as the nation's No. 21 guard prospect. Many Big Ten conference programs and Notre Dame have recruited him, but his only other confirmed scholarship offers so far were from Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota.

Pair, a 6-6, 255-pounder from Sumter (S.C.) High, just recently started getting major program interest. Southeastern and Atlantic Coast Conference schools have been recruiting him, but UT was the only one known to make a scholarship offer.

Fulton and Pair are the third and fourth offensive players committed to the Vols for 2010, joining Kentucky fullback Channing Fugate and Miami offensive lineman Jose Jose.

Four of Tennessee's five projected starters for 2009 are seniors: left tackle Chris Scott, center Josh McNeil and guards Vlad Richard and Jacques McClendon.

"I feel great; it's a big weight off my back," Fulton told Scout.com. "I felt there was no point in waiting anymore.

"There's not any place whose facilities can match Tennessee's. There was no competition, as far as camp, academics and everything else. Everything went right."

Fulton left a UT camp four weeks ago with an offer after consistently impressing scouts and coaches. Some said he was the top lineman at the camp, which included several of the nation's top line prospects -- including Nashville's James Stone, Rivals' No. 36 overall prospect and No. 4 offensive tackle.

Pair also turned heads at that camp, according to several analysts who were present that day.

"Probably the best overall day on the offensive line was Zach Fulton's," Rivals analyst Barton Simmons said then. "He really looked good playing left guard most of the day. He really showed great strength and a great initial punch (against) the pass rush. Really, it was just a complete effort by Fulton, a guy who really saw his stock rise a lot."

The Vols are recruiting several prospects in Illinois. Most notably, they have been battling dozens of big programs for wide receiver Kyle Prater of Hillside Proviso West -- another Chicagoland school.

Prater, a 6-5, 205-pounder, is rated by Rivals as the nation's No. 3 receiver and No. 19 overall prospect.

Tennessee and several other Bowl Championship Series programs have made offers to 6-6 receiver Matt Milton from Mascoutah, Ill., near St. Louis.

Vols land 13-year-old

James Berry’s kids always have been precocious. But committing to a college football program in middle school?

Evan Berry, the 13-year-old brother of Tennessee All-America safety Eric Berry, told Rivals.com he has committed to the Volunteers. Schools can’t offer scholarships until a prospect’s junior year of high school, but that didn’t stop Evan, who will be an eighth-grader this fall at Bear Creek Middle School in Fairburn.

“He loves being at Tennessee [for practices and games],” said James Berry, who played running back for the Vols in the late 1970s. “It’s not the first time I’ve heard him say he’s going to Tennessee.”

Evan Berry plays safety and quarterback. LARRY HARTSTEIN

Trivia challenge

New Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez has worn No. 88 in his NFL career. But what number did he wear in college?

No Heatley, Hossa

Don’t look for Dany Heatley or Marian Hossa to be wearing Thrashers uniforms again.

Heatley has requested a trade from the Senators. Hossa becomes a free agent from the Red Wings today.

When asked Tuesday about the possibility of either returning to the Thrashers, general manager Don Waddell said he couldn’t speak specifically about either player because they are under contract with other teams.

However, Waddell added: “It probably doesn’t make a lot of sense for us.” CHRIS VIVLAMORE

News of the day

The NCAA rejected an appeal from former Indiana basketball coach Kelvin Sampson, who was slapped with five years of potential penalties for taking part in more than 100 impermissible calls to recruits while coaching the Hoosiers.

Sampson, now an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, is essentially barred from coaching in college until 2013.

Remember me?

Want to see how last year’s No. 1 pick in the baseball draft is doing? All it requires this week is a drive to Rome.

Former Griffin High star shortstop Tim Beckham will be in Georgia through Friday playing for the Class A Bowling Green Hot Rods. Game times each day are 7 p.m.

Before Tuesday night’s game against the R-Braves, Beckham was hitting .282 with three homers and 38 RBIs, but he has committed 24 errors.

Trivia answer

Gonzalez (below), who also played basketball at California, wore No. 44 in football for the Golden Bears from 1994-96.

One More Loss and Phil Fulmer Is Finished

There is a strong consensus that University of Tennessee's head football coach Phil Fulmer will be finished after his next loss.

It was rumored that Fulmer would be out after the Alabama game. That rumor grew legs before the Mississippi State game, however the Vols ultimately crushed the Bulldogs after a second half surge sparked by two interceptions returned for touchdowns.

The remaining Tennessee schedule includes South Carolina on Nov. 1, followed by Wyoming, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky. It is unlikely the Vols will escape unscathed, therefore, it is likely Fulmer will be finished in the coming weeks. This weekend alone poses a threat against Steve Spurrier.

At first blush one can see that Fulmer has a national title. In recruiting, the Vols have been fairly successful with three top five classes since 2002 and five top 20 classes during the same period. Now the Vols are on track to have another top 10 class this year.

Fulmer is also renowned for having greats such as Peyton Manning, Jamal Lewis, and Cedric Wilson.

On the field Fulmer's teams regularly have nine and 10 wins including bowl games, which seems exceptional, though a look at Vol losses reveals much more. Since 2002, the Vols have had three or more losses each season. Three losses will certainly exclude any team from the National Title, if not a BCS Berth in any BCS bowl.

The Vols are regular runner-up contenders or worse in the SEC under Fulmer. Fulmer had many great players with whom he couldn't attain that elusive undefeated season or national championship.

Will Tennessee fans settle for mediocrity? Those who hate Tennessee or play against them hope their fans will resign themselves to the obligatory three losses per year, but in the midst of a 3-5 record, it appears Vols fans have had enough and the stands are empty.

With one more loss, Vols' fans will get their wish, but who will lead the Vols' in the future? Will it be Cutcliffe, who was arguably the mastermind behind any Fulmer success? Will it be Gruden, who will doubtfully leave his spot at Tampa Bay and who grew up in the shadow of the Golden Dome at Notre Dame? Will it be another lesser known name, or will the Vols make a controversial move for Steve Spurrier?

Many questions surround the future of Tennessee, but one thing is certain: Phil Fulmer won't be coaching next year unless he wins every game left on the schedule.

Tennessee-MSU Report Card

Tennessee was able to dominate the Mississippi State Bulldogs and get their first SEC win 34-3. So let's take a look at the report card and see how well the Vols improved:



Quarterback

Nick Stephens - 10-of-20 passing, 136 yards - continues to manage the offensive effectively, though not yet spectacularly. However, at this point I will take it.

Stephens also showed a good pocket presence and scrambling ability, breaking an 18-yard run to get the Vols in field-goal position. Stephens is showing great heart out on the field and the offense is starting to respond.

GRADE: B


Tennessee is still no where near expectations in the running game and Arian Foster has not been sharp at all, but he did have the longest run of the night for 19 yards.

Lennon Creer showed good vision and made nice cuts in leading Vols with 68 yards rushing on 17 carries. Creer also had good second effort on his 1-yard TD run. Fulmer should give the ball to Creer more often, as he seems to be the back who could give Tennessee the big play.

GRADE: C



Wide Receivers

Lucas Taylor made a clutch fourth-down grab while Denarius Moore reeled in a 45-yard strike from Stephens to stretch the defense. Moore has become Stephens' favorite target.

Gerald Jones didn't make a catch before his ankle sprain and had a pass go through his arms. Luke Stocker also had a drop. Clawson and Fulmer meed to get Brandon Warren more involved.

GRADE: C



Offensive Line

No penalties and adequate pass protection in only allowing Mississippi State one sack. The run blocking picked up in the second half but is still lacking and not getting the physical push typical of Tennessee lines of the past. Fulmer being a former lineman himself cannot be happy with their effort this season.

GRADE: C-


Defensive Line

Wes Brown, Chris Walker and Robert Ayers all recorded sacks, and the defensive tackles did an outstanding job clogging the interior running lanes, holding the Bulldogs to only 2.3 yards per carry.

A few missed tackles on sack opportunities, or it would have been an even better night. The line should still be recording more sacks to keep some of the pressure off the linebackers.

GRADE: B



Linebackers

Speaking of the linebackers, Nevin McKenzie recorded two sacks and Ellix Wilson tipped two passes that resulted in interceptions. Rico McCoy only had two tackles.

McKenzie, however, was faked out of his jock strap by the QB in the open field, leading to a first down. Missed tackles like that have cost Tennessee in games this season, and will not help when playing Alabama next week.

GRADE: B+



Secondary

Have I mentioned before that Eric Berry is awesome? Well he is!

Berry and Demetrice Morley each returned interceptions for touchdowns, and Berry had a QB sack and led the team with 10 tackles. DeAngelo Willingham atoned for a pass interference penalty with an interception. Strong coverage.

You cannot ask for a better game than that from the secondary.

GRADE: A



Special Teams

Not the best punting effort from Britton Colquitt. He shanked a punt for 26 yards and only averaged 44 yards a punt which is not good for him.

Daniel Lincoln made field goals from 28 and 36 yards, he missed a 34-yarder. Other than Dennis Rogan's 40-yarder, the return game was pedestrian. Good coverage on punts and kicks, and Ja'Kouri Williams forced a fumble.

GRADE: C



Coaching

Game balls definitely go to John Chavis and his defense. Sound game plan and preparation. Two interceptions were direct result of scheme.

UT's offense was 7 of 15 on third-down conversions and yardage was balanced. Offensive scores came on four drives of 10 plays or more. Coach Phillip Fulmer's fourth-down gamble in third quarter led to TD.

GRADE: A-



FINAL GPA: 2.77



While the first half was very pedestrian, the third quarter touchdown drive got the team and the crowd going and Tennessee was able to roll from there. Fulmer's fourth down gamble could be a turning point in the season if the wins keep coming.

Still lots of room for improvement but Tennessee was able to play well against a physical opponent. However, the Crimson Tide are next. I am anxious to see what the Vols can do.

Georgia-Tennessee: Who Wins?

Two weeks after the debacle against Alabama, the Dawgs are apparently playing the Tennessee Vols this week. I say that because the buildup to this week's game is, for a better word, lacking.

Now the Vols have a tough, top 15 run defense, highlighted by Ellix Wilson and Rico McCoy, in what seems to be his 13th year at Tennessee.

The Dawgs have a deceptive rush offense ranking, only making the top 50. However, no one will deny the power and influence starting RB Knowshon Moreno has over the entire offense.

I was looking at how Knowshon could come back after getting hurt during said 'Bama game and seeing how effective he might be against the Volunteers defense.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Knowshon said he will “...be there [against Tennessee]. I’ll be ready to go.”

He "knows" it'll be a big game, so hopefully he won't lay an egg like he did two weeks ago. However, if he can't bring it all, backups Caleb King and Richard Samuel, who has been complaining for more touches in games, will step up.

This Dawgs offense is more than just run, as SEC total yards leader QB Matthew Stafford can attest to. The Dawgs' passing game is first in the SEC, and UT's top 15 pass defense, led by All-SEC safety Eric Berry, will be on high alert.

However, we have yet to touch on Tennessee's stagnant offense. Led by Dave Clawson, the Vols offense ranks 97th in the nation in total offense. Led by Jonathan Crompton and their 98th-ranked passing offense and Arian Foster and their 61st-ranked rushing offense, the Vols got a lot of explaining to do about their anemic ways.

I guess no matter how you spell it, the sound CLAW-SON just brings the Tennessee offense to a standstill—but this time it's the offensive coordinator and not two loudmouth quarterbacks.

This will be a huge game for head coach Phillip Fulmer, because a debilitating loss to Georgia could bring the final nail in the coffin for big Phil. Also, Tennessee could pull an Auburn and fire their new OC in the middle of the season.

Anyway, it'll be closer than the experts think. It'll take the Dawgs a half to shake off the Alabama game and the memories of the previous two games against UT, but the Dawgs prevail.

Georgia 31, Tennessee 19

GA vs. TN: The Silver Fox Forecast

It’s October and that time of year. Georgia vs. Tennessee. Autumn. Mostly sunshine, a little rain, and a couple of times: monsoons.

Did you know that Tennessee holds a 20-15-2 edge in the all-time series with Georgia, and that the Vols crushed the Bulldogs by a 35-14 final last season?

At 2-3, underachieving Tennessee is desperate for a victory and, therefore, represents a dangerous opponent for the Bulldogs. The Volunteers will play four of their final six regular season games at home following this weekend's game, and the level of competition is somewhat favorable. Obviously, head coach Phil Fulmer does not want to attempt to climb out of a 2-4 hole.

Tennessee’s offense had to play better in Athens. For the most part, the Vols have been tough defensively this season.

This game may become a classic strong offense vs. strong defense battle.

Did you know that Georgia is averaging 424.8 total yards per game this season? With the obvious exception of the first half of the Alabama game, the Bulldogs defense has played well, particularly against the run.

However, Georgia made critical mistakes against the Crimson Tide and must correct them for its contest against Tennessee.

As for Georgia, it opened the season with four consecutive victories before falling to Alabama two weeks ago. The Bulldogs have had two weeks to prepare for this weekend's game and hope to move to 2-1 in conference. They are playing their second of what will be three straight home games against league foes, as nationally-ranked Vanderbilt comes to town next weekend.

The Silver Fox Forecast: Georgia 27, Tennessee 23.

About College Football Tickets

Let's face it, college football is an addiction! What's better than waking up on a Saturday morning knowing you've got tickets to the college football game of your FAVORITE team?

Tailgating, BBQ, Message Boards, Painted Face, Fan Singns made of Poster Board (or pizza boxes if you're a student)... Any of this sound familiar? If so, you love college football.

Getting tickets to see your favorite team might not be as easy as painting your school's logo on your chest while looking in the mirror, however, a sure fire way of getting college football tickets is through a registerd ticket broker that carries college football tickets.

You might think to yourself, these "ticket brokers" are just online scalpers... That's not the case. Ticket brokers online are part of what is called the secondary ticket market. This secondary ticket market is a pool of brokers across the country that have tickets for events and put them all into a ticket board. Then any website can sell another broker's tickets.

In addition, ticket brokers give you the option of sitting where you want for the big game. If you've ever ordered tickets over the phoe, through the box office or from a scalper in the parking lot, you don't have much of an option where you sit. However, a ticket website allows you to browse between dozens and hundreds of tickets available for a single event. This ensures that you can choose your seats!

The prices may be slightly higher for tickets through a ticket website (supply and demand) compared to the face value but weigh the options:

1. You can choose where you want to sit
2. You will not get in trouble for doing business with a scalper
3. You have your tickets in hand before the game
4. Your tickets are guaranteed authentic tickets
5. If the game is postponed, cancelled or is not played, you get a full refund
6. Your transaction is processed through a safe and secure server so your identity is guaranteed safe
7. You can always call customer service for help with an order
8. You can often order tickets before they are on sale to the public
9. Tickets will be shipped 2nd day or overnight to any location (even hotels for away games)
10. If you missed your chance at the box office, you've always got a back up with an online ticket broker

If those 10 reasons aren't enough to make you think twice about ordering college football tickets online, then you're a tough cookie to sell. But the difference between you and someone else is that if you refuse to buy tickets online, you may be watching the game at home while someone else is sitting in your 50 yard line seats on the home side enjoying a great game between rivals!

College football tickets are your key to the game and you'd better make sure you've got your Tennessee Vols football tickets. There's nothing like being at the game!