[November 5, 2005] #8 Notre Dame (5-2) vs Tennessee (3-4)

[BGIF]

Tennessee loses leading rusher for rest of season
By Chris Low, The Tennessean
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee's leading rusher, Gerald Riggs Jr., will miss the remainder of the season after suffering an ankle and lower leg injury in the 6-3 loss to Alabama last Saturday.
Tests revealed a broken bone in Riggs' right ankle, as well as ligament damage in his lower leg. The UT Medical staff is still evaluating the extent of Riggs' ligament damage.

Riggs, a senior tailback who had 530 yards rushing this season, finishes his career at Tennessee with 1,893 yards to rank 13th all-time on the Vols' rushing chart

Redshirt freshman Arian Foster will move into the starting tailback role. He had a season-high 53 yards on 14 carries against the Crimson Tide.

Riggs was injured when Alabama defensive back Simeon Castille fell on Riggs' right leg and ankle after making the tackle on the tail end of Riggs' 24-yard run late in the fourth quarter last Saturday.

Riggs is the second senior starter the Vols have lost for the season in as many games. Cornerback Jason Allen, also a senior and a projected high draft pick, suffered a dislocated hip against Georgia and will miss the remainder of the season.

 

[BGIF]

Around the SEC

TENNESSEE

INSIDE SLANT
In the days leading up to last week's game at Alabama, the Tennessee Vols insisted they were not a 3-3 team and that they would prove it against the Crimson Tide.

Instead, the Vols showed they might just be the most talented and underachieving 3-3 team in the nation with a 6-3 loss to Alabama.

"It's almost hard to believe," Tennessee linebacker Omar Gaither told The Tennessean. "Sometimes you wonder whether you're dreaming or not."

Instead, Tennessee's worst nightmare appears to be coming true. The Vols (3-3, 2-3) entered the season with hopes of contending for a national championship. They also entered the Alabama game with nine victories in the past 10 games of the series. Now they're just hanging on to hopes for a decent bowl. "If a team is better than you and they beat you, you can live with that," Tennessee wide receiver Jayson Swain said. "Knowing that you beat yourselves, that hurts."

The Vols hurt themselves with three critical fumbles on Saturday. The first one came when tailback Gerald Riggs Jr. lost the ball at the Alabama 9-yard line. The second came when freshman return specialist Lucas Taylor muffed a punt and Alabama recovered at the 50. With help from a personal foul by Tennessee defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona, the Crimson Tide was able to take a 3-0 lead on the last play of the third quarter.

Tennessee responded with a 33-yard field goal by James Wilhoit with 11:52 left in the game and then drove deep into Alabama territory when 275-pound fullback Cory Anderson took a screen pass 10 yards to the 5-yard line. Alabama safety Roman Harper them got his helmet on the ball, knocked it out of Anderson's hands and out the back of the end zone for a touchback.

"There's a lot of heartbreak in our locker room," Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said. "We laid it on the line and gave it our all. Alabama is a very fine team and we've got a ways to go on offense. The fumbles were the backbreakers of this game."

More heartbreak came on Alabama's final drive. After the Crimson Tide failed to convert a third down in the second half, it faced third-and-09 on its own 21 when quarterback Brodie Croyle and receiver DJ Hall teamed up to beat cornerback Antonio Gains for a 43-yard gain down the left sideline. The Tide then got 21 yards from tailback Ken Darby on the next three plays, setting up Jamie Christensen's game-winning kick with 13 seconds left in the game.

"It was our game. We were going in to score and win the game," Tennessee junior offensive tackle Arron Sears told The Tennessean. "But just like all season, we let it get away."

NOTES, QUOTES
GAME BALL GOES TO: LB Kevin Simon — He led Tennessee's strong defensive effort with 11 tackles and a sack.

KEEP AN EYE ON: DE Parys Haralson — Tennessee kept constant pressure on Alabama QB Brodie Croyle and Haralson did his part with 2.5 sacks and seven tackles, despite being ill with a virus late in the week.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "We do some dang good things on offense. Then we find a way to screw it up." — Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
LOOKING GOOD: The defense gave up a few big plays but it also kept Alabama out of the end zone, brought constant pressure on QB Brodie Croyle and made RB Ken Darby earn nearly every yard. "Take away one play, and we played about as well as we could play," Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis said. Unfortunately for the Vols, that one play (a 43-yard catch by DJ Hall over the head of sophomore cornerback Antonio Gaines, helped set up Alabama's game-winning field goal.

STILL NEEDS SOME WORK: It's easy to pick on the offense once again, but that's not the only problem. The Vols are also hurting themselves time and time again this season with penalties, including 10 for 74 yards against Alabama. The worst examples came from DT Jesse Mahelona, who has a history of committing personal fouls and got flagged for two more in the Alabama game.

ROSTER REPORT: RB Gerald Riggs* Jr. entered the season as a Heisman Trophy candidate but may spend most of the remaining regular season on the sidelines after suffering an injury to his right ankle and leaving the field on crutches. Riggs came into the Alabama game with bruised ribs and it showed all too often as he rushed for 68 yards on 18 carries. By the time he finally broke through with a 24-yard carry to the Alabama 4-yard line with 6:45 game in the game he suffered his ankle injury and missed the rest of the game. The Vols did get surprising production out of freshman TB Arian Foster, who came into the game with only 22 carries, finished with 56 yards on 14 carries and left a positive impression on the Alabama defense. "He ran the ball a lot harder than I think Riggs did," Tide linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. "He gave them a spark."
===========================

* It was announced Monday that Riggs is out for the season.

 

[Vince Young]

This team is better than 3-3. At the beginning of the season, I thought they were overrated. Now I'm wondering if they're underrated. Those 3 losses were close ones against some very good teams: Florida, Georgia and Alabama.

They'll be fighting for a little r-e-s-p-e-c-t in South Bend come two weeks.

 

[jiggafini19]

This team is better than 3-3. At the beginning of the season, I thought they were overrated. Now I'm wondering if they're underrated. Those 3 losses were close ones against some very good teams: Florida, Georgia and Alabama.

They'll be fighting for a little r-e-s-p-e-c-t in South Bend come two weeks.

V Young, their offense is really ordinary. Less than that even. The defense is very underrated and doesn't deserve 3-3. Their special teams are downright miserable. A coaching nightmare, really.

13 players arrested on this team since January. I have no respect for Phil "Up my plate" Fullmer. This game, to me, is about standards. ND is what is right and UT is very much what's wrong.

There are many reasons I hope ND wins and I believe they shall.

 

[GREENJERSEYS'07]

V Young, their offense is really ordinary. Less than that even. The defense is very underrated and doesn't deserve 3-3. Their special teams are downright miserable. A coaching nightmare, really.

13 players arrested on this team since January. I have no respect for Phil "Up my plate" Fullmer. This game, to me, is about standards. ND is what is right and UT is very much what's wrong.

There are many reasons I hope ND wins and I believe they shall.

I don't have any respect for someone who rats on bama,then doesn't want to show up and only have phone conversations.
also,he was the one who got johnny majors fired when majors was in the hospital and fulmer had taken over for the team.
It's hard to compete with what fulmer has done at tennessee,a bowl game every year and a national championship,but now he is reaping what he sowed.He'd better start looking for a new offensive coordinator before this team starts going further south.

oh,excuse me,they blame everything on the quarterback situation and injuries.

 

[guff]

This game is another chance for ND to make statement. I'll take a win in any form but I'd like to see them put a two TD+ @$$ kicking on them.

ND has been hurt by the deep ball and Clausen can't throw the deep ball so I think this is the perfect match up for ND. And I'm sure ND will tackle better and there will be no fumbles.

 

[BGIF]

This team is better than 3-3. At the beginning of the season, I thought they were overrated. Now I'm wondering if they're underrated. Those 3 losses were close ones against some very good teams: Florida, Georgia and Alabama.

They'll be fighting for a little r-e-s-p-e-c-t in South Bend come two weeks.

I thought they were overrated in preseason polls as well. They were essentially the same team that ND beat in Knoxville. Ainge held promise at QB, Riggs held promise at TB but like '04 the promises largely haven't been fulfilled. Riggs rushed for a thousand yards last year but did't impress me the way Vol RBs had in past years. A major shortcoming has been the lack of a receiver that stretched the secondary. I've always associated Fulmer team with at least one home run WR that put fear in the hearts of DBs when he stepped on the field. They've had some key injuries but struggle with the same offensive problems they had last year with ND came to visit.

Tennessee's Offensive Stats are dismal. There 105th in Rushing Offense AND Scoring out of 117 Div 1 teams. 94th in Total Offense, 61st Passing, and 94th in Passing Efficiency.

Special Teams are as bad as the Offense, 99th Net Punting, 93rd in Punt Returns, and 106th in Kickoff Returns.

Defense is the strength.
26th Pass Eff D, 6th in Rushing D, 13th in Total D, and 10th in Scoring D.

In the SEC, Tennessee's Offensive and Special Team stats are ranked 8th through 12th in a 12 team conference.


If Tennessee is focused on R-e-s-p-e-c-t in South Bend in two weeks, Spurrier is going to give them L-o-s-s #4 this week.

NCAA Div 1 Stats
Category NationalRank Actual
Rushing Offense 105 100.50
Passing Offense 61 221.83
Total Offense 94 322.33
Scoring Offense 105 16.33
Rushing Defense 6 89.00
Pass Efficiency D 26 111.07
Total Defense 13 291.67
Scoring Defense 10 16.00
Net Punting 99 30.59
Punt Returns 93 6.64
Kickoff Returns 106 17.84
Turnover Margin 95 -.67
Pass Defense 43 202.67
Passing Efficiency 94 107.61

 

[BGIF]

The Vols have some great Defensive players Mahelona gave ND fits last year. Haralson at DE dominated Bama's OLine even though playing with a viral fever. He was hospitalized over the weekend but was back on Monday.

They have some great Defensive Team stats but I think they're misleading.

They held UAB and Mississippi to 10 points. Yawn.

They held Florida to 7. Leak and the UF OLine have struggled all season. Go back to the SEC Link at the top of this thread and read about Urban's offensive quagmire (No gloating!).

They held Bama to 6, (sacking Croyle 5 times). Big deal? No so fast, Mississippi held Bama to 13 points with 1/4 the talent level. Without WR Prothro Bama's offense has gone south.

UGA scored 27 and LSU 30 (including OT). Ergo, decent offenses can put 4 scores on them.

Great offenses are going to score more.

 

[domerfor life]

Not to mention BGIF, that Tennessee has not seen an offense like this all season. Many teams in the SEC like to establish the run and when they can't do that the games tend to stall. I don't think they've faced a quarterback like Brady Quinn this season. Charlie Weis will not try to establish anything. The gameplan is whatever works against the defense. However, the O-line will need to be mentally and physically prepared for an all out battle. Tennessee's front four is stout. They must control the line of scrimmage. If they don't do that, you can throw X's and O's out the door.

 

[jiggafini19]

However, the O-line will need to be mentally and physically prepared for an all out battle. Tennessee's front four is stout. They must control the line of scrimmage. If they don't do that, you can throw X's and O's out the door.

4Life brings out an EXCELLENT point here.

I was very disappointed in the O line play against BYU. Weis addressed it in his press conference. Foolish penalties and stupid mistakes will NOT get it done against these four men up front for the Vols. They're going to have to be ready, as in SC ready. I'd really like to see them TRY and match that kind of intensity now that the hangover is gone.

Just as ND has not seen a D like the Vols, The Vols have not seen an O like ND's.

I nominate getting DJ Hord on the field to run some routes. He's already participated. No sense wasting the year. Get Quinn to throw him some, not Wolke in mop up time.

 

[scooper]

The O-line had some mistakes, but overall I don't think they had a bad game. They faced one of the more elaborate and unpredictable blitz packages in all of college football and they kept Quinn standing.

Tennessee will be a different challenge offensively. Their front four can get pressure without blitzing, so finding the open guys may be tougher. Charlie even said in the latest presser than attacking base defense is tougher than a defense that tries to take away one facet or the other. I have faith in him. to figure out how to get guys open, though.

 

[jiggafini19]

Tennessee will be a different challenge offensively. Their front four can get pressure without blitzing, so finding the open guys may be tougher.

They're SCARY good.

 

[BGIF]

The O-line had some mistakes, but overall I don't think they had a bad game. They faced one of the more elaborate and unpredictable blitz packages in all of college football and they kept Quinn standing.

Right on scooper. The OLine/penalty rap is a bum rap. 11 penalties, the OLs had 3. Harris has a hold and personal foul (wanna bet they were related to some nasty trenchwarfare?), Morton had a false start. Let's give credit where credit is due and blame where it is due. Two TEs Fasano and Carlson got flagged for False Starts, neither is an OL.

Quinn was sacked once in 42 pass attempts. Pretty good. Quinn got a grounding penalty trying to avoid another sack he was flagged for throwing the ball away inside the tackles.

 

[LuckoftheIrish86]

no Jason Allen really hurts Tennessee...If our Oline can hold the Dline to give Quinn any time he will find his recievers for scores.

 

[BGIF]

With a 14-0 edge in the second quarter of Saturday's victory over BYU, Notre Dame now holds a 103-19 cumulative advantage in the second period this season. To put that in perspective, ND's next opponent -- Tennessee (3-3) on Nov. 5 -- hasn't scored 103 points total this season. The Vols have scored 17 in their second quarters as opposed to 20 for their opponents and have amassed a total of 98 points on the season to their opponents' 96.

SBT

 

[jiggafini19]

Two TEs Fasano and Carlson got flagged for False Starts, neither is an OL.

Depends on your point of view here.

While tight ends are skill players, many teams embrace the tight end as a "sixth" offensive lineman. Certainly in Weis' offense, they're not out there blocking all of the time, but tight ends can be part of the unit up front.

Bottom line, stop the stupid penalties. Excuses are like a$$h*les...everyone has one and they all stink. I think you'll see a much more efficient ND team in another two weeks.

 

[BGIF]

Last weekend I commented that the UTN game would be a battle but the Vols better focus on SCAR or they could be had. They have better talent but inexplictedly seem to find a way to lose, like last year against ND and last week against Bama.

After the deju endzone fumble today, ESPN's ex-Georgia coach Jim Donnan commented that Vols fans will be angry with the OC but they won't remember Randy Sanders called both plays but he didn't fumble the ball. Orangenation is screaming for scalps from the coaching staff.

Without those two touchback fumbles the Vols are 5-2 and closing on the Top 10. Instead they're 3-4 and fighting to be bowl eligible. ND should win but then the Vols will win out over Memphis, VU, and UK.

I'm more concerned about the game next week now than I was last week. Instead of shaping up as a battle now it's a trap game. The Vols have their backs to the wall. ND has visions of CW's 10 year contract, a lessor opponent, running the table, and a BCS bid dancing in their heads.

Ripe for an upset.

 

[Aerosmith777]

have to agree. I'm really pissed Tennessee blew that game against South Carolina for 2 reasons. 1. a win against the Vols doesn't look as big now (it will be their 5th loss, after all) and 2. I hate playing a team coming in off a loss, especially a team that year in and year out is usually a BCS contender, as Tennessee is, b/c you know they have talent. now they'll be even more driven to win saturday.

I don't, btw, think ND will be caught napping though. This is the biggest game left on the schedule, and I think the kids are looking at it as the game that makes or breaks their chances for a BCS berth. They'll be ready. I'd be more worried about any of the three games after this one on that front, particulary Stanford on the road, who played a pretty good game today in a tough luck loss. Not to mention Walt Harris' team pretty much owned the ND secondary last year (but then again, who didn't?).

 

[guff]

I see two possibilities for this game. Vols win a close one or ND blows 'em off the field.

If the Vols have any heart left, they could come to South Bend, play the game of their lives and win. I have seen that happen way too often for my liking. If not, they get crushed. I think they get crushed.

It will important for ND to score early to take any grand upset ideas out of the Vols head early.

 

[KMac151993]

Yeah as much as I wanna say this will be a blow out win for ND there is just that thought that Tenn. is a team that usually is contending for a big BCS bowl game right now rather then fighting for a bowl, especially after a loss and a loss to Darth Visor.

 

[jiggafini19]

Tennessee flat out sucks. They need to visit the Wizard for various components: brains, heart and courage.

I watched them against South Carolina last night, probably the fourth of fifth time I've seen this Vols team play. GUTLESS.

Notre Dame MUST win to keep home field advantage momentum going (1 +1 + win streak) and coming off of Prince Charles' contract extension, a win would be a nice feather in the cap.

 

[BGIF]

ND could be a 14 point favorite at home against the Vols. That would probably be Tennessee's biggest "dog" margin in a long, long time.

 

[iloveirish_12]

we can beat them. Easyly if the deffesen shows up and the offense play like they should. i bet ND 31-20.

 

[Vince Young]

Tennessee is flat-out better than 3-4.

Their defense is still impressive, only allowing an average of 16 points per game. Rick Minter would probably kill for that average.

Their big problem is their offense, which is only averaging 16.1 points per game.

After the deju endzone fumble today, ESPN's ex-Georgia coach Jim Donnan commented that Vols fans will be angry with the OC but they won't remember Randy Sanders called both plays but he didn't fumble the ball.

That's true. However, Randy Sanders called all of the OTHER plays too, and his play-calling has resulted in only scoring 16.1 points per game. And even if you count those 2 fumbles as touchdowns, that only goes up to 18.1 points per game. Either way, with the talent Tennessee has on offense, that's unacceptable.

They're restless in Rocky Top, and they have every reason to be.

 

[BGIF]

Early line Tennessee +8

 

[jiggafini19]

Tennessee is flat-out better than 3-4.

A very wise man once said, "you are what you are." If you suck, you suck and their offense sucks. They've packed it in. You can see it in their faces and by the body language conveyed on TV. DONE.

That team shows me nothing, even with a defense as good as theirs.

And that is exactly what scares the hell out of me. South Bend, on the road, national TV, garbage team. I hope Charlie pours it on them.

 

[domerfor life]

Tenn

Tenn

I don't think Randy should get all the blame. Yeah, their offense is vanilla, but their quarterback play is horrendous. As I said in my previous post, ND must come out ready to go. The O-line must be mentally focused and play with an even nastier streak. I think this front four is better than USC's. If I know Charlie Weis, he will try to play ball control and wear the defense out. That way, an already struggling offense gets no time to develop any kind of continuity. The defense wears out and by the fourth quarter, they are being mauled. Also, if I know Charlie Weis, this team will be ready and focused for a game and wounded Tennessee team. Tennessee will keep it close until the second to third quarter. I think the Irish win by at least 10 points. If they get up by 10-14 points early, Tennessee is in trouble especially with their fragil psyche. If we get into the third quarter and the game is still close, there is great cause for concern.

 

[BGIF]

Vols Offense Now In Phil's Hands
by LEE GORDON BlueAndGold.com Writer
So Phil Fulmer is calling the plays again. If it wasn’t bad enough that the Vols have lost three in a row, on Monday UT offensive coordinator Randy Sanders resigned. That means Tennessee will run a committee-style play calling system when they visit Notre Dame on Saturday.
Tennessee is a team that began the season ranked No. 3 in the country and is now having trouble scoring against South Carolina. If that doesn’t paint a picture, the Vols are out of the Top 25 for the first time in the tenure of Fulmer.

It seems as if there's never a good time to play the Irish these days, especially if you're Tennessee. But this is still UT, and while Steve Spurrier said you can't spell Citrus Bowl without “UT,” the Vols are not any closer to the Citrus Bowl than Spurrier is.

Say what you will about Tennessee’s history, but as former SEC hoop coach Rick Pitino once said, Peyton Manning isn't coming through that door anytime soon. Tee Martin and Jamal Lewis aren't coming through that door anytime soon either. The Vols are stuck with two of the most underachieving signal callers in college football.

The numbers don't lie. The Vols average 16 points a game, that's 108th out of 117 Division 1-A schools. They are 99th in total offense, 98th in rushing offense, and 101st in passing efficiency with Erik Ainge and Rick Clausen.

No one in the Irish locker room will say that Tennessee is anything less than a national championship powerhouse. If they do, they could be in for a rude awakening on Saturday. But the numbers don't lie here. Tennessee is fading fast and Notre Dame is quickly on the rise. With the Irish defense swarming like they do and if the offense plays half as good as it did against BYU, this game could be over at the end of the 1st quarter.

 

[BGIF]

News and Views by DAN SILVER BlueAndGold.com Writer

* Tennessee comes to town this weekend and looks to be a formidable opponent on paper. Some of the UT players are upset that their offensive coordinator was the scapegoat, even though he resigned of his own volition. One of two things will happen this weekend. Tennessee will come out and play a near perfect game like the Davie-led Irish did at LSU several years back or they will show up confused and out-manned without the confidence to overcome either. I think it will be the latter and the Irish defense will throw its first shutout in a long time.
* Right now, Tennessee has a two-quarterback system that is truly unenviable. Theirs is not a situation in which both QB’s are playing so well that each needs to see the field. Erik Ainge, who has been named the starter against the Irish, might have the stronger arm but he has a tendency to be feast or famine. He will lead a few scoring drives then do nothing for several drives. Rick Clausen has really never been able to put it together for a season. He is a stand-up guy however, taking the blame for the offense’s struggles of late even though the situation practically begged for him to blame the coaching situation. He will succeed after football.

* I have a hunch that DJ Hord and/or David Grimes will get into the endzone this week.

 

[BGIF]

Fulmer says Ainge will start against Notre Dame
By John Brice, john.brice@thedailytimes.com
November 02, 2005

KNOXVILLE — The big hits continue coming from The Hill, but this time someone is getting a promotion.

During his weekly session with reporters on Tuesday, Phillip Fulmer indicated he expects Erik Ainge to start at quarterback Saturday afternoon (1:30) when the Vols (3-4) visit No. 8 Notre Dame (5-2). Rick Clausen relieved Ainge at halftime of Tennessee’s win at LSU and started each of the next four games.

The Vols’ offensive backfield may be forced to deal with an additional major shakeup. Redshirt freshman Arian Foster is to have a second MRI today on his knee and could miss the game against the Fighting Irish. Foster replaced Gerald Riggs Jr. last week as the team’s starter after Riggs suffered a season-ending injury in the loss Oct. 22 at Alabama.

If Foster is unable to go, Fulmer’s preference could be a one-back set with fullback Cory Anderson starting. Ja’Kouri Williams and Antioch’s LaMarcus Coker likewise would figure more prominently in the offense.

Fulmer assumed command of the Tennessee offense in light of Randy Sanders’ resignation on Monday as offensive coordinator.

“We haven’t completely settled on that, but Erik probably will start the game,” Fulmer said. “Erik actually played pretty well in (last Saturday’s 16-15 loss to South Carolina). He made some pretty good throws.”

Ainge completed 9 of 21 pass attempts for 65 of the Vols’ 99 passing yards. He guided the 12-play, 72-yard scoring march for Tennessee’s only touchdown. The sophomore started the Vols’ season opener but saw his playing time dwindle while the offense struggled.

Neither Ainge nor Clausen has been particularly effective this season. They have combined for 1,430 passing yards, five touchdowns and eight interceptions in completing 130 of 245 attempts (53 percent).

The Vols’ offense ranks ninth in the SEC and 99th nationally in total yards per game at 315.

Ainge was unavailable for comment on Tuesday.

But Clausen sounded off on Sanders’ decision to step aside.

“I’m [upset]. He gave 22 years of his life to this university and the first time there’s some real adversity as a football team,” Clausen said. “There’s nobody around this campus, nobody around this state, nobody around the nation more upset than the players and the coaches of this football team.”

Already calling: Fulmer said Sanders’ announcement Monday triggered immediate interest to replace the Vol offensive coordinator.

“There’s been a lot of interest from a lot of places,” Fulmer said.

He also expects to meet with former coordinator David Cutcliffe, fired last year as Mississippi’s head coach, to discuss the position.

“At an appropriate time when we get things going better,” said Fulmer, “and I have time to think through it, David will certainly be one of the persons that I’ll talk to. Tennessee deserves to have the very best that it can.”

More lineup moves: Junior guard Rob Smith doesn’t expect to play Saturday because of a sore shoulder. He’ll be replaced in the lineup by both Ramon Foster and Anthony Parker, who will share Smith’s duties. Additionally, reserve linebacker Jerod Mayo is questionable from an injury suffered in the South Carolina game.