Final Record: 5-7 overall, 1-7 SEC

Count me as one of the few optimists for Tennessee entering 2012. I bit hook, line and sinker. Derek Dooley was in his third season as a head coach, and he had put together an impressive team on paper – especially on offense – that looked like it could finally be the one team to turn the corner in the Dooley era and make some serious noise in the SEC East. But the theme remained the same – the Vols handled every team not in the SEC, and with the blowout loss to Vandy, Dooley was canned before the season even ended. Guilty as charged for believing this team could turn the corner. Did I think Tennessee could win the division?  Nah, but I did expect them to make some headway and win eight games.  I’m not an eternal optimist, either.

The good news for Tennessee’s offense is that they could score nearly 40 points every time on the field, but the bad news is they had to. Statistically speaking, the Vols’ defense was the worst in program history. They gave up a league worst 35.7 points per game and allowed over 188 yards on the ground per game. You’re not going to beat any teams with that kind of defense, and it was pretty evident starting against Florida and Georgia the Vols defense would struggle mightily.

However, the offense put up some serious numbers, thanks in part to quarterback Tyler Bray. Bray threw for 3,612 yards and 34 touchdowns – both tops in the SEC. But no matter how good the stats may have been, Bray was knocked for quitting in football games, most notably Florida. He has a Sunday night arm with a Friday night head.  He just looks bored and not into the football game sometimes. That doesn’t bode well for younger players who look up to the quarterback, nor does it bode well for the fans looking at their leader.

We knew a strong suit of the Vols would be the quarterback-wide receiver connection with Bray, Justin Hunter and Cordarrelle Patterson. Hunter ended up catching 73 passes for 1,083 yards and nine touchdowns. However, while Hunter made some great catches, he was soft at times and certainly didn’t max out his physical gifts. Of the nine touchdowns, he only caught two of them against two SEC teams in Missouri and Kentucky. Opposite Hunter was offensive freak show Cordarrelle Patterson. We knew the JUCO transfer would make some noise just from his highlight film.  And boy, was he good. Not only did Patterson catch 46 passes for 778 yards and five touchdowns, he also was the third leading rusher on the team with 308 yards and three touchdowns. And if that’s still not convincing enough, Patterson led the SEC in all-purpose yardage with 1,858 yards, thanks to 671 kick return yards and 101 punt return yards. Tight end Mychal Rivera and receiver Zach Rogers also caught more than 30 passes, too, for a combined 12 touchdowns.

The biggest question I had for the offense all revolved around the running game. New running backs coach and former Tennessee running back Jay Graham led a resurging Tennessee running game. After finishing dead last in the SEC in 2011, the Vols finished eighth, rushing for over 160 yards per game. Tennessee averaged just over 90 yards per game last season. Backs Rajion Neal and Marlin Lane complemented one another, with Neal being the homerun hitter and Lane more of a between-the-tackles runner. Neal nabbed 708 yards while Lane rushed for 658 yards.

The strongest aspect of the offense wasn’t Tyler Bray’s arm or Patterson’s nasty play-making ability. It revolved around the guys up front. Tennessee’s offensive line was one of the best in the entire country, giving up an SEC-low eight (eight!) sacks on the season, good for fourth in the entire country. Bray had all day to sit in the pocket sometimes.

However, the defense was just putrid. In fact, it was the worst defense in the SEC. Furthermore, it was the worst defense in Tennessee history, and the Vols allowed over 35 points per game and were ranked 108th in the country doing it. Before the season started, Dooley brought over Sal Sunseri from Alabama to be his new defensive coordinator, and with the hire came the new 3-4 scheme. We knew there would be a transition phase between the 4-3 and the new 3-4, but we never anticipated it being as rough as it was. And it was disgusting. Giving up an average of 40 points per game in conference will get you one win against Kentucky, and that’s because it is Kentucky.

Tennessee has a long tradition of great defensive players, but the roster is saturated with averaged defensive players. The defensive line had no impact even with mammoth nose tackle 380-pound Daniel McCullers controlling the middle. Hell, he didn’t even play but a few series per game usually. Maurice Couch and Darrington Sentimore are big bodies but only combined for nine tackles for loss and five sacks. Again, no difference-makers.  AJ Johnson is the only linebacker on the roster who is a future NFL star. Outside of Johnson, though, Curt Maggitt was injured all season, Herman Lathers played okay and Jacques Smith has yet to live up to his blue chip recruit hype. And the secondary took a major blow when Brian Randolph went down with an ACL tear against Florida. Safety Byron Moore was the target of many plays at the third level, as he looked lost sometimes. The Vols were 13th in the conference defending the pass, giving up an average of 282.5 yards per game.  The players were bad, but the scheme did them no favors.

This is a battered and bruised program players-wise and fan base-wise, and the blowout loss against Vanderbilt was the low point of the season.  The morale of the program and the players took a major blow.  It was a nasty ending to such a promising season in Knoxville.  Butch Jones takes over a fragile program at best.

Offensive Stud: Cordarrelle Patterson and Justin Hunter will likely have a bigger future in the NFL, but Tyler Bray tore it up this season. Bray led the SEC in passing with 3,612 yards and 34 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. He completed nearly 60 percent of his passes, too. Yeah, I hear the knocks about him against SEC competition and see his head-case tendencies, but Bray has a big-time arm. It could be the strongest arm in all of college football. If he can grow into a leader for Tennessee – assuming he returns for his senior season – it would bode well for Coach Jones’ first year. Bray has first-round potential in physical ability with a free agent head. If he takes the next step as a leader and a player, Bray could have a big future in the league.

Defensive Stud: If there’s one guy on defense who has a NFL future it’s linebacker AJ Johnson. Johnson led the SEC in tackles with 138 total, including 8.5 tackles for loss and one sack. And if averaging 11.5 tackles per game isn’t enough, how about his 12 carries for six touchdowns on offense?  Johnson was the short yardage extraordinaire in the Wildcat package. He’s a great player with an even bigger future.

Where To Next: Butch Jones has his work cut out for him. Tennessee is a great place to win championships with such a rich history and tradition, but it’s going to be a major rebuilding phase for the Vols. And the fan base is going to have to be patient and give Jones every opportunity before coming to a conclusion about him. He’s a good coach and a winning coach, but the reality of the roster shows us a lack of difference makers on defense. And if the big three go to the NFL, it will be a bigger uphill battle on offense, too. Jones has retained running backs coach Jay Graham, and he should go get Tee Martin at USC, too.

Photo Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee Volunteers

Three Reasons Why

1. Justin Hunter – Justin Hunter is a 6-4, 200 lb head coach’s dream at wide receiver. The kid can catch any football thrown his way. He can really be a go-to receiver for Tyler Bray and this offense. His height is a huge added advantage over smaller corners in the SEC. He is deceptively fast, and he can get behind the defense in a hurry. When he gets his hands on the football, there is no one better in the SEC reeling them in. With a full year of Justin Hunter, this Tennessee offense will benefit greatly.

2. Maurice Couch – Maurice Couch will go a long way in providing an instant impact to the front four for Tennessee. Couch really tore it up in JUCO at GCCC, as he posted 45 tackles for loss, three quarterback sacks and a forced fumble. He is big enough and mobile enough to be a good defensive tackle in a league that is noted for its exceptional defensive lines. If Tennessee wants to win an SEC Championship, Big Mo will have to be an instant-impact type of player opposite Malik Jackson.

3. Janzen Jackson – The somewhat troubled star will be back in Tennessee orange this fall. As noted, Jackson sat out the semester but continued to work out outside of the university. Jackson hopefully has turned the page and got his issues taken care of to make one more magical run in the SEC at his safety position before taking his talents to the league. He will elevate the play of this secondary from day one.

Three Reasons Why Not

1. Defensive Depth – The defensive secondary is going to be the staple that really carries Tennessee this season. While there is depth in that secondary, the bigger issues lie in the front seven. Along the defensive line, Tennessee’s starters are good with Malik Jackson, Jacques Smith and Maurice Couch, but there is simply not a lot of depth there. If anyone of these three goes down, Tennessee could be in trouble up front. Linebacker is a whole other issue. Herman Lathers does return, but Tennessee will have to lean heavily on incoming freshmen AJ Johnson and Curt Maggitt. There are real depth concerns on this defense, and that presents a tremendous liability when pushing for an SEC Championship.

2. If Tyler Bray Goes Erik Ainge – Tyler Bray is a gunslinger of sorts at the helm for the Vols. He eats pressure for breakfast it seems, and he looks zoned out sometimes. However, different players prepare for and compete in games than other players. Derek Dooley has had to get used to Bray’s relaxed style because he was quick to judge that Bray just didn’t care too much or didn’t take football too seriously. It is well documented former quarterback Eric Ainge’s drop-off from his freshman to sophomore years, and Tennessee can ill-afford for Tyler Bray to go Eric Ainge.

3. SEC West Schedule – How unlucky it truly is for Derek Dooley and Tennessee to have to face the top three teams in the SEC West. They have an annual brawl with Alabama, and this year it falls in Tuscaloosa. Tennessee does host LSU (which I think is definitely winnable) and travel to Fayetteville to take on the high-octane Razorbacks. The Vols will be lucky to win one of those three games, but they could drop all three.

Saturday Down South will be counting down the SEC East predictions from No. 6 to No. 1. Obviously preseason predictions are based on pure speculation, and no one knows how crazy the SEC football season will turn out to be!

No. 4: Tennessee Volunteers

2010 Record: 6-7 overall, 3-5 in conference

Record Prediction: 8-4 overall, 4-4 in conference

The Tennessee Volunteers are entering year two of the Derek Dooley experiment in Knoxville. So far, Dooley has had more bad luck than anyone else at the helm for Tennessee, with the LSU and North Carolina clock fiascos to end the ball game.

I think better things are in store for Tennessee, not only this year, but the future as well. I’m just not convinced this year is Tennessee’s, even though the SEC East is wide open for the taking, with Florida and Georgia predicted to be down once again.

Offensively, Tennessee is young but very talented. Quarterback Tyler Bray will lead the Vols in his sophomore season, and he has garnered comparisons to Peyton Manning in his short tenure. The offensive line will be young but talented and deep. Even though the Vols struggled along the offensive line in 2010, I look for them to be much improved in 2011. Bray has talent all around him with Tauren Poole returning at tailback and big-time young prospects at wide receiver in Justin Hunter and Da’Rick Rogers. It will be fun to see how Bray works with both Hunter and Rogers.

Defensively, tackle Malik Jackson and end Jaques Smith will anchor this defensive line unit. Experience does return in Prentiss Waggner, Marlon Walls and hopefully Janzen Jackson to add a formidable line of defense. The defensive line and defensive backfield will be the strongest units of this defense, but there are holes to fill at linebacker. I have a feeling some freshman will get some much-needed playing time at that position.

I do look for teams to try and wear down this Tennessee defensive front four to get to the inexperienced linebackers at the second level late in ball games.

The Vols are entering what could be a must-win game on the road at Florida, but The Swamp is as tough of a place to play as anywhere in the country. If Tennessee wants to make a run at the East, they will need to upset the Gators on the road.

With that being said, my prediction for Tennessee is to finish with eight wins on the year and 4-4 in conference. Playing Florida, Alabama and Arkansas on the road and Georgia at home could be the losses for this team. I think the Vols pull upset wins against LSU and South Carolina – call me crazy!

Things are looking up in Knoxville, and 2012 could be the year of the Vols. But first, 2011 will have to be played out.

The rosters were determined by evenly dividing the seniors and drafting the remaining players to their respective teams.  Head Coach Derek Dooley presided as acting commissioner over the draft and had final say of approval for player personnel.  Here’s a look at the two squads of football brothers that will go head-to-head in the annual gridiron classic and analysis of who may have the edge at each position, as well as my prediction for the game.

Quarterbacks

Orange – Tyler Bray, Nash Nance & Myles McKee

White – Matt Simms, Justin Worley & Doak Raulston

Edge – The White team has better depth, but the nod goes to the Orange with the SEC’s top returning signal caller, Tyler Bray.

Running Backs

Orange – Tauren Poole, Jaron Roney, Ben Bartholomew (FB) & Austin Bolen (FB)

White – Rajion Neal, Dorian Cozart, Toney Williams & Channing Fugate (FB)

Edge – Neal has been impressive thus far in the spring, but Poole’s experience gives the Orange the advantage.

Receivers

Orange – Justin Hunter, Vincent Dallas, Matt Milton, Chris Cates, Jacob Carter, Mychal Rivera (TE) & Brent Slusher (TE)

White – Da’Rick Rogers, Zach Rogers, DeMario Williams, Tyler Drummer, Cory Eichholtz, Dylan West, Brendan Downs (TE) & Dakota Summers (TE)

Edge – Milton has been turning heads this spring and everyone now knows Justin Hunter.  Da’Rick and Zach Rogers are both excellent but the Bray to Hunter connection has been off-the-charts.  Orange rules at receiver.

Offensive Line

Orange – James Stone, Marcus Jackson, Dallas Thomas, Darin Gooch, Carson Anderson, Chase Phillips & Ja’Wuan James (Injured – will not play)

White – JerQuari Schofield, Kevin Revis, Zach Fulton, Alex Bullard, Jacob Gilliam, Mack Crowder & Marques Pair (Injured – will not play)

Edge – Experience wins again for the Orange on the O-line.

Defensive Line

Orange – Joseph Ayers, Corey Miller, Montori Hughes, Martaze Jackson, Rae Sykes, Willie Bohannon, Jaques Smith (Injured – will not play) & Keensen Chambers (Injured – will not play)

White – Malik Jackson, Daniel Hood, Gregory Clark, Arthur Jeffery, Marlon Walls & Steven Fowlkes

Edge - Slight edge for the Orange on the D-line.

Linebackers

Orange – Nigel Mitchell-Thornton, Gregory Grieco, Robert Nelson, LaDarius Denson, Daryl Vereen & John Propst (Injured – will not play)

White – Shane Reveiz, Grant Jessen, Greg King, Raiques Crump, Jake Storey, Herman Lathers (Injured – will not play) & Austin Johnson (Injured – will not play)

Edge -  Tough call, but the White team wrestles this one away.

Secondary

Orange – Prentiss Waggner, Brent Brewer, Marsalis Teague, Zach Allen, Naz Oliver, Melvin Goins, Tyler Page, Anthony Anderson & Tyler Coombes

White – Eric Gordon, Art Evans, Justin Coleman, Robert Younce, Nick Branum, Rod Wilks, Dontavis Sapp & C.J. Fleming

Edge – Orange in a mismatch.

Specialty

Orange – Michael Palardy (PK), Derrick Brodus (P) & Nick Guess (DS)

White – Matt Darr (P), Chip Rhome (PK) & J.R. Carr (DS)

Edge – White has the better punter but Palardy puts points on the board.  Advantage Orange in the kicking game.

Prediction

Maybe I’m looking through my orange-colored glasses, but clearly the Orange team is loaded up with the most star power.  The question is, how long will Coach Dooley leave his most-proven players on the field?  Remember, this game is merely a scrimmage and the staff will want to get a look at as many players as possible.  This game will be closer than it looks to be on paper.  I’ll take the Orange, 31-21.

The 6’2″ 295 pound monstrous defensive tackle, known by many simply as Big Mo, will be making his way to the University of Tennessee campus after graduating from Garden City Community College in Garden City, KS on May 14th.

Head Coach Derek Dooley made it clear on National Signing Day that the four junior college (JUCO) players signed by the Volunteers were brought in to make an immediate contribution to the program.  Dooley is counting on the JUCO transfer to provide leadership for a young defensive unit, and Maurice Couch wouldn’t want it any other way.

The JUCO All-American comes to Tennessee as the nation’s number 2 rated junior college prospect and has three years to play out his remaining three years of eligibility after red-shirting his freshman season due to injury, but it took just one season of gridiron aggression at GCCC for some of the most prestigious programs in college football to take notice of the emerging defensive star.  Couch’s impressive stats from the 2010 season at GCCC included 45 tackles, 12 tackles-for-loss, three quarterback sacks and a forced fumble. 

The Sanford, FL native, who achieved a 5-star rating from 247sports, entertained offers from Southern Cal, Miami, Kansas, Georgia, Ole Miss and South Carolina, among others, before pledging his allegiance to the Big Orange.  When asked why he chose Tennessee over the other programs, Couch said, “It was just unbelievable, the facilities,  the coaches and players were just like a family.”  Couch  also credited the Vol For Life program started by Dooley and Andre Lott who currently heads up the program, as well as assistant coach Lance Thompson and defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox.

Couch’s enthusiasm and readiness to get to Tennessee is unmistakable and when asked about his goals for the upcoming season, the likable giant responding by saying, “Coach Dooley said he needed help up front, and that’s what I want to do, just help the defense make plays.”

Many observers feel that Couch will not only “help up front” but may have been Dooley’s most valuable aquisition in the 2011 signing class and has the potential to be an All-SEC defensive performer.

The Florida native grew up a fan of the Miami Hurricanes, idolizing such defensive stars as Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, but says he patterns his game after Chicago Bears’ star Julius Peppers.  Like Peppers, Couch prides himself as not only a pass rusher, but a run stopper as well.  With the loss of defensive ends Gerald Williams and Chris Walker, Couch is expected to provide immediate impact at defensive end in Justin Wilcox’s 3-4 scheme and defensive tackle in the 4-3 and hopes to one day play on Sundays.  While preparing for a run at the NFL, Couch plans to pursue a degree in kinesiology while at Tennessee.  The study of muscular movement, kinesiology, would appear to be a natural fit for Couch who seems to have a good grip on the need to complete his education.

For now, the easy going Couch is concentrating on his studies at GCCC and continues to stay in shape with a regimen of weight lifting and cardiovascular training.  In his spare time Couch gets a little work in on PS3 with the latest gaming craze, Call of Duty – Black Ops, and keeping up with future Vol teammates, Byron Moore, Martaze Jackson, DeAnthony Arnett and Jaques Smith on his Twitter account.

Couch, who will become a father in just a few days, is quick to credit his fiancee, Stephanie Stapleton, as a steadying force who helped provide much-needed direction in his life after he was injured in his first season.  The couple is expecting a baby daughter to add to the Volunteer family.  While Maurice and Stephanie can’t wait for the arrival of Ahmya Tanay Couch, Tennessee fans are just as excited about seeing Big Mo hit the field for the Big Orange this fall.

Couch said he and his family will begin the 17-hour trek to Knoxville in late May and it is clear that he can’t wait to start his new life as a Volunteer.  Fair warning has been given, the storm is coming.  You better not sleep on the Couch.  Get ready Volnation, Big Mo will be hear soon, ready to wreck havoc in the SEC.