Orange County Register

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

SITE: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tenn.

DATE/TIME: Sept. 12, 1 p.m.

2008 RECORD:  5-7 (3-5 in the SEC)

LAST MEETING: UCLA beat Tennessee, 27-24, in overtime on Sept. 1, 2008 at the Rose Bowl.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Jonathan Crompton, QB; Dan Williams, DT; Rico McCoy, LB.

OUTLOOK: The once-proud Volunteers watched their offense stagnate over the past few years and Lane Kiffin, the former offensive coordinator at USC and Raiders’ head coach was brought in to turn things around. One of the first things he unpacked was a pro-style offense he used while at USC. Quarterback Jonathan Crompton and several of his teammates are enjoying the new offensive scheme and look forward to watching the team’s offensive numbers improve.

BEYOND THE HUDDLE: The Vols took the lead over UCLA with 1:54 remaining in the fourth quarter of last year’s contest but the Bruins’ offense, which slumbered through most of the first half, used part of its second-half rally to send the game into overtime. That’s where they won, despite a 366-288 deficit in yards. Tennessee will undoubtedly be looking for payback.

WHAT’S BEING SAID: One of the most significant obstacles that the Kiffin-led Volunteers are going to have to overcome is the lack of a reliable offensive signal-caller to run the game and lead the offense down the field. B.J. Coleman looked like he was ready to take the QB position by force during spring practice…Kiffin made it clear that Coleman would not be the guy, and since then, Coleman has transferred.
–secsportsfan.com
TV/Radio: ESPN; KLAC/570

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