Well, it was the last game of the season, and the Vols finally showed up. 14 weeks of practice games finally paid off as the Vols completely dominated a good Kentucky team. I wasn't impressed with the shutout over Vandy because, well, it was Vandy. But Kentucky is a good team this year, as they showed in several games. The combination of Lorenzen and Pinner made Kentucky the SEC's leading offense. Add in Abney with his NCAA record-tying 6 kicks returned for touchdowns, and Kentucky seemed ready to end 18 years of futility.
But, the Vols had other plans. The offensive line finally got enough playing time as a unit to gel; Derrick Tinsley had a breakout performance running and catching; The defense got enough time off the field to utterly destroy Kentucky's offense; and most amazingly, Randy Sanders discovered a new technique called the "forward pass." Mark my words; this could revolutionize Tennessee football.
Report Card
Offensive line B
Clausen had plenty of time to throw; there were nice holes for the running backs. Easily their best performance all season
Running Backs B
Houston was ineffective, but Tinsley caught the Wildcats napping. Even Troy Fleming managed the throw a good block or two.
Receivers D
The sole disappointing performance for the Vol offense were the receivers, who dropped several balls. Maybe they were surprised by the tight spirals coming from Clausen. Jason Whitten had another fine game, including a crushing stop on the punt coverage team.
Quarterback A-
I don't particularly like Clausen (could you tell?) but Saturday, he played the game and lived up to his billing. His fakes were sharp; his passes were tight and on target, and he even managed to run for positive yards.
Defense A
No need to break this one down into sub groups. Pinner was limited to just 51 yards. Lorenzen was harried all day long, going 9 of 23 for 59 yards. Kentucky failed to score for the first time this season. There were only four shutouts in the SEC this year, and the Vol defense owns two of them. It was a long time coming, but once the offense started pulling their weight, the defense came through.
Coaching B+
Randy Sanders called an effective game, including trick plays, misdirection, and passing down field, as well as his favored power football. For the first time in a couple of months, the Vols looked prepared for the game. In another rare occurence, Tennessee was penalized less than their opponent.
Officiating C-
Tennessee finally was the beneficiary of questionable calls, instead of the victim. In a flashback to the Florida game 2 years ago, the ball came loose just as Jabari Davis was crossing the goal line. It was ruled a touchdown, just like the catch in the Florida game was. At least they were consistent.
Overall B+
A good all around effort by the team, the first of the season. And our reward? Atlanta and the Peach bowl against Maryland. Too early for a line, but I'm picking Tennessee.
Posted by Rich at December 2, 2002 9:15 PM