From GoVolsXtra:

In the frustration after the Vols’ failed last play – an end-zone interception by Vanderbilt – several UT players appeared to throw their helmets on the ground. A number of players went to the locker room leaving their helmets on the field.

Offensive lineman Albert Toeaina reportedly spit on a Jumbotron cameraman as he left the field. The cameraman, Scott Liston, told WBIR-TV’s Steve Phillips on Sunday that Fulmer had called him to apologize for the incident.

John Pennington has more:

Nearly as bad as Helmet-gate was the amount of jawing, talking and showboating that UT’s 4-6 players did during the Vandy game. Several times, UT defenders ran their mouths to Vandy’s Cutler following defensive stops. But for the day, Cutler was 27 of 39 for 315 yards and 3 touchdowns and he recorded the first signature win of his career. Guess who laughed last.

Two UT defensive players also popped off to Vandy (and former Knox Central) running back Cassen Jackson-Garrison as the teams made their way to the lockerrooms at halftime. Jackson-Garrison responded by pointing to the 21-14 lead on the Neyland Stadium scoreboard.

My guess? This was the first time that a Vandy player had been able to say “scoreboard” to a Tennessee player since the game clocks went from analog to digital.

Prior to the 4th and a foot at Vandy’s 4, several of UT’s offensive linemen were seen bobbing their heads and gesturing for the Vols to go for the first down. It was more than energy and enthusiasm… it was #####. And as I noted earlier, it was misplaced ######### since the O-Line could [sic] blow Vandy off the line of scrimmage.

Lastly, after the disappointing loss, the popping off, the mid-season “we’re not a .500 football team” promises, the numerous Clausen quotes… in the end, only 5 people associated with the Vol team came out to speak to the media after the game: Phillip Fulmer (who gets paid to do it), John Chavis (good for him), and players Foster, Mahelona and Jason Mitchell (who had played all season on a torn ACL and a torn MCL).

I echo Pennington’s praise of Chavis, Foster, Mitchell, and Mahelona, who said the helmet thing was evidence of a lack of maturity.

UPDATE: GoVolsXtra is now reporting that Toeaina spit on the ground, not on the cameraman. They have video. Toeaina is suspended for Saturday’s game against the Kentucky Wildcats, though, for inappropriate conduct, which apparently consists of throwing his helmet after the loss, leaving it on the field, and yelling an expletive at the cameraman.

Toeaina has apologized:

“I apologize, to all concerned, for my conduct after the Vanderbilt game,” Toeaina said. “It was done out of anger and frustration. It is not reflective of what I have been taught by my family or my coach. I would like to thank coach Fulmer for the opportunity to be a part of the Tennessee Volunteers.”

Vanderbilt 28, Tennessee 24, and the early reactions are in:

The Vol Abroad is wondering how to spell the “whimpering sounds I’m making.”

Big Orange Michael is embarking on an off-season-long grief counseling session.

Dave from Opinari.net has a Christmas list for Volunteer fans everywhere and eloquently captures the frustration of the Vandy game and the 2005 season:

We’re stopped on 4th and less than a yard inside the 5. We drop a sure TD pass on the sideline. We have two guys going for an interception, and they let the receiver outbattle them for the ball. We take bad penalties, and we make the least of every opportunity the other team gives us. To go from a preseason #3 ranking to this is just painful to watch as a fan. Fortunately, we only have one more game to watch before we can utter that mantra usually reserved for mediocre football programs: “There’s always next season.”

Looks like we had good reason to be afraid of the Uh-Oh Stat.

Big Stupid Tommy picks a good time to post the email that’s been circulating about the custody of the abused kid in Knoxville.

Great Smoky says we can’t even get a seat on the Toilet Bowl:

I have not been so humiliated since the University of Chattanooga beat us back in 1958. We were so shamed by that we merged them in with us rather than risk another loss. Wonder if Vandy is in an acquisition mood?

Shots Across the Bow has some words about the 2005 team and Coach Fulmer:

Embarrassing.
Overrated.
Poorly Coached.
Underachieving.

He’s got some other words, too.

No word yet from Voluminous or Tenn Vol Champ.

Meanwhile, Vandy fan Salem’s Lots is gloating, sort of, and the other another Vandy fan, Scott Rushing, is remembering what he was doing — learning cursive, waiting to see whether Darth Vader was really Luke Skywalker’s father — the last time the Commodores beat the Vols. Rushing has this to say:

So the Commodores won’t be going to a bowl game this year. However, I can guarantee that winning in Neyland Stadium must be the next best thing for this team. Beating Tennessee in Knoxville is the Holy Grail of Vanderbilt football. A bowl victory could not surpass that. And to think…for the next year I get bragging rights over all of my Tennessee friends. Sweet!

Ugh.

Vanderbilt Commodores 28, Tennessee Volunteers 24.

The good news? Arian Foster is good.

The bad news will have to wait, as it will unfold slowly in agonizing detail over the next several days, weeks, and months.

Much like the 2005 season.

Okay, so the season has lost some appeal. But there is the Tennessee-Vanderbilt game today, and a 22-year winning streak and a 16-year bowl game streak is on the line. And it’s Senior Day, so that’s a good reason to watch.

But usually at this time of the season, Vol fans are not only watching their team, they’re watching other teams and games that might impact where Tennessee goes bowling.

No such luck today, but there are still good college football games to watch:

• Ohio State at Michigan. 1:00 p.m., ABC. College Football News’ take on the game:
  

  As it’s supposed to be in a Midwestern-karma kind of way, this game could, again, be for a share for the Big Ten title. With a Penn State loss, the winner of this game picks up a share of the title. Ah, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The one key not mentioned is how QB Chad Henne handles the heat and the Ohio State defense. The Buckeyes will miss Donte Whitner at safety, but it won’t be enough to knock out the Buckeyes. Michigan has played well lately, but Ohio State is catching their stride on offense. And, that’s scary with a capital S-C-A-R-Y. It hasn’t happened lately on the road in this rivalry, but the Buckeyes will party like it’s 2001. Ohio State – 29 vs. Michigan – 26

  Get the fans’ perspective from Michigan blogger mgoblog and Ohio State blogger Around the Oval.

• Alabama at Auburn. 3:30 p.m., CBS. College Football News’ take:
  

  Could you make an argument for Auburn as the best team in the SEC? They ‘booted’ every opportunity imaginable at Baton Rouge, but arguably outplayed LSU on their turf. They manhandled a dysfunctional South Carolina team (at the time that is). They beat Georgia and outplayed them for the most part in every facet of the game. But, all that being said, it’s all moot if they don’t keep that level of intensity against Alabama. Not intensity from a “get-ready-to-play-your-rival intensity”, but a focus on offense that has helped get them to this point. This is the perfect position for Alabama – underdog, no one giving them a chance, seeking revenge for last year’s tough loss at home. However, Bama may have run out of juice after the crushing loss to LSU. War Eagle, one more time. Auburn – 21 vs. Alabama – 17

Jimmy Hyams makes a case (subscription required) for why the Volunteers need to re-hire David Cutcliffe as its Offensive Coordinator:

Cutcliffe is an outstanding coach. He is a solid play caller. He can develop quarterbacks. Each quarterback he had during his Tennessee tenure improved. He is demanding in practice. He is a disciplinarian. He pays attention to detail.

If anyone can get Erik Ainge out of his funk, it’s David Cutcliffe.

Hyams’ main point is that the Vols need Cutcliffe as soon as possible and that they need to get to a bowl game so that Cutcliffe has more time to work his magic.

If the Vols don’t win against Vanderbilt this Saturday and Kentucky the following Saturday, they will not be bowl eligible, and they won’t be able to practice again until March. That would be too late.

Go Vols!

Well, it’s been sort of a chore, but I have located some blogs about that contain some posts about Vanderbilt football. Self-proclaimed football masochist Jaybeascorpus recounts Vanderbilt’s season, from “pretty low” expectations, to the ‘dores four-game moment in the Spotlight, to the disappointing six-game skid.

Other bloggers sometimes posting on Vandy football include Salem’s Lots, Scott Rushing, and Aimlessly Wandering.

The official site of Vanderbilt Commodores Football is VUCommodores.com.

This week’s Uh-Oh Stat:

The Vanderbilt Commodores have scored 85 points in their last two games against the Florida Gators and the Kentucky Wildcats.

The Tennessee Volunteers have scored 73 points in their last five games.

John Pennington on Tennessee Volunteer Quarterback Erik Ainge:

I have said for a couple of weeks that UT should turn the season over to Erik Ainge. “Ainge has more upside.” “Ainge will be back next year.” “If UT doesn’t want another QB controversy next year, they’d better see as much of Ainge as they can between now and the end of the season.”

Well, as Gilda Radner used to say, “Nevermind.”

All of the reasons for playing Ainge still hold true. Except for the last one. The coaches, after just 4 passes vs Memphis (and an almost carbon copy of his LSU start) should have already seen enough of Ainge to know what they’re dealing with:

A very fundamentally-flawed headcase.

Poor decisions come with 19-year-old QBs who’ve only started and completed 2 games. That’s part of growing up. Not every Vol QB is going to have Peyton Manning’s learning curve.

But terrible fundamentals on top of the mental errors can’t be accepted. A dumb pass might just be a dumb pass if it’s thrown well. A dumb pass thrown by someone who no longer even tries to set his feet… well, that’s death.

Of Ainge’s 4 passes vs Memphis, three times he failed to set his feet before throwing the ball (this includes the non-interception that was brought back due to a questionable “roughing the passer” call). On the other pass, the long, floating duck-like INT, Ainge had someone laying at his feet. So he couldn’t step into the pass. Rather than realizing this, he relied on that big arm of his and shotput a ball 25 yards down field.

The question remains: Is There Life After Death Valley for Erik Ainge?

Jimmy Hyams says UT must play Rick Clausen, not only in order to win, but to help Ainge recover:

So now what do you do if you’re Fulmer?

You hand the keys to Clausen. He has proven he can beat mediocre teams like Vanderbilt and Kentucky. He did it last year. He did it against Memphis.

You shut down Ainge. If you’ve got the shanks, stay away from the golf course for a few weeks or a few months. Don’t destroy Ainge’s confidence any longer.

Let your new offensive coordinator try to dig Ainge out of his dilemma.

But don’t let Ainge continue to bury himself, his confidence and his team.

But Pennington believes that Clausen won’t be able to beat Vanderbilt or Kentucky unless they’re dumb enough to blitz him.

Indeed, what do you do if you’re Fulmer?

In his most recent column on GoVolsXtra (subscription required), Dave Hooker pointed out that losing a big game at home during a recruit’s official visit isn’t that big of a deal. The coaches can sell the Volunteer football program to a recruit after a big win by stressing the opportunity to play for a great team, and the coaches can sell the program after a loss by emphasizing to the recruit that the team needs him.

It is often reported that recruits are awed by the size of Neyland Stadium and the fact that it is almost always filled to capacity with enthusiastic, orange-clad fans. That’s one of the biggest reasons the Tennessee football program is tough for a recruit to resist.

But what happens when a visiting recruit looks up into those grand stands and sees the place peppered with empty seats? What happens when those in attendance are less than enthusiastic or worse, booing the home team? Such sights and sounds turn off recruits (or tip the scales to a competing university) and thereby make it much more difficult to lure blue-chippers to Knoxville.

There are apparently a lot of recruits taking their official visits to the University of Tennessee over the second half of the football season. Hooker observes that the two biggest games remaining on UT’s schedule — Alabama and Notre Dame — are away games. The only home games remaining for recruits to attend are South Carolina, Memphis, and Vanderbilt.

How will the home crowd respond if the Vols lose to either or both of Alabama and Notre Dame? If most fans choose to simply enjoy the game day atmosphere in Knoxville and Neyland Stadium, recruits will still be impressed.

But many purported Volunteer fans seem to be extraordinarily fickle and only enjoy the game day atmosphere if Tennessee wins. For this reason, another loss or two this season will likely result in sparse and restless home crowds that turn off visiting recruits.

Fans are largely responsible for the team’s recruiting successes or failures. Fickle fans are bad for the team and by their behavior and response to losses, they deprive themselves of the very thing they desire.

The Tennessee Volunteers enjoy an off week this weekend. Well, enjoy might not be the right word, but they’re off. As I said before, even though their loss to the Georgia Bulldogs did some serious damage to their hopes and dreams for the season, they’re really only mostly dead, which means they’re still partly alive.

So what to watch if you’re a Volunteer fan this weekend? And who to root for?

Best Chances for the Volunteers to Improve their Standing

• Southern Cal at Notre Dame. I’d bet that most college football fans will be pulling for Notre Dame against USC, except for USC fans and those who have vowed never to pull for Notre Dame (why is that, by the way?), who are probably torn this weekend. Of course, even if Notre Dame pulls off the upset at home, USC’s not going to fall very far. But a Notre Dame win could impact UT’s standing if UT is able to somehow then beat the Irish.
• Florida at LSU.Again, any real impact of this game on Tennessee’s season is a long shot, but UT fans should root for LSU on this one. First, the Gators are a dreaded rival that we generally just like to see lose whatever the implications. Second, Florida beat Tennessee and Tennessee beat LSU, so a Tiger thromping (is that a word?) of the Gators would make UT’s win over LSU look better. Of course, it would also make our loss to Florida look worse, but we’re living in la-la land right now anyway. Finally, if a miracle SEC finish for the Vols is even possible, the Gators need to lose two more SEC games.
• Georgia at Vanderbilt.UT needs Georgia to lose three SEC games (not gonna happen), and it better start now, for there to be any miracle SEC finish for the Vols. Georgia looks great this year, and while Vandy looks better this year, well, perhaps Georgia will have a let down after throoping (okay, I know that’s not a word) the Vols last weekend.