Pete Fiutak’s front page feature on College Football News yesterday examined the 2006 Tennessee Volunteer football team.  Loaded with information, the gist of it was that 2005 really wasn’t as bad as it may have seemed.  Fiutak acknowledged the poor results but said that (1) losses to Florida, Georgia, and Notre Dame were nothing to be ashamed of; (2) losses to Alabama and South Carolina came down to a few “fluky” plays, and (3) the loss to Vanderbilt, while inexcusable, was collateral damage of the season-long flame out.

Sounds an awful lot like Fulmer saying “we were only a couple of plays of beating the tar out of the Longhorns for the national championship” or whatever he said at the end of last year.  Funny thing is, Fiutak may actually be right.  Don’t expect a VFRT recap of last season until later this summer, but I have thrown everything into a pot and turned up the heat to let it simmer, and everytime I peek in there, it’s looking like the theme will be that a lot of little things combined into a negative tipping point, a total mess at the conclusion of a high-stakes game of Don’t-Spill-the-Beans.  If the coaches and players and fans can do a lot of little things different this year, and they’re ceretainly trying, a positive tipping point is not inconceivable.

Elsewhere, a fan and poster on VolNation’s message board has some thoughts on offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe’s recent comments at an alumni event in West Palm Beach, Florida.  Also, there are conflicting reports on the reason for Major Wingate’s indefinite suspension from the basketball team.  GoVolsXtra reported that it was for failing to show up for a scheduled drug test, while Scout.com and the Tennessean reported that Wingate actually tested positive for marijuana.  Dope.

Finally, Rivals.com continues its series on getting to know the newcomers to the football team by featuring LaMarcus Thompson and reports on a fictional encounter between Dr. Custom, Mr. Fleeting, and Mr. Middle arguing about their respective expectations for the upcoming football season.

Out with the old.

Scout.com’s Randy Moore quantifies the Vols’ defensive losses to graduation, noting that this year’s graduating class had 24.5 sacks last year (Parys Haralson (8.5), Jason Hall (7), Omar Gaither (4), Jesse Mahelona (2), Kevin Simon (1), Jason Mitchell (1), and Jason Allen (1)), and returns a grand total of 8.5 sacks.

Former UT defensive back Jason Allen is working exclusively at safety at the Miami Dolphins’ mini-camp.  (HT to Voluminous.)

In with the new.

Rivals.com is taking a closer look at some of the key new players expected on campus this fall for UT, including Quintin Hancock and Ramone Johnson.

More rankings and more trouble.

CBS Sportsline’s Dennis Dodd ranks four SEC teams in the post-spring top ten (Auburn (3), LSU (4), Florida (9), and Georgia (10)).  Tennessee is again MIA.

Meanwhile, linebacker Marvin Mitchell’s arraignment after his arrest for disorderly conduct at the Rocky Top Market has been postponed, and the infraction that got Major Wingate suspended by head basketball coach Bruce Pearl remains an unsolved mystery.

UPDATE: Mystery solved. Wingate was suspended for failing to show up for a scheduled drug test.

The Volunteer basketball team had its annual pat each other on the back postseason awards banquet last night, and the following awards were presented:

• JaJuan Smith and Major Wingate were named the most-improved players.  (Okay, I’ll play along with that one.)
• Dane Bradshaw took home the Team Before Self Award and the John Stucky Lifter of the Year Award.  (Good, good, good.
• The Burchfield-Moss Most Courageous Award went to Jordan Howell.  (Hmmm.  Not sure what this is about.  Any ideas?)

Basketball head coach Bruce Pearl is still trying to fill his assistant coaching vacancy.

Offensive Coordinator David Cutcliffe took quarterbacks Jonathan Crompton and Bo Hardegree with him to a graduation ceremony at the Morgan County Correctional Facility where coach Cut addressed prisoners who were receiving their GED or a vocational trade certificate.  That ought to give EDSBS something to play with.

It was a recipe for disaster. A sports conspiracy-theorist’s worst fear. The work of a diabolical mastermind bent on televising an upset of an over-seeded, over-confident team on a losing streak by an under-seeded, no-name school whose time had come.

Too bad Chris Lofton hadn’t read the script.

The game had turned into a defensive struggle, and the drama was building as planned. Senior and team leader C.J. Watson was sitting out extended minutes with four fouls. Coach Bruce Pearl’s spread motion offense wasn’t producing any open looks. Every time that Lofton, the team’s biggest scoring threat, tried to rub a defender off of a screen, he found himself sandwiched between two defenders instead.

With 5:00 minutes left to play and the score tied at 58, Watson finally re-entered the game. Tennessee hit a two, Winthrop hit a three. The teams traded missed opportunities, fouls, and turnovers.

With the game tied at 61 and 21 seconds remaining, Watson scambled around the perimeter awhile before stopping and popping at the top of the key. The shot was too strong, and the long rebound was grasped by six hands: Lofton’s and those of two opponents. Nobody really won this battle, but Lofton at least succeeded in pushing the ball away from the crowd, and Bradshaw ran down and secured the loose ball. Pearl called time out with 2.9 seconds left and possession of the ball.

Pearl made up a play on the spot and diagrammed it for the players. Wingate would later admit some serious confusion. “I didn’t know what was going on,” he said after the game. “Coach Pearl drew up three different diagrams and told me to go some place.” Controlled chaos without the control.

Anyway, Bradshaw positioned himself courtside to inbound the ball. Wingate decided to stand at the near post. Lofton stood at the far post, Patterson was at the top of the key, and Watson was at mid-court. The whistle blew, and all of the players moved at once.

Lofton darted to the free throw line to set a pick for Patterson, who used Lofton to scrape off his defender and headed toward the basket on the far side of the court. For a split second, Patterson was open for a lob next to the basket, but Bradshaw did not see him until Patterson’s defender caught up with him.

Meanwhile, Wingate slid toward the perimeter to set a screen for Lofton, who was continuing around the arc, his man absolutely glued to him and holding him the whole time. Lofton gained the slightest amount of separation from Wingate’s screen and raced toward the corner, looking over his right shoulder for the pass from Bradshaw. Bradshaw tossed the ball to Lofton, who awkwardly twisted and squared up to the basket in two steps. The second foot planted, he executed an amazing, high-arcing fade-away jumper over the outstretched arm of his defender.

Patterson thought it was long. Wingate thought it was short.

Lofton knew it was in.

Vols win, 63-61.

Coach Pearl began his post-game interview by ticking off a few of the more memorable finishes to games in this magical season: Lofton’s steal-and-heave to Bradshaw for a layup against Florida the first time, Bradshaw’s sweet steal-and-spin move to beat Florida the second time, and Lofton’s awkward twisting fade-away jumper with .4 seconds left for the first post-season win in what seems like forever.

Oh, and don’t forget these guys:

• Andre Patterson had a double double;
• Major Wingate will not have to be fed to his snakes after all, as he had one of the best games of his career, going five for eight from the field and five of six on free throws while blocking three shots. Plus, he played solid defense against Winthrop’s Craig Bradshaw, who was a handful all game.
• Jordan Howell, who played heavy and important minutes while C.J. Watson was on the bench with foul trouble.

Bob Kesling’s call of Chris Lofton’s game-winning shot.

Coach Pearl’s post-game interview, from UTSports.com.

Take a look at the picture of the shot just before Lofton lets it fly. Does it look like it has any chance of going in? Winthrop’s Torrell Martin, who defended Lofton on the play, didn’t think so. “It’s a one-in-a-million shot,” he said after the game. “It looked like the ball curved in.”

John Pennington is on an absolute roll. He has thoughts on the Pearl Factor (head coach Bruce Pearl’s being “good for business, good for basketball, good for a quote, good for rivalries and good for ratings,” is 75% of the reason the Vols got a No. 2 seed), the double-edged sword aspect of the high seed, the Vols’ potential matchups, and an invitation to readers to publish their picks by comment.

Pennington’s best bit of the day concerns center Major Wingate’s statement upon hearing that the Vols were a No. 2 seed that “[w]e have some pretty rough teams after we get to the Sweet 16.” I’ll let John take it from here:

Ever notice how often the biggest talkers are the worst producers? I’m not the coach at UT, and if I were they’d be about 0-28 right now, but I can tell you how I’d handle this situation.

“Watch 3 straight hours of Winthrop tape. Then run for an hour. Then watch another 2 hours of Winthrop tape. Then we’re going to throw 500 passes to you in the paint to make sure you can catch the ball. If you say one more word to the press, you’ll get 500 more passes. Say another word, and I’ll feed you to your snakes.”

Agreed. I had the same thoughts when I read Wingate’s comment. It was part of the reason for yesterday’s cautionary post. The feeling grew today when I read that UT is giving the team a send off to the tourney.

It reminds me of a Civil War educational video I just previewed before showing it to my home-schooled nine-year-old. The Union was so confident of a quick victory over the Confederates in what came to be known as the First Battle of Bull Run, that spectators actually showed up with picnic baskets. When the Union army was driven back by an underestimated adversary, the hoop skirts and parasols left their fried chicken to the ants and fled in absolute panic.

By all means, let’s enjoy this. But make the mistake of thinking it’s going to be a picnic, and we’ll be headed home in a hurry.

A thing of beauty.

No, not coach Bruce Pearl’s game-long impersonation of a soaker hose. Definitely not that.

And no, not Noah’s multiple blood-seeping facial lacerations. Well, maybe that.

And no, not the over-contrasted Jefferson-Pilot telecast of the game, rendering all things orange the color, saturation, and hue of a solar flare instead. Somebody please tell me it’s not my t.v.

No, the thing of beauty was Dane Bradshaw’s game-sealing play of the game.

With the game tied at 72 with 18.8 seconds remaining and the Gators’ Corey Brewer inbounding the ball at half court, the Gators just need to hold the ball for the last shot. If it goes in, they win. If not, they go to overtime.

When the whistle blows, Brewer’s fake pass to his left is tracked inch-for-inch by the long arms and big body of Tennessee’s Major Wingate. Brewer shakes Wingate to the right before attempting a bounce pass back to the left, but Bradshaw explodes out of Wingate’s shadow to get a hand on the ball at the top of the key.

Several things then happen all at once.

Four players — Bradshaw, still looking for a handle on the ball, two Gators, and Vol guard C.J. Watson all converge on the ball. One Gator sprawls to the floor after bumping into Watson. Meanwhile, Bradshaw gets traction on the ball and does a sweet, sweet, sweet 360 spin move away from the remaining defender, covers the distance to the basket in a single step, and finger-rolls the ball into the goal.

Brewer stands slack-jawed at the top of the key, and coach Pearl wets the sole remaining dry spot on his two-thousand dollar suit.

On the other end, Brewer misses a three-point attempt, and the Gators foul Chris Lofton, who clinches it with two free throws. Vols win 76-72, sweep the hated Florida Gators, hit the 20-win mark, and clinch the SEC East Championship. They are well on their way to a No. 2 seed in the Big Dance.

All after beginning the season unranked.

Somebody say sweet!

ESPN2 is profiling the Tennessee men’s basketball team and head coach Bruce Pearl on its reality show The Season at 7:30 p.m. tonight. The show was shot in Knoxville last week.

Apparently, the ESPN crew followed Pearl to the cafeteria, where he often eats and mingles with students in his ongoing effort to sell UT basketball, and players C.J. Watson and Andre Patterson to class.

Get an inside-the-huddle look at coach Pearl keeping the team loose by instructing Patterson and Dane Bradshaw to play rock, paper, scissors to determine who would start the second half against Georgia.

Hey, make it an evening — Jefferson Pilot is showing the Vols-Gators game at 8:00 p.m. Tune in to see how Major Wingate responds to Pearl’s public criticism of his desire.

Oh, and now seems like a good time to refer to Pat Dooley’s column on Gatorsports.com on why everybody hates the Gators (Hat tip to EDSBS). I would add a few to the list, not the least of which involves the showering of visiting fans with cups of urine and post-game murders.

Note: the Getting to Know Tennessee’s Class of 2006 series will resume tomorrow. Maybe Friday.

The Tennessee Volunteer basketball team continued its winning ways last night with a huge win over its nemesis to the north, the Kentucky Wildcats.

Former Kentucky Mr. Basketball Chris Lofton was again the catalyst, scoring a career-high 31 points in the Vols’ 75-67 victory. UT ended an eight-game losing streak to Kentucky and strengthened its leading position in the SEC East.

Said Chris Lofton, “I got in my rhythm and my teammates kept feeding me the ball. I just tried to block everything out tonight.”

The Vols led most of the way, but Kentucky closed the gap as the clock wound down. Then, with 2:26 left in the game and the Vols behind 64-65, Major Wingate put Tennessee back on top with a bucket underneath to make the score 66-65.

Lofton scored the next seven points and was still calling for the ball when the clock ran out. “I was going to do something I probably shouldn’t have done,” he said. “I’m glad they didn’t throw me the ball.’’

I noticed something from the television coverage that was very telling. When the Vols scored the basket that effectively guaranteed the win, they danced over to the timeout huddle only to be greeted by coach Bruce Pearl yelling at them to calm down, to control their elation. Not one single player on this team has ever beaten Kentucky, much less at Rupp Arena. Pearl looked like he was instructing them, however, to act like they weren’t surprised they won.

Pearl coaches 24-7. During the game, he coaches from tip-off to final buzzer. His style of play uses all 94 feet of the court, and he makes the most of the talent on his team.

Pearl wins because he uses everything at his disposal.

John Pennington, master of weaving pop culture into sports observations, posts another excellent piece, this one on how the Tennessee Volunteer basketball team is racking up the wins:

For the Vols to win [against the No. 2-ranked Florida Gators], the following had to happen:1. The young Gators would have get rattled early by an SRO crowd at Thompson-Boling.

2. Both Chris Lofton and CJ Watson would have to have great games.

3. Tennessee would have to get Major Wingate’s best game of the year to help offset Florida’s size advantage.

And we all know how it turned out… exactly NONE of those things happened.

But Bruce’s Believers still came through.

HOW?

That’s been the question all year. National media, local media, fans, everyone’s been asking the same thing: “How does this team keep winning?”

Last week I pointed to “Heart and Effort,” which I think should be the title of any DVDs the Vol Network intends to sell about these guys. But I think Lloyd Bridges might have said it better (and I paraphrase):

“I gotta say something about that (team out) there, and I can sum it all up in just one word: courage, dedication, daring, pride, pluck, spirit, grit, metal, and G-U-T-S, guts! Why, (these Vols have) got more guts in (their) little finger(s) than most of us have in our entire large intestine. Including the colon!”

Good stuff.

I haven’t paid much attention to Tennessee Volunteer basketball this year, but . . .

• they’ve hired new head coach Bruce Pearl;
• fans are excited about Pearl’s “controlled chaos” style of play;
• they’re 5-0;
• they have a top ten recruiting class for next year;
• they have a real test against the Texas Longhorns on Saturday where Major Wingate’s play under the basket will be key.

Burnt Orange Nation will undoubtedly have the other UT’s perspective on Saturday’s game.