Okay, here’s the summary of former Tennessee players taken in the 2006 NFL draft:

• Defensive back Jason Allen was the only player to be taken in the first round, at the 16th overall pick. He’ll play for the Miami Dolphins.
• There were three 5th round picks: defensive end Parys Haralson (No. 140 to the San Francisco 49ers); linebacker Omar Gaither (No. 168 to the Philadelphia Eagles); and defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona (No. 169 to the Tennessee Titans).
• Linebacker Kevin Simon went in the 7th round (No. 250) to the Washington Redskins.
• Guard Cody Douglas, wide receiver Chris Hannon, running back Gerald Riggs, guard Rob Smith, and offensive tackle Albert Toeaina did not get drafted.

Initial thoughts:

Breathe a sigh of relief that Allen playing another year for the Vols didn’t cost him his career. How high would he have been had he not gotten injured? Maybe the Texans would have picked him first.

Mahelona should have gone a lot higher. He was double-teamed all last year and was still a force. He’s a class kid and a steal for the Titans at the 169nth pick. And speaking of the Titans, wow. Vince Young. Lendale White. Mahelona. Cool.

Gaither was always sort of in Simon’s shadow, but no more. He’s a solid player, and it’s nice to see him get credit for it. Of course, who needs credit when you have cash?

Especially sorry for Toeaina, Riggs, and Hannon. They should have been drafted, but they should get a shot with some team somewhere. Smith, we knew could have used another year.

The draft really brings to light Tennessee’s losses on defense. Two starting linemen, two starting ‘backers, and a cornerback were drafted.

Good for them.

Bad for us.

SportsTalk’s Jimmy Hyams and John Wilkerson chatted with former Tennessee defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona on the radio this afternoon. Mahelona, who is projected to be a second- or third-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft, is cooking three pigs (one in an underground oven, one on a spit over an open fire, and one in a smoker . . . mmmm), a cow (I’d like to see a cow on a spit), and a bunch of fish to commemorate the event. Nothing says party like roast hog.

Audio is courtesy of Sportsanimal99.com, which has more excellent interviews, including those of defensive end Parys Haralson and offensive linemen Rob Smith, Cody Douglas, and Albert Toeaina.

Here’s a list of former Volunteers and where they’re projected to fall in this weekend’s draft:

• First Round. Cornerback/safety Jason Allen. I’ve been getting a lot of hits from NFL fans looking for information on Allen. He’ll be a solid player at the next level, and although there have been rumors that he’s failed some physicals, all of the hard information I’ve seen is that his injury wasn’t as severe as feared and that he has made a full recovery. Check out the Jason Allen category for more.
• Third Round. Defensive end Parys Haralson and defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona.
• Rounds Four and/or Five. Linebacker Omar Gaither, defensive tackle Tony McDaniel, offensive lineman Rob Smith, and running back Gerald Riggs.
• Others. Offensive linemen Albert Toeaina and Cody Douglas, wide receivers Chris Hannon and C.J. Fayton, linebackers Kevin Simon and Jason Mitchell, and defensive end Jason Hall.

GoVolsXtra coverage (subscription required) of last night’s game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks:

Mike Strange’s game recap begins:

How low can it go?

Alabama. South Carolina. Who’s next?

Tennessee’s disappointing football season took another hit Saturday night and nobody saw this one coming.

South Carolina ended a 12-year losing streak to the Vols with a stunning 16-15 upset at Neyland Stadium.

. . . and ends with this interesting tidbit:

“We’ll make whatever tough decisions need to be made,’’ Fulmer said. “We will get this back on track.’’

In his post-game post, Spring Forward, FALL BACK… to the Pack, blogger John Pennington says there will be coaching staff changes:

One coach is as good as gone now. Another, who uncharacteristically insulted a reporter to his face a couple of weeks ago, will probably be leaving on his own. And if things continue to go South (can they?), a third coach might leave or be re-assigned.

Pennington had this to say about the Volunteer offense:

(Insert sound of crickets here.) What offense?

* * * *

So what happened vs USC? ZERO playmakers. And terrible gaffes at the worst times.

UT left 2 sure touchdowns out on the turf (which would have meant a sure win). Arian Foster, who looks to have an “I can make you miss” quality that Gerald Riggs lacked, once again fumbled (as he did vs Alabama). This week, it was HIS turn to fumble into the end zone. If he doesn’t drop the ball at the goal line, Sanders’ offense gets the TD.

Then there’s Chris Hannon. I believed Hannon to be the best receiver on the team going into the season. So much for that belief. I was disappointed to see him shake his head and show up Erik Ainge after an incompletion early in the game. How funny, then, that Hannon dropped a SURE touchdown on a perfectly thrown ball later in the game? Perhaps Ainge should have shook his head and shown up Hannon.

Either way, that’s 2 TDs that were ABSOLUTELY there if UT’s “playmakers” could actually make plays.

On attendance for the game:

Tennessee fans call themselves “die hard.” Well, judging from the thousands of empty seats around Neyland Stadium (and the mass exodus at halftime), there are apparently a lot of folks around here that are already dead.

Drew Edwards has the Best and Worst feature and the article Spurrier Leads Gamecocks Over Huge Hump.

Mike Griffith does the impossible and finds the silver lining: special teams improvement, and his Report Card gives the first failing grade I remember seeing: an F for the coaching. Overall, he gave the team a D, and summarized the effort this way:

Tennessee had more talent, more opportunities, and a fired-up home crowd. Phillip Fulmer was the first to admit his team failed, calling the performance “unacceptable.’’ Coaching changes appear imminent, some at the hand of Fulmer, others possibly leaving on their own accord.

Mark Burgess says the Volunteer quarterbacks looked dazed, glassy-eyed, and exasperated, and he quotes quarterback Erik Ainge:

“I heard some of our student section start chanting ‘Fire (offensive coordinator Randy) Sanders’ after the game,” Ainge said. “Coach Sanders didn’t throw an interception, or drop a ball in the end zone, or miss two open receivers on third down like I did.

“It’s not play calling. Guys are open and we put that on us. It’s Rick and I and the offense in general.”

Dave Hooker writes on the Vols’ running back and fumbling woes.

And John Adams has a must-read column on the extent of the Vols’ offensive futility. Just one excerpt:

You can’t comprehend the magnitude of the loss unless you know a little something about the winners.

South Carolina lost by 23 points to Alabama and by 41 to Auburn. It ranks 111th in the country in rushing and 85th in rushing defense.

There’s more.

The Gamecocks start two walk-ons on offense. They lost arguably their best player, wide receiver/quarterback/running back Syvelle Newton, to a season-ending injury last week.

Their injury situation only got worse against the Vols. They lost two more wide receivers — Carlos Thomas and Noah Whiteside — to game-ending injuries in the first half.

With all that stacked against them, the Gamecocks would have to play a mistake-free game to have a chance, right?

Not hardly. They lost two fumbles and threw an interception in the first half. They were penalized 10 times.

It doesn’t get much worse.

Does it?

The Tennessee Volunteer coaching staff has taken away the receivers green jerseys:

Receivers Chris Hannon, Jayson Swain, Josh Briscoe, Robert Meachem, and Lucas Taylor were all wearing green jerseys at the beginning of Monday’s practice. Within minutes, managers came out with orange jerseys for the players to change into.

For anyone who might not know, green jerseys designate a player as someone who should not be tackled during practice for safety reasons. Might this explain the receivers’ difficulty in making plays in games? If they’ve been wearing green for practice all season, they haven’t had a lot of practice being physical.

Here’s a breakdown of the Tennessee Volunteers’ offensive struggles against the Georgia Bulldogs last Saturday:

• Vols’ First Possession. Tennessee’s first play from scrimmage was a 33-yard completion to Bret Smith. Chalk one up for a big play by the receiving corps. On the next play, however, Aaron Sears false starts, and the Vols are suddenly looking at 1st and 15. First and second downs net one yard, and a third down completion to Meachem goes for 11, generally good enough to get another set of downs, but not if you need 15 yards. Punt.
• Vols’ Second Possession. One of the rare, no-penalty drives, this possession began with another big play by a receiver, a completion Chris Hannon for 25 yards. The drive stalled out after a nine-yard completion to Meachem.
• Vols’ Third Possession. After Georgia scored a touchdown (with UT contributing ten yards on two penalties), the Vols returned the kickoff for only 12 yards and was penalized another 6. Starting on the 6 yard line, Tennessee did get one first down on a nice 15-yard run by Riggs, but on the next play, a communication error between Rick Clausen and Gerald Riggs resulted in a five-yard loss, so they were looking at 2nd and 15. On a no-gain second down, the Vols’ offense (Aaron Sears again) got a facemask penalty that Georgia declined. On 3rd down, they got 13, again generally enough for a new set of downs, but not if you need 15.
• Vols’ Fourth Possession. Georgia downs its punt at the Tennessee 2. The Vols play it safe and punt after gaining only one yard on three tries.
• Vols’ Fifth Possession. This possession was the high-water mark for the Vols’ offense, but ended with no points. Starting at the 26, Riggs ripped off runs of 8 yards, 9 yards, 1 yard, and 3 yards before Clausen made two consecutive completions of 23 yards and 11 yards (more big plays by receivers). Riggs then rushed for another 4 yards, and the Vols were threatening at Georgia’s 15. Notice no penalties or mental errors to this point. Alas, Clausen overthrew Bret Smith in the end zone and on the next play threw an interception.
• Vols’ Sixth Possession. Lucas Taylor caught Georgia’s punt at the 11 and ran to the 14, but Tennessee was penalized 6 yards and had to start on the 8 yard line. Still, they stayed ahead on downs, completing passes of 20 yards and eight yards, and drove down to Georgia’s 38 yard line. But then Riggs and the right tackle both give Georgia’s defensive end a straight path to Clausen’s blind side, and Clausen fumbles when he’s hit. A Volunteer offensive lineman falls on the ball, but the referee simply stares at the player cradling the ball on the ground until a Georgia player strips the ball from him, at which time the ref blows the whistle. Georgia converts the comedy of errors into three points.
• Vols’ Seventh Possession. Taylor returns the kickoff to the 26, a tie for the Vols’ best starting position of the game. There were no penalties or errors, but they go three and out.
• Vols’ Eighth Possession. Taylor returns the kickoff to the 26, but Tennessee was penalized 19 yards, so they started at the 7. Again, the receivers make a big play, this time a 28-yarder to Jayson Swain, who simply stole the ball from the defender. They make another first down after that before getting two 5-yard penalties. Yet they overcome those and make another first down with an 18-yard completion to Swain. They then get to 3rd and 1 only to receive a 15-yard penalty. They can’t convert on 3rd and 16, and they punt.
• Vols’ Ninth Possession. Jonathan Wade actually ran his interception on the preceding play in for a touchdown, but the officials ruled him down at the one-yard line. Hey! Good field position! Clausen snuck it in on the first play.
• Vols’ Tenth Possession. Thanks to a forced fumble by Jesse Mahelona recovered by Inky Johnson, the Vols got the ball back on their own 27 yard line. Two mistakes in a row for the Dawgs and the momentum seems to be turning. Clausen throws a 16-yard strike to freshman Josh Briscoe on 3rd and 7, but Briscoe is stripped, and Georgia recovers.
• Vols’ Eleventh Possession. The Vols’ defense held, but Georgia’s punter pinned Tennessee back on the one yard line. Tennessee could only muster eight yards before punting to Georgia, who ran it back for a touchdown.
• Vols’ Twelfth Possession. The game was essentially over at that point. The Vols made one first down and actually got ahead on downs, having a 2nd and five on the Tennessee 40 yard line when Clausen had to fall on a bad snap. That made it 3rd and ten, and they couldn’t convert.
• Vols’ Thirteenth Possession. The last Vol drive doesn’t really count, but they had no penalties or mistakes, and actually made a few big plays, including a 24-yard touchdown completion to Meachem as time ran out.

So the Volunteer offense had 12 meaningful possessions. It started almost half of those possession inside their own ten yard line, two of them inside their own five. Three times, the poor field position was directly attributable to Volunteer penalties.

On 4 of their drives, the Vols got behind on downs, either because of penalties or other mental errors.

Their good drives ended in turnovers.

Coach Fulmer’s assessment (subscription required) appears to be on target:

“We had 63 plays in the game Saturday, and 54 of them were outstanding, well-executed plays,” Fulmer said.

“We had 12 mistakes by different people that ended up costing you down and distance, field position or points.”

Ugh.

But still, if — IF — the Vols can cure their offensive woes, they still have a lot to play for, even after losing to two SEC East rivals.

They’re merely mostly dead.

In this post, I set up the game between the 10th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers and the 4th-ranked LSU Tigers by saying that “the sputtering Tennessee Volunteers attempt to kick a man while he’s down in full view of his rabid fans and a sympathetic nation.”

The game turned out to be an instant classic, as the underdog Vols, led by an underdog quarterback, followed up one of the worst halves in the history of college football with one of the best comebacks in the Vols’ storied history. The day after the big win, several Knoxville talk radio hosts canonized the previous night’s win, suggesting it was one of Tennessee’s five best games. Ever. Too bad what sounded like half of the Vol fans went to bed after the first half.

What follows is my almost-live blogging of the game, with a little bit of drama added just for fun:

---

ESPN opens the game with a “coming home” theme, showing images of Louisiana natives returning to hurricane-ravaged Baton Rouge. “It’s like going to Grandma’s house,” one said. “You just know everything’s gonna be alright.”

As anticipated, Tiger Stadium was raucous when the teams took the field. The Vols had their work cut out for them.

LSU kicks off first. Despite our grandest hopes at seeing any improvement in the kick return game, UT begins the game by having a kick return man run to the 20 yard line and crumple into a pile.

But Vol fans everywhere are optimistic that the new we’re-sticking-with-Erik-Ainge-at-quarterback-come-hell-or-high-water tactic will translate into rhythm, rhythm into points, and points into a win.

On the first play, LSU gives UT five yards by jumping off sides. Gerald Riggs then runs to the left — a sight for sore eyes — for a few before LSU gives the Vols a first down by again jumping off sides. Not a bad start, but more of a gift than a wage.

Two plays later, Ainge is under pressure, and despite the mantra of the week that Ainge would not have to worry about “looking over his shoulder,” I’m thinking that this might be a good time to do just that because an LSU defender is bearing down on him from his blind side. Ainge scampers to the left, looking down field, but he’s hit from behind, and he loses the football to LSU deep in UT territory.

On LSU’s first play, running back Joseph Addai runs into the pile in the middle, bounces it back out, and runs around the corner for a touchdown.

After less than three minutes to play, the score is LSU 7, UT 0. This could get ugly.

Okay, guys, let’s take it from the top and try once again to establish that elusive rhythm.

When LSU kicks off, UT’s return man again runs to the 20 and crumples into a pile.

As promised, Ainge takes the field despite the early mistake. Good. Ainge delivers a quick pass to Meachem on the left side.  Meachem . . . drops the ball. Hmmm, thought the receivers got that out of their system in the UAB game. ESPN announcer Bob Davie refers to the UT wide receiver corps as “the most talented in the country.” Hmmm, again. On paper, maybe, but the games aren’t played on paper.

Still trying to find the first beat of a rhythm, UT runs Riggs to the left on 2nd down for a couple. The next play, Ainge tries to audible in the deafening cacophony only to get penalized for delay of game. So it’s 3rd down, and Ainge finds Bret Smith open down the right sideline. Smith . . . drops the ball. In response to the play, Bob Davie says Bret Smith “can be a great one.” Okay, but then why is Britton Colquitt punting? To make matters worse, the LSU return man actually makes a couple cover men miss and gets a few yards before getting tackled. A novel idea.

On LSU’s next possession, an LSU receiver actually catches the ball. Another novel idea. After Addai is stopped by stud Jesse Mahelona and Parys Haralson for a loss, the LSU punter pins UT inside their own five.

Not the best place to find your rhythm, but once again, LSU helps out by giving UT 15 for a personal foul. But the first down for the Vols is followed by a false start by a new o-line starter. Nice. Ainge then overthrows a receiver. Hmm, for the third time. Thought he got that out of his system the first two games.

Riggs for nothing up the middle. Ainge overthrows Meachem on a slant. Do we have a rhythm yet? Colquitt punts and LSU gets about 40 yards on the return before Colquitt leg whips him to the ground. Luckily, it’s called back for a block in the back.

LSU passes for a first down. Fellows misses a tackle. Thought they got that out of their . . . nevermind. One bright spot, Kevin Simon absolutely levels an LSU receiver trying to catch a pass across the middle. The guy goes from verticle to horizontal in the blink of an eye. Then, the LSU quarterback fumbles the snap, and UT recovers.

Ainge drops back and completes a pass across the middle to Hannon. It’s the Vols first first down not given to them by LSU penalties. Clausen stands on the sideline, baseball cap on backwards. He’s been on the sidelines in Death Valley before, as an LSU backup. They told him he wasn’t good enough to play in the SEC, and they let him go. It would have been sweet redemption for him to come into Tiger Stadium and get a win against the team that dissed him, but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards tonight. UT’s going with Ainge, come hell or high water. It’s the rhythm thing. Unfortunately, the only rhythm UT has going for it right now is the sound of Colquitt’s foot hitting the pigskin. Thud. Thud. Thud. And thud again.

LSU’s next possession sputters, and they have to punt. UT should have decent field position for the first time in the game. Ainge completes a mid-length pass across the middle to Fayton. A tentative first beat — Boom. Maybe he’s finally hitting his stride, not worried about having to come out.

But Ainge follows it up with an ill-advised shovel pass under pressure. It’s incomplete, so there’s no real consequence, but the sound of the boom fades away. On the next play, LSU sniffs out a screen play early and tackles the receiver as soon as he catches the ball for a loss. Ainge then overthrows another receiver, so in comes Colquitt. Thud! He pins LSU back inside their own 15.

LSU sputters and punts.

Ainge sputters, overthrowing Jason Swain on first down, completing a pass to an out-of-bounds Swain on second down, and completing a too-short middle screen, and in comes Colquitt. Thud!

LSU finds its rhythm first. Addai runs for 20-some yards. Fortunately, he’s tackled by his own man before he can get to the end zone. Unfortunately, LSU runs a flea flicker on the next play for another 40-something gain. Soon thereafter, they run it in for a TD.

LSU 14, UT 0.

LSU kicks off to the UT kick return guy, who, instead of running to the 20 and crumpling into a pile, runs to the 25 and fumbles it back to the 20. Failure with a twist. At least, one of the UT players accidentally falls on it.

Another good first beat for UT follows. Riggs runs to the left for 9 yards, dragging three tacklers with him before coming down. The second beat fails when the same play is run again for another 15 yards or so, but is called back due to a holding penalty against wide receiver Chris Hannon. Riggs is then tackled for no gain. On the next play, Riggs catches a dump-off and stretches for a first down. Then another holding penalty. And another incomplete pass to a down-field receiver due to poor timing. Pass to Fayton gets them back to the line of scrimmage. Incomplete pass across the middle, and in comes Colquitt. A bunch of noise, but no rhythm.

ESPN then decides to rub some salt in the wound by choosing this time to remind the country that 13 UT players were arrested or cited since February, 2005. Old news. Looks like bad timing is contagious.

Anyway, LSU punts, pinning UT inside the 1-yard line and putting a rhythm-less team in a precarious situation.

And that’s when the wheels come off: Ainge under center. The center snaps the ball, and Ainge runs backwards and pivots to look for receivers, but instead finds a blitzing LSU linebacker bearing down on him in the end zone threatening a two-point safety. Ainge spins and inexplicably, incomprehensably, inconceivably, unfathomably tosses the ball underhand toward the crowd of players who are standing around at the line of scrimmage. The ball sails just over the heads of the UT offensive linemen and into the arms of an LSU defender, who catches it and sprints three yards into the end zone for a six point TD. Ainge is slammed into the ground and hits the goal post head first in the process.

LSU 21, UT 0.

Uh, Coach? Are we sticking with Ainge? What’s worse than hell or high water?

Rick Clausen removes his baseball cap, puts on his helmet, and leads the team onto the field. The LSU crowd boos him, but he completes a pass to to Fayton for a handful of yards. Boom. Bob Davie comments that Clausen doesn’t have the “wow” factor that Ainge does. Uh, is that a good “wow” or a bad “wow?” Riggs runs for a first down to the middle-right. Boom. Hey, that’s two beats in a row. Clausen throws complete to Smith to the left for about 5. Boom. Riggs runs for another first down straight up the middle. Boom. Don’t look now, but the Vols are moving the ball!

And then Riggs fumbles the ball and LSU recovers. Simon gets a 15-yard personal foul penalty on the next play.

The good news? We get to hear from Urban Meyer during halftime! I feel better now.

The brief UT cadence is short-lived, but at least LSU squanders a sure field goal by letting the clock run out.

Halftime Rant

No more. No more talk of UT’s talent. Being 6-4, weighing 230, and running a fast 40-yard dash doesn’t make you a talented receiver. Having a strong arm doesn’t make you a talented quarterback. Dropping balls and getting penalties that negate positive plays sure don’t make you talented.

Making plays makes you talented.

No more talk of “talent” or “potential.” Make some plays, and then we can talk.

Not only have the wheels fallen off the wagon, the wagon has slammed to the concrete and splintered into craggy shards, and the pieces have been ground to dust and scattered to the four winds.

Gone.

The offense is simply gone.  Vanished.  A wisp, a vapor.

Beginning of 2nd Half.

Going back to the Florida game, the Vols have had 17 straight posessions with no points. Zero. And they have to kick off to LSU.

Good defensive stand on LSU’s first possession. Kevin Simon saves a first down by knocking the ball loose.

Riggs to the left for a handful. Boom. Throw to Hannon to the left for a similar amount. Boom. Hannon to the left. Boom. Swain to the right. Boom. 6-8 yards each time. First down. First down. First down.

Pound the drum. Keep the rhythm.

With UT closing in on the end zone, the LSU student section goes into an all-out frenzy, trying to keep Clausen out of the end zone by making him bleed from the ears.

Clausen drops back. Nobody open. He looks a bit longer. Nobody open! He runs. 8 yards. Boom. The LSU fans roar. Riggs runs up the middle on the next play. Boom.

First and goal at the 4. Riggs heads to the left, but — NOT AGAIN! — fumbles. He falls on it, though, and UT retains possession. The Vols have missed a beat, but will it matter?

Second and goal. Clausen drops back and throws a touchdown to Smith. LSU 21, UT 7.

A little bit of rhythm. The wind gathers sawdust from the ends of the earth and blows it back into piles.

Can the defense tighten the screws? Again, the LSU returner gets past the first wave of UT kick-off coverers. Returner gets knocked out for a second, though, so that’s something.

LSU, 3rd and 1. UT knocks them backwards and forces a punt, which is short.

UT, 1st and 10 deep in their own territory. Clausen checks off. Too much noise, and Clausen throws deep, but the receiver isn’t there. 2nd and 1o. False start. 2d and 15. UT calls timeout. The crowd is getting lathered. The next play, Clausen goes over the middle to Fayton, and Fayton tips the ball three times before getting hit and letting the ball hit the ground. 3rd and 16. Does the beat go on, or does it fade?

Perhaps the play of the game, UT calls a fake screen. The LSU defenders sneak up like they did before, but Bret Smith sneaks past them into the open field. Clausen, under immense pressure, heaves it to Smith for a 25-yard pass play. Boom!

1st and 10 for UT. Fayton to the right for a handful. Fayton to the right for another handful. 3rd and 2. Clausen tries to throw, but an LSU defender skies, forcing Clausen to wait, and Clausen is then sacked by another defender. In comes Colquitt.

LSU takes over, and Addai runs up the middle for a first down. And again, Addai up the middle for a first down. Addai again, but this time he’s stopped after 4 yards. Addai again, this time to the left, but Mahelona, from the ground, tackles him with one hand around the ankle. Then it’s UT’s turn to sniff out the screen and LSU is forced to settle for an ugly field goal. Fine stand by the Vol defense.

But the UT offense is running out of time, and the rhythm is in jeopardy.

Fourth Quarter.

As the 4th quarter starts, Clausen looks for Meachem down the right sideline, but Meachem gets beat by his cover man. On 3rd and 7, Clausen throws to Chris Brown over the middle. It’s incomplete, but a penalty gives UT a first down.

Clausen to Hannon to the right for 6. Clausen to Fayton over the middle, but the cover man makes a good play to knock the ball down. On 3rd and 4, an LSU defender jumps offsides, and casually walks back to his own side, almost, but not quite, getting back before the ball is snapped. Free play. Clausen misses Briscoe down the left sideline for what would have been a sure touchdown.

But at least it’s first down. Riggs up the middle for one or two, but there’s a flag. Offsides, so UT takes five. Clausen over the middle. Poor pass misses Fayton. Next play, Clausen sacked. 3rd and 9. Fayton gets a first down over the middle. Excellent pass and excellent protection.

Pass to Corey Anderson to the left for a handful. Excellent pass to Meachem to the left, who gets a few yards after the catch with a juke or two.

UT at the 10. First and goal. Tough part of the field. Clausen finds Meachem, who catches the ball at the 1.

What will UT do? Riggs over the top? Riggs to the left, like everyone was screaming for last week? Nope, it’s Hardesty in, and he tries both, over the top to the left, and he’s stopped. They try again, with Riggs this time. Good choice, but Riggs is stopped short. Barely.

Huge play coming up. It’s 4th down, and LSU leads 24-7 with about 10:00 minutes left to play. UT calls time out to talk things over, and then comes to the line and sneaks it in behind the o-line. Touchdown, you’re-not-good-enough-to-play-in-Death-Valley, underdog quarterback Rick Clausen.

LSU 24, UT 14. 9:35 left. The dust re-forms into barely discernible planks of wood.

But can UT stop the LSU return man, who’s threatened to take it to the house every time he’s touched it tonight? Wilhoit kicks it deep into the end zone. Good play.

UT needs a good defensive stand here. On first down, LSU passes for a few. On 2nd and 7, Addai runs into the arms of Justin Harrell, who, with Mahelona beat three blockers to stop the play for no gain.

On 3rd down, the LSU quarterback drops back to pass, and throws it into the secondary. OSKIE! Jonathon Heffney intercepts the ball and sprints toward the end zone. A defender dives at his feet, and Heffney does a mid-air sumersault to the three yard line. The rhythm is constant, steady, pulsating. UT is clicking on all cylinders.

UT, first and goal on the three. Riggs takes it to the one, and on the next play runs in untouched, behind big fullback Anderson, for a touchdown.

LSU 24, UT 21. 7:35 remaining. The wooden planks assemble themselves, and the wheels are re-attached to the wagon. UT is rolling!

Wilhoit kicks deep into the end zone. Again, good play.

Does the UT defense have another stand in them? On LSU’s first play, Addai is stopped for a loss by Harrell, and Mahelona finishes him off. 2nd down, and LSU quarterback Russell, under pressure, throws for what looks like it could be a first down. But it’s trapped instead. No catch.

3rd and 11. Big play to keep the Mo. False start, so make it 3rd and 16. Should be able to keep this less than a first down. The defense flushes Russell from the pocket, and because nobody is open, he runs, but he’s short of a first down. LSU punts.

Please, no muff. Finally, a UT kick returner has a decent return, but there was a block in the back. Still, a positive sign for the return game. Lucas Taylor is UT’s return man, okay? Oh, and by the way, Rick Clausen is the quarterback. Agreed?

1st and ten at the 45. LSU calls time out. UT’s behind by a field goal with five minutes and change left in the game. Clausen calls the play at the line of scrimmage, and when the ball is snapped, Riggs explodes up the middle for 22 yards.

On the next play, Anderson is WIDE open for a touchdown.  He . . . drops the ball.

Okay, still got Mo.

False start.

Mo? . . . Mo?

Nice pass to Hannon, gain of 14. 3rd down and short. Riggs for a first down up the middle. Under four minutes to go. LSU on their heels and UT in their re-furbished wagon thunders rhythmically down the road.

UT first and ten. Nice pass to Meachem, who sheds a tackler and runs for a another first down.

UT first and ten at the 17. The LSU defense is taking a pounding, and they’re visibly exhausted. Clausen drops back . . . Meachem open in the end zone . . . over-thrown.

2nd and ten. Clausen . . .under pressure . . . Hannon open in the end zone . . . over-thrown.

3rd and ten. Screen to Swain. Short of the first down.

Decision time. UT sends its field goal unit onto the field, and James Wilhoit ties the game.

LSU 24, UT 24. 2:02 left to play.

Wilhoit kicks into the back of the end zone again. The LSU kicker is warming up and hoping the offense gets him into field goal range. LSU runs up the middle twice then throws an incomplete pass, stopping the clock at 32 seconds. They choose to punt and play for overtime.

And — OH MY WORD — UT’s true freshman return man bobbles the punt . . . but retains possession. Clausen then throws a deep interception, giving LSU another chance, but on their first play, Haralson gets a big sack. LSU’s Hail Mary pass into the end zone is intercepted by UT’s Demetrice Morely.

Overtime

UT wins the toss and elects to defend first.

Addai runs up the middle for a first down on the first play, half of it running backwards. A run to the right goes for one or two yards. With Mahelona executing a ten-yard running dive for Russell’s ankles while being held the whole time, Russell throws incomplete to a screen man on the other side of the field. On 3rd and 10, Russell throws incomplete into the end zone.

LSU runs its field goal unit into position. The snap is good. The hold is good. The kick is . . . wide left, but hooking, hooking . . . just inside the right upright. It’s good.

LSU 27, UT 24.

Clausen and the Vols take the field. Clausen dumps the ball off to Riggs on the right side, who stiff arms one defender, bounces off another, and gets a first down.

Clausen in the shotgun . . . draw play to Riggs to the left for another 6 yards.

2nd and 3. Clausen under center, hands off to Riggs, who barrels straight ahead for a first down before four Tigers wrap him up and take him down.

First and goal for UT. Clausen under center. Riggs up the middle, pushing, pushing, stopped one foot from the goal line.

Second and goal. Wouldn’t it be sweet if Clausen scored the winning touchdown on a quarterback sneak? They try it, but Clausen’s stood up, and he gets nowhere.

Okay, so not that sweet. Let’s give it back to Riggs, shall we?

3rd and goal at the one. Clausen under center. The center hikes the ball. Clausen pivots left, and sticks the ball in Riggs’ gut. Riggs follows Corey Anderson’s block through the left side of the line. Riggs is met at the one-yard line by an LSU linebacker, but he’s got momentum, strength, and leverage, and he lifts the defender and pushes through and by him, powering into the end zone.

For a touchdown.

And a win.

The LSU crowd is stunned silent.

Riggs kneels in jubilation.

Rick Clausen tries to maintain his California cool, but can’t help smiling.

Rick’s Redemption. LSU didn’t think he could play at LSU, so they let him go. LSU didn’t think he could play at Tennessee, so they ridiculed him. Tennessee didn’t think he could play, so they started Ainge. Quietly, Rick showed up and proved everybody wrong.

And when he did, what did he say? “That’s just the way I react, and you know what? I’m thankful for every one of those guys in that locker room ’cause those were the guys that kept me up when things weren’t going my way.”

All class.

All classic.