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2009 Tennessee Football Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

tennessee 73009 Losing to a program like Wyoming at home just isn’t supposed to happen to the proud Tennessee Vols football team. Tennessee has hired former Oakland Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Find out where I have the Volunteers finishing in the SEC East in this 2009 college football betting preview. Tennessee is listed at +7,000 to win this year’s BCS championship.

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Offense – The Tennessee offense was horrendous in 2008, ranking 110th nationally in scoring (17.3 points per game) and 115th in total offense (268.8 yards per game). The Vols especially struggled through the air, averaging only 145.8 yards per game. Kiffin wants to make things easier on quarterback Jonathan Crompton, who must now adjust to his fourth coordinator in five seasons. Crompton is 6′4” with a strong arm and has the ability to throw accurately on the run so Kiffin wants to get several bootleg plays into the offense to capitalize on his quarterback’s strengths. If Crompton is indeed able to beat out Nick Stephens, he will have some nice options to throw to. Gerald Jones, who caught 30 passes for 323 yards and four touchdowns last season, and big 6′3” target Quintin Hancock are expected to get the starting nods. Guys like Brandon Warren (former Freshman All-American tight end at FSU), Nu’Keese Richardson, and Denarius Moore will add solid depth. The running back unit will be led by senior Montario Hardesty, who rushed for 271 yards and six scores on 76 totes in 2008. Expect to hear plenty from freshman Bryce Brown also. He’s being billed as a game-breaker. The line returns three starters, and I can’t see the Vols being nearly as bad offensively as they were a season ago under Kiffin.

Defense – Tennessee was as good on defense as any team in the SEC last season. The Vols gave up only 16.8 points per game (10th nationally), 263.5 yards per game (3rd nationally), 103.1 rushing yards per game (12th nationally), and 160.4 passing yards per game (4th nationally). Highly regarded defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin now inherits this defense, led by junior strong safety Eric Berry. Berry is as good a safety as I’ve seen in recent years. He picked off seven passes and returned them for a total of 265 yards last season. In fact, he has a total of 12 picks for 487 return yards and three touchdowns over the last two years. On top of that, the guy is not afraid to lay the wood. The defensive front should remain pretty solid with returning starters Dan Williams and Wes Brown on the interior. Also, expect big things from defensive end Chris Walker. The all-important linebacker unit looks to be a weakness, though, as the season draws near. Weak side backer Rico McCoy is the only player with any experience. This unit will get great support from Berry, but he can’t do it all. Or can he?

Prediction: 3rd SEC East - The defense will remain strong, but not as strong as it was a season ago, and the offense should be improved with Kiffin’s simplified approach. All in all, the Vols will be better than they were a season ago and should get back to a bowl game. Tennessee is listed at +1,200 to win the SEC East.

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