2011 Tennessee Volunteers Football Preview

You can’t help but feel for head coach Derek Dooley after his first season at the helm in Knoxville. He may very well be the first coach to lose games after having seemingly won them at the final whistle, only to have them taken away in heartbreaking fashion. None of the heartbreaking losses were made any easier by the fact that Dooley took over a team in turmoil after Lane Kiffin left after one season at the helm  (with possible recruiting violations and probation in his wake). Dooley battled through the shockingly thin depth chart and heartbreak to guide the Vols to a bowl win and now seems poised to take yet another step toward respectability in 2011.

After struggling with Matt Simms at quarterback for much of the season, Dooley finally relented to pressure and gave freshman Tyler Bray a shot. Bray made the most of his chance and was the spark that helped the Vols rally from a 2-6 start to win their final four games and become bowl eligible. Bray finished the season with 18 touchdown passes against just 10 interceptions and is one of seven returning starters on offense. He’ll be joined in the backfield by senior tailback Tauren Poole, who rushed for over 1,000 yards last season despite the Vols’ well publicized struggles along the offensive line. Bray must break in new targets at receivers with the loss of both starting wideouts from 2010. However, Da’Rick Rogers and Justin Hunter played often last season, so they’re completely new and should fill in nicely without much of a drop-off in production. Neither is the deep threat that Denarius Moore was, and it is Dooley’s challenge to find that by the time fall comes around.

The Vols’ offensive line was the target of constant criticism and worry from Dooley as he dealt with young players and almost no depth to speak of. The pain they went through last year will pay dividends this season – the team’s returning linemen have a combined 50 starts among them. Center James Stone played well, earning freshman All-America honors and is joined by right tackle Ja’Wuan James, who earned freshman All-SEC honors for his play. The line won’t likely be dominant in 2011, but it will be much more consistent and should allow Tennessee to be more balanced. Do not be surprised to see promising freshmen Cameron Clear, Marcus Jackson, and Antonio Richardson work their way into the lineup by year’s end.

Much like the offensive line, the Vols’ defensive line played young and small guys for most of the year and now has a group of guys that coaches feel should be much more competitive up front in 2011. Malik Jackson transferred from USC, and all he did was earn second team All-SEC honors at defensive tackle. He’s joined by Jacques Smith who was a freshman All-SEC selection for his play at defensive end. Needing additional help up front, the Vols won a heavy recruiting battle for JUCO All-America defensive tackle Maurice Couch. The Vols will depend on Couch stepping in right away to provide size up front.

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The linebacking corps will be almost entirely new in 2011, with only Herman Lathers returning. Conversely, the entire secondary returns intact. That being the case, the Vols will likely try and once again make up for the lack of size in the front seven by blitzing and relying on a solid secondary that was one of the better units in the conference by year’s end. In addition to the returning starters, the Vols signed several promising freshmen who should push for early playing time in the back seven. If the Vols avoid a slew of injuries, they should be competent defense in 2011 and improve on the solid finish they posted in 2010.

The schedule is only slightly more conducive to a rebuilding effort than it was last season. The Vols open with FCS-based Montana before hosting rebuilding Cincinnati. In conference play, the Vols face Florida, Arkansas, and Alabama on the road but get Georgia, South Carolina, and LSU at home. The Vols should be improved enough to match last season’s 6-6 record, but they’ll have to make a major step forward to post a record much better than that.