Vols head west to challenge Bruins
Sports Network | August 27, 2008
Pasadena, CA (Sports Network) - An intriguing season-opening matchup pits the 18th-ranked Tennessee Volunteers of the SEC against the UCLA Bruins of the Pac-10. The fact that 15 starters from the offensive and defensive units from the 2007 Tennessee team are back has to be viewed as an obvious positive. While the team fell short of its goal of winning the SEC title, a victory over Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl enabled the Vols to carry some momentum into the offseason. Coach Phil Fulmer has plenty of talent in place to compete with the best squads the SEC has to offer. As for UCLA, it opened the 2007 campaign ranked 14th in the nation, and after victories over Stanford (45-17) and BYU (27-17), the Bruins moved up to 11th. Unfortunately, they seemed to fall apart from that point, and a disappointing 6-6 season was the result. UCLA, under the direction of the new head coach Rick Neuheisel, enters this opener with a huge list of injured players, and Tennessee is not the type of team that anyone wants to play with a depleted roster. The Vols own a 7-4-2 advantage in the all-time series with the Bruins, and Fulmer is 3-1 against UCLA. The Jonathan Crompton era begins for Tennessee on Monday, as the junior quarterback takes over the reins of the offense from Erik Ainge. Crompton has the size and arm strength to be extremely successful. He also has some big- time talent at the wide receiver position as is usually the case for Tennessee. Lucas Taylor is a star, as he made 73 catches for 1,000 yards and five touchdowns last season. Austin Rogers is another outstanding talent who appears poised to have a breakout junior campaign. The passing game simply has to be solid, considering that the offensive line welcomes back all five starters to complement tailback Arian Foster. Last season, Foster racked up 1,193 yards and 12 touchdowns on 245 carries, and he has a chance to finish as the top rusher in the history of the program. "I think Arian has stayed under the radar, has been under appreciated a bit," says coach Fulmer. "My hope is he stays healthy and takes his game to the next level and becomes the all time leading rusher in Tennessee history. When you think of all the backs that have been through there, that's quite impressive." The Vols averaged 32.5 ppg and 401.5 total ypg last season, and while those numbers are certainly solid, there is potential to be even better in 2008. Seven starters are back in place from a defensive unit that struggled a bit in 2007. The Vols finished 61st nationally in scoring defense and 70th in total defense. Sure, the club did face one of the nation's toughest schedules, but coach Fulmer is certainly not happy with the results. Up front, Demonte' Bolden is a stud at the tackle position. The NFL scouts are well aware of the 6-6 standout, and he is poised for a big senior campaign. Robert Ayers is a solid pass rusher who will likely improve on his rather low total of four sacks from 2007. According to Ayers, "We have very good, level players. Our chemistry is strong. We just need to keep building and hopefully that will lead to a championship." The linebacking corps is small but extremely athletic, and Rico McCoy is the best of the bunch. At just 215 pounds, McCoy made 106 tackles a year ago and always finds his way to the football. In the defensive backfield, Eric Berry was outstanding as a freshman. He registered five interceptions and made 86 tackles from his safety position. Demetrice Morley will man the other safety spot. The Bruins were extremely inconsistent on the offensive side of the football last season, and with only four starters back for the 2008 campaign, it is likely the team could continue to struggle. The main issue is at quarterback, as the team thought Ben Olson and Pat Cowan would battle for the starting spot, but before the season could even start both players went down with injuries, and now junior Kevin Craft could be the signal-caller for the opener. "It was a strange day that 14th practice," new head coach Rick Neuheisel stated. Not only were Olson and Cowan both lost that day, but they were lost on consecutive plays. Olson will be out of action for two months. Craft figures to rely heavily on Dominique Johnson in this opener, as he hauled in 25 passes and four scores in his first season. Johnson is a speedy receiver and along with Marcus Everett, the two should prove to be valuable throughout the season. Last year UCLA's rushing attack was decimated by injuries and production could be tough to come by in 2008 with no true starter in the backfield and a revamped offensive line. We will see if any runner is able to step to the forefront against Tennessee's tough defensive line. UCLA relied heavily on the performance of its defense last year, but with only five starters back for the '08 season, it is unlikely that the unit will be as productive. The front line should be the heart and soul of this unit and will definitely get a boost with the return of Brigham Harwell, who missed last year due to injury. "Being out last year was really tough for me." Harwell stated, "Being at home watching the games on TV, I had some tough Saturdays. I'm looking forward to having a great season." Harwell will have a chance to team up with senior defensive end Tom Blake, and hopefully for coach Neuheisel the two will cause plenty of problems for the Vols. Kyle Bosworth (74 tackles in 2007) and Reggie Carter (62 tackles, 10 TFLs) both return to their linebacking positions and will look to improve on their numbers from '07. The secondary is the biggest concern for UCLA, as the team returns only cornerback Alterraun Verner, who had a strong sophomore campaign, posting 75 tackles and four INTs.
