"We need a quarterback not a belly itcher!"

Instructional letter to Coach Kiffin for the 2009 football season after the UCLA loss...

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Dear Lane,

(I feel that you're just Lane to me now and that you still need to earn the title of "coach" before I call you that and some of that is not your fault). Here are 5 things that I think you can do to help revive the Vols Football program:

1. Win at least 6 games and get to a bowl (any bowl) this 2009 season. More practice over the winter and TV coverage even if it's a bowl in Nashville, Memphis or Birmingham. 5 more games to win this season are: Ohio, Memphis, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and either South Carolina or Auburn. Other than Kentucky, the others are at Neyland which will help you.

2. Start recruiting a quarterback...NOW!!! If you didn't have faith in playing Stephens, as Crompton sat alone on the bench at one point during the UCLA game and as Crompton's onfield display begged of you to put Stephens in, then obviously you're not going to play Stephens when he's a senior next year. And what can be worse than Crompton...maybe the swine flu?

3. Recruit offensive linemen. Ones that can run block first (being that this is the hardest thing for them to do). Fulmer didn't do you any favors with your starting front 5 that consist of Scott, Richard, Cody Sullins (for McNeil) and McClendon who are seniors and Shaw, a Junior. Cory Sullins is also a senior and will be gone next year too. Dallas Thomas, Aaron Douglas and Cody Pope need to see playing time if we lose our 7th game.

4. Quit over hyping Berry and the defense. You reward Coach O's defense and your Dad's defense by making them play more plays per game than they should due to the inadequacies of your offense? That doesn't make sense. Stick with what you know and I'm not sure what that is but people say it has something to do with the offensive side of the ball. Your Dad and Coach O get about 90% of the credit for keeping the UCLA game close.

5. In the press, say every other team you play (even Memphis and Ohio) are great teams and that you respect what each program has to offer. Focus mainly on the Vols and say that we're going to have to earn our respect back. People will start to think you are a joke if you come across as over confident in saying the Vols will beat teams like Florida and Alabama on the road. Play the underdog in search of respect. You've done nothing in your coaching career to have any respect up to now anyway. Focus on your own players and what they can achieve. Not the other team.

Maybe, just maybe if you can do these things, the Vols can climb back on top as a winning program. Here's hoping you're the one that can get them there.

GO VOLS!

-Clay

Rocky Topping The Hilltoppers

The newest members of what was formally NCAA Division I-A football took to the field at Neyland Saturday September 5th and were crushed 63-7. That's the short of it. 3 other points of interest:

-The Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky did win the 2002 National Championship for Division I-AA

-The 2009 Hilltopper Media Guide has loads of Freshmen listed on the roster and as a friend said, it was like playing a high school football team.

-The Vols let loose their offensive aggression from last season. It was a coughing up or purging of points that were not to be had during the 2008 campaign. Let's just hope the Vols can "throw up" some more points along the way ;)

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Up next, the Brown Bears of UCLA Sat 9/12 at 3:30pm Neyland time on ESPN. That's what a Bruin is...a brown bear. They have a new freshman "Prince" that struggled? (18 for 45 with 2 TD passes and 3 interceptions) in his college debut at the Rose Bowl against San Diego State before his team pulled away in the 2nd half winning 33-14. From here:

"The Aztecs scored touchdowns on their first two possessions and got seven first downs and 161 yards in the first quarter. They managed only 4 first downs and 116 yards total offense after that."

So the Vols need to jump on UCLA in the 1st quater and keep puttin' the hurtin' on the Brown Bears. Our defense should hopefully stop their 116th ranked offense (from last year's statistics) with Berry and the boys. I look for another win this coming Saturday!

GO VOLS!!!