By Frank Gale / Chronicle columnist
It appears this season is starting to be defined by games that got away, winnable contests that somehow have eluded the Vols. Those games, if won, could have changed the outlook for the season and made achieving team goals reachable. Instead, Tennessee is likely to spend the rest of the season playing catch up.
Win the UCLA game and they enter last week’s game at 3-1 not 2-2. A win against UCLA or Auburn and all of sudden the Vols are three wins away from being bowl eligible, which certainly has to be one of the team goals this season.
Now, they have to win four of their last seven games which include three of the nation's top 25 ball clubs, one of which might be the best in college football.
The Vols are back in action tomorrow at home against Georgia with an offense that is still struggling to find consistency. Jonathan Crompton doesn’t always have confidence in his wide receivers to run the correct route; therefore, the late throws especially on slants. The receivers are dealing with passes that are off target and for some unexplainable reason dropping some that are catchable.
Add to this frustration a losing record, a month of October that is loaded with quality opponents and a receiving depth chart that just got smaller with the suspension of Brandon Warren Monday for the remainder of the season.
Then there are the special teams’ deficiencies that continue to hurt this team and were a major contributor in the latest loss to Auburn.
Lucky for the Vols things can get better in a hurry with a win against Georgia. The odds are with the Vols this time as they will face an undisciplined Bulldog team that leads the SEC in penalty yardage. With the Vols being the least penalized team, that differential could be huge in a close game.
Besides, the Vols have a running game led by Senior Montario Hardesty who continues to be the MVP on the offensive side of the ball.
All SEC contests are important but this game holds special significance if the Vols are to play football past November. The early losses to UCLA and Auburn were disappointing but they don’t have to be the defining moments of this season. The Vols can get to .500 for the season with their first conference win and that would be a start to salvaging a season where becoming bowl eligible might have to define success this year.
Looking at Vanderbilt’s schedule, Jim Butler’s ‘Dores have an equally hard road to become bowl eligible; one that runs right through Neyland Stadium. It appears that the Tennessee-Vandy game could have a whole lot more significance than just our friendly wager.
The last time Georgia was in Neyland Stadium they left with "Rocky Top" ringing in their ears and a 35-14 loss. That win put the Vols above .500 and led to a 10 win season including an appearance in the SEC Championship Game. The vision for this team might not be that lofty but the season can certainly look brighter by beating the Dogs. ‘It is time’ for the Vols to parlay all their hard work into a win and send their crowd home with a smile this Saturday with hope for the remainder of this season. GO VOLS!!
(Frank Gale is a Chronicle correspondent and his column appears regularly.)
