"Is Tennessee REALLY going to throw these rookie running backs into the fire right away?
This much we know about Tennessees first team under Lane Kiffin: All season it is going to be a struggle between getting the team ready to play the next game and preparing for the long haul. That will again be the case when Kiffin and OC Jim Chaney decide how to use the highly-recruited running backs, Bryce Brown and David Oku. How much these guys actually get on the field, I believe, is up to the offensive line. If Tennessee had to play tomorrow, instead of Sept. 5 against Western Kentucky, its a pretty good bet the Vols would have five seniors starting up front. This is significant. If this group really jells, then Kiffin and Chaney can be a little bolder. If not, you stick with the proven players in Montario Hardesty and Lennon Creer and you spot play the freshmen. The toughest things for young running backs to learn are how to block (because the game is much faster) and picking up pass protection schemes. You wonder how much a highly-recruited kid like Brown was asked to block in high school."
Five burning questions about the SEC East | Mr. College Football
This much we know about Tennessees first team under Lane Kiffin: All season it is going to be a struggle between getting the team ready to play the next game and preparing for the long haul. That will again be the case when Kiffin and OC Jim Chaney decide how to use the highly-recruited running backs, Bryce Brown and David Oku. How much these guys actually get on the field, I believe, is up to the offensive line. If Tennessee had to play tomorrow, instead of Sept. 5 against Western Kentucky, its a pretty good bet the Vols would have five seniors starting up front. This is significant. If this group really jells, then Kiffin and Chaney can be a little bolder. If not, you stick with the proven players in Montario Hardesty and Lennon Creer and you spot play the freshmen. The toughest things for young running backs to learn are how to block (because the game is much faster) and picking up pass protection schemes. You wonder how much a highly-recruited kid like Brown was asked to block in high school."
Five burning questions about the SEC East | Mr. College Football