Vols proud to erase 05 but dissatisfied at 9-4By Gentry Estes Staff Writer
KNOXVILLE Tennessees football team jetted Tuesday from the Gulf Coast and a disappointing conclusion to the 2006 season.
All thats left is to determine how to judge a 9-4 finish that could be viewed a success when compared to 2005 but a step backward from the season-opening drubbing of California. From fans to players, no one was quite sure how to assess the year. On the flight back from Tampa, thoughts of underachievement were weighed against the ever-popular belief the Volunteers were a few plays from a far better fate.
Tailback LaMarcus Coker, for instance, went from "We had a good season" to "It wasnt the best season" on consecutive sentences.
Senior receiver Jayson Swain chose to recall the 5-6 season of 2005. "Last year, we had an attitude problem," Swain said. "Our team did a great job this season changing our attitude and getting our focus on whats important, and that was playing for each other and winning games and having fun. Despite losing four games this year, I feel like we did that."
Mondays 20-10 Outback Bowl loss to Penn State encapsulated these competing vibes into 60 rainy minutes. There were positives met by costly negatives. Through it all, the Vols still had a chance to win before fading in the final 10 minutes once Penn States Tony Davis picked up an Arian Foster fumble and raced 88 yards to turn the game in a flash.
Had Tennessee come back to win, it wouldnt have mattered as much. But Fosters lethal mistake permitted a deeper glance at others, and now the entire offseason is cast in a different light. UT is expected to finalize a contract extension for coach Phillip Fulmer later this week, but the likelihood of a raise was lessened by the Vols lackluster showing in Tampa.
"The pure fundamentals were not even average," UT offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe said. "What weve done when weve done well is weve been a pretty solid football team, and I dont know how exactly to put my finger on that. We have not practiced poorly. But where is our focus? Where are we with the whole thing?" Will junior receiver Robert Meachem turn pro after Mondays grim preview of the double and triple coverage he can expect next season if he stays?
Will recruiting continue on a path that has this years class rated among the nations best to this point? Linebacker Chris Donald, roundly viewed as the states top 2007 prospect, will announce his choice between Tennessee and Notre Dame during Saturdays nationally televised U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas.
Worst of all, there is no game next week to work off the bitterness.
"In 2004, we won the Cotton Bowl by a bunch, and we were 5-6 the next year," UT quarterback Erik Ainge said. "We learn from this game. We learn that our discipline isnt where it needs to be. We made way too many mistakes, too many penalties. Thats something well address."
Events leading up to the start of spring practice in late February will greatly impact the Vols in 2007. Meachem is the only junior thought to be considering an early jump to the NFL, but his impending decision is a vital one. Meachem hasnt offered many hints, saying hell fast for a day with family in Oklahoma this week and visit his baby daughter in Memphis before announcing his intentions before the Jan. 15 deadline.
Additionally, Fulmer said on his postgame radio show that "five or six" players await surgery in the next week. Among those likely limited during the spring is touted but oft-injured defensive lineman Walter Fisher, who faces extensive shoulder surgery for the second straight year.
"Weve got something to build on because weve got a bunch of young guys coming back," Fulmer said. "Were going to have to be a whole heck of a lot tougher than what weve been this year."
