Tennessee: Vols’ top units overpower reserves

KNOXVILLE — When the first team lines up against reserves, coaches usually learn more about the latter.

Thursday, Phillip Fulmer learned that his Tennessee football starters are several steps higher up the ladder.

UT’s top offense and defense thumped the backups in Neyland Stadium.

“We’ve got a group of guys on the second team that have no idea how to play at this level,” Fulmer said. “They have no idea, and that’s very frustrating and very upsetting, because they may be needed somewhere.

“But they won’t see the field unless it’s absolutely necessary in certain spots. I can assure you of that.”

The team flies to UCLA in little more than a week, and the countdown to the Sept. 1 opener is nearing single digits.

Offensive coordinator Dave Clawson and defensive coordinator John Chavis both used the word “sloppy” in describing their backups’ performance, and Clawson said his starters weren’t consistently sharp either. But they certainly started well.

Junior tailback Montario Hardesty took a handoff on the No. 1 offense’s first snap and barreled through several defenders for 31 yards. Junior quarterback Jonathan Crompton dropped back on the next play and fired a perfect 18-yard post route to sophomore receiver Gerald Jones for a touchdown.

“Two plays and a score — there ain’t nothing wrong with that,” junior center Josh McNeil said.

Hardesty took his next two runs 24 and 20 yards, giving him 75 yards on his first three attempts.

“Montario Hardesty didn’t come out here unfocused,” Fulmer said. “I thought Jonathan Crompton had a real nice scrimmage, too, other than a few throws early.

“But we just weren’t nearly as sharp as we needed to be.”

Hardesty hadn’t looked so dominant since his spectacular touchdown run against California two years ago, but even he spent more time discussing a missed blocking assignment. Those kinds of mistakes blemished an otherwise solid scrimmage.

Crompton missed an open Jones on third down during the second possession, and Jones dropped a third-down throw from Crompton on the following drive. Daniel Lincoln converted each field goal, but as McNeil said, “Three points doesn’t always get it done.”

“To me, there were some plays that should have been made that we didn’t make,” Clawson said. “And against good teams like UCLA, if we don’t make those plays, it’s going to cost us games. Usually against good football teams, you can break games down to two or three plays you either make or didn’t make.”

The second-team offense didn’t have nearly as many opportunities, thanks to Chavis’s swarming starters. Middle linebacker Ellix Wilson sacked Nick Stephens to stop the No. 2 offense’s first drive, and former McCallie School star B.J. Coleman was sacked three of the first four times he dropped back to pass.

Stephens and Coleman still haven’t settled their battle for No. 2 quarterback. Coleman completed 7 of 10 passes for 36 yards, while Stephens was 4-of-9 for 43 yards and a touchdown.

Crompton completed 12 of 23 passes for 151 yards and two scores. No interceptions were thrown, but Stephens nearly had two.

“The defense did a lot of their packages, and they’re extremely fast,” Coleman said. “They’re fast; they’re smart; they’ve been in big games; they know how it goes. And we’re trying to adjust to that.

“I thought the guys overall gave great effort, but we were a bit sloppy in lining up sometimes. ... We got out of sorts, and that’s on me. I’ve got to get that fixed.”

There are similar problems behind several defensive starters — whom Hardesty repeatedly bounced off “like a pinball,” according to Fulmer.

“I thought the first group (tackled) a little better, for sure,” Chavis said. “We were in better position, and that’s part of it.

“The second group was not quite where we wanted, but that’s why they’re second. We’ve got to push them hard and get them ready to play, because we’ve got to have them.”

Starting tailback Arian Foster dressed but didn’t play until the simulated overtime that ended the day. His only carry was a 6-yard touchdown.

“He’s just a proven back, and we weren’t going to take the risk of getting him hurt,” Fulmer said.

Sophomore tailback Lennon Creer, who shared first-team duties with Hardesty, had 51 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.