PASADENA, Calif. — Dave Crompton sat in the third row of the Rose Bowl on Sunday afternoon, watching his son Jonathan toss a few passes during Tennessee’s walk-through for tonight’s season-opener against UCLA.

“Jonathan’s fine,” he said, when asked to assess his son’s nerves. “But I’m ready to watch him play. We’ve waited a long time for this.”

According to UT coach Phillip Fulmer, his whole team has waited a long time for this. Basically waited longer than every other major college program save the Bruins.

“It’s time to play,” Fulmer said at the start of the walk-through. “We did a little sightseeing this morning. We were off the bus about 45 minutes. Then our guys were ready to get back to the hotel. They’re serious about their business. They were all five minutes early to their meetings.”

According to Fulmer, sightseeing basically consisted of touring Hollywood Boulevard and viewing the Walk of Fame, where the famous get their own star.

Just to calm a few Big Orange nerves, there is no truth to the rumor that sophomore defensive back Eric Berry received his star during that tour. However justified that might become by the end of this season, the NCAA might see it as one of those extra-benefit violations.

But no one should benefit more from being an undisputed starter than Crompton, the redshirt junior who has waited somewhat patiently the past three seasons to lead the Vols offense for an entire autumn.

“We texted each other last night,” said Dave Crompton. “We’ll probably see him for a few minutes tonight at the team hotel. But Jonathan’s got a lot of work to do.”

Quarterbacks always have a lot of work to do. And however much more Crompton will work to be at his best against the Bruins he is almost certain to have less homework than Kevin Craft, his UCLA counterpart.

Craft enrolled at UCLA on the first day of spring practice after transferring from Mt. San Antonio (junior) College. At the time he was expected to run with the third team, backing up starter Patrick Cowan and top reserve Ben Olson. Both Cowan and Olson are now out for the year with injuries, and Craft is the starter by default.

Perhaps that’s why new UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel told Sunday’s LA Times, “Hopefully ... we can get this game into the fourth quarter with a manageable score.”

He added, “To go and lay an egg (on national television) would have initial negative repercussions.”

If that doesn’t sound like a guy expecting to win his first game as the head coach of his alma mater, well, Neuheisel recently watched Craft throw interceptions on three straight passes during practice. And no one is currently comparing UCLA’s secondary to the Vols.

“Kids grow up dreaming of these opportunities,” Neuheisel told the Times. “I hope he (Craft) enjoys it.”

Yet however sarcastic his coach’s comments might seem, Craft does seem to be enjoying this moment for the time being. His teammates have nicknamed him Vanilla Ice. Bruins center Micah Reed even said that Craft, “Reminds me a lot of Pat Cowan.”

Fulmer hopes Crompton will remind him Peyton Manning, who led the Vols over UCLA inside the Rose Bowl in 1997 after playing a reserve role in a 1994 road loss to the Bruins.

“I think he’s ready,” said Fulmer. “But it’s a little different making decisions with some 300-pounder chasing you than when you’re sitting in an air-conditioned hotel room.”

An air-conditioned hotel room is cool, sometimes cool as ice. But there figures to be nothing cool about the pressure the Vols should place on Craft.

“I imagine we’ll bring some heat,” said Vols defensive back Demetrice Morley.

You can already see the headline: Vols’ heat melts Ice.

Make it UT 41, UCLA 10.