Wiedmer: Is Butch Jones close to losing Big Orange support?

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Tied at halftime, Vols allow Arkansas to take control in second half

It is what it is.

Coach Cliché used those words to describe Tennessee's loss at Florida nine days ago. He chose them again late Saturday night after the Vols "Butch-ed" another double-digit lead in an eventual 24-20 home loss to Arkansas, a defeat to drop Team 119 to 2-3 overall and 0-2 in the Southeastern Conference heading into this weekend's visit from Georgia.

But just exactly what this UT football program is in Butch Jones' third year on the job remains a mystery, perhaps now more than ever. Is it still a program on the rise, its lift at least partially inspired by Coach Cliché's seemingly endless stream of motivational gems, everything from "Brick by Brick" to the "Power of One" to "Snap and Clear"?

Or is it a program already in decline, the perceived X's and O's limitations of Jones and his assistants no longer hidden by their bromides and bluster? Or, if one prefers to fall back on clichés, is Jones inadvertantly educating the social media crowd on the true meanings of "all hat and no cattle" and "the emperor has no clothes"?

Then again, could this merely be a momentary dip in what was always going to be a difficult rebuilding job following the controversial ouster of national championship-winning coach and alum Phillip Fulmer, the Lane Kiffin catastrophe and the three-year Derek Dooley disaster?

Yes, Saturday proved to be Arkansas coach Bret Bielema's first SEC road win, as well as his first victory in 10 attempts to emerge victorious in a game decided by seven or fewer points, but the Vols' other losses this season are to Oklahoma and Florida, who both remain unbeaten at the moment.

And those three losses are by 12 points combined, which strongly hints of a program headed in the right direction, whether or not it is moving at anywhere near the pace needed to satisfy its frustrated fan base.

But on Sunday, the rumor surfaced of a heated argument between Jones and wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni after the game. That comes on the heels of Coach Cliché becoming more than a little chippy in each of the past two postgame press conferences, as well as a growing concern that he simply lacks the "feel" necessary to successfully coach in a league as difficult as the SEC.

For proof, merely consider that Jones is now 0-7 against Alabama, Florida and Georgia, and his record after 30 games at UT is exactly the same as Dooley's 14-16 mark at the same point.

Again, most folks believe the program was a mess when Jones took over, so to expect the Vols to contend for so much as an SEC East crown in his third season might be a bit preposterous. But as one reader noted Sunday morning regarding Florida's flogging of then-No. 3 Ole Miss: "Jones should burn the Arkansas tape and watch the UF-Ole Miss game to see how a new coach (Jim McElwain) can win with a young team riddled with injuries that was also a heavy underdog."

Of course, Jones supporters could also point to that Ole Miss-Florida game as proof the Vols are much closer to great than gross, given their one-point loss in "The Swamp."

And therein lies the problem five games into a thus far disappointing Big Orange football season. Because the losses have seemed to hinge on coaching - kicking a field goal rather than going for an early touchdown on fourth-and-inches from the end zone against the Sooners; not going for a 2-point conversion while leading the Gators by 12 points with 10 minutes to play; ultra-conservative calls late in the halves of all three losses; the inability of offensive coordinator Mike DeBord to adjust to the Razorbacks' determination to stop the Vols on the ground in the second half , when they had 4 rushing yards after gaining 129 in the first; continued poor tackling - there seems a ground swell of frustration with Jones.

One senses more and more that while almost every Volniac believes the program is far better off overall than before Jones arrived, especially regarding academics and recruiting, his greatest strengths are on display between Sunday and Friday rather than Saturday, when the games are played and coaching reputations are forged or flushed.

You could even argue such unrest is almost a tribute to the coach's ability to sell the Big Orange Nation on the program on his marketing and recruiting skills. Maybe he accidentally made the fans believe the Vols are better than they are.

Never mind that all of this could instantly reverse course with a win over Georgia, against whom Jones' Vols have played very well twice in close defeats, including an overtime loss in 2013. But just in case UT loses to both the Bulldogs and Alabama, expect the caricature of Jones as the coaching version of Gomer Pyle's crew-cut, animated Sgt. Carter - another authoritative figure given to much yelling and posturing with mixed results - to grow in popularity.

And should that happen, should mediocrity or worse continue to define Big Orange football, anyone familiar with Tennessee's long, proud history might do well to remind the UT brass that when it comes to competing in the storied SEC, it's best to place the Vols in the hands of a coaching General.

Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.