University of Tennessee head coach Butch Jones, center, poses with linebacker Dontavis Sapp (41) and defensive lineman Jacques Smith (55) during a team picture made at Neyland Stadium.CROWD WATCHHow many fans will be in Neyland Stadium tonight for Butch Jones’ first game as Tennessee’s coach? Based on the Vols’ public performances this offseason, it could be a good crowd. After the second-largest crowd ever for a Tennessee spring game (61,076), the program announced that 39,000 attended an open practice this month.The debuts for Tennessee’s last two coaches were both well-attended, too, and both Lane Kiffin and Derek Dooley kicked off their tenures against overmatched opponents like Austin Peay. In the Vols’ 63-7 romp over Western Kentucky in 2009, the attendance was 98,761 for a steamy noon kickoff. For Dooley’s opener the next year, 99,123 watched Tennessee blank UT-Martin 50-0.
AUSTIN PEAY (0-0) AT TENNESSEE (0-0)6 p.m. * Neyland Stadium in Knoxville * Pay-per-view/106.5 FMThe matchupBoth the Govs and Volunteers are playing their first game under new coaches. After a 2-9 season that included just one Ohio Valley Conference win, Austin Peay turned to Kirby Cannon, who was the defensive backs coach at Central Michigan the past three seasons. The bigger debut, though, belongs to Butch Jones, who’s created energy around a downtrodden Tennessee program with his recruiting and seemingly everything else all offseason.One to watchAll the eyes certainly be on Justin Worley, who edged out three other quarterbacks this month to win Tennessee’s starting job. In sporadic mop-up duty last season, the junior threw two interceptions in just 23 attempts, but now the offense is his to run. A good first step for Worley would be an efficient night throwing the football with minimal game-management mistakes.”I don’t want to call it relief, but there’s a sense of ownership that comes with being officially dubbed the starter,” offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian said. “I think he can take a deep sigh and know, ‘OK, now it’s time to just go out and play.'”In the endTennessee hasn’t lost a home opener since 1994, and the streak shouldn’t face much resistance in reaching 19 years. Austin Peay has won just 13 games since a seven-win 2007 season, and Jones’ Cincinnati team roughed up the Govs 72-10 in the 2011 opener. Regardless of the opposition, though, tonight is the chance for Jones and his staff to make their first impression and for a team with some new faces to work out the kinks and build up some confidence before the schedule spikes up — way up — in difficulty.Prediction: Tennessee 56, Austin Peay 10
KNOXVILLE – It’s the last of the first impressions.
In nearly nine months as Tennessee’s head football coach, Butch Jones has showcased his and his staff’s ability to recruit, and his first Volunteers team has performed on public platforms in April’s spring game and a rain-soaked open practice this month.
Tonight’s season opener against Austin Peay, though, is the real deal.