Big Orange Roundtable - UCLA Roundup

What better way to spend a Saturday without the Vols...than to relive our frustrations from Monday.

In posing the question "What was your biggest disappointment against UCLA, and what is your greatest concern going forward?", we got more of the complete picture of angst and agnony with some help from:

CincyVol at Third Saturday:

Dave Clawson chose to keep his offense as a mystery, but released quotes like “get the ball to the playmakers” and “use the run to set up the pass”. Well, it’s safe to say with Crompton throwing exactly 0 touchdown passes we didn’t quite get the ball in the hands of playmakers. Even worse, not a single player for Tennessee was able to rack up 50 receiving yards.

As for the future, for some reason I still see streaks of positive in our future. Tell me to lay off the orange Kool-Aid or whatever, but I really think that wasn’t a good representation of what the Clawfense truly is going to be this year. It’s still not completely understood and reports all spring said the offense was struggling, so I want to see this thing in mid-stride later this season. My biggest concern really can’t change, because it’s coaching on the defensive side of the ball and Fulmer’s about as loyal to Chavis as Hamilton is to Fulmer himself so seeing him leave is something I don’t expect to see.

PearlVision from the Third Saturday comments:

A lot of blame to go around, but I’m going to pick on one player, Foster. Supposed to be a leader coming back for his senior year to break the all-time TN rushing title, but instead we find him doing what he always seems to do…put the ball on the ground. He even tackled Crompton at one point.

We saw flashes of the offense that looked really good which is a lot like that one golf shot that makes you come back.

Thomas the Terrible at YMSWWC:

I’m most disappointed in the coaching staff particularly in Fulmer and Clawson. The play calling when you’re on the road, you CANNOT play it safe in OT…….you’ve got to go for the throat! As I stated before the choice to kick two field goals that were over 50 yards was horrid, especially the second one. We were pounding them with the running game and yet for reason we stopped and said let’s go for the pass. Just where was this new offense at anyway? We are still running the same plays that we did when Sanders was the OC.

Right now my greatest concern is nothing will change with the play calling, coaching or coaching staff.

Jai at Losers With Socks:

0-3 when taking a bulk of the snaps, 0-3. Jon Crompton was bad, he was worse than I ever believed possible. We here at the LWS believed that the he has some *decision making* issues akin to the “IQ of a kicking tee”. He certainly looked lost, lost as an easter egg throughout the game.

You could say we're disappointed with and concerned about everybody, and that wouldn't be far from the truth. Crompton in general, Foster's fumble, lack of wide receiver production, poor protection, and the Clawson playcalling means every facet of the offense is a cause for concern for the whole of Vol Nation. The defensive concerns are fewer, but as usual fall at the feet of John Chavis. And as we'd all tell you, it's still Fulmer's team, which makes him ultimately accountable.

Hopefully, that one good golf shot comes around again.