When 35-3 Isn't What it Appears to Be

I called a friend of mine in Sacramento Saturday afternoon and told him UT beat UAB 35-3. The fact he's a former college player (Colorado State) and a very knowledgable fan, his first question to me was, "was it a legit 35-3, or was it soft?"

That should tell you he's someone who understands what's going on with Tennessee football.

So was it legit or was it soft? Put a pair of 35-3 scores next to each other and draw your own conclusions:

USC 35
Ohio State 3

Tennessee 35
UAB 3

The Trojans-Buckeyes game wasn't that close. The only thing that looks capable of stopping SC is an NFL team. The Vols-Blazers game was a lot closer than the score indicated. At the half, the Vols strolled off the field to a hard-earned chorus of boos with an unimpressive, uninspired 14-0 lead.

I've been following the Vols for more than four decades. I've watched them in good times, bad times and, perhaps worst of all, mediocre times. But no matter the season, I've never worn orange-colored blinders. I call it as I see it. Living in reality is preferable to daydreaming on perception.

For the 10-millionth time, this is a program in desperate need of a new direction.

After the embarrassing loss to UCLA in Pasadena, exacerbated by what BYU did to the Bruins in Provo on Saturday - hold on, the Cougars just scored again - UAB was the perfect opponent for the Vols. With an absolutely awful defense, one that gave up 45 (at home) to Tulsa and 49 to Florida Atlantic in their first two games, Vols fans caught their breath, came in off the ledge and prepared for what surely would be a Vols woodshed beating of UAB.

The moment you think you have the Tennessee football program figured out, think again.

There are those who viewed Saturday's win over UAB as great momentum leading into the Florida game Saturday in Neyland Stadium. Great momentum would have been something on the order of a 70-0 humiliation of UAB. Even 59-0 would have sufficed. Wait - isn't that the same score BYU beat UCLA by? The same UCLA the Vols made look like a Rose Bowl contender? I digress.

New offensive coordinator Dave Clawson is widely considered a solid offensive mind. He may not have been the first choice of many Vols fans, but most agree on one thing he had going for him: He wasn't from the UT "family."

It was thought the new offense he brought with him would give rival defensive coordinators fits. No one knew what he would do with the weapons wearing orange and white he had at his disposal.

Based upon the first two games, UT's offense is the football version of Same Time, Next Year. This program makes getting into the end zone tantamount to scaling Mt. Everest without oxygen.

I'm not technically versed in the intricate X's and O's of football when trying to break down a game. I'm just a sports fan that relies on what my eyes and instincts tell me is working, not working and needs fixing. That said, I am now convinced it makes no difference who's wearing orange and white with helmets, and who's wearing orange and white with headsets. When the game is on, nothing seems to change. Ever.

Year after year, fans are treated to the same mental lapses, the same missed tackles, the same missed assignments, the same dropped balls, the same fumbles and the same patented quotes coming from the coaching staff explaining away what was once a proud program now drifting aimlessly into anonymity.

Of course, the one constant in all of this is Neyland Stadium. Win or lose and no matter the direction of this football program, the fans still flock to Neyland. The tailgating, the parties, the gatherings with friends and family, the . . . oh, the game, too.

In better times - translation being the days and nights when people got excited for UT Saturdays in the fall - you would never see empty seats in Neyland Stadium. It didn't matter if the opponent was UAB or BAU, the place was packed. This past Saturday, the announced crowd was 98,205.

If you were at the game or watched on tv and you've been to Neyland enough times, you knew there couldn't have been more than about 85,000 in that stadium. Seeing roughly half the upper deck empty and doing a little quick math provides a very different number than the announced crowd.

The question now is whether "important" people took notice of the empty seats. And if they did, did they care? The going theory is that as long as donations are flowing into the VASF (Volunteer Athletic Scholarship Fund), tickets are being purchased and merchandise is flying off the shelves, all is well.

But all is not well.

35-3 over the University of Alabama, Birmingham after struggling for a half is a football program screaming "WE NEED TO BE FIXED!"

The Florida game will be the annual early-season benchmark . . . or will it? If the Vols win, coach Phillip Fulmer will be hailed as a hero with the UCLA debacle and the team's struggles with UAB distant memories. If the Vols lose . . . well, they lose. There doesn't seem to be any consequence for beatdowns against rivals these days.

There wasn't last year. Even after the Vols suffered an almost unfathomable beating in Gainesville, 59-20, most fans had long-since forgotten about the loss when January 1st rolled around because the Vols made it to Florida for a bowl game. Never mind that it was a meaningless game against a middle-of-the-pack Wisconsin Badgers team, as long as the Vols win more than they lose and get to a bowl game, all is well. And, presumably, all will stay the same.

That's not a pleasant picture looking down the road at Tennessee football.

CGabriel is a radio talk show host, freelance writer and voiceover artist. A native of Chicago, he makes his home in Minneapolis with the three loves of his life: His beautiful wife and two daughters.