University of Tennessee Preview: Special Teams & Coaches

So far, we’ve examined the offense and defense of the 2008-2009 University of Tennessee and today we’ll be looking at the special teams and the coaching staff.

Kicking Team

Initial Reaction: Sophomore Daniel Lincoln returns from his record-setting freshman year, nailing 21 of 29 FGs with 14 of 17 within 39 yards and 52 of 53 PATs. Currently, he’s already 11^th on UT’s record books for field goals made and finished last year with the third most field goals made in a single season and third for most points in a season. The best part was the two game winners against South Carolina and Vanderbilt, the latter capping off the largest rally by the Volunteer’s at Neyland Stadium. He’s one of the most clutch kickers in the SEC and I believe in the nation.

Outlook: Nothing this offseason has appeared or hinted at anything that might have affected Lincoln. Survey says that Lincoln is poised for another excellent year with Big Orange.

Big Question: Lincoln came in as an unheralded freshman. Will the pressure of being the Big Game Guy and the memories of last year get to him?

Punting Team

Initial Reaction: Britton Colquitt really screwed himself up this offseason. After getting another DUI, Coach Fulmer stripped his scholarship and suspended him for the first five games of the year. I know that he’s a legacy player, especially with the long line of The Kickin’ Colquitts that have played at Tenneessee, but puuuhhh-llleeeease.  A normal person gets jail time for their fourth or fifth DUI, not suspended from an athletic team. Nevertheless, sophomore Chad Cunningham looks to be the No. 1 punter until Colquitt’s suspension is up.

Outlook: The first five games will be a tossup, as Chad Cunningham is a hidden factor. Colquitt is a great punter and his talents on the field will be missed dearly but he must pay the price for his disgraceful actions off the field.

Big Question: Can the punting unit avoid any big mistakes that may negatively influence the first five games?

Kick Return/Coverage

Initial Reaction: After the California debacle with DeSean Jackson (even though I counted at least 2 clipping penalties on that TD run, but no, I’m not bitter.) running wild over the Tennessee coverage teams, the kick and punt teams got progressively better. The return teams ranked as the second-highest pleasant surprise of last year’s team. Dennis Rogan blossomed into an excellent deep threat, a burner who always had a chance to go long.

Outlook: This would seem to be another strong point for the team. Last year, it was unproven youngsters who stepped up. Now, these are game-played veterans who know what to expect.

Big Question: Can the team keep up the performance from last year? Or will the Sophomore Slump hit?

Coaches:

Initial Reaction: With the departure of offensive coordinator Coach Cutcliffe to the head coaching position at Duke and running backs Coach Taylor to the co-offensive coordination job at OK State, the offensive coaching staff has undergone some major renovation. Coach Fulmer brought in Dave Clawsen from Richmond, who will finally bring new wrinkles to the traditional smashmouth style of Tennessee football. Fulmer also snagged the running backs coach from Florida, who is more of a recruiter for the Florida pipeline than an elite coach. On the defensive side, Coach Chavis keeps most of his staff intact, but hopefully will improve the play-calling and performance of the quite-miserable-at-times defense of last year.

Outlook: Reaching out to Clawsen at Richmond was a bold move on Fulmer’s part. Instead of promoting within the Tennessee family, which is a usual Fulmer move, he plucked a young up-and-coming coach that had built a strong program out of nothing. Clawsen is branded in the new era of coaching: Speed. Misdirection. The Spread. This season will be his proving ground and first look at the SEC defenses.

Big Question: Will Clawsen’s offense be able to out-plan the defensive gurus of the SEC? Can Chavis’s defense actually hold onto a lead in the fourth quarter and not play prevent?

Next time, we’ll look at how the schedule shapes up for the Vols this year and relative strengths and weaknesses of their opponents.