Restoring Rock Flop to Rocky Top: Ballinvol's Tennessee Volunteers Dynasty

[BallinVol]

Got Offense?

Barnburner in Raleigh
Wolfpack wins shootout over Vols 42-35| 1200+ total yards combined

Raleigh, NC (AP) - So Defense can win you championships and they can also make your team look silly. Either that was the case or the two offenses that took the field Friday night in Raleigh were two of the highest octane offenses in the Nation. My guess is the the first statement.

This game was like watching a main even heavyweight fight for the title. North Carolina State and Tennessee traded blow after blow, punch after punch, and eventually the Wolfpack escaped with a 42-35 victory over the Vols on opening weekend.

Tennessee, down 42-35 with just 1:50 left, was managing yet another great drive behind the arm of Junior QB Tyler Bray. Tennessee had managed to drive all the way down to the NC State 30 yard line. Unfortunately for Tennessee, the very next play would be the dagger in The Big Orange's heart, as Tyler Bray was picked off on a brilliant leaping interception by NC State DB Brandon Bishop. The Wolfpack was able to run the clock out and seal themselves an electrifying 42-35 victory.

Post Game Quotes

"We couldn't stop them all game long", stated Tennessee Defensive Coordinator Sal Sunseri. "We thought we had a solid gameplan and in the end I still think we did, we simply didn't execute. You gotta give credit to NC State and especially QB Mike Glennon. He is a brilliant QB and he will be making big plays all season."

"It wasn't a bad pass, it was just an outstanding play by the Defensive Back. Hunter broke open on the sideline and I threw it, but the DB made an excellent recovery and made the leaping pick. It's frustrating because you know you played good and your recievers played good and you come up short. All we can do now is go forward and go watch some game film and see where we can improve. Give NC State credit, they really wanted it more today." - UT QB Tyler Bray

"This was a big win for us", stated NC State Head Coach Tom O'Brien. "We played a near flawless game on offense, but really need to buckle down on defense in the upcoming weeks. Nonetheless I'm proud of these young men for putting forth the effort they did tonight. We will try and build off this win and maybe this will launch us to a great season here in Raleigh".

"We played well enough on offense to keep us in this game. Had we made some stops on defense then we could've won this game. Had it not been for our offense, we would've been embarrased. We've got to get better and we will begin by looking at game film and correct our mistakes. We've got to get better before conference play begins or it could be a long year for us. Now that I've got the negatives out of the way I will say our boys showed heart tonight for not giving up. We clawed and fought and it was just a classic College Football game". - Tennessee Head Coach Derek Dooley

Tennessee Volunteers at North Carolina State Wolfpack
Aug 31, 2012	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Tennessee Volunteers (0-0)	14	0	7	14	35
North Carolina State Wolfpack (0-0)	10	14	10	8	42

Team Stats Comparison
	TENN	NCST
Total Offense	474	539
Rushing Yards	144	211
Passing Yards	330	328
First Downs	13	23
Punt Return Yards	16	10
Kick Return Yards	130	129
Total Yards	620	678
Turnovers	1	1
3rd Down Converstion	6-13	4-11
4th Down Conversion	0-3	1-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	1-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1-1-0	6-4-2
Penalties	2-20	1-10
Posession Time	13:23	18:36

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		TENN	NCST
5:30	(NCST) FG NCSU: N. Sade, 19 Yd FG	0	3
3:28	(TENN) TD Tenn: M. Rivera, 10 Yd pass from T. Bray (M. Palardy kick)	7	3
0:53	(NCST) TD NCSU: M. Greene, 1 Yd run (N. Sade kick)	7	10
0:04	(TENN) TD Tenn: C. Patterson, 46 Yd pass from T. Bray (M. Palardy kick)	14	10
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		TENN	NCST
6:49	(NCST) TD NCSU: T. Palmer, 8 Yd pass from M. Glennon (N. Sade kick)	14	17
0:53	(NCST) TD NCSU: B. Underwood, 36 Yd pass from M. Glennon (N. Sade kick)	14	24
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		TENN	NCST
2:40	(NCST) FG NCSU: N. Sade, 23 Yd FG	14	27
2:27	(TENN) TD Tenn: J. Hunter, 73 Yd pass from T. Bray (M. Palardy kick)	21	27
0:29	(NCST) TD NCSU: Q. Payton, 11 Yd pass from M. Glennon (N. Sade kick)	21	34
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		TENN	NCST
7:47	(TENN) TD Tenn: M. Lane, 55 Yd run (M. Palardy kick)	28	34
5:40	(NCST) TD NCSU: T. Palmer, 13 Yd pass from M. Glennon (2-pt)	28	42
5:00	(TENN) TD Tenn: D. Rogers, 60 Yd pass from T. Bray (M. Palardy kick)	35	42

Tennessee Volunteers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Tyler Bray 21-44 330 4 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Marlin Lane 11 128 11.6 1 Rajion Neal 4 11 2.7 0 Justin Hunter 1 5 5.0 0 Da'Rick Rogers 1 0 0.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Da'Rick Rogers 3 107 35.6 1 Justin Hunter 3 87 29.0 1 Cordarrelle Patterson 5 84 16.8 1 Mychal Rivera 3 22 7.3 1 Marlin Lane 5 20 4.0 0 Brendon Downs 1 9 9.0 0 Devrin Young 1 1 1.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Mychal Rivera 3 0 Antonio Richardson 2 0 Marlin Lane 1 0 Dallas Thomas 1 0 Zach Fulton 1 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Brian Randolph 8 0 0 0 Prentiss Waggner 8 0 0 0 Herman Lathers 7 0 0 0 Brent Brewer 6 0 0 0 Jacques Smith 6 0 0 0 Curt Maggitt 5 0 0 0 Steven Fowlkes 4 0 0 0 AJ Johnson 4 0 0 0 Eric Gordon 3 0 0 0 Justin Coleman 3 0 0 0 Daniel McCullers 3 0 0 0 Jordan Williams 3 0 0 0 Maurice Couch 2 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Michael Palardy 0-0 5-5 5 N/A PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Matt Darr 4 174 43.5 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Devrin Young 6 130 21.6 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Devrin Young 2 16 8.0 0

North Carolina State Wolfpack PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Mike Glennon 24-36 328 4 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Tony Creecy 21 130 6.1 0 James Washington 6 78 13.0 0 Mike Glennon 4 -13 -3.2 0 Mustafa Greene 1 1 1.0 1 Quintin Payton 1 15 15.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Tobias Palmer 7 81 11.5 2 Mario Carter 6 78 13.0 0 Bryan Underwood 5 75 15.0 1 Quintin Payton 3 38 12.6 1 Rashard Smith 1 49 49.0 0 Logan Winkles 1 5 5.0 0 Asa Watson 1 2 2.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK RJ Mattes 1 0 Zach Allen 0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD CJ Wilson 6 0 0 0 Earl Wolff 6 0 0 0 Jarvis Byrd 5 0 0 0 Sterling Lucas 5 0 0 0 David Amerson 5 0 0 0 Brandon Pittman 3 0 0 0 Brandon Bishop 3 0 1 0 Ty McGill 3 0 0 0 Rickey Dowdy 3 0 0 0 Art Norman 3 0 0 0 Rashard Smith 3 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Niklas Sade 2-2 4-4 10 23 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Wil Baumann 4 150 37.5 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Tobias Palmer 6 129 21.5 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Rashard Smith 2 10 5.0 0

[BallinVol]

ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY
BUILT BY HOME DEPOT

Live from Ann Arbor, MI

Daunting task lies ahead for Michigan; D-Rob
By Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN Analyst
ESPN.com

Those looking for the early, big time matchup, you don't have to look too hard. Gameday is live in Ann Arbor this week for the top ten Matchup between the #9 Michigan Wolverines and the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide.

"We feel like we can play with anyone, beat anyone, because we know that it takes teamwork to accomplish our goals. Our goal this year is nothing less than a BCS Championship game. We know by going out here and defeating the #1 team in the country early on will be an early indicator as to what this team is capable of. I'm excited, I'm ready and I know the rest of our team is ready".

This was the words spoken by Michigan QB Denard Robinson when I spoke with him early this week. Big words spoken, but Robinson feels he can back those words. If anyone is to beat the Tide this year, Michigan may have one of the better chances this season. The key to success for Michigan will be shutting down their running game and on offense, the Wolverines must spread out the very fast Defense of Alabama and allow Robinson room to make big plays.

This is a game where not only have Michigan and Alabama fans have had marked on their calenders, but the nation as a whole have been eagerly anticipating. This is going to be a highlight reel of a game for sure.

HEADLINES

• Gameday in Ann-Arbor for Bama/Michigan top Ten Matchup
• Is Matt Barkley the best QB in College Football?
• SEC ready to collect yet another National Championship
• Oregon has the defense, but do they have the offense to win Title?
• Big Opener: Boise/Michigan St. square off in a big Top 25 Matchup
• Rise and Demise: A look at the teams on fire and teams who are sitting on ice
• The Urban Meyer Era at Ohio State begins today
• Number 14 Clemson travels to Auburn
• Georgia Tech faces #15 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg
• ESPN Gameday makes their picks

Top Stories

• #12 Michigan State downs #21 Boise State, 40-28
• NC State wins shootout over Vols, 42-35

TOP 25

1. Alabama

2.USC

3.LSU

4. Oregon

5.Oklahoma
6. Georgia
7. Arkansas
8. Florida State
9. Michigan
10. West Virginia
11. South Carolina
12. Michigan State
13. Kansas State
14. Clemson
15. Virginia Tech
16. Wisconsin
17. TCU
18. Ohio State
19. Nebraska
20. Stanford
21. Boise State
22. Texas
23. Oklahoma State
24. Notre Dame
25. Florida

[BallinVol]

COLLEGE FOOTBALL FINAL
ON ESPN

Michigan the real deal?
Mark May, ESPN Analyst

ESPN Studios - With all the hype that surrounded this matchup, you would think you would've seen some sort of "nerve factor" in this game for the Wolverines. In fact, that was totally the opposite in tonights matchup with the Wolverines.

Michigan looked very sound on both sides of the ball and controlled this game and D-Rob backed his word up from earlier this week. The question still lies in hand .. is Michigan the real deal? Some say yes, most being biased to Michigan I'm sure, and some say maybe, some say no. If you asked the Michigan Wolverines right now, I would say their answer would be they don't care. They just beat the #1 team in the country!

"We come in focused, we come in to be physical, and we took care of business. My teammates did what they had to do and with that, it allowed me to get out and make big plays." - Michigan QB Denard Robinson

"I'm fine. It wasn't anything major. I just tweaked my shoulder a bit and will be 100% come next week". - Michigan QB Denard Robinson on 4th quarter injury

TOP STORIES

• Michigan passes early test against #1 Alabama, 21-19
• Oklahoma State wins opener, loses FS Lowe for 10 weeks with torn bicep
• Penn State squeaks by Ohio, 20-13
• Miami brings their A game to Boston College, wins 24-7
• #14 Wisconsin wins opener convincingly, 73-3
• #24 Notre Dame with impressive 58-3 win over Navy
• #3 Oregon looking ahead? Survive 42-35 over Arkansas State

HEADLINES

• Gators look to welcome Texas A&M to the SEC
• Notre Dame looks to continue success against Purdue
• Nebraska heading to the West Coast for matchup with UCLA
• Miles Apart: Duke travels all the way to #18 Stanford
• Gameday to be in Baton Rouge this Saturday

USC best chance at a National Title?
Rece Davis, ESPN Analyst


RECE DAVIS: The Final Verdict court is now in session. The case of USC has the best chance at a National Title has been brought before this court. I of course will hear the case, I will consult with my fellow justice and ultimately, I will decide. Couselor May are you bringing this case?

MARK MAY: Yes your honor. When you take a look at the Trojans schedule, the only team I realistically see challenging this Trojan team is the Oregon Ducks. That game will be played at the Coliseum and I still think USC has the better chance at a Title game appearance. Not only is their schedule favorable for it, but they bring to the field the best QB in the nation in Matt Barkley.

RECE DAVIS: Mr. Holtz?

LOU HOLTZ: I'll say this, in the words of the Scooter Lee Corso, not so fast my friend. You've failed to recall that USC must go on the road to Stanford, to Washington, and most importantly you've forgotten that they must face Notre Dame, who is on the rise. Mark it down and I said it first, USC, if they haven't lost before Notre Dame, they will lose to Notre Dame. Mark it down. But to say that anyone has a better chance this early in the season is just absurd. It's way too early to make accusations of who is the best team in the land. We will find out as we go along.

RECE DAVIS: With the facts and evidence brought forth to the court, I must go in favor of Counselor Holtz, in the fact that it is too early to tell who has the best shot for a National Title.

[Matt10]

tough loss to open up the season! I like the write ups though, man. In depth and well thought out!

Keep it up - Take care of Wyoming to set up a big W against Florida!

[BallinVol]

Quote: Originally Posted by Matt10

tough loss to open up the season! I like the write ups though, man. In depth and well thought out! Keep it up - Take care of Wyoming to set up a big W against Florida!

I can thank gorillapittpray for the idea. I liked the layout so I kinda borrowed the idea but its honestly a layout I can handle in my busy life so thats why I wanted to use it. thanks for reading Matt im glad you like the write ups! Should get the Wyoming game in this evening.

[BallinVol]

Vols land 2 big time recruits early in season
Dooley making good work of recruiting trail early

Jason Welch, Sports Writer
GoVolsXtra.com

Knoxville, TN - We are just one week into the College Football season and the Vols are making quite a splash in the recruiting world. Dooley and his staff have undoubtedly been working very hard going out to visit recruits and speak with them and their families. This week, the hard work has paid off, as Tennessee has signed two 4-star recruits. The biggest news about this is Dooley is showing his capability to recruit outside the state of Tennessee.

Tennessee Volunteers Recruiting - 2012
NAME	POS	CLASS	HOMETOWN	HT	WT	CALIBER
Maurice Bradley	G	HS	South Miami Hts, FL	6'4"	325
Joey Butler	ATH	HS	Germantown, WI	6'5"	216

RECRUITS AT A GLANCE

Maurice Bradley - G - South Miami Hts, FL - Commited over LSU, Alabama

Maurice has the ideal size that Tennesse is looking for on the offensive line. Although Maurice isn't the fastest kid, he explodes off the ball very nicely, something that Dooley praised him for excessively. Maurice's blocking skills have been showcased to the Vols coaching staff quite a bit, as they have been following Mr. Bradley's games all season. Maurice and his team found themselves in the state playoffs but came up a game short of reaching the State Championship game. Maurice has the potential to come in and give some production to the Vols offensive line, who has struggled in the past few years.

Joey Butler - ATH - Germantown, WI - Commited over Iowa, Wisconsin

Coach Dooley seemingly went after Joey quite hard, as did Defensive Coordinator Sal Sunseri. Joey, who played RB and WR on offense and CB on defense in high school, caught the eyes of the Tennessee staff and they feel that Joey could contribute to both sides of the ball. He runs routes well, can catch in traffic, and although he's not one to juke and jive past defenders, his ball carrying skills and vision is decent. As a CB, he plays zone coverage quite well but could use some brushing up on his man to man skills. Speed wise he is not a complete burner, but should be able to keep up with quite a bit of his competition. It's been a long, long time since we have seen a player come to Tennessee and contribute to both sides of the ball, buy Joey definitely has the potential to do so.

[BallinVol]

ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY
BUILT BY HOME DEPOT

Live from Baton Rouge, LA

Washington remembers 09
By Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN Analyst
ESPN.com

The title says it all. Washington fans remember the Tigers trip to Washington, when the Tigers were able to steal one from Locker and company. The Huskies are without playmaker Jake Locker calling the signals now. The whole atmosphere has changed and now the Huskies must go to Death Valley. The Nation's longest home winning streak will be on the line. LSU has won 19 straight home games and will be looking for 20 when Washington rolls into town. Can Washington knock LSU off of its "High Horse" and prove they are underrated? Washington Junior QB Keith Price seems to think so.

"We know we are going to one of the most hostile places to play in the country. Not only that, but the atmosphere becomes so much more volatile at night. This is something that we've been preparing for all week and we have been determining different ways to combat the crowd noise. We are focused, we are ready".

"I don't think Washington is going to know what hit them. I'm ready to run, it's what I do. Our offensive line is one of the best in the Nation and we want to prove that. I'm counting on these guys to just pave the road and open up the gaps for me to run through, I'll do the rest. We've talked the talk and so have they (Washington). Now it's time to walk the walk, and you don't walk the walk in our house".

This is what LSU Junior RB Spencer Ware had to say to me in an interview with him yesterday. The nation as a whole expects LSU to win this game. The Nation's longest winning streak, more talent, the most hostile environment in all of College Football. These are the things that LSU has going for them. Don't be surprised if after the dust has settled and the sight is clear that LSU is adding Washington to the obituaries in Death Valley.










HEADLINES

• Gameday lands in Death Valley
• Washington ready for the big stage?
• Who is on UPSET ALERT in week 2?
• Vote for Gameday to come to your city at ESPN.com
• Gameday featured story: Remembering Oklahoma LB Austin Box
• Alabama looks to bounce back from tough loss
• Purdue vs. Notre Dame: A closer look
• The Gameday crew makes their picks
  
  
  
  
  
  

Week 1 Scoreboard

#1 Alabama 19, #9 Michigan 21
#2 USC 41, Hawaii 20
#3 LSU 42, North Texas 19
#4 Oregon 42, Arkansas State 35
#5 Oklahoma 61, UTEP 10
#6 Georgia 31, Buffalo 9
#7 Arkansas 59, Jacksonville State 10
#8 Florida State 59, Murray State 10
#10 West Virginia 37, Marshall 7
#11 South Carolina 45, Vanderbilt 9
#12 Michigan State 40, #21 Boise State 28
#13 Kansas State 73, Missouri State 7
#14 Clemson 13, Auburn 35
#15 Virginia Tech 24, Georgia Tech 34
#16 Wisconsin 73, Northern Iowa 3
#17 TCU --- BYE
#18 Ohio State 48, Miami, OH 21
#19 Nebraska 30, Southern Miss 13
#20 Stanford 24, San Jose State 17
#22 Texas 20, Wyoming 7
#23 Oklahoma State 41, Savannah State 3
#24 Notre Dame 58, Navy 3
#25 Florida 27, Bowling Green 10

TOP 25

1. USC (36) 1-0
2. LSU (22) 1-0
3. Oregon (1) 1-0
4. Oklahoma (1) 1-0
5. Georgia (1) 1-0
6. Michigan 1-0
7. Arkansas 1-0
8. Florida State 1-0
9. Alabama 0-1
10. West Virginia 1-0
11. South Carolina 1-0
12. Michigan State 1-0
13. Kansas State 1-0
14. Wisconsin 1-0
15. TCU 1-0
16. Ohio State 1-0
17. Nebraska 1-0
18. Stanford 1-0
19. Texas 1-0
20. Clemson 0-1
21. Oklahoma State 1-0
22. Auburn 1-0
23. Georgia Tech 1-0
24. Notre Dame 1-0
25. Virginia Tech 1-0

1. Matt Barkley - QB - USC: 25-33 349 yards 4 TD, 0 INT
2. Monte Ball - HB - Wisconsin: 9 carries 106 yards 2 TD
3. Tyrann Mathieu - CB - LSU: Tkl, 7 ATK, FF
4. Denard Robinson - QB - Michigan: 16 carries 104 yards
5. Kenjon Barner - HB - Oregon: 25 carries 160 yards 4 TD

WHAT 2 WATCH

• UCF brings the number 9 offense in the nation to face Meyer lead Buckeyes
• Kentucky fueling off big win last week against in-state rival Louisville
• Iowa State and Iowa square off in big in-state rivalry game
• Texas Tech and Texas State: Who's bigger in Texas?
• Purdue looking for upset win in South Bend
• Auburn takes off to Starkville to face the Miss State Bulldogs
• Hurricane heading to Manhattan, KS: Miami U and Kansas State square off
• Welcome to the SEC: Missouri opens up SEC play against #5 Georgia
• Penn State travels south to Virginia
• Nebraska going to the beach: Nebraska travels to UCLA
• #3 Ducks look to continue winning ways against Fresno State
• Gators and Aggies square off in important SEC game
• Is #2 LSU on UPSET ALERT against Washington?

[BallinVol]

Tennessee QB Tyler Bray looks to be the deciding factor in Tennessee's home opener

Vols look to bounce back in home opener
Wyoming heads to Neyland Stadium to face the Big Orange

Knoxville, TN - Tennessee travels back to Knoxville after their defensive breakdown against NC State. All week, Tennessee Defensive Coordinator Sal Sunseri has been working the defense on the spread attack, the offense that Wyoming fields. Tennessee would like to look at this game as a tune up game, but that's not the case. Last week, Wyoming was a thorn in the side of Texas and wouldn't let them get comfortable. Texas pulled out the 20-7 victory, but it was much closer than experts imagined.

For that very reason, Tennessee must come in focused. On paper, Texas is much more talented and depth wise, they also surpass Tennessee. Wyoming will face a Tennessee defense who ranks near the bottom in the NCAA after the opening week shootout with NC State. Tennessee knows they face far less talent this week too. Tennessee should win this game, however, don't be surprised if Wyoming finds a way to keep yet another game close with a BCS program. Wyoming is well coached and Tennessee must outwit them if they want to win this game. Come out flat, it might be a repeat of 2008 when the Vols were defeated by Wyoming 13-7 at Neyland Stadium.

Wyoming at a glance

Key Players on Offense - QB Brett Smith, WR Chris McNeil, C Nick Carlson

Key Players on Defense - CB Blair Burns, FS Luke Ruff, SS Luke Anderson

Offensive Style - Spread Offense

Defensive Style - 4-3

Head Coach - Dave Christensen