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Friday, September 3, 2010 Issue 13

T H E

E D I T O R I A L L Y

PUBLISHED SINCE 1906 http://dailybeacon.utk.edu

Vol. 115

I N D E P E N D E N T

S T U D E N T

N E W S P A P E R

O F

T H E

U N I V E R S I T Y

PAGE 5A O F

T E N N E S S E E

Physics professor to lead new research center Blair Kuykendall Staff Writer The latest outworking of UT’s ongoing ambition to lead the nation in research and energy efficiency is the new Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education (CIRE). UT physics professor Lee Riedinger will direct this new center, a joint venture between UT and ORNL. Riedinger has long served the university in many roles, acting as teacher, administrator and recently, interim vice chancellor for research. He joined UT as a faculty member in 1971 and began in 2000 as ORNL’s deputy director for science and technology.

“It is really an honor to be asked to take the lead on this new center and this new Ph.D. program,” Riedinger said. “I have been on the faculty for a long time and focused on a lot of teaching and research in nuclear physics. And, I have done a half-dozen prior administrative jobs at UTK or ORNL, which have enabled me to work with others to set up or improve many of the programs of partnership between the university and the national laboratory.”

Riedinger’s knowledge and experience of the interworking of both UT and ORNL will be critical in ensuring that CIRE develops into a flourishing success.

“Lee Riedinger has been a colleague and friend of mine for more than 25 years,” Soren Sorensen, head of the physics department, said.

“Lee is an internationally highly respected nuclear physics researcher and at the same time an outstanding administrator and innovator, who has played a major role in many of the most important initiatives between UT and ORNL for the last three decades. Some people know UT as well as Lee, and some people know ORNL as well as him, but nobody knows UT and ORNL as well as him. He is uniquely qualified for this important position.”

Reidinger is anxiously preparing for his new role.

“The most exciting aspect of this new job is to work with a whole lot of people at the two institutions to recruit the faculty from existing researchers at ORNL and UT, establish the curriculum, and get this interdisciplinary Ph.D. program running,” he said. “People are the most important resource of any institution, and I have been very fortunate to work with many very fine people over my years at UT and ORNL. Now I get to team with them again in this brand new venture, and that is very exciting.”

In addition to Riedinger, both Sorensen and Wayne Davis, dean of engineering, participated in a task force assembled by Chancellor Jimmy Cheek to head up the creation of CIRE. “The task force was tasked with three initial tasks by Chancellor Cheek and the Dr. Thom Mason (director of ORNL), based on the governor’s commitment to establish the new degree program in energy science and engineering,” Davis said.

Prior to assembling the task, Sorenson said the trying economic climate had to be overcome.

“Before the task force even started to work, the top management of UT and ORNL had to develop the new concept and, most importantly, find ways to finance the lofty dreams,” he said. “I have been very impressed with the vision of the UT and ORNL leadership combined with the realistic ways in which they have found ways to finance the center.”

Assembling the center was a rather ambitious undertaking, augmented by the rapid schedule given to the administrators for organizing the initiative.

“The (goals) were to: one, develop a proposal for the new center and submit it to the university for approval; two, develop the detailed draft of the new interdisciplinary Ph.D. in ESE and the concept of concentrations in ESE that would be in existing Ph.D. programs; and three, conduct the search for the director of the newly formed center,”

Davis said.

To accomplish their aims both effectively and efficiently, faculty members across the campus were enlisted to join the effort.

“The task force, as established, involved representatives from the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Business and Agriculture, as well as key leaders from ORNL,” Davis said. “Dr. Jim Roberto and I co-chaired the task force. The task force did an excellent job of addressing the key components of both the center and the proposed new degree.”

Because of its very nature, the development of this new degree necessitated input from a multitude of colleges within the university.

“As with any new degree program, and particularly with a degree program that is interdisciplinary, there were many issues that needed to be addressed,” Davis said. “ … The biggest challenges were the time deadlines under which we were operating and the overriding goal of

“

T

he most exciting aspect of this new job is to work

with a whole lot of people at the two institutions to

recruit the faculty from existing researchers at ORNL and UT. – Lee Riedinger on his new position to direct a new joint venture between UT and ORNL

”

creating a Ph.D. program that crosses over a number of different colleges.

Developing a course of interdisciplinary study on such an advanced level forced close collaboration between faculty members.

“The task force’s primary focus was to find innovative and academically sounds ways to create a completely new type of educational program: an interdisciplinary degree developed jointly between a university and a national laboratory,” Sorenson said. “Just creating an interdisciplinary program is difficult, but to do that between a university and a leading federal research organization like Oak Ridge National Laboratory was a truly daunting task.”

Members of the task force were enthusiastic about the appointment of Riedinger to direct the initiative.

“Dr. Riedinger is an ideal director for CIRE,” Davis said. “ ... From my perspective, Dr. Riedinger probably understands the unique roles and differences between a university and a national laboratory better than anyone else at UT and is ideally suited for the role.”

Davis believed that Riedinger is perfectly equipped to handle this new role, critical to this high-profile addition to academic life at UT. “We are very pleased that he expressed a high interest in the position and was selected by the chancellor’s office from an excellent pool of candidates from both UT and ORNL,” Davis said. “He brings significant excitement and energy (no pun intended) to this new program, which is already receiving national attention and should allow us to recruit new Ph.D. students from both UT and from across the country.”

While the task force has accomplished much already, there is still work ahead for the new director and those involved with the program.

“The task force has created a very exciting framework, but the new director in collaboration with the CIRE faculty still has a tremendously challenging task in front of him,” Sorensen said. “But the potential rewards are high, so I know we are all eager to work out all issues and make CIRE a success.”

This center will incorporate the research capacity of the Department of Energy’s largest science and energy lab with UT students and faculty ready to develop new ideas and innovation. The CIRE initiative is geared towards centralizing the flow of interdisciplinary research between these two educational powerhouses.

CIRE’s scope will revolutionize UT graduate studies, housing a doctoral program combining energy science and engineering. Varying specialties will include distributed energy and grid management, environmental energy and climate sciences, energy conversion and storage, renewable and nuclear energy, as well as bioenergy studies.

Part of the doctoral program will include the UT-ORNL Distinguished Graduate Fellowship Program, offering doctoral programs that involve concentrations combing nuclear, materials and computational science with engineering.

“It will be very challenging to recruit a new cadre of top-notch graduate students interested in getting a Ph.D. in energy science and engineering,” Riedinger said. “We would have difficulty in national recruiting of this group of grad students on our own, but working with ORNL is the way we can get this done.”

Riedinger said the recruitment abilities of one of the nations top laboratories will be helpful in securing applicants to the program.

“The lab has developed a robust team and mechanism for recruiting Ph.D.s for their programs, and they will also focus now on grad students for this new energy Ph.D.,” he said. “We are planning to visit 30 top universities across the country this fall, the first being on Sept.

13 to Georgia Tech. We have prepared brochures to hand out and a website is soon ready for prime time. I am very optimistic that we can attract some of the country’s best and brightest.”

Students will have the opportunity to work with research teams at both ORNL and UT to develop hands-on experience in these fields.

Research will be focused on solving issues that will face our nation in the future, while at the same time learning skills in entrepreneurship, which will help them achieve their goals.

The center will open with the ambition of bringing between 20 and 40 gifted graduate students per year to Knoxville.

“We will gear up to produce a flow of new Ph.D.s in energy science and engineering, and I feel that some of these will end up working in energy-related industries in Tennessee,” Riedinger said. “We will team with industry whenever possible in energy-related technical and scientific challenges they face, and the results of these research projects should be very beneficial to their development programs and their products.”

Riedinger, who has served as director of UT Science Alliance Center of Excellence, as well as head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, brings a great deal of experience to the program.

Currently his research involves the limits of nuclear stability under accelerator influence.

CIRE was initiated in January of 2010 by state legislation sanctioning the UT/ORNL collaborative act.

“We are very pleased that the center has now been established,” Davis said. “The new director, Dr. Lee Riedinger is now on board, and the draft degree proposal is being reviewed within the Graduate Council.”

The main hopes for the program include pushing the university closer to ranking in the Top 25 research institutions in the nation.

According to Riedinger, UT has a plan to tackle this issue.

“As time goes on, we need to increase our graduate programs to the point where we are graduating maybe 50 percent more doctoral students per year,” he said. “This is a huge challenge, but I am convinced that, by adding this interdisciplinary Ph.D. in energy and teaming with ORNL to utilize their researchers and facilities, we can help our faculty in putting a significant dent in this doctoral deficit.”

New apparel store opens in stadium Alyce Howell Staff Writer Not only did Neyland Stadium finish construction Wednesday, but the university also welcomed a new store.

UT’s athletic department and bookstore joined together to create a store called the “Tennessee Official Team Shop,” which will exclusively sell official Adidas football apparel. The store is located inside Neyland Stadium at Gate 20.

In the past, the stadium store was only open for game days. However, the Tennessee Official Team Shop will function like a normal store. It will be open six days per week, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. However, during game days it will operate under special hours.

“The idea for the store came about last year, but due to the construction the store was not able to open until this year,” David Kent, director of the university bookstore, said. “It will have most of the sideline apparel, and around homecoming a new collection of apparel will be shown, called ‘Neyland Stadium Exclusive.’”

The opening of the new store was met with festivities. The ribbon-cutting ceremony started at 6 p.m. UT cheerleaders and the Pride of the Southland Band played and cheered to get the crowd going.

Chris Fuller, senior associate athletic director, Mike Hamilton, UT men’s athletic director, Chancellor Jimmy Cheek and Kent each spoke before the store officially opened and the first of many shoppers entered the store.

The first 100 fans who visited the store after the ceremony received a discount between 25 and 50 percent on an item in the store.

“Vol Calls,” the official call-in show of the university, aired live from Gate 20. “Vol Calls” is the weekly call-in talk show that takes questions from UT fans from all over the country.

A crowd of people gathered to be the first to look through the merchandise. Chelsea Holland, freshman in nursing, was among them, and she said the store was amazing and she loved it.

She liked the selection, and the merchandise made her feel like a part of the team.

Logan Peterson, freshman in sports management, who happened to find out about the Tennessee Official Team Shop opening through a friend, was another shopper. He said that it was a nice store, but not much different from the other ones.

For some students, it was a complete surprise to learn that Neyland Stadium had a new sports store.

Lyndsay Noonan, senior in advertising, said that it was the first time that she heard of a new store in the stadium and was curious about it. She said that the store was likely more for visitors who want to avoid the traffic of the UC than for students and faculty.

Kent said that his wish is that the store will create an official experience for the fans and become a part of the institution.

Tara Sripunvoraskul• The Daily Beacon

A common sight at the beginning of every semester is the cluster of jewelry stands set up on the Pedestrian Mall. Here, students ask for different sizes of rings, which are on display.

2A • The Daily Beacon

InSHORT

Friday, September 3, 2010

Wade Rackley • The Daily Beacon

One thing a student does not want to deal with is a blocked car, which is the chance students take when parking on the street and in gravel lots as students here saw.

This Day in

Sept. 3, 1783: Treaty of Paris signed

History

The American Revolution officially comes to an end when representatives of the United States, Great Britain, Spain and France sign the Treaty of Paris on this day in 1783.

The signing signified America's status as a free nation, as Britain formally recognized the independence of its 13 former American colonies, and the boundaries of the new republic were agreed upon: Florida north to the Great Lakes and the Atlantic coast west to the Mississippi River.

The events leading up to the treaty stretched back to April 1775, on a common green in Lexington, Massachusetts, when American colonists answered King George III's refusal to grant them political and economic reform with armed revolution.

On July 4, 1776, more than a year after the first volleys of the war were fired, the Second

Continental Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence. Five difficult years later, in October 1781, British General Charles Lord Cornwallis surrendered to American and French forces at Yorktown, Virginia, bringing to an end the last major battle of the Revolution.

In Sept. 1782, Benjamin Franklin, along with John Adams and John Jay, began official peace negotiations with the British. The Continental Congress had originally named a fiveperson committee--including Franklin, Adams and Jay, along with Thomas Jefferson and Henry Laurens--to handle the talks.

However, both Jefferson and Laurens missed the sessions--Jefferson had travel delays and Laurens had been captured by the British and was being held in the Tower of London. The U.S. delegation, which was distrustful of the French, opted to negotiate separately with the British.

During the talks Franklin demanded that Britain hand over Canada to the U.S. This did not come to pass, but America did gain enough new territory south of the Canadian border to double its size. The United States also successfully negotiated for important fishing rights in Canadian waters and agreed, among other things, not to prevent British creditors from attempting to recover debts owed to them.

Two months later, the key details had been hammered out and on Nov. 30, 1882, the U.S. and Britain signed the preliminary articles of the treaty. France signed its own preliminary peace agreement with Britain on Jan. 20, 1783, and then in September of that year, the final treaty was signed by all three nations and Spain.

The Treaty of Paris was ratified by the Continental Congress on Jan. 14, 1884.

—This Day in History is courtesy of History.com.

Friday, September 3, 2010

is poised to come as UT moves closer to the official launch.

Trains, hobos inspire Southern singer

Fan Text Messaging Starting with the game Saturday, UT Athletics will introduce a fan text messaging system. The system allows fans to request immediate assistance from event management and security personnel through a text message.

From a personal cell phone, fans can text the location and details pertaining to an incident, including the section, row and seat number, to 69050. The fan then will receive acknowledgement of the message, and stadium staff, security or emergency personnel will be alerted and respond to the site. Standard text messaging rates, based on the provider, will apply.

Associated Press HENDERSONVILLE— There were two sounds that defined young Marty Stuart’s life growing up in Philadelphia, Miss.

There was the eclectic music programming on WHOC and the sound of the train that ran behind his house. He’d listen to country music, gospel and rock ‘n’ roll on the radio during the day and every night he’d hear the train whistle and revisit his fondest wish.

“Nashville’s where I wanted to go,” Stuart said.

Those sounds figure heavily in Stuart’s latest album, “Ghost Train (The Studio B Sessions).” Stuart made it to Nashville and by the age of 12 he was a player with Lester Flatt’s band.

He eventually strayed from the traditional country sound he grew up on, chasing hits. But he returned around the turn of the century.

Turns out he couldn’t escape it even if he wanted to.

“I’ve got enough records that I made in the ’90s in the used record bin out at The Great Escape to prove to me that anything you chase ain’t worth keeping,” Stuart said. “It’s the thing that pounds in your heart that makes life worth living.”

Stuart recently took time to talk about his love of traditional country music, the winding path of his career and the effect those train tracks have on him: AP: You said growing up trains ran right by your house and you would investigate them when they stopped. Why do trains have such a draw for you?

Stuart: There was a guy on the caboose and he would give me stationary and flares and pencils, just stuff, but one day — this is the honest to God truth — there was this character, and he had crazy hair and a scarf ... he told me and my buddy big stories about going to big lands like Arkansas and Alabama.

He captivated me. And when the train hooked back up and started back up, I said, “Man, what are you.” And he said, “I’m a hobo, boy,” and thumped his cigarette and I looked at my buddy and said, “I gotta go,” and I went to my mama and said, “I know what I want to do with my life. I want to be a hobo.”

AP: How did they influence your work on “Ghost Train”?

Stuart: I go down there (to Mississippi) to rest and recharge my batteries. I went down and it turned out to be the night Katrina was starting to hit on the coast. I drove by myself to the old train depot ... and I heard on the radio coming over there that a bad storm was coming through. So I got out there on the train tracks and started dancing and singing, and just acting like a fool. Lightning kept popping. All the sudden it was like one of those surreal moments out of a novel. I just started seeing all these images, it was like my entire life passed for me. It was a mystical journey of sorts, and when it was all done it was like a dream was over or something. And the thing I took away form it is, “Ooh, that made me feel like country music. I need to get to work.”

AP: “Ghost Train” is another journey through the mostly forgotten sounds of traditional country. Why does it draw you so?

Stuart: It basically cost me a major record deal along the way. That didn’t really deter me. It didn’t bother me because at the end of the day its what my heart liked the most. Hank Williams still makes me cry. Merle Haggard still makes me pull over to the side of the road and just put my head in my hands and shake it in disbelief that he could say such things — “Mama’s Hungry Eyes.” ... Those are the best of the best songs.

AP: You have a traveling show called “Sparkle and Twang” based on your memorabilia collection and helped inspire the country music trail in Mississippi. What is it about the history of country that makes you so passionate?

Stuart: I found out at the end of the day it’s the music I love more than anything else, and I don’t see it any different than maybe where jazz was in the late ‘50s. There came a time when jazz had to weigh in as a culture. Folks this isn’t going anywhere, it’s truly culture. It’s not just the hipsters on the edge of town after dark playing. We have to view jazz as a culture, and that’s the way I see country music.

The Daily Beacon • 3A

NEWS

New Online System UT has recently announced the arrival of Banner Self Service student information system.

Starting in Spring 2011, students will now be directed to register for classes through the new system.

The new system will replace Circle Park Online and combine other student online systems.

Over a period of four to six months, other services offered through CPO will be moving to the Banner system in an attempt to streamline online operations.

Students will now have the convenience of 24-hour access to e-mail, class registration and schedules, academic history and course catalogues, along with other functions, all in one place under Banner.

Eventual hopes include access to transcripts, a function to pay fees and monitor financial aid with the new Banner Self Service System.

The Banner system hopes to achieve a more user-friendly and centralized system for both students and faculty.

More information regarding the Banner Self Service System

Pregame Faculty Showcase To kick off this year’s pre-game Faculty Showcase, School of Music professor Cathy Leach will lead “Sound the Trumpet!

Why This Versatile Instrument Is So Popular.”

Leach and her students will play, perform and lead a discussion about the trumpet.

Hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences, showcases begin two hours before home game kickoffs in the UC Ballroom.

Each showcase is free and open to the public and consists of a 30-minute presentation followed by a 15-minute questionand-answer session.

Light refreshments are provided and, this year, the UT Bookstore will offer a 10 percent discount on certain items to showcase attendees.

See BEACON BITS on Page 5

4A• The Daily Beacon

Friday, September 3, 2010

OPINIONS

The Hot Spot Brandi Panter Managing Editor Today’s column begins with a brief story, albeit one that isn’t especially humorous, but serves well as an introduction for today’s subject matter: STDs. As I stood in line at the pharmacy on Tuesday evening holding my three boxes of candy, anticipating my prescription being filled and having an incredibly poor attitude about it taking so long, I happened to accidentally eavesdrop on one of the customers standing in line before me.

The guy, clearly a freshman, was anxiously waiting for his antibiotics to be filled as he nervously described his symptoms to the pharmacist. He said that he had been diagnosed with an STD, and was confused about how to use the medicine. The pharmacist politely came out from behind the counter and pulled the kid aside to explain to him how to use the medicine. It was a tad jaw-dropping to see someone, less than three full weeks into college, already getting diagnosed with an STD. I guess it shouldn’t really surprise me so much. I’ve had several friends contract STDs over the past two years, some with varying degrees of side effects and non-medical complications attached. The most common theme of all, though, was that they all thought it would never happen to them. That they were somehow impervious to what has become an all-too-common occurrence on college campuses.

Before we dive into the diseases featured in this week’s column, I would like to include a brief definition of two terms that will appear often throughout the next thousand words or so.

Curable: The disease can be completely eradicated from the body.

Treatable: The disease is permanently within the body, but can be managed and contained by the carrier.

Chlamydia Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection that causes inflammation of the genitals. It is the most commonly transmitted STD in the U.S. Some of the symptoms include vaginal discharge, anal swelling, reddening of the genitals, abdominal pain, fever, discomfort urinating and genital pain.

The scariest part of Chlamydia, though, is that sometimes it has no immediate symptoms whatsoever, which can lead to carriers often going untreated for long periods of time and potentially passing the infection on to other partners, which is really scary. Also, untreated Chlamydia can lead to infertility, liver infections, scar tissue in the genitals, secondary genital infections pregnancy complications and passing the disease on to newborns. Luckily, Chlamydia is completely curable.

Gonorrhea For women, Gonorrhea infections initially appear on the cervix before spreading to the uterus and fallopian tubes. In males, the disease infects the urethra. For both sexes, it can infect the anus, throat, joints and potentially the eyes. It can be contracted at any age and be passed from mother to child. It typically doesn’t appear for 20-30 days, even though the disease incubates in the genitals after around the second day. The symptoms often don’t appear in women, which is really terrifying if you are having frequent sex with multiple partners or aren’t aware that you have the disease. In males, the symptoms are more pronounced with burning while urinating, discharge from the penis, tenderness of the genitals, joint pain, rectal discomfort, soreness, rash and mild soreness of the throat. Gonorrhea is completely curable.

Genital Herpes Herpes is a viral infection that can impact both sexes, and the disease affects one in five people in the U.S. The virus often presents no symptoms unless it is during an outbreak, in which blisters break out around the mouth and genital areas. The disease can be transmitted even when a partner is not experiencing an outbreak. The blisters in the genital region are often accompanied by painful urination and enlarged lymph nodes. Herpes is not curable, but it is treatable and can be maintained.

Human Papillomavirus HPV, in its abbreviation, is a viral STD that often appears either with no symptoms or with an outbreak of genital warts. While both sexes can be unknowing carriers for the disease, it often appears much later in life for women. The most devastating effect of HPV is that it is the No. 1 cause of cervical cancer in women. Vaccines for women and men can be administered to help prevent certain types of HPV and cut down on the risks of developing cervical cancer. HPV is not curable but is treatable.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus HIV, as it is more commonly known, is a viral STD that eventually leads to AIDS. HIV has four stages: incubation, acute infection, latency stage and then AIDS. The acute infection stage, in which the symptoms appear, lasts for around 28 days and includes symptoms such as fever, muscle soreness, rash, weight loss, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat and sores in and on the mouth. The latency stage has no time period, and can last anywhere from two weeks to 20 years or longer. The fourth stage, AIDS, is the most aggressive attack of the immune system, which eventually leads to opportunistic infection and later death. HIV has no cure, but is treatable and manageable.

Syphilis Syphilis is a bacterial STD that initally appears in the form of lesions in/on/around the genital area, but is not exclusively limited to the genitals and has four stages. Skin ulcers often appear on the penis, vagina or rectum. The disease can also lead to painful swelling of the lymph nodes. During secondary syphilis, the most contagious stage, the disease manifest as rashes throughout the body, especially the trunk, with pain in the genitals. Latent syphilis is the third stage of syphilis, and has no outward symptoms.

Tertiary syphilis, or the fourth and final stage, can last any number of years, and leads to soft, tumorlike balls of inflammation throughout the body. Untreated syphilis can also lead to insanity. In its early stages, Syphilis is curable.

So, there you have it for this week’s column. Now that I have thoroughly ruined your lunch, I hope you have a wonderful and safe Labor Day weekend. Please exercise safe sexual practices and good judgment, and remember the four C’s for responsible sexual activity: communication, comfort, clarity and consent.

— Brandi Panter is a junior in history and philosophy. She can be reached at bpanter1@utk.edu

Columns of The Daily Beacon are reflections of the individual columnist, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or its editorial staff.

Litton’s experience more than meal On the R o ad . . . A n d t h e Ta b l e by

Jonathan Grayson Every time I visit Litton’s, it is with a large group of my closest friends. Never is a visit to Litton’s a spontaneous decision. It is always planned carefully and early.

My visit this past Saturday was planned a week in advance. It was the light at the end of the tunnel — a reward for a week well spent.

I was looking forward to my meal at Litton’s more and more with each passing day. By Friday, I could not stop dreaming about the juicy burger with its perfect concoction of condiments. I knew that Saturday was near, and soon I would be in perfect company eating a perfect meal.

The meal was like all meals at Litton’s ... a special occasion.

It wasn’t anyone’s birthday or goodbye party; it was simply a reunion of the best of friends.

Sharing the table with six of my closest friends, we joked, told stories and enjoyed every bite of the meal we had looked forward to all week.

Around us were families and friends doing exactly the same as us: enjoying one another’s company.

Anyone that says Litton’s is about food is wrong.

Litton’s is about people. It is about sharing an experience — a task so uncommon in today’s fastpaced world — where people can sit down and spend hours indulging in food and each other.

Litton’s represents a Knoxville that no longer exists. Nestled in the heart of Fountain City — a 10-minute drive north on Broadway — Litton’s can’t be missed. Its yellow-and-red sign still glows bright after more than half a century of operation.

It is a throwback to a time when diners were the hangouts of college students. Its interior is dated, the carpet on the floor is stained, and the tables and chairs creak with every slight movement.

Its interior, like its burgers, is an immediate giveaway that Litton’s has been working hard since 1946.

Over the course of its 64-year history, Litton’s has gained iconic status. It is no secret that Litton’s is the favorite dining spot of Vol greats like Peyton Manning and Phillip Fulmer. It is undoubtedly a

Ac orns and Other Seeds by

Zac Ellis

Ally Callahan

To report a news item, please e-mail the newsroom@utk.edu or call the managing editor at 974-2348.

MANAGING EDITOR

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES

To place an ad, please call retail advertising at 974-5206.

Brandi Panter CHIEF COPY EDITOR

Kevin Huebschman COPY EDITORS

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Abbie Gordon Hillary McDaniels PHOTO EDITORS

ADVERTISING MANAGER

Ebony Jones Austin Martin Shannon Thomas Stephanie Wierwille Danielle Zimmer ADVERTISING PRODUCTION ARTISTS

Krystal Olivia Lindsey Shackleford EDITORIAL PRODUCTION ARTIST

NEWS EDITOR

Brittany Coggins Sarah Crumley Liz Newnam Katherine Niehaus

Kyle Turner

Classified Advisor

STUDENT LIFE EDITOR

XiaoXiao Ma

Tia Patron George Richardson

Kristian Smith ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Jake Lane SPORTS EDITOR

Matt Dixon ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

Colin Skinner RECRUITMENT EDITOR

Robby O’Daniel ONLINE EDITOR

Jamie Wilson

To place a classified, please call the classified manager at 974-4931.

If you think something has been reported incorrectly, please contact the managing editor at 974-2348.

Advertising: (865) 974-5206 Classifieds: (865) 974-4931 Editor: (865) 974-2348 Main office: (865) 974-3231 Managing Editor: (865) 974-2348 Newsroom: (865) 974-3226 Newsroom fax: (865) 974-5569 Photo: (865) 974-5212 E-mail: newsroom@utk.edu letters@utk.edu

The Daily Beacon is published by students at The University of Tennessee Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Tuesday and Friday during the summer semester. The offices are located at 1340 Circle Park Drive, 5 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0314. The newspaper is free on campus and is available via mail subscription for $200/year, $100/semester or $70/summer only. It is also available online at: http://dailybeacon.utk.edu.

LETTERS POLICY: The Daily Beacon welcomes all letters to the editor and guest columns from students, faculty and staff. Each submission is considered for publication by the editor on the basis of space, timeliness and clarity. Contributions must include the author’s name and phone number for verification. Students must include their year in school and major. Letters to the editor and guest columns may be e-mailed to letters@utk.edu or sent to Zac Ellis, 1340 Circle Park Dr., 5 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0314. The Beacon reserves the right to reject any submissions or edit all copy in compliance with available space, editorial policy and style.

—Jonathan Grayson is a senior in advertising.

He can be reached at jgrayso3@utk.edu.

Originality stems from experience, not ideas

Anna-Lise Burnette

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Knoxville landmark.

As a food writer, I wanted so badly to say negative things about Litton’s. I wanted to say that the food is overrated, overpriced and over-hyped.

But I can’t ... because I love Litton’s.

I love every little aspect of the place: the people that work there, the food they serve and the people they serve it to.

Litton’s is about tradition and commitment to making one thing so ridiculously well, that there is no arguing its greatness.

That one thing is burgers.

The Litton’s burger isn’t the only item on the menu, but it might as well be. It is what everyone goes there for. Yes, they serve a mean prime rib, and the cake is out-of-this-world good, but the burger is what makes Litton’s what it is.

I can’t necessarily say that Litton’s burgers are the tastiest burgers I have come across, but they are certainly my favorite burgers to eat. They are classic — no frills, no decadence — simple American craftsmanship.

More so than any other food, burger-making is a craft. The ingredients are virtually the same everywhere: a ground beef patty, thick slice of cheese, plain white bun and (if you’re lucky) a generous helping of lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles.

What distinguishes one cook’s burger from another is the process and care that goes into making it unique: grilling versus broiling, American Cheese versus smoked cheddar cheese, potato bun versus onion bun. The smallest and most simple decisions can make or break a truly great burger.

Luckily, Litton’s has been honing its craft for 64 years. You can taste it in every bite.

As I was growing up, there was a mural painted above our kitchen table at home. It read, “Spread the table and contention will cease.”

Never has this saying been truer than it is with Litton’s.

When sitting around a table at Litton’s, eating a perfectly crafted burger, all problems disappear.

Arguments stop and relationships are strengthened.

In a world of uncertainty, Litton’s is a constant.

The neon sign will shine bright, the burgers will be crafted to order, and customers will leave more optimistic about the world they live in and the people they live with.

Litton’s makes it all better.

Words have the incredible power to create reality.

Ideas that are put down in words and words that prompt ideas shape our lives from the time we learn to open our eyes. The fact that you are able to understand these squiggles on the page and place them into mental categories that imbue them with meaning is a wonder of the human mind.

I’m no expert, but it seems to me that there are two types of ideas. There are those that are born out of our perceived reality and those that are not. (For argument’s sake, let’s say that the “not” category is not argued to be an amalgamation and reworking of reality, but rather pure invention. Let’s move away from that for now.) These two categorizations of ideas give rise to some questions; for instance, how can it be that a constructed idea can come to shape reality and even create it, while not being born out of it? And for ideas that are based in reality, what does it mean when the ideas are probable but unproved? Even further, what happens when these two types of ideas intersect?

And now perhaps it has occurred to you that the second type of ideas (those that reality does not give rise to) doesn’t actually exist. Because without the pre-existing framework of our experience, those things we create out of imagination could not exist as thoughts. For me, this calls into question the whole concept of originality. Creativity surely exists in our ability as human beings to put pieces of thought together in novel ways, but originality?

Imagine self-consciously standing on a busy street corner waiting for the crosswalk light to give you the go-ahead only to realize that you have a spaghetti stain dripping down your shirt. You’ve

got to look at your feet, but you’ve got to look ahead to know when it is safe to walk. The light changes.

You draw your jacket across your chest to cover the stain and you plow ahead through the heart of downtown. Look to the right — there’s a café selling pastries and apples and overpriced sandwiches wrapped in wax paper. Can you see this? The sun is getting ready to set, but the colors are only just barely visible through the glittering metal skyline.

Hopefully, you caught a small glimpse of red just now. Without stating it directly, I tried to pepper the last paragraph with images of things that could be or ought to be red. In fact, there were five intentional and distinct references to sights that are commonly red. Could you picture them all? I am interested in knowing if it worked.

What made this exercise possible was the likelihood that everyone reading this has seen or experienced things similar to — though perhaps separate from — what I described. I was banking on the fact that most of you have stood at the intersection of two streets, that you know what spaghetti is, and that you have ever seen the sun move across the sky and paint the world.

Our storehouse of imagery is so vast that at times it can seem like we are reading or writing something revelatory. But if the words are comprehensible, this is impossible. Words are merely tools to decode what we already know to be true or untrue. The only real profundity we come across must be experienced as experience — that is, something we have never been exposed to. But at this point, we’re all so aged and jaded that our experiences are often reflections of things past.

Is there any wonder left in the world?

If you don’t have anything else to do on a Friday afternoon, contact me with your thoughts, original or not. I don’t have the answers, only more questions.

—Anna-Lise Burnette is a junior in global and Asian studies. She can be reached at kburnet7@utk.edu.

Friday, September 3, 2010

The Daily Beacon • 5A

ENTERTAINMENT

BEACON BITS

Local groups, WUTK to host ‘Six-Pack’ Chris Bratta Staff Writer Although this article possesses the above title, one can easily imagine colorful, perhaps inappropriate, flyers for this First Friday event plastered all over walls, bulletin boards, windows and telephone poles donning the less apt, but more marketable, title: FREE BEER AND LIVE MUSIC! The “First Friday Six-Pack” event is sponsored by WUTK 90.3 The Rock, One Eighty Magazine and the Square Room, and is set to take place tonight. The event will commence at 6 p.m. with the Songbirds, followed by Joey English, Marvels of Peru, Silver Jubilee and Hotshot Freight Train, and the Black Cadillacs will close from 10:45 to 11:45 p.m. Not only does “First Friday Six-Pack” contain an amazing lineup of Knoxville musicians, it also provides the audience with cleverly based marketing strategies to help out the college’s radio station.

One Eighty Magazine, in conjunction with the Rock and Square Room, has found a way to bring these musicians together for a mere $1.80 minimum donation. Additionally, they are giving away 180 free beers to attendees of legal drinking age, with proper ID, while supplies last. After all the free beer has been consumed, they will be selling Pabst Blue Ribbon beers for $1.80. These donations go WUTK for a major computer and server replacement, Benny Smith, general manager and program coordinator for the college’s radio station, said.

“WUTK is a self-supporting station as far as funding goes,” Smith, who has worked with the radio for nearly six years, said. “So when we have repairs, or replacements like this one, we have to raise all of the money on our own.”

Although Smith’s anniversary of positive progression rolls around next month, Smith also recalls his former duties as a

continued from Page 3

“DJ, music director and program director as an undergrad and grad student at UT from ’85 to ’91, as well.”

Smith has been putting his time and effort into WUTK for years, and he explains that “First Friday Six-Pack” is important, because “it will allow the journalism and electronic media students an opportunity to work on equipment that is updated, providing them with great practical experience to go along with what they learn in the classroom.”

Whether it is WUTK’s tent or any musical event around Knoxville, chances are, Benny Smith is behind it.

One of WUTK’s contributions to Knoxville is the “ongoing and never-wavering support for the local music scene, other worthy causes and supplying Knoxville with music that others do not,” Smith said. “But especially allowing students to get practical experience, and to see if this is what they would like to do the rest of their lives ... or maybe not do.”

Will Horton, who provides vocals for the Black Cadillacs and a senior in cinema studies, and John Phillips, who plays guitar and is an alumnus of UT, shouted words of praise toward WUTK and all of the work they have done. Horton explained that WUTK was an “integral part of (the band’s) recently past CD release show in April,” and that “we always enjoy working with them.”

“Benny Smith is under appreciated and is the best thing to happen to Knoxville’s music scene,” Phillips said.

Horton and Phillips both said that they are fans of WUTK and would do anything to show the same support they have been given. At “First Friday Six-Pack,” the Black Cadillacs will take the stage to entertain and offer its time and effort to help with the further progression of WUTK. Knoxville’s arts and entertainment scene is increasing at a steady pace thanks to events like First Friday, and with organizations like One Eighty Magazine, the Square Room and WUTK.

Tennessee Lottery Fund More Stable than Expected The Center for Business and Economic Research at UT recently concluded a study that showed the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship programs to be healthier than previously thought.

Reducing aid currently given, or increasing the standards to qualify for the Tennessee Lottery Scholarship, are not being immediately addressed because of the realization of greater funds on hand than expected.

The shortfall between aid given and money received through revenue proved much less than previously thought.

Previous, inaccurate estimates took into account the addition of students, increases in aid and dual enrollment possibilities for high school students, as well as many other factors that were thought to deplete the lottery scholarship fund.

The study explored data from past and present scholarship recipients, eligibility patterns, students who accept their scholarships and retention rates, which helped develop future expenditures models.

The authors, however, noted that an increase in education standards, such as increased high school graduation rates could widen the pool of eligible recipients and thus increase TELS spending.

Expenditures for 2012-14 are expected to hover around the $309 million mark and HOPE recipients are expected to rise to around 73,000.

The study and report, authored by Don Bruce, research professor, and Bill Fox, economics professor and CBER director, will be reviewed by the Lottery Scholarship Stabilization Task Force, which will then make its recommendations to the state legislature regarding its findings.

Rebecca Vaughan • The Daily Beacon

Pictured above is the archway at UT Gardens. The Gardens have events every week, such as “Books and Blooms,” and every month it showcases one plant and offers advice in its cultivation. The Gardens are located on the Ag Campus.

SERVICES

EMPLOYMENT

EMPLOYMENT

UNFURN APTS

FOR RENT

FOR RENT

HOUSE FOR RENT

CONDOS FOR RENT

Bartending. 40 hour program. Must be 18 years old.

Day, evening and Saturday classes. knoxvillebartendingschool.com 1-800-BARTEND.

Hiring Nursery Workers.

St. John’s Episcopal Church--Downtown for Sunday mornings and Wednesday evening. References required. Contact: Paul Ruff 934-4820 or Patty Dunlap 525-7347.

THE TOMATO HEAD KNOXVILLE Now hiring dish and food running positions. Full and part-time available, no experience necessary. Apply in person at 12 Market Square or apply online at thetomato-

1 and 2BR Apts. UT area.

(865)522-5815. Ask about our special.

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Special 1 month FREE. Convenient to downtown, UT area. 2BR apartments available now. $475/mo (865)573-1000.

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982-5227

HOUSE FOR RENT

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EMPLOYMENT Babysitter needed to care for 5 yr. old with autism.

Preferred student with special education major, but will consider other majors.

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G. Carlton Salon is looking for an energetic, people loving salon coordinator on Wednesdays and Fridays answering phones, booking and greeting clients, and other duties to help the smooth flow of the salon.

Call Mary Alice at 865- 584-3432 or apply in person at 6718 Albunda Dr. Gynecology office seeks student for PT clerical work Preferred Biology, English Chemistry or Pre-med Major. Monday through Saturday. 8am - 12noon. Email to knoxville_gyn@yahoo.com.

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Kidtime After School Program seeking caring counselor $7.50/hr. Dogwood Elementary School M - F 123PM. Please call Carolyn at (865)300-6102.

PART-TIME Product assembly, testing, packing and shipping for dog agility equipment manufacturer. Flexible hours, variety of duties include heavy lifting, power tool use, local driving. Must be able to follow instructions meticulously. Start immediately.

Job references required.

(865)705-8146. ace@waytoweave.com.

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This could be YOUR classified ad.

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head.com.

Want to complete missions in Knoxville? Make a difference as an AmeriCorps member by raising up urban youth to be leaders. Serve part-time in support of an afterschool program. Engage in relational activities as well. Receive a living allowance and money for school!

Contact rbenway@emeraldyouthfoundation.org as soon as possible if interested.

We need strong, athletic and conscienctious associates to help in our store. This job requires a lot of lifting and moving of furniture both in our store and to our customer’s homes. Skip a work out and get paid at the same time. Hours are 9-5 Monday thru Saturday, we can work around school schedules as needed. Please come by the store to drop off a resume or fill out an application at 5308 Kingston Pike or email a resume to roberts@bennettgalleries. com

1BR aptartment in English Tudor Bldg. next to Fort Sanders Hospital. $400/mo. plus utilities. 522-4964, 9AM-5PM. KEYSTONE CREEK 2BR apartment. Approx 4 miles west of UT on Middlebrook Pike. $500. Call (865)522-5815. Ask about our special.

FOR RENT 1BR, LR, kitchen, private parking and entrance. All utilities paid. Walking distance to campus. $400/mo.

Call 522-3325.

2BR apt. 3 blocks from UT. 1803 White Ave. 584-5235 or 607-5395

LUXURY 1BR CONDOS Pool/elevator/security.

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River Towne Condo. Luxury lake front living. Boat slip available. Contact Rick @ (865)805-9730. firstknoxrealty.com

APT. FOR RENT. 10 minutes from UT. Studio- $405; 1BR $505. (865)523-0441 CAMBRIDGE ARMS Just 4 miles west of campus.

Small pets allowed. Pool and laundry rooms. 2BR at great price! Call (865)588-1087.

Close to UT. 2BR, 1BA, Kingston Place. Partially furnished. Light, bright and lots of parking. $600/mo. Call Cheryl (865)806-6029.

3 to 7BR houses in Ft. Sanders. WalK to campus. Please call 577-7111 and leave message.

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CONDOS FOR RENT The Woodlands. 3BR, 3BA townhouse. Ideal for 3 students. $400/mo. each. Near campus behind UT Hospital.

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Call (301)266-2656.

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NEW YORK TIMES CROSSWORD • Will Shortz

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4th AND GILL Houses and apartments now available. Please call Tim at (865)599-2235.

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207-2452

Across 1 Christmas trifle

34 Potential game stoppers

16 Like bar codes

37 Wig out

17 Cup holders and

41 Rare equine hybrid

such 18 Femmes mariées, across the Pyrenees: Abbr.

19 Glaciation products 20 Tailor’s concern 21 Joined the swarm 23 Knockout 24 Actress Edelstein of TV’s “House” 25 “___ Femme

42 See 36-Down 43 Flight ticket abbr.

44 ___ McCawley, Ben Affleck’s role in “Pearl Harbor” 45 Airport patrons often avoid it 46 Series finale 48 ___ heap 49 “Aww”-inspiring

Mariée” (Jean-Luc

51 Bounce

Godard film)

52 It was put on

26 Convened anew 28 Walnut, e.g.

29 Nag 31 90 proof, say 32 Quahogs

decades ago 55 Elaborate 56 Tip over, say Down 1 Bad traffic accident 2 Bullish

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE

3 Musical series 4 Drew a lot, say

14 “Have mercy,” in a Mass

5 Amanti maker

15 Result of jumping

6 User of a recordkeeping device called a quipu

22 Overcast

7 Dead, as tissue 8 Ones concerned with sustainable design 9 Quatrain’s longer relative

the gun

24 Mucho 27 Goes off 28 Total 30 Ross, Lennox or Angus, in Shakespeare

36 “Jeux d’___” (42Across keyboard work) 38 One of the seven hills of Rome 39 Free of hormones, say 40 Have words 42 C4H8 45 Started on a course 47 Masur’s New York Philharmonic predecessor

10 Real stunner

31 Smooth over

49 Italian sweet?

11 Japanese salad

33 Epithet for an annoying roommate

50 Sage exiled on the planet Dagobah

34 Decrease in vitality

54 Abbr. that might appear above “email”

plants 12 “___ out!”

13 Dangerous thing to 35 Undersize keyboard leak

53 Sports supporter

6A • The Daily Beacon

How UT Will Win First, the Vols must show up and not overlook UT-Martin. This shouldn't be a problem with it being the team's season-opener.

With a new quarterback and offensive line, look for UT to get the ball to its playmakers early.

Running backs Tauren Poole and David Oku will get plenty of touches and receivers Gerald Jones and Denarius Moore, along with tight end Luke Stocker, will each see their share as targets.

Under center, Matt Simms will look to complete high-percentage passes early to get the offense rolling. Defensively, Tennessee will need to stop the Skyhawks running game, led

by Jason McNair and put pressure on quarterback Derek Carr.

The Vols will have a lot of energy in the first game under Derek Dooley as well as a decisive home-field advantage and should handle an inexperienced UT-Martin team.

Friday, September 3, 2010

SPORTS

Vols begin new era against Skyhawks Matt Dixon Sports Editor It’s football time in Tennessee and it’s the dawn of a new era.

First-year coach Derek Dooley will lead his Volunteers through the T for the first time Saturday night in Neyland Stadium, when Tennessee faces UT-Martin.

“Certainly there’s a lot of excitement in the air this week,” Dooley said Monday at the weekly media luncheon. “There’s been a lot of questions about our team over the last eight months, and we’ll finally get to a point we can start finding some of the answers.”

Many of those questions relate to the unknowns the team has. The Vols return only four starters on offense and five starters on defense. Dooley is worried about players getting nervous and making mental errors on the field.

“Any time you go into a new season, the first game brings a lot of anxiety,” Dooley said.

“You’re always concerned about turnovers. You’re always concerned about big special teams plays.”

Dooley isn’t sure how his team, especially newcomers, will react playing in front of 100,000 fans.

“Then the first time part is really about our young team,” Dooley said. “When you look at our two-deep, I think we have 18 freshmen in the two-deep, and about 20 or 21 guys who this is going to be their first time stepping out on that field, and with that comes a lot of anxiety, a lot of pressure.”

Having nerves isn’t just for the newcomers though. Senior middle linebacker Nick Reveiz is returning after his last season was cut short by a knee injury.

“This is the day I was looking forward to,” Reveiz said of the season-opener. “It’s hard not to be anxious, not to have nerves, not to worry or not to think about those things, but it’s one of those things, I’m trying to savor the moment.”

The Vols received good news Tuesday when the NCAA clearinghouse declared freshman receiver Justin Hunter eligible. Hunter turned heads during fall camp before being taken off the field after the NCAA looked into his eligibility.

“It was a huge relief,” Dooley said. “There were a lot of nervous coaches. We were confident all along that he was going to be cleared. It was just a question of when.”

With the lack of depth at defensive tackle, defensive end Gerald Williams will slide inside in some situations. Dooley said the senior has been very positive about helping the team in any way.

“He’s been great,” Dooley said. “Gerald wants to play, and he’s still going to play end. His attitude has been great, and because of that, he’s gotten better every day.”

Dooley has told his team not to over look the Skyhawks. He has mentioned how they were tied with Auburn in the third quarter in a game two years ago.

“They have very good coaching, and they know how to win,” Dooley said. “They’ve won a conference championship, and they’ve been to the NCAA playoffs in the last couple of years, so they are a well-coached football team. You see that.”

Friday, September 3, 2010

SPORTS

Vols, Skyhawks meet for first time David Comm Staff Writer For the first time in the history of the two schools, the Volunteers and the UT-Martin Skyhawks will face each other this Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

The Skyhawks are coming off a 5-6 season last year, finishing fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference. They have 14 returning starters: five on offense, seven on defense and two on special teams.

Taking the snaps at quarterback for the Skyhawks will be the redshirt sophomore Derek Carr.

In seven appearances last year as a back-up, Carr was 10-for-21 with 127 yards and one interception. “(Carr) is a tremendous athlete,” Skyhawks coach Jason Simpson said. “He gives us a little more mobility than we’ve had at the quarterback position.”

Starting at tailback for the Skyhawks is the sophomore Jason McNair. McNair, who was named to the Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer team in 2009, rushed for 292 yards on 61 attempts last season and averaged 4.8 yards per carry. McNair, who is the nephew of the late NFL quarterback Steve McNair, will also be returning punts for the Skyhawks this year.

Offensively, the Skyhawks averaged 27.3 points per game, which was second in the OVC. They also averaged 166.4 rushing yards per game and 243 passing yards per game.

Defensively, the Skyhawks gave up 29.4 points per game, eighth in the league, as well as giving up 122.5 rushing yards per game and 210.2 passing yards per game.

A player to watch for on defense is senior outside linebacker Josh Bey. Bey was a first-team AllOVC selection for 2009. He recorded 107 total tackles in the 11 games he played last year, as well as 16.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.

“Bey is probably a better person and leader then he is a player statistically,” Simpson said.

In his fifth season as head coach of the Skyhawks, Simpson wants to focus on the first three games of the season.

“We are kind of a new team, especially offensively, but I think we have to start with our defense, and we will have to rely on that side of the ball until we get our feet on the ground offensively,” he said.

Simpson has compiled a record of 27-20 in his four years and is 1-3 in season openers. Tennessee is only the second SEC team the Skyhawks have played since 2008, when they lost to Auburn. The Skyhawks are picked to finish sixth in the OVC this year in a preseason coaches’ poll.

The Skyhawks held a dress rehearsal scrimmage this past Saturday to prepare for the season opener this weekend against the Vols.

“We wanted to go through everything, just like it was a real game,” Simpson said. However, he was not happy with all aspects of the practice.

“I thought we lacked intensity,” Simpson said.

This is not the first time Simpson has been disappointed with his team’s lack of energy. He has been quoted on three occasions in the past two weeks about being disappointed with his team’s energy level.

The Skyhawks will need to find their energy if they want to compete with 100,000-plus screaming Volunteers fans on Saturday. Neyland will be a significant change of atmosphere for the Skyhawks, who typically play in a stadium that holds only 7,500 people. In fact, the largest stadium the Skyhawks have played in was in 2008, when they played in front of 85,000 fans in Auburn.

Kickoff is at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game will be on pay-per-view.

The Daily Beacon • 7A

How Martin Will Win The Skyhawks will need to come to Neyland Stadium confident they can upset Tennessee.

This isn’t a typical Tennessee team, and it comes into the game with lots of question marks. UT-Martin will need running back Jason McNair to have a big game on the ground, and it will need to keep pressure off of quarterback Derek Carr, who will be making his first career start.

The Skyhawks' 3-4 defensive look could pose problems for UT's new offensive line, especially if linebacker Josh Bey is left unblocked.

Coach Jason Simpson has a good offensive mind and could use a couple trick plays to extend drives and put points on the scoreboard.

If UT-Martin can score early and slow the game down by controlling the clock, they could keep the game close in the fourth quarter and hope to force a turnover or two and escape Knoxville with a win.

SPORTS CALENDAR

8A • The Daily Beacon

?

What’s HAPPENING IN SPORTS

Sept. 3 - Sept. 4

Friday, Sept. 3 — Men’s Cross Country Belmont-Vanderbilt Nashville 6 p.m.

THESPORTSPAGE

Pick ‘Em

Friday, September 3, 2010

1. Tennessee vs. UT Martin 2. #1 Alabama vs. San Jose St. 3. #2 Ohio State vs. Marshall 4. #4 Florida vs. Miami (OH) 5. #6 TCU vs. #24 Oregon St. 6. #21 LSU vs. #18 North Carolina 7. South Carolina vs. Southern Miss 8. Kentucky vs. Louisville 9. Miss. St. vs. Memphis Game of the week: #3 Boise St. vs. #10 Virginia Tech

Women’s Cross Country Belmont-Vanderbilt Nashville 5:30 p.m.

Women’s Volleyball Oklahoma Houston 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 4 — Football UT-Martin Knoxville 6:00 p.m.

Women’s Volleyball Florida State Houston 10:00 a.m.

Women’s Volleyball Houston Houston 7:30 p.m.

Matt Dixon

Colin Skinner

Zac Ellis

Sports Editor

Asst. Sports Editor

Editor-in-Chief

1. Tennessee(45-7) 2. Alabama 3. Ohio State 4. Florida 5. TCU over 6. LSU 7. South Carolina 8. Kentucky 9. Miss. St. 10. Boise St. (30-27)

1. Tennessee (38-17) 2. Alabama 3. Ohio State 4. Florida 5. TCU 6. LSU 7. South Carolina 8. Kentucky 9. Miss. St. 10. Boise St. (24-21)

1. Tennessee (24-14) 2. Alabama 3. Ohio State 4. Florida 5. Oregon State 6. LSU 7. South Carolina 8. Kentucky 9. Miss. St. 10. Boise St. (27-21)

Daily Quote

“You just have to figure out how to make it work. It's just like anything. You have a hand you have to play.

You can't fold and that's what we're doing.”

– UT football coach Derek Dooley on this Saturday’s approach to the season debut against UT-Martin

Kevin Huebschman

Ally Callahan

Brandi Panter

Chief Copy Editor

Advertising Manager

Managing Editor

1. Tennessee (45-10) 2. Alabama 3. Ohio State 4. Florida 5. Oregon State 6. LSU 7. South Carolina 8. Kentucky 9. Miss. St. 10. Boise St. (24-20)

1. Tennessee (45-3) 2. Alabama 3. Ohio State 4. Florida 5. TCU 6. LSU 7. South Carolina 8. Kentucky 9. Memphis 10. Virginia Tech (17-14)

1. Tennessee (42-7) 2. Alabama 3. Ohio State 4. Florida 5. TCU 6. LSU 7. South Carolina 8. Kentucky 9. Miss. St. 10. Boise St. (21-17)

Matt Dixon Sports Editor With schools starting across the country, one thought comes to mind: Football season is just around the corner.

For the UT football team, the upcoming season is filled with lots of unknowns beginning with first-year coach Derek Dooley.

Most already know he is the third head coach in three seasons for the Volunteers, and most know the problems he inherited.

“It's certainly been a tough couple of years for our fans,” Dooley said. “This is a program, (that) since General Neyland came on campus (has been) the winningest program in college football.”

The Vols have only 72 scholarship players. The NCAA limits programs to 85 scholarships each season and some programs like UT have trouble staying under that limit.

This problem Dooley faces in personnel is rare for a school

not on NCAA probation, but it isn’t the only issue. The Vols will also break in a new quarterback, a new running back, five new offensive linemen, and feature question marks with depth at virtually every position, most notably defensive tackle.

So if competing and winning in the SEC is hard, Dooley must do so starting a step behind most first-year coaches.

“This league, to me, is the standard of excellence in college football,” Dooley said.

The nation’s premiere conference has produced the past four national champions and six of the past 11.

Alabama and Florida currently reside atop the SEC, with the two splitting the last three BCS National Championships, while the rest of the league and country are trying to do what Nick Saban and Urban Meyer are doing.

Not Dooley.

“What we can’t do is sit there and go, ‘Florida and Alabama are winning right now. We’ve got to do what they do,’” Dooley said. “We’re not going to do that (at Tennessee).

“We feel like we have a formula that’s going to be

successful in this program, and we got to keep our focus on what we do, because if we’re worried about what they’re doing at Alabama and we’re worried about what they’re doing at Florida, we’re not paying attention to what we’re doing (here). We’ve got to worry about ourselves first. I think that’s when you can be able to compete at that level.”

Worrying about Tennessee first is what Dooley is doing, it is what he’s teaching the players to do, and it’s what the fans should be doing.

The decline of the UT football program from the success of the mid-1990s didn’t happen in a season, or even two. It was a steady decline, and it would be hard-pressed to expect it to be fixed in just a few years. Dooley said it will take at least three recruiting classes to rebuild the team to 85 scholarship players.

If the Vols fail to live up to the expectations past Tennessee teams have set, remember this: In his first year at Alabama in 2007, Saban went 7-6 and lost to LouisianaMonroe at home with far fewer problems Dooley has at Tennessee.

2B • The Daily Beacon

Friday, September 3, 2010

FOOTBALLPREVIEW

OP EN 1. Alabama — The defending national champi-

6. Texas — The defending Big 12 Champions lost quarterback Colt McCoy and top wide receiver Jordan Shipley.

Sophomore Garrett Gilbert was introduced to the nation after McCoy was injured in the national championship game a year ago, and that experience could pay off for the Longhorns this season. Back-to-back games against Oklahoma and at Nebraska will go a long way toward determining this season’s success.

2. Ohio State — The Buckeyes showcased quarterback Terrelle Pryor in last season’s victory over Oregon in the Rose Bowl, but the talented Pryor must continue to develop as a passer if the Buckeyes want to contend for a national title. Road games at Wisconsin and Iowa are the biggest obstacles in the way for a sixth-straight Big 10 title for Jim Tressel’s squad.

7. Florida — Regardless of how talented quarterback John Brantley is, replacing Tim Tebow will be an impossible task. Brantley is a better passer, but the Gators will need to find leadership and a running back that can get critical yards on third downs. They also must replace defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, who took the head coaching job at Louisville.

3. Oklahoma — The Sooners were decimated by

8. TCU — Gary Patterson’s squad finally made it to a BCS game last season, losing to Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Andy Dalton leads the offense from his quarterback position, but the Horned Frogs must replace departed stars on defense. They open the season against Oregon State and play both Baylor and BYU.

ons must replace virtually their entire defense but return Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, along with quarterback Greg McElroy and wide receiver Julio Jones. The Crimson Tide, led by head coach Nick Saban, will look to be the first to repeat as SEC Champions since Tennessee did so in 1998 and ’99 and the first to repeat as national champions since Nebraska in 1994 and ’95.

injuries last season, including Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Sam Bradford, who missed virtually the entire season. Quarterback Landry Jones and running back DeMarco Murray led an offense that should put up a lot of points. The Red River Rivalry game against Texas should decide the frontrunner for the Big 12 Title.

4. Virginia Tech — Frank Beamer is known for

having his teams playing great defense and excelling on special teams. This year, though, the Hokies return the second best running back duo in the nation, behind Alabama’s Ingram and Trent Richardson, in Ryan Williams and Darren Evans.

Quarterback Tyrod Taylor must improve as a passer for VT to win an ACC Title and contend for a national championship.

5. Boise State — Quarterback Kellen Moore is

among the most underrated players in the country and leads a high-scoring offense. The Broncos hope to prove once again that they are among the nation’s elite when they travel to Washington, D.C., to play basically an away game against Virginia Tech to open the season. A win there and Chris Petersen’s team should run the table and hope the BCS computers put them in the national championship game.

9. Iowa — Kirk Ferentz fields a solid, unflashy team

every year, and this year is no exception. The Hawkeyes are coming off an 11-2 season that included a win over Georgia Tech in the Orange Bowl. Quarterback Ricky Stanzi returns and must stay healthy if they want to dethrone Ohio State as Big 10 Champions.

10. Nebraska — After falling one second short of upsetting Texas in last year’s Big 12 Championship Game, the Cornhuskers return Bo Pelini’s most talented squad, even after the departure of Ndamukong Suh. The Blackshirts led the country in points allowed per game last season and must have better production offensively, especially from the quarterback position, to contend for a conference title.

Football Preview Staff Sports Editor Matt Dixon Asst. Sports Editor Colin Skinner Managing Editor Brandi Panter Cover Concept Abbie Gordon

Design Editor Hillary McDaniels Editor-in-Chief Zac Ellis Photography Editors George Richardson, Tia Patron

Friday, September 3, 2010

FOOTBALLPREVIEW

The Daily Beacon • 3B

2010 Tennessee Football Schedule QB- Ryan Mallet (Arkansas)

DE- Pernell McPhee (Miss. State)

RB- Mark Ingram (Alabama)

DE- Cliff Matthews (South Carolina)

RB- Derrick Locke (Kentucky)

DT- Marcell Dareus (Alabama)

WR- A.J. Green (Georgia)

DT- Jerrell Powe (Ole Miss)

WR- Alshon Jeffery (South Carolina)

LB- Dont’a Hightower (Alabama)

TE- Luke Stocker (Tennessee)

LB- Chris Marve (Vanderbilt)

T- Lee Ziemba (Auburn)

LB- Kelvin Sheppard (LSU)

T- Clint Boling (Georgia)

CB- Patrick Peterson (LSU)

G- Barrett Jones (Alabama) G- Carl Johnson (Florida) C- Mike Pouncey (Florida)

CB- Janoris Jenkins (Florida) S- Mark Barron (Alabama) S- Ahmad Black (Florida)

Special Teams K- Blair Walsh- (Georgia)

Sept. 11—Oregon Knoxville Sept. 18—Florida Knoxville Sept. 25—UAB Knoxville Oct. 2—@ LSU Baton Rouge, La. Oct. 9—@ Georgia Athens, Ga. Oct. 23—Alabama Knoxville Oct. 30—@ South Carolina Columbia, S.C.

P- Drew Butler (Georgia)

Nov. 6—@ Memphis Memphis, Tenn.

RET- Warren Norman (Vanderbilt)

Nov. 13—Mississippi Knoxville

All-Purpose-Randall Cobb (Kentucky)

Recycle your Beacon!

LuKe Stocker • Photo courtesy of UT Media Relations

Sept. 4—UT-Martin Knoxville

Nov. 20—@ Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn.

Nov. 27—Kentucky Knoxville Dec. 4—SEC Championship Atlanta, Ga.

4B • The Daily Beacon

Youthful Wilcox reloads UT defense Former Boise State coordinator tallied 49-4 record with Broncos Kevin Huebschman Chief Copy Editor Justin Wilcox has a career resume most college coaches can only dream of duplicating, with four bowl appearances, two BCS bowl wins, four consecutive top-25 finishes and a 49-4 overall record, and those are only his results as defensive coordinator for Boise State.

Arguably the most important number when it comes to the Vols’ new defensive coordinator, though, is one that has little to do with his on-the-field accolades: his age.

“He’s a young guy that can relate to a lot of things we do now,” defensive end Chris Walker said. “And he’s just a guy that you can get along with, and he’s a great coach.”

Linebacker Nick Reveiz echoed Walker’s sentiment, saying Wilcox made an impact on him almost immediately.

“I met him when I was at a morning workout and he was walking in his first day, and he immediately came up and started talking to me,” Reveiz said. “Real nice guy, and he’s really personal. I think that comes off real well, just with players, when they relate to coaches, because if a coach can talk to you and communicate well, I think that’s really the making of a great coach.”

Wilcox, 33, is only 11 years removed from his own college career, giving him an advantage that recent UT defensive coordinators John Chavis and Monte Kiffin didn’t have.

Prior to accepting his current position with UT, Wilcox spent the rest of his young football career on the West Coast, growing up in Oregon and playing at the University of Oregon. He worked as a graduate assistant at Boise State in 2001-02 before taking a job at California as linebackers coach from 2003-05.

Wilcox rejoined Boise State as a part of Chris Petersen’s new staff for the 2006 season and the results were instantaneous. In one year, the Broncos defense improved from a 51st national ranking in total defense to 14th, in a season that culminated with one of college football’s most well-known upsets, a 43-42 overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

During his tenure, the Broncos never ranked lower than 25th in scoring or total defense.

Wilcox’s success comes as no surprise to Walker, though.

“I think he has a great grasp on everything,” the senior said. “There’s a reason why he’s a defensive coordinator at Tennessee.

Friday, September 3, 2010

FOOTBALLPREVIEW

He’s obviously wise beyond his years at defensive coordinator, and I think that he’s going to be great for us down the road.”

What helped draw Wilcox to Tennessee was a respect he developed for first-year head coach Derek Dooley, who is the former coach of Western Athletic Conference-member Louisiana Tech and faced Wilcox and the Broncos three times.

“We played (Louisiana Tech) before (Dooley) was there, and then we played them when he was there, and the organization, the effort, the discipline the teams played with was different,” Wilcox said.

“They didn’t beat themselves, and that says a lot about a coach.”

Although Wilcox has experienced substantial success in his career — he has Justin Wilcox never been a part of a coaching staff with a losing record — he admitted a significant gap exists between Boise State’s WAC and the SEC. “You can say what you want, but athletically, the SEC is the best there is,” Wilcox said. “ … There’s different challenges at each place, but in terms of the size and speed, the SEC is as close as there is to the NFL. I think it’s a great challenge for a player, it’s a great challenge for a coach, and I’m excited to get into it.”

Wilcox’s challenges don’t end at a new conference, though. The Vols’ defense is already off to a rocky start, facing significant depth issues in the secondary and along the defensive line, especially at defensive tackle.

Former wide receivers Marsalis Teague and Ted Meline have switched to cornerback, while Victor Thomas, who began the year at center, has moved back to defensive tackle.

The Vols’ third defensive coordinator in as many years, Wilcox also faces the issue of teaching his players yet another defensive scheme.

“It hasn’t (been easy),” Reveiz said.

“Might as well throw away all the cliché, politically correct answers. It’s been hard, hasn’t been easy, and it’s something that, you know, I’ve sat in bed sometimes and been like ‘Why?’” But even with his uncertainty over the coaching turnover, Reveiz believes Wilcox’s hiring, as well as the rest of the new coaching staff’s, was for a reason.

“I feel like through all this, it’s happened for a reason,” he said. “I feel like it’s just helped our team grow. I know it’s helped me as a person grow. So, of course it’s been difficult, but I think it’s been a good thing.”

Dooley making mark on UT Lauren Kittrell Staff Writer Football has been the essence of the campus and coach Derek Dooley is central to that.

Dooley is not only the third head coach in three seasons at UT, but he is also the 22nd head coach in the program’s history.

Starting quarterback Matt Simms’ outlook is positive about Dooley and the year ahead.

“I’m definitely excited that we’re getting out of the phase camp and now just excited that we’re finally going to start playing another team and stop hitting each other so much,” Simms said. “Coach Dooley is a great coach, and I’m excited that he’s here.”

Simms’ respect for Dooley is shared by the many UT fans that Dooley has had an opportunity to interact with.

“Tennessee fans have been great,” Dooley said.

“I’m just amazed at the spirit and the openness they’ve had of accepting a third new head coach in such a short time.”

While this has been a challenging few years for Tennessee fans, Dooley is ready to do what he feels is responsible as a head coach. He said his job is to see where the team is and what it needs to do to get back to what UT fans expect.

Dooley has had plenty of experience in the football world, ranging from watching his father, Vince Dooley, coach at the University of Georgia to being an assistant coach with Nick Saban at LSU and the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. Dooley has been immersed in the culture and has developed a love for the SEC and, specifically, Tennessee football. He said he is honored to be able to represent UT as head coach.

“It’s not a dumb man’s game,” Dooley said. “You have to be able to be intelligent and be smart to play the game the way it’s supposed to be played.”

With a bachelor’s degree in government and foreign affairs from Virginia and a law degree from Georgia, Dooley has no issues with intelligence. He is using his previous experiences and knowledge to coach the team with structure and purpose.

“We don’t do anything without making sure it has a purpose and it’s efficient and it’s going to Tia Patron• The Daily Beacon help us win,” Dooley said.

“It’s going to ennessee fans have been great. I’m just help the players develop. We’re amazed at the spirit and openness they’ve had of pretty methodical in how we’re going to do accepting a third new head coach in such a short everything.”

Dooley is time. confident in his techniques as a — UT football coach Derek Dooley on Volunteer spirit. coach, as he follows in the footsteps of his father and Saban as he moved from the SEC to the NFL and now back to the SEC. “The NFL game really helped me advance schematically,” Dooley said. “And it helped me advance in my ability to evaluate players, and I think there’s a carryover when you come back to college.”

Dooley said the difference between the leagues is the students. In an opportunity he had to speak to the incoming freshmen, he said that the real soul of the university and the real soul of the football program is the students.

“What makes our game day special is the spirit of the fans,” Dooley said. “The students are the ones who start it, and we wouldn’t be anything without them, and we appreciate their support. I hope I get a little more interaction with them as time goes on.”

Dooley is excited about the coming year and didn’t pause to think about the message he would provide students with for the season.

“Rocky Top,” Dooley said.

“Come see us play and stick with us.”

“

T

Photo courtesy of LA Tech Media Relations

”

Friday, August 3, 2010

FOOTBALLPREVIEW

The Daily Beacon • 5B

Simms leading Vols under center Dooley embracing UT traditions Junior college transfer poised to lead offense from Vol Walk to Game Maxims Anthony Elias Staff Writer Will the third time be the charm this fall?

Matt Simms is poised to be the starting quarterback for the Vols this fall, playing at his third college in the last three years.

The son of Super Bowl XXI MVP Phil Simms and brother of Tennessee Titans’ backup quarterback Chris Simms has gotten plenty of praise, not just for his arm, but for managing his aggressiveness in the clutch.

“Matt’s got a really strong arm,” coach Derek Dooley said.

“He makes throws that there’s not a whole lot of guys that can make. It’s not like he’s shutting it down, trying to play super conservative.

He’s still trying to make aggressive throws, but he’s just doing it in better situations.”

Simms’ performance this offseason has been vastly different from his first two college stops.

The Franklin Lakes, N.J., native had a brief freshman stint with the Louisville Cardinals, appearing in a game against Pittsburgh in 2008, where he went 4for-10 for 39 yards before leaving the program after the season ended.

The then-sophomore transferred to El Camino Community College (Calif.) and completed 159-of269 passes for 2,204 yards with 17 touchdowns, while only tossing 12 picks, helping the Warriors to their fourth consecutive league championship.

Simms said the year’s turnaround was because of coaching “reminders” he received from coaches and himself, while using practice as an opportunity to improve on little things.

Now that Simms is in the SEC, his offensive awareness of the defensive backs has grown to where he won’t get away with as much as before.

“I’m not in junior college anymore,” Simms said. “I can’t just throw into double coverage and get away with it because I have a strong

arm. There (are) people in this conference that will pick it off and just laugh on their way to the end zone.”

Along with having to rehabilitate his arm, Simms had his work cut out for him in both spring and fall camps, where he battled with freshman Tyler Bray for starting quarterback.

Bray led Kingsburg High School (Calif.) to a perfect 13-0 season and a Valley League Championship while completing 185-of-302 passes for 3,321 yards, along with throwing 41 touchdowns last year.

In the Orange and White spring game, the Kingsburg, Calif., native completed 18-of-40 Tia Patron • The Daily Beacon passes for 200 yards and a touchdown, The Tennessee cheerleading squad, led by Smokey, charges the field before the leading the White Orange and White Game in April. “Running Through the T” is one of many team to a 16-7 vic- Volunteer traditions new coach Derek Dooley has embraced on campus. tory. believes the tradition at Tennessee is what Bray continued Matt Dixon attracts top high school players from across the Sports Editor his aerial assault in country. the fall “One of the main reasons why you come here It’s Neyland Stadium. It’s the Vol Walk. It’s playis to be a part of the tradition,” Simms said. “A lot ers running through the T. The traditions of the University of Tennessee of people say that the T on our helmet doesn’t stand for Tennessee, it stands for tradition. That’s football program are notable and personal.

The passion and excitement that surround something I’ve really enjoyed being a part of here, Tennessee football is unique. There aren’t many and I’m really looking forward to finally being a places across the country that share the same part of the Vol Walk and all those other traditions.” desire Tennessee fans do for their Vols.

The Vol Walk is one of those traditions that “We talked about a lot of traditions today,” fans and players alike can take part in. On game Dooley said after the team’s mock game on Aug. durdays, fans will line Peyton Manning Pass and i n g 25, which included pre-game activities. “(We) Phillip Fulmer Way, waiting for the Vols to pass sang ‘Rocky Top,’ had the band come in.

It was t h e by on their way into the stadium. f i r s t awesome. Talked about the Volunteer, what tradiSenior defensive end Chris Walker tries to tions mean, and the importance of them. I told t w o them, I knew most of these traditions before I soak it in each time he participates in a tradition scrimeven got the job because I grew up watching them and even gets a little anxious when the Vols run mages, comand always was (wide eyed). It was awesome. through the T. pleting 27-of-50 passes for They are going to leave here believing that too.”

“The Vol Walk, I’m excited every time we do 399 yards and one touchit,” the Memphis native said. “It never gets old And Dooley isn’t alone. down.

Thousands of fans have become wide eyed over playing in Neyland Stadium, and it never gets old Simms said the com- the years the second they stepped into Neyland saying (General Neyland’s) Game Maxims. I still petition, as well as Stadium for the first time and saw more than feel really, really nervous before we run through Dooley having faith in 100,000 fans on their feet or the first time they the T, even though I’ve done it a million times.” him and his teammates, heard “Rocky Top” after a Tennessee touchdown.

Even in his first year, Dooley believes in the helped him to keep Senior middle linebacker Nick Reveiz once importance of traditions and using them to benepushing harder as the was one of those fans who was amazed by that fit the Tennessee program.

“Traditions are only good if you truly embrace camp progressed. excitement and he is pleased that Dooley is interthem,” Dooley said. “If you say we’re doing this, “It’s been a big ested in the traditions. learning curve from “As a hometown kid, tradition here at but you don’t really invest in it and do it the right where I was to where Tennessee has always been something talked way, then you may as well not do it."

Whether it’s the Pride of the Southland I am now,” Simms about in my family,” Reveiz said. “My dad played said. “Coach Dooley here. My uncle played here. (I) grew up around Marching Band, the orange-and-white checkerand Coach Chaney Knoxville, going to games since I was 7 or 8 years board end zones, the Vol Navy, a bluetick coonand a lot of the other old, so tradition, I’ve always heard about it, I’ve hound named Smokey or any other mainstay tracoaches (are) always learned about it. It’s nice to have a head dition at UT, each are exclusive to Tennessee, and extremely prepared, coach that respects that and wants to make it a Dooley already knows how important they are to the fans that bleed orange. and they’ve helped big part of our program.”

“This place is special,” Dooley said. “It really However, that enthusiasm doesn’t come from me really move forward pretty easily.” just life-long fans. UT is the third school in three is because of that. A lot of people take it for granted, and a lot of people don’t really appreciate how With UT-Martin years for quarterback Matt Simms, but he special those things are.” on Sept. 4, the junior quarterback said the only trouble he will probably have is the first Vols’ touchdown of the season.

“The most difficult moment for me is going to be when we start playing and we score that first offensive touchdown, because I can’t wait just to hear that stadium just go crazy,” he said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’m sure I’m going to be going nuts just like everybody else.”

Matthew DeMaria • The Daily Beacon

6B • The Daily Beacon

Friday, September 3, 2010

FOOTBALLPREVIEW

Jones, Moore highlight deep receiving corps Jason Hall Staff Writer

Matt Dixon Sports Editor

Many q u e s t i o n s r e m a i n regarding the talent and depth of the football team heading into the season, Tia Patron but one of the The Daily Beacon strengths for the Big Orange is at wide receiver.

The receiving group is arguably the deepest of any position on the team, featuring returning seniors Gerald Jones and Denarius Moore, along with sophomore Zach Rogers. The corps also includes three freshmen who were all considered top prospects last season in high school: fivestar Da’Rick Rogers and four-stars Justin Hunter and Matt Milton.

The 6-foot-6-inch Milton enrolled in January and participated in spring practice, giving him an early advantage over the physically impressive Rogers and the world-class track star Hunter. Rogers and Hunter have performed well in fall camp, though, and seem to have caught up with Milton.

However, the group will still rely on Jones and Moore, the two starters, as dependable pass catchers and as leaders for the younger players.

“I have to teach them everything I know,” Jones said. “But it’s also up to them. They have to stay level-minded and learn from mistakes. For my receiving corps, I will be the guy who accepts the responsibili-

ty as a leader.”

Moore is also ready to help the underclassmen as much as he can.

“Leadership actually came along pretty well,” Moore said. “We had to mentor them, and they were coming to us and asked for help. By doing that, it really shows that they want to play and help the team.”

The group is coached by Charlie Baggett. Baggett brings a resume that includes years of NFL experience.

He has spent 33 years as an assistant and wide receivers coach in both the collegiate and professional ranks.

Baggett coached nine 1,000-yard receivers in the NFL, most notably Randy Moss and Cris Carter, while serving as the Minnesota Vikings wide receivers coach from 2000-04.

His players are well aware of his track record and the opportunities that come from playing for him.

“He’s my favorite coach that I have ever played for position-wise because of his knowledge of the game,” Jones said. “He’s seen so many players do so many things, and even he believes that as much as he's taught them, they have taught him too. He’s willing to learn just by watching what players do.

He learns our strengths and weaknesses and he keeps us up on what they do in the NFL and how they run routes and encourages us to use it out on the field. And most of the time it works.”

Baggett has had to adjust back to the college game after spending the past 11 seasons in the NFL. “I really didn't know what to expect,” Baggett said.

“This is my first year (with the team) and some of these guys I hadn’t known before. I didn’t know what they did a year ago, other t h a n what they did George Richardson• The Daily Beacon

Photo courtesy of UT Sports Information

“

W

e had to mentor [the underclassmen],

and they were coming to us and asked for help. By

doing that, it really shows that they want to play and help the team.

– UT wideout Denarius Moore on the impact of the Vols’ freshmen.

”

on film. It’s hard to evaluate what we have until the players play against someone else. I think the guys are improving and coming along very well, and we have a lot of talent. It’s a team sport and it’s all about how the team gels together.”

With concerns at quarterback, and up front along the offensive line, the receiving corps will be counted on to make plays in the passing game. A good blend of talented veterans and underclassmen form a solid foundation for what Vols fans are hoping conjures up memories of Tennessee as “Wide Receiver U.”

Friday, September 3, 2010

FOOTBALLPREVIEW

Offensive line gelling amid questions he is going to be, you’re going to be better on the field.”

Pope began the spring at guard, was moved to tackle and finally settled in at center. He was awarded the 2010 John Stucky The Tennessee offensive line heads into the season as one of Offseason Award for demonstrating the best physical and mental conditioning during the offseason program this year. His the biggest question marks on the team.

It’s a group that returns no starters from last year’s squad and biggest problem, according to coach Derek Dooley, is with snaphas had to adjust to a third head coach and position coach in as ping the ball in a shotgun formation, because he isn’t a natural center. many seasons.

Shaw is the only senior in the group and has the most game Coaches spent much of spring practice just trying to figure out which players fit in best at each of the five positions along experience. He started at left tackle last year but will slide inside this year to take advantage of his 6-foot-4, 331-pound build. the offensive front.

Along with Pope and Shaw, the Volunteers will start three Shortly after spring practice, offenunderclassmen up front. Sophomore Dallas sive line coach Harry Hiestand preThomas will play at left tackle, redshirt freshsented his linemen with a three-word man JerQuari Schofield will play at left guard slogan that would shape how the unit and true freshman Ja’Wuan James at right would work in the summer and fall: tackle.

“Offensive Line Pride.”

At 6-foot-5, 295 pounds, Thomas is a talThough it was initially questioned ented and athletic big man, who has the abiliby players, it has become the building ty to be a really good football player, accordblock for what UT hopes will be sucing to Dooley. He was awarded the Harvey cess in the trenches.

Robinson Award as the offense’s surprise play“At first we thought, ‘Yeah, we’ve er of the 2010 spring. got offensive line pride, what are you Schofield is 6-foot-6, 331 pounds. He has talking about?’” Junior center Cody been one of the most consistent linemen Pope said. “Then, (Hiestand) got to throughout spring practice and fall camp. tell us about it. (He told us) more and James was an early enrollee and participatmore about what we had to do to be ed in spring practice. It took him little time to what we wanted to be. Then we were impress coaches and move into a starting like, ‘Yeah, that is (offensive line role. pride), and we (haven’t been) doing Along with James, the recruiting class the it.’”

Tia Patron • The Daily Beacon Senior right guard Jarrod Shaw, Center Cody Pope prepares to Vols signed has four more offensive linemen: James Stone, Zach Fulton, Darin Gooch and who has all three combined starts snap the ball during fall practice.

Marques Pair. All four joined the team in the among the returning linemen, believed summer and participated in fall camp. the spring was just an adjustment periStone worked primarily at left guard in fall camp until Victor od for both coaches and players. When Hiestand instructed the linemen to change how they were approaching the game, their Thomas switched from center to defensive tackle. That forced Stone to rotate snaps with Gooch, the No. 2 center, to get more chemistry and production began to improve.

“We knew about his track record coming in,” Shaw said. reps because of the lack of depth at center.

Fulton arrived on campus looking physically ready to con“During the spring guys were trying to feel Coach Hiestand out, trying to figure out what type of coach he is. When he threw that tribute. At 6-foot-5, 315 pounds, Fulton was inserted at right term (at us), guys were kind of hesitant because we didn’t know guard, where he remained all of camp.

Gooch was a junior-college transfer, who will be a sophomore what type of coach he was. Then in the summer he challenged us, and that really brought us together and (helped) our under- this fall. He was brought in to provide depth and compete for a standing of (what he’s trying to accomplish with us). That was starting job. He gained 90 pounds over the last year, after keeping his weight down to wrestle in high school. our No. 1 goal in the summer.”

Pair arrived a bit undersized for an SEC lineman but perHiestand is a highly regarded offensive line coach. The past formed well working at left tackle. He is the most likely candifive seasons, he held the same position with the Chicago Bears of the NFL, advancing to the Super Bowl in 2006. From 1997 to date of the four to redshirt this year. However, he may be forced 2004 he was the offensive line coach at Illinois, producing 12 All- to play.

The four signees who arrived in the summer made up the secBig Ten Conference selections. He also has spent time at Missouri, Cincinnati, Toledo, Southern California, Pennsylvania ond-team offensive line during fall camp, along with redshirt and his alma mater, East Stroudsburg University, in freshman Daniel Hood.

Hood redshirted last season to gain size and strength in the Pennsylvania.

The motto helped the unit gel on and off the field and Pope weight room, after coming to UT from Knoxville Catholic High School, where he was a tight end on offense. thought it could make a significant impact during the season.

Other linemen that can provide depth include Kevin Revis, “Right now we might not be as good as other offensive lines we had previously, but we’re definitely just as tight or tighter,” Carson Anderson and Chase Phillips.

Fans would be hard-pressed to find a closer position group on Pope said. “We all hang out together. We eat together. We’re doing everything together. It’s really cool because we didn’t get the Tennessee team than the offensive line, and it all goes back to know each other like this a couple of years ago, and now we’re to Hiestand’s three-word statement: “Offensive Line Pride.”

“That’s going to overcome a lot of things during a game (for really coming together, and I think that’s what an offensive line is all about. If you can be together as a unit, on and off the field, us),” Pope said. “The closer we can become as a unit, (the betand know what (a teammate) is doing on and off the field, how ter) it’s going to help us all together as a team.”

Matt Dixon

Sports Editor

The Daily Beacon • 7B

Salvaged recruiting class expected to produce in Dooley’s first season Colin Skinner Assistant Sports Editor As soon as news broke that Lane Kiffin was leaving UT’s position as football coach for the same spot out in Southern California, looming questions surfaced about the Volunteer’s 2010 top-10 recruiting class for the upcoming year.

After the dust settled, the next man in line, Derek Dooley, saved the day, securing his own top-10 class, which ranked in at No. 9 by Rivals.com.

“I didn't change my style because I only had two weeks," Dooley said after he was hired. “I can't sell me and my program in a sound bite and will never try to. As each day went on, and the more I was able to get in front of these guys and look them in the eye, the better I felt.”

This season, Dooley and the Volunteers will be introducing 21 freshman signees to Neyland Stadium. Ten true freshmen come in on the offense side of the ball, including a quarterback, running back, four offensive linemen, two wide receivers and two all-around athletes.

Da’Rick Rogers, a 2010 Under Armour All-American receiver and named to the 2010 Parade All-America team, brings unquestionable speed and talent to wide receiver. Rogers compiled 707 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in five playoff games in high school and holds the Georgia state record with 1,641 receiving yards his senior year in 2009.

Rogers’ high school quarterback, Nash Nance, followed his favorite target and boasts plenty of accolades himself, including being named the 2009 Class AA All-state quarterback by Georgia sportswriters. Nance completed 203 of the 297 passes he threw senior year, totaling 3,017 yards, 29 touchdowns and only eight interceptions.

Rajion Neal comes in at 5’11”, 215 pounds and as the No. 9 overall prospect in the nation by Rivals.com. The young running back will have to learn fast admist the likes of other younger tailbacks David Oku and Tauren Poole if he plans to see playing time in the next two years.

New faces will be abundant on the field for the Volunteers this fall, and count on the freshmen to be included in these, like Ju’Wuan James. The Suwanee, Ga., signee will most likely start for the Vols at right tackle. Also ahead of schedule and projected to start is freshman right guard JerQuari Schofield from Aiken, S.C. Each adds strength to a young line that features no returning starters.

On the defensive side, big things are in store for the Vols in the years to come in lieu of the 2010 class. The majority of the freshmen entering this season will be playing mostly back-up or lower roster roles on defense, but one who’s projected to start is redshirt freshman Eric Gordon.

“He’s a very intense and physical corner,” Simms said. “It’s tough to go to him on some plays, because you know he’s just going to grab that receiver and kind of manhandle him and boss him around.”

Four-star recruits John Brown and Jacques Smith add size and speed to this class at the defensive tackle and defensive end positions, respectively.

Bottom line, Dooley insured a foundation for future classes of Volunteers to come play football in Knoxville with this class. The starters will be young across the board, and speedy maturation will be expected out of this freshman class.

8B • The Daily Beacon

Friday, September 3, 2010

FOOTBALLPREVIEW

Lott brings character to Big Orange Country Zac Ellis Editor-in-Chief For Andre Lott, the decision was a quick one.

A new position was opening on the UT football staff. Lott's reaction? Sign me up.

“It was a no-brainer,” Lott said.

On June 23, UT announced Lott as Tennessee's new Vol for Life (VFL)/Character Education Coordinator, a position created by new coach Derek Dooley to improve the culture surrounding the Volunteer football program. It was a move, Lott admitted, that was long overdue.

“Once this position came available, I thought it was awesome,” Lott said.

Andre Lott “Obviously, there's a need for it, with kids wanting to make the right decisions at the right times.”

The former UT defensive back was coaching at Hardin County Middle School in West Tennessee when he heard of UT's newest coaching position. As an individual who thrived in mentoring young players, Lott took interest in the job while finishing up a Master's degree in educational leadership.

But a return to Knoxville was an opportunity not to be passed up.

So Lott applied. UT received hundreds of applications during the offseason, but Dooley and his staff only interviewed five applicants. For Dooley, Lott fit the mold.

“Any one of them would have been great,” Dooley said. “But

Andre was a perfect fit.”

Lott's arrival on campus could not have come at a more necessary point in the Tennessee timeline. As a program on the wrong end of several well-documented off-the-field incidents in the past year, including the Bar Knoxville brawl in July, the Tennessee brand had taken a hit in the public eye. But such situations are what Lott was brought in to handle.

“Hiring Andre to coordinate our VFL program is one of the many steps we have taken to reshape our culture into one that produces not only great players and great teams, but more importantly, greater men,” Dooley said.

The VFL program aims to improve team culture in four key areas: character education, life skills, career development and spiritual growth.

Lott's responsibilities extend past the football field and into the lives of each player on UT's roster to ensure a positive future for Tennessee student-athletes.

“The biggest thing this program brings is the ability to be a pro off the field,” Lott said. “There are bigger things when you think about life. Sure, you're brought in to play football, but what if that actually doesn't work out? Do you have a Plan B or a Plan C? We deal with real-life issues.”

Lott's tenure as a Vol exemplified one of the

most successful five-year stretches in Tennessee history. As a four-year letterman and team captain on former coach Phillip Fulmer's 1997-2001 Tennessee squads, Lott played in three BCS bowl games, won two SEC Championships and watched the Vols defeat Florida State for the 1998 BCS national championship.

Tennessee even broke a 30year winless drought at Florida in 2001, Lott's senior season.

“A lot of people think the national championship year was the best memory,” Lott said. “But I think the biggest one was beating Florida my senior year.”

But even amid such unrivaled success, Lott found time to embody the same values UT's VFL program hopes to implement during Dooley's tenure. As a member of UT's Unity Council, a group of Vol seniors who met frequently with Fulmer to discuss chemistry and character issues within the team, Lott saw the importance of leadership in a locker room.

VFL is the kind of program that makes UT unique, Lott said, especially after the Vols’ recent coaching carousel. But the players’ response to the program, and to the characterdriven mentality of Dooley and his staff, has been enough to make Lott’s return to Big Orange Country worthwhile.

“I know how it is from my experience in the NFL,” Lott said. “It’s hard dealing with different coaching changes, because you don’t really get to know the coach or the offense.

“But the intensity (at UT) is great. I couldn’t ask for more.”

Photo courtesy of UT Sports Information

Chaney, Thompson remain loyal to Vols Jason Hall Staff Writer There have been many changes to the University of Tennessee football coaching staff in the past three seasons. With the departure of Lane Kiffin last year, many of his assistants followed him to Southern California.

The two exceptions were offensive coordinator Jim Chaney and linebackers coach Lance Thompson.

Both coaches have years of professional and collegiate experience. They have made many strides to save what was quickly becoming a recruiting class full of de-committed players upon Kiffin’s departure.

Chaney’s coaching career started at Cal State Fullerton in 1985. Through the years, he has worked as a tight ends coach and offensive coordinator, making stops at Western Michigan, Wyoming and, most notably, Purdue. At Purdue, Chaney coached two future NFL starting quarterbacks, Drew Brees and Kyle Orton. In

Chaney’s offense, Brees won the 2000 Maxwell Award and would claim numerous passing records for the Boilermakers.

UT's starting quarterback, Matt Simms, is well aware of Chaney's success prior to coming to Knoxville and is excited about the opportunity to play in his offense.

“I definitely think playing for Coach Chaney will help me out a lot,” Simms said. “He Chaney has a lot of experience with a lot of different offenses. Every time I talk to him before practices or before meetings, he's always sprinkling in information to me, and it’s nice to hang around him.”

Simms isn’t the only one impressed by Chaney’s resume.

“Coach Chaney brings a lot of experience with him,” coach Derek Dooley said. “Our

entire staff brings a lot of experience, and it’s fun, because we can talk on an advanced level right away. We all have our different ways of doing things, and we figure out how to put them all together and make it our way.”

Thompson is also entering his second season as UT’s linebackers c o a c h .

T h o m p s o n’s resume includes coaching stints at LSU and Georgia Thompson Tech, two national championships, two SEC titles, two ACC championships and one Conference USA divisional title.

Thompson served as Alabama’s outside linebackers coach before taking the job at UT. Thompson’s linebacker corps is led by senior Nick Reveiz, who is confident in his role as a leader on defense.

“I can remember since third grade, I always wanted to lead and help people in football,” Reveiz said. “I always wanted to be an example. I feel very fortunate that God’s put me in a position on this team. And that’s the role I’m glad to be taking this year.

When you have a good team, a good leader

will help bring guys to the right side. I think we have a great team with a lot of good people and are headed in the right direction.”

Thompson will work within newly acquired defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox’s defense. Wilcox served as Boise State’s defensive coordinator before coming to Tennessee earlier this year. In 2008, Wilcox’s Broncos ranked second in pass defense, third in scoring defense and twentieth in total defense. The experience between the two should help UT continue the success it’s had in recent years on defense, despite losing Eric Berry and Dan Williams to the NFL. Not only are Chaney and Thompson accomplished positional coaches, but they are also top recruiters.

Chaney is responsible for six players committing to UT this offseason, including Simms and freshman quarterback Nash Nance. Thompson is considered to have a pipeline to Georgia high school football because of the time he spent at Georgia Tech and Alabama. Of the 16 players being targeted by Thompson for 2011, 10 come from Georgia, while five are from Alabama.

Thompson has a knack for going into rival SEC states and bringing top recruits to Tennessee. He has already brought in nine recruits, including starting freshman right tackle Ja’Waun James.

Friday, September 3, 2010

FOOTBALLPREVIEW

The Daily Beacon • 9B

Dooley headed for rocky beginning on Rocky Top Matt Dixon Sports Editor The Vols have lost at least four games in each of the past five seasons, which include losing seasons in 2005 and 2008.

Three head coaches in three seasons has left the football program in a tough spot.

Coach Derek Dooley has inherited a team that will have a lack of experience and depth, as well as face a brutal schedule, especially through the first eight games. An SEC title seems unlikely in the first year under Dooley. A bowl game is a more realistic goal. There is enough young talent for the Vols to build for the future and much

Colin Skinner Assistant Sports Editor Don’t be surprised to see an offensive name lined up in the secondary this season and unfamiliar faces making plays on the field for the orange and white.

Injuries have plagued starters on defense, pushing wide receiver Marsalis Teague to defensive back and catapulting the likes of redshirt freshman Eric Gordon to the top of the depth chart. They will be reassured on the defensive side with names like linebackers Greg King and Savion Frazier, as well as returning Freshman All-SEC linebacker Herman Lathers.

Expect the return of Nick Reveiz at linebacker to make a noticeable impact in the

Zac Ellis Editor-in-Chief It goes without saying that Tennessee football is in a metaphorical ditch at the moment, at least compared to the Vols’ success in previous decades.

In recent years, UT has dipped down into the lower-echelon of college football teams in the land.

Of course, breaking in two new coaches in the last two seasons hasn’t helped the Volunteers. Say what you will about Lane Kiffin’s season-long dance in Knoxville, but a 7-6 record produced potential for future success. Kiffin’s recruiting savvy put UT on the map again, albeit in questionable ways.

Enter Derek Dooley. A losing record at Lousiana Tech landed Dooley one of the premiere jobs in college football, and speculation arose as to where UT

of that talent will be showcased this fall.

With no proven quarterback, running back or offensive linemen, the offense will rely on a talented group of receivers and All-SEC caliber tight end Luke Stocker.

Matt Simms will begin the year as the starting quarterback and should play well enough to hold off freshman Tyler Bray.

Running back Tauren Poole has been a bright spot since spring practice began and should become well-known in SEC country by season's end. Poole and David Oku should form a solid one-two running back tandum.

Gerald Jones and Denarious Moore will be the dependable wide outs while freshmen Justin Hunter, Da'Rick Rogers and Matt Milton could provide big plays and a spark off the bench in the passing game.

If the offensive line gels, and it should, the Vols have enough talent at the skill positions to surprise a few SEC teams.

Defensively, the unit will be centered around senior middle linebacker Nick Reveiz. Reveiz is the heart of the defense and a team leader along with defensive end Chris Walker. Walker will lead a solid group at end. USC transfer Malik Jackson and Gerald Williams will anchor the end spot vacated by the injury to Ben Martin.

The biggest question mark will lie up front at the interior of the defensive line. Sophomore Montori Hughes is the only certainty at defensive tackle. The other tackle spot will be by committee and could pose a problem stopping the run against SEC teams.

Reveiz leads a linebacker corps that has depth and experience at all three positions. Senior LaMarcus Thompson and sophomore Herman Lathers will start alongside Reveiz. Junior Austin Johnson moved from fullback to linebacker in the spring and should be a name to watch as the season progresses, along with sophomore Greg King, who missed most of

spring and fall practices, and senior Savion Frazier.

Injuries are always a concern, but it’s especially so with a team so thin at so many positions.

Injuries to starters could be big problems for the Vols.

Both Oregon and Florida will bring in a quarterback making his first start on the road. Look for the Vols to get better as the season progresses and as younger players learn what it takes to play in the SEC. A win over Oregon on Sept. 11 could jump-start a surprise season for the Vols.

A road win against LSU, Georgia or South Carolina could also make the Vols’ season.

Kentucky has yet to beat Tennessee in my lifetime and I don’t expect them to do so this year either, especially on Senior Day.

middle of the field, as well as talented play from sophomore Janzen Jackson and senior Tyler Wolf at safety.

No Eric Berry means a large hole in the defensive secondary, and Jackson’s play will be key in filling this gap. Up front, the loss of Ben Martin to injury and departure of Dan Williams to the NFL will be felt mightily, but returning defensive end Chris Walker led the 2009 squad in sacks last season with six and will undoubtedly disrupt offenses.

Still, I expect this younger defense, with only five returning starters, to give up more yards than last year’s stifling squad, while continuing to fuel off smaller roles from nonstarters to keep teams away from the checkerboard. Mr. Jackson, it is your time to shine.

On offense, it appears that a neck-and-neck quarterback race that has been closely followed since the spring will be won out by the older, more experienced, junior Matt Sims over true freshman Californian Tyler Bray.

Teammates say the junior college transfer, Simms, possesses excellent leadership quali-

ties in the huddle and locker room and adds some swagger to the team’s confidence. Don’t be surprised to see spurts of action from Bray against UT-Martin, but besides the Skyhawks, no Rices or Florida A&Ms clutter UT’s schedule this fall for Bray to log valuable snaps.

Regardless, the young gun has proven to have quite an arm at camp this summer and a promising one.

Tauren Poole and David Oku are more than ready and willing to take over at running back, where Montario Hardesty left off last season.

Poole has looked great this August and has great explosive speed to create the big play.

He will share the reins with Oku, who will also see ample playing time returning kickoffs.

Clearly, the bread and butter for the Volunteer’s offense will be at the wide receiver position.

Seniors Gerald Jones and Denarius Moore combined for more than 100 yards receiving per game last season and are two of

Tennessee’s big leaders. Teague, an explosive freshman last year on the offensive side, should get receiving time as well and will share time with returning sophomore Zach Rogers.

Never forget the big man at tight end, Luke Stocker, whom UT will use a lot in the red zone and in short-yardage situations. The senior brings experience, size and a nose for the end zone, scoring five times last season.

The biggest question marks of all lie with the offensive line, which brings five new starters to the trenches. Expect the offense to ride with the success of the O-line’s play and how much time it can give Simms to operate, especially during SEC play.

Athletic Director Mike Hamilton was going with this decision. But Dooley’s recruiting experience in the SEC — most notably on Nick Saban’s championship-winning staff at LSU — gave him upside, as did his genes: Dooley's father, Vince, was a legend on the sidelines at Georgia.

As far as this season’s concerned, a daunting schedule leaves little room for error. Even with Kiffin or Phillip Fulmer at the helm, this year’s list of games would have any coach cringing. Florida and Alabama are on top of the SEC mountain, and for the first time in a while, the rest of the league is as open as ever.

From the get-go, Tennessee doesn’t get much room to breathe on its schedule. In-state rival UTMartin kicks off a four-game homestand for the Vols before the Oregon Ducks make the crosscountry trip to Neyland Stadium for a nationally televised matchup. Many national analysts picked UT to upset Oregon in Knoxville, and the Neyland crowd could prove deadly for a Duck squad far away from home.

After the Vols go head-to-head with Oregon, the Florida Gators come to town in a game sure to

make the UT student section clinch its fists. The hatred between UT and Florida extends back to former Gators’ coach Steve Spurrier’s days in Gainesville, but current UF coach Urban Meyer has also had the last laugh against the Vols as of late: He’s yet to lose a game to Tennessee.

Next, UAB visits Knoxville to cap off the fourgame, season-opening homestand. After that game, a tough midway point of the schedule begins: two road games against LSU and Georgia before returning home at the end of October to welcome Nick Saban's defending champion Alabama Crimson Tide to town.

After visiting an improved South Carolina squad, the Vols travel to Memphis before welcoming Ole Miss to Knoxville. Tennessee closes out its schedule in the usual manner, with Vanderbilt and Kentucky.

So how do the Vols’ fare against such a slate?

The answer will come in UT’s offense, which features far too many question marks for a red-hot SEC schedule. A new quarterback and a new offensive line will have to rely on the potency of Tennessee’s receiving core headed by Gerald Jones

and a running game highlighted by Tauren Poole.

Defense isn’t a sure thing, either, as replacing Eric Berry in the secondary will be a tough job for UT’s defensive staff.

But the bottom line is this: Inexperience will plague the Vols this season in one way or another.

Injuries happen and will undoubtedly expose UT’s lack of depth against opponents of higher talent.

Dooley’s first rodeo in Knoxville might not be a pretty one.

Tennessee will have to win the winnable games this season to stand a chance at bowl-eligibility.

UT-Martin, UAB, Memphis and Vanderbilt should be chalked up as W's, while Florida, Alabama, and Oregon will outlast the Vols at home. It’s the inbetween games that will tell the story, and losses to Georgia, Ole Miss and — ready for this? — Kentucky will keep the Vols out of a bowl in Dooley’s first year. But give Dooley time, and the Vols will rise out of the ashes.

Tia Patron• The Daily Beacon

The Vols wait for the snap in last April’s Orange and White Game. Tennessee kicks off the 2010 season, and new coach Derek Dooley’s era in Knoxville, against UTMartin at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

Prediction: 6-6 (3-5 SEC) Losses to: Oregon, Florida, LSU, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina

Prediction: 6-6 (3-5 SEC) Losses to: Oregon, LSU, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and Ole Miss.

(Florida quarterback John Brantley will be stifled by the UT orange atmosphere on the road on Sept. 18, and Knoxville will elate in an upset victory for the ages.)

Prediction: 5-7 (2-6 SEC) Losses to: Oregon, Florida, LSU, Georgia, Alabama, Ole Miss, Kentucky

10B • The Daily Beacon

Friday, September 3, 2010