SINCE WE LAST SPOKE 8-20-15

TAKING TONY’S TUESDAY TEST: In the Tuesday edition of Tony’s blog he asked several cogent, thought-provoking questions. Though I was never a great test taker “fill in the blank” trailed only “one obvious multiple choice” as my favorite formats so I thought I would give Basilio’s exam a whirl. Since there are obviously no academic requirements to meet in order to continue as a contributor on tonybasilio.com here are my responses to Tony’s queries:

If it can't be the Vols....I would like to see South Carolina win the SEC this year.

If it’s possible that there is a more underserved fanbase in America than the Big Orange Nation it has to be the Gamecock following. Having Spurrier as your Head Coach is a wonderful blessing –especially in the age of the Robo-Coach- but even he has failed to muster more than one Division Title in his 10 years in Columbia. Anytime Vol fans start feeling deprived they need only to picture the football trophy case at USC which contains a measly two trophies; vintage 1933 Southern Conference and 1969 ACC. Besides I certainly don’t want Georgia, Missouri or ANYONE from the West winning it.

If it can't be the Vols....I would like to see TCU win the National Title this year.

Gary Patterson seems well on his way to a Bill Snyder-like resurrection of a historically moribund program that few even knew the location (Fort Worth) of prior to his arrival. A Southwest Conference member from 1923-1995 the Horned Frogs claimed 10 SWC Championships only three of which came after my birth (1958, 59 & 94) which was a looooong time ago. Dennis Franchione got the ball rolling with a couple of Western Athletic Conference shared titles in 1999 and 2000 but Patterson has upped the bar with 6 titles in his 14 seasons at the helm including one C-USA, four Mountain West and last season’s Big-12 winning effort. After getting squeezed out of an opportunity in the inaugural CFB playoff the game owes the Horned Frogs a second chance to prove they can play with the biggest boys on the playground.

This Tennessee team has the most talent of any UT team since 2005?

I know you’re thinking didn’t the 05 team finish 5-6 and miss a bowl game? Absolutely but not because the cupboard was bare. The Vols with fresh memories of a 2004 SECCG appearance and a Cotton Bowl thrashing of Texas A&M returned 15 starters (Offense-7; Defense-8) including four offensive lineman (LT-Arron Sears: LG-Rob Smith; RG-Cody Douglas; RT-Albert Toeaina), a solid FB (Cory Anderson) 2 proven QBs (Erik Ainge, Rick Clausen), three defensive linemen (LE Parys Haralson, LT Jesse Mahelona, RT Justin Harrell) 2 LBs (SLB Omar Gaither; MLB Jason Mitchell) and three DBs (CBs Roshaun Fellows, Jonathan Hefney; Free Safety Jason Allen). Not to mention that both Gerald Riggs Jr and Arian Foster were on hand to replace the departed Cedric Houston and Robert Meachem, Jason Swain and Bret Smith were ready to contribute significantly to the passing game. The Specialist weren’t bad either with Britton Colquitt handling punting duties and James Wilhoit at PK.

I think we all knew the handwriting was on the wall that the gig was up for Phillip Fulmer and company when THAT roster lost more games than it won

This Oklahoma game is the biggest (I added Non-Conference) home game in Neyland Stadium since 1990 Notre Dame?

The Vols were simply an outmanned opponent versus Oregon (2010); UCLA was overmatched in 1996 and neither team was ranked when Lane Kiffin’s lone squad faced them (2009); Notre Dame was unranked and unheralded prior to slipping out with a win in 2004; losses to Florida, Georgia and Alabama had already spoiled Miami’s visit (2002); Syracuse had fallen on hard times (2001)

That leaves UCLA in 1991 with the Vols ranked 11th and the Bruins 21st; a Top-10 Cal team (#9) in 2006 facing a wounded but focused 23rd ranked Volunteer squad; #24 Notre Dame versus#4 Tennessee in 1999 and the one I chose above which is probably the greatest non-conference contest ever waged in venerable Neyland Stadium. I guess that expresses just how important I believe the OU-Tennessee contest coming up to be. Similar to the Cal game it is an opportunity for the Vols to regain the respect of both the national audience and their own fan base. Unlike the 2006 season however the program has been dormant –and Big Orange Nation in mourning- for far longer which adds excitement and sense of urgency the two most important elements of a big game atmosphere.

The biggest question answered in training camp was Defensive Line Depth?

DTs Shy Tuttle and Khalil McKenzie have been as good as advertised and will provide a hard-to-move- middle along with the solid –if not spectacular- trio of Danny O’Brien, Kendell Vickers and Owen Williams. As good as Tuttle and McKenzie appear to be newcomer Kyle Phillips may prove to be the best of the bunch while providing another pass rushing threat to the dynamic duo of Curt Maggitt and Derek Barnett

The biggest question remaining is Offensive Line?

Who didn’t see this one coming? The offensive front at least has enough scholarship players to provide a two-deep but there are still more questions than answers. Is it possible for Kyler Kerbyson and Mac Crowder to make noticeable strides between their 4th and 5th seasons in the program? Is Crowder really a SEC Eastern Division title contender quality center and is Kerbyson a tackle? Can Jashon Robertson continue his meteoric rise from D-lineman to All-SEC caliber O-lineman? Can Coleman Thomas overcome what had to be an overwhelming introduction to SEC Football in 2014 and will the staff place him in a position to succeed? Can Freshmen Jack Jones and Drew Richmond or R-Fr Charles Mosley come close to the first year contributions of Robertson? Will the staff use Brett Kendrick and the rest of the pieces at their disposal in a manner that assures the most cohesive and effective unit is on the field before several games escape our grasp?

RANDOM THOUGHTS ON RANDOM TOPICS:

VOL FOOTBALL
-Though the Vols have suffered only one long-term loss (Marcus Jackson) in fall camp to date injuries have seemed to be the most widely visited topic of discussion. It is probably a product of one or all of the following:

-the staff is being extremely liberal in who is held out of practice
-there have been an inordinate amount of dings compared to relatively few major injuries
-there is too much coverage of every facet of practice

-I am pleasantly surprised with where we find ourselves at the QB position at the start of Year 3 of the Butch Jones era. With Josh Dobbs reported struggles at this time last season I was questioning if there was a SEC-caliber QB on campus. I now believe that not only is Dobbs destined to be one of the top performers at his position in the league I have a gut feeling that both Quinten Dormady and Sheriron Jones will prove to be quality players as well

-I am pleased to know that new OC Mike DeBord is spending much of his time assisting Don Mahoney and providing oversight for the development of the Offensive Line. His resume suggests it is one of his strengths. I will reserve judgement on the effectiveness of this new arrangement pending the release of the first depth chart. I know that’s real reasonable of me.

-Speaking of reasonable I will be disappointed if this isn’t the best defensive unit we have fielded since John Chavis’ 2008 edition tried their best to salvage a lost season. I do understand that offenses are more difficult to hold down and damn-near impossible to slow down in new-world CFB but this unit should be the heart and soul of the 2015 Vols.

-I believe this will be a Daily-Double Josh breakout season. Look for both Smith and Malone to make major contributions to the Vols passing game.

-If it weren’t for the offensive line the punter position would be our greatest concern entering the season. I know how important field position is but if you gave me a choice of concerns to have who our flippin punter was going to be would be the one I would choose.

SEC FOOTBALL:
-The 2015 Iron Bowl seems to be shaping up to be every bit as significant as the last time it was played in Jordan-Hare Stadium. Here’s hoping for the same result if it does.

-I’m ABB this season; ANYBODY BUT BAMA

-And ABM in the East; ANYBODY BUT MISSOURI. I’m already sick of them sneaking into the SECCG then getting their eyes beat shut ruining the day for everyone.

-I think both Mississippi State and Ole Miss are getting ready to fall out of that Magnolia Tree they climbed last season.

-If the Vols are to burst onto the scene the way so many are predicting they must do two things that have proven elusive; beat BOTH Florida and Missouri AND do it outside the friendly confines of Neyland Stadium.

-One of the more intriguing players to watch in the league in 2015 will be Auburn QB Jeremy Johnson. Here is a guy who’s thrown 37 passes in his career being lauded as the second best QB in the league behind only Heisman candidate Dak Prescott AND expected to lead the Tigers to a possible SEC /National Championship. Quite high expectations for a guy who’s flung it less than 50 times.

-There are some strange scenarios playing out around the league; Spurrier AND Mark Richt may not have a viable option at QB; LSU could have defensive line issues; Missouri may lack a pass rush; Florida is still seeking skill position players and Alabama’s biggest question may be the secondary which of course is Nick Saban’s area of expertise. These are strange days in the league indeed.

VOL HOOPS:
-I have all the confidence in the world in Rick Barnes’ recruiting prowess but sure would like to hear some rumblings of commitments for the fall signing period.

MLB:
-I am amazed that the Yankees have apparently recovered from a sweep at the hands of the surging Blue Jays. The late game three run homer that Carlos Beltran hit in last Friday’s game at Rogers Center appears to have redirected their fate.

-I thought the AL East may have been the weakest division in baseball early in the season. Instead East teams (at the time of this writing) are a combined 15 games over .500 trailing only the loaded NL Central (42 games over) and may well provide three of the 5 AL playoff teams at season’s end.

-Washington is in the throes of an epic tank job. In an absolutely horrid division (53 games under .500).

-San Francisco (4 games back of the wildcard) and the Angels (1/2 game back) are two teams that everyone else hopes fall short of the playoffs.

IN A PERFECT WORLD: The only time sports figures and courts would be mentioned in the same sentence would be basketball season.

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