ON MY MONDAY MIND:

DOES FOOTBALL RISING = BASKETBALL DECLINE? As Tennessee's football program appears to be on the rise should we expect the opposite trend in basketball based on history? In my 50+ years as a Vol fan the fortunes of the two programs seem to more often then not be diametrically opposed. In my earliest years of fandom Tennessee was solid in both sports. From 1965 until 1972 the Vols were 73-15-3 in football under the guidance of Doug Dickey and the early tenure of Bill Battle with 2 SEC Championships while basketball in the capable hands of Ray Mears was compiling an overall record of 151-58 finishing first or second in the SEC in 6 of those 8 seasons.

Since I was hooked for life by that dual-sport success there has been only one other extended period when both were relevant; during Jerry Green's four year tenure when the basketball Vols were 89-36 with four NCAA Appearances and the Football team was 41-9 with a National Championship. In most every other instance as the fortunes of one program rises the other declines. Here are some ugly examples:

1973-82: Basketball- 189-98; finished 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the SEC 8 of 10 seasons
Football- 63-49-4; Zero SEC Championships

1983-97: Football- 124-37-1; 3 SEC Championships
Basketball: 205-221; 11 seasons finishing 6th or worse in the SEC (1-3rd; 2-4ths)

2001-04 Football- 39-13; 2 SECCG Appearances
Basketball- 61-59 Zero NCAA Tournament Appearances

2005-14 Basketball- 224-118; 7 NCAA Appearances
Football- 64-61; 1 SECCG Appearances

And so it's gone for the Vols and their fans; as one sport becomes more prominent the other fades into obscurity. Butch Jones, Rick Barnes, the Big Orange Nation turns it's lonely eyes to you. Please get us off this teeter-totter and return us to the Doug Dickey-Ray Mears glory days that so few of us still remember but all of us long for.

SHOOP AND SCORE BABY: It looks as if Butch Jones has turned potential staff turmoil into a Tennessee windfall. With apparently little choice but to make a change at the Defensive Coordinator position Jones, Dave Hart and company not only performed an upgrade but did it with one swing. Bob Shoop who turned down Auburn and possibly LSU as well earlier in the process accepted an offer to replace the departed John Jancek as the Vols DC. I don't know if I'm more surprised that they successfully employed their first option or that they shelled out the necessary cash to do so. Both are quite un-Tennessee-like and recent events are threatening to relieve the Vol Nation of an inferiority complex years in the making. Congratulations to everyone involved.

AGGIE AFTERMATH: Now that one HURT. Tennessee had what is currently the best team in the SEC on the ropes and let them hit us with a Mike Weaver hay maker as the bout was coming to a close. The Vols held the lead for around 35 minutes but as has happened far too often couldn't close the deal. What is probably the league's best duo Jalen Jones and Daniel House scored 27 and 23 points respectively and 10th year Senior Alex Caruso orchestrated the comeback with his usual solid all-around play adding 7 assists and 5 steals to his 13 points.

I may be overstating this but I think the Vols let a true season-changer slip from their grasp. A&M is a certain NCAA Tournament team and may win the overall league title as well. More than a win over an Elite-8 caliber program a victory would have given the Vols a much-needed confidence boost that they can close games out against the best teams on their schedule. After failing to execute down the stretch of close games vs Georgia Tech in Atlanta, against GW in Brooklyn, Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse and Gonzaga in Seattle they desperately (my word) needed this one to erase the negative thoughts of previous shortcomings. Something that obviously wasn't accomplished by late-game success versus the ETSUs and Tennessee States of the world.

With down the stretch execution still unchecked on the to-do list the Vols now must stare down their other nemesis; winning a game away from the friendly confines of TBA. Two of their best opportunities to do so come later this week with winnable road games at Stegman Coliseum versus Georgia on Wednesday and against Mississippi State at The Hump on Saturday.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME MUSTS:

ALABAMA MUST:

Run the ball effectively: Jake Coker has been better than I expected throwing the football with 2775 yards, 19 TDs and only 8 INTs but the Tide passes for only 219.4 ypg (#68 in USA) and you don't want the outcome of the game riding on his arm. What they really want to do is give the Tigers a steady dose of Derrick Henry (2061 yds, 5.7 ypc, 25 TDs) and Kenyan Drake (5.4 ypc)

Spy Deshaun Watson Watson is essentially a running back rushing for 1032 yds at a 5.5 ypc clip with 12 rushing TDs. Wayne Gallman by comparison's per-carry average is the same as Watson's with the same amount of TDs. He has outgained Deshaun by 350 yds on 82 additional carries (269-1482). Where the Tide could really be hurt however is Watson's ability to turn a broken play into big yardage.

Be better on 3rd Down Offensively: One of the few weak areas statistically for the Tide has been 3rd Down Conversion % where the Tide is successful only 36.2% of the time. It won't be easy against a Clemson defense that is #2 in the Nation on 3rd Down Conversion Defense allowing opponents success only 25.7% of the time.

Kick it through the uprights: Adam Griffith has a good leg (2-2 from 50+) but has missed 8 of 30 attempts on the season

CLEMSON MUST:

Protect the football: The quickest way to get your hind end handed to you against Alabama -or most anyone else- is to turn the ball over. The Tigers haven't exactly been miserly when it comes to helping opponents coming into the NC game at -1 (74th in USA) in Turnover Margin. The Tide on the other hand is a very good +9 (#27)

Keep Watson involved in the running game AND healthy As seen above Deshaun Watson has been a huge part of Clemson's rushing attack and needs to continue to be. He needs to be smart however and take as few hits as possible in order to assure he remains on the field against Bama's physical defense. His most effective rushes versus the Tide could be on ad-libs when the Tide is in pass coverage.

Exploit Alabama's Secondary: The Tide's pass defense is certainly not anemic surrendering only 186 ypg good for #18 in America. Their Run Defense however is the best in the country at a paltry 70.8.

Make Alabama go the long way: As mentioned above Alabama struggles on third down conversions so if the Tigers can limit the chunk plays the Tide won't have many high play number long yardage drives. Limiting the big play will require knowing where Calvin Ridley (83-1031; 7 TDs) is at all times.

NFL PLAYOFF PIECES:

KANSAS CITY @ HOUSTON: The Chiefs continued their tear through the National Football League and the Texans looked like the AFC-South representative. Not only were they out-manned but Brian Hoyer had unquestionably one of the worst performances of any QB in postseason history.

PITTSBURGH @ CINCINNATI: In a shameful game of undisciplined play and cheap shots the Steelers deserved to lose only slightly less than the Bengals. Though Jeremy Hill's fumble was the most devastating event in Cincinnati's heartbreaking loss his biggest sin was putting the outcome of the game back in the hands of the likes of Vontaze Burfict and Pacman Jones. There are certain players that their ability -however great- will never overcome their moronic volatility.

SEATTLE @ MINNESOTA: Though I would hate to have been playing or sitting in the stadium in any capacity it sure was nice to watch an old-school, Ice Bowl-like playoff game from the warm comfort of my recliner. The Vikings fought gallantly but as so many times happens teams accustomed to winning make whatever plays necessary to do so and those who aren't don't.

GREEN BAY @ WASHINGTON: The Packers looked more like the offense we are accustomed to seeing while the Redskins missed opportunities for a bigger early lead. The Skins -like the Texans- were the beneficiary of a weak division but proved they were much more playoff worthy.

IN CLOSING: I always feel more empathy than disgust for those who fail at the very worst times such as Blair Walsh and the Bill Buckners, Scott Norwoods, Ernest Byners and Jackie Smiths who came before him. Unless of course we're talking about a serial gagger -and despicable human being- like A-Rod.

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