KNOXVILLE -- Thursdays of every game week, UTsports.com sits down with a member of the Vols team or coaching staff to preview a key element of the upcoming game. This week, sports information graduate assistant Tony Williams speaks with assistant coach Steve Caldwell about his tenure at Arkansas State and what the he expects from the defensive line on Saturday.
You experienced a great deal of success as a player and a coach at Arkansas State. Can you talk about your time there?
“I started school there in 1974. I was fortunate to be a part of an undefeated season in 1975 as a player, which is a great feeling. We went on to win the Southland Conference that season. I had four good years playing then was fortunate to become a graduate assistant. Back then a lot of teams had a part-time coach, and Larry Lacewell came in after I got my master’s degree and I coached part-time for him for a couple of years before leaving for a junior college job.”
You returned to Arkansas State several years later for an assistant coaching job. You must think very highly of the university?
“I was there five years when I went back. We were blessed to have some great football teams then as well. We played for the I-AA national championship. I’ve got a lot of fond memories from there. It’s only about 80 miles from home.”
You were also in pretty good coaching company in Jonesboro, correct?
“Coach Lacewell was with the Dallas Cowboys for a while. Ron Meeks, who was a GA there, is now the defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts. Rick Petri is coaching up at Kentucky, and then Tommy Tuberville is at Auburn. I was with some guys that can really coach, I would say.”
Are you still connected with people at the University?
“I have a lot of friends that live in Jonesboro, but not as many people that are still associated with the football program. I do know Coach (Steve) Roberts, who has done a great job there. He is bringing the program back to where it was when we left in the late 1980s. When I played there it was a I-A program. They made the transition to I-AA, and then were back in I-A by the time I left. It was an up and down road for them, a tough situation.”
What are you stressing to the defensive line going into the game?
“We have to get better on first down. We’ve been giving up too much on first down. We’ve got to be able to stop the run. We haven’t done a very good job with that, so we have to improve there. We haven’t been playing third down too bad. We’ve been getting off the field on third and long. Our big goal this week is to get them into third and long situations.”
VOLS STARTING WILLINGHAM OR VINSON AT CORNER; SURGERY SUCCESSFUL FOR UT’S GAINES
Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer reported after Thursday’s practice that either junior DeAngelo Willingham or freshman Brent Vinson will see their first collegiate start when Saturday’s 7 p.m. kickoff against Arkansas State rolls around.
Fulmer said freshman Eric Berry, who has started all three games in his young career but only one at cornerback, is being shifted back to safety. Senior Jonathan Hefney mans the other safety position, with either Willingham or Vinson filling the corner slot opposite sophomore Marsalous Johnson.
“That’s (the lineup) we feel gives us our best athletes on the field,” Fulmer said after the team’s 90-minute workout at Haslam Field.
“We’re looking forward to playing again and looking forward to having fun again,” he added. “The team has prepared well during the course of the week. We have a real challenge ahead of us and we certainly understand that. But there’s also a great opportunity within that challenge. We’re looking forward to being at home and looking forward to an exciting crowd.”
Tickets remain for Saturday’s game through the UT Athletics Ticket Office (656-1200 or 800-332-VOLS) at Thompson-Boling Arena, although all student tickets were claimed.
In other news, Tennessee head athletic trainer Jason McVeigh reports that senior defensive back Antonio Gaines was released from UT Day Surgery early Thursday after undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery.
Drs. Greg Mathien and Russell Betcher of the Knoxville Orthopedic Clinic performed Wednesday’s surgery, from which McVeigh expects Gaines to make a full recovery. A senior from Covington, Gaines was injured Sept. 8 in Tennessee’s 39-19 win over Southern Mississippi and will miss the remainder of the 2007 season.
INJURY UPDATE (Arkansas State Week) -- Probable: DE Wes Brown (shoulder), TB Montario Hardesty (ankle), LB Ryan Karl (ankle), OT Eric Young (ankle); Out: WR Gerald Jones (hamstring), DE Andre Mathis (shoulder).
FREE ADMISSION FOR VOLS JV GAME AGAINST HARGRAVE MILITARY ACADEMY
The Tennessee athletics department announced Thursday that, for the first time in 15 years, the Vols are hosting an official junior varsity football game one week from today.
Hargrave Military Academy from Chatham, Va., provides the opposition Sept. 27 in a 7 p.m. kickoff at Neyland Stadium. Admission to the game and parking are free, with space available in the G-10 garage located between the stadium and Thompson-Boling Arena.
Not since a 26-13 victory over UT-Chattanooga during the 1992 season has a Tennessee junior varsity squad taken the field in organized competition.
“We saw an opportunity with a lot of young guys on this year’s team to get them some playing time against a quality opponent,” head coach Phillip Fulmer said. “Hargrave has an excellent program. It will be nice to see them on our campus and give Coach (Robert) Prunty and his players a chance to see us up close.”
Fulmer said NCAA rules prohibit playing in more than 12 regular-season games, so student-athletes who have not played in all of UT’s early-season games could see action. Redshirt candidates for the 2007 season are not allowed to play and maintain their redshirt status.
UT’s history of JV and freshman games dates to 1922, when the Vols began a 21-year run of at least two freshman contests per season. After World War II, junior varsity play started in 1946 and skipped only the 1954 season in a run of competitions through 1987. A pair of games in both the 1991 and 1992 seasons were the most recent playing dates until next week’s contest.
Fans should enter the stadium next Thursday through Gate 21.
DISH NETWORK, DIRECTV CHANNELS RELEASED FOR SATURDAY’S PAY-PER-VIEW
Fans unable to attend Saturday’s UT-Arkansas State game at Neyland Stadium have a VideoSeat pay-per-view option through the Vol Network. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Eastern time (6 p.m. Central) kickoff.
Cable systems across the state of Tennessee are scheduled to carry the telecast. Fans may contact their local cable outlet to order the game and receive price information. The game also is available to Tennessee Dish Network (channel 457) and DirecTV (channel 697) subscribers as well as C-band dish owners.
Dish Network and DirecTV customers should order the telecast by going to the designated channel before kickoff and following the ordering instructions on their TV screen using their remote. Home satellite dish owners with large C-band dishes located outside the service areas of the participating cable systems in the state of Tennessee may order the game by calling (800) 887-8277.
For residents living outside the state of Tennessee, the contest is available through ESPN GamePlan.
The announcing team for Saturday’s game is Randy Smith (play-by-play) and former Vols and NFL quarterback Pat Ryan (color). Halftime programming features selected programming and highlights from the Vol Network’s home entertainment library.
Rules and guidelines regarding pay-per-view telecasts:
*The telecast is available only in the state of Tennessee to participating cable systems and home satellite owners. Not all cable systems in the state of Tennessee may have the event available.
*Per Southeastern Conference rules, ESPN GamePlan has the option to offer the game to fans outside the states of Tennessee via the ESPN GamePlan package.
***VideoSeat pay-per-view telecasts are a production of HOST Communications Inc., with the authorization of the University of Tennessee.
AT&T OPENS VOTING ON HANDSETS FOR BEST SEC WIDE RECEIVERS OF ALL TIME
Finalists also announced for best SEC running back of all time
ATLANTA The Southeastern Conference has produced some of the most well-known wide receivers in the history of college football, and now fans can voice their opinions on the best of all time. It’s all a part of AT&T Inc.’s “Best of 75 Years of SEC Football,” an 11-week program that allows fans to vote for their favorite players, coaches and traditions from the past 75 years.
“As the official telecommunications sponsor of the SEC and a presenting sponsor of SECSports.com, AT&T wanted to help the conference celebrate their 75th anniversary,” said Steve Sitton, regional president of the Southeast for AT&T’s wireless operations. “The SEC has always been known for their dynamic offenses, and now fans can cast their vote for the best wide receiver ever. But they’ve got to get out there and vote if they want their favorite to win!”
Fans can enter to vote on the “Best of 75 Years of SEC Football” after accessing SEC Mobile on their AT&T handsets by texting SEC to 234567. They will then receive a menu of options to choose from, which includes alerts, trivia, SEC video, news, downloads and sweepstakes. Voting began Sept. 4 and runs through Nov. 16 with results announced weekly.
Choosing the best of all time will be no easy task – just check out the star-studded list of nominees below:
Ozzie Newsome, Alabama; Anthony Lucas, Arkansas; Terry Beasley, Auburn; Carlos Alvarez, Florida; Terrence Edwards, Georgia; Craig Yeast, Kentucky; Wendell Davis, LSU; Chris Collins, Mississippi; Eric Moulds, Mississippi State; Sterling Sharpe, South Carolina; JOEY KENT, TENNESSEE; and Keith Edwards, Vanderbilt.
Last week’s voting decided the finalists for the best SEC running back of all time, and the top three vote-getters were Herschel Walker from the University of Georgia, Emmitt Smith from the University of Florida and Darren McFadden from the University of Arkansas. The three finalists beat out nominees from the other nine SEC schools to move into the finals, which will be voted on during the last two weeks of the program in November. Every text message vote cast is an entry into a sweepstakes to win a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game.
AT&T customers can also prove their SEC football IQ by playing trivia on their handsets, or they can get breaking news on their favorite teams by signing up for alerts, which include game previews. Fans will also be able to show their school pride all season by downloading school graphics, fight song ringtones, wallpaper, games and cool tools, and subscribers with 3G service can access college football video.
This is AT&T’s second year as the official telecommunications sponsor of the SEC and a presenting sponsor of SECSports.com.
SEC STUDENT-ATHLETE ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOOD DRIVE KICKS OFF AT VOLUNTEER VILLAGE
The Southeastern Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee is coordinating a league-wide food drive during the dates of Sept. 21-30. All 12 SEC institutions are participating by collecting food and financial donations at various sporting events and on campuses.
Tennessee’s food-drive events, both of which benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank, are during Saturday’s Volunteer Village and at the Sept. 30 home volleyball match against Arkansas at Stokely Athletics Center (fans who bring two cans admitted free). The Thornton Athletics Student Life Center also is accepting food donations.
Tennessee’s representatives this year on the SEC SAAC are wide receiver Josh Briscoe and Lady Vols tennis player Ghizela Schutte. The SAAC was established to serve as a medium of communication through which student-athletes, conference administrators, institutional representatives and coaches discuss and take action on issues relating to rules governance, student-athlete welfare and community service.
(E-mail Stan Crawley at wscrawley@earthlink.net)