Rocky Top missing vital pieces

After a typical week one walk through, Tennessee was out to prove that the Lane Kiffin era wasn’t all hype.

They welcomed the UCLA Bruins to Knoxville and hoped they would fare better than in last year’s trip to Pasadena, where UCLA prevailed 27-24 in overtime. The Vols looked threatening at times on Saturday, but key turnovers and a failed 4th down attempt at the 2 yard-line led to a 19-15 defeat.

The game marked the first loss for new head coach Lane Kiffin on Rocky Top.

“They had every opportunity to win,” Legend Pat Dye said of the Volunteers.

But they couldn’t find a way to get it done. UCLA played just good enough to win and made their cross-country trip worthwhile.  With so much talent on the field for Tennessee, Volunteer fans left wondering what went wrong.

“Tennessee is a puzzle,” Dye said. “The puzzle is almost complete but is still missing some key pieces. One of those pieces is the quarterback position.”

Tennessee quarterback Jonathan Crompton completed only 50 percent of his passes, throwing for less than 100 yards. He was also intercepted three times by UCLA. Crompton and his receivers looked like they weren’t on the same page.

“Throwing three interceptions will make it tough for any team to win,” Dye said.

The air attack wasn’t the only problem for the Volunteers, however. The running game was inconsistent. Hardesty rushed for a respectable 89 yards and touchdown, but highly touted freshman Bryce Brown only accounted for 38 yards on 11 carries.

The lone bright spot for Tennessee would have to be the defense. It wasn’t a typical SEC defensive performance with players flying all over the field. But the Vols held UCLA to just 85 yards on the ground and only 101 yards through the air.

The defense also came up with a safety with 1:41 left in the game, when DB Dennis Rogan sacked UCLA QB Kevin Prince, breaking his jaw in the process. The safety gave Tennessee the ball back and a chance to win the game. A chance they didn’t capitalize on.

The jury is still out whether the Lane Kiffin era will be an era to remember for Vols fans, but it appears the glory years are still beyond the horizon.

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