Dooley’s Reckoning; Moral Victory; Vols Stats

DOOLEY’S RECKONING

Yes, if Derek Dooley and the Tennessee Vols don’t win at Mississippi State in two weeks, then Derek Dooley will not be the coach at the University of Tennessee in 2013.  He won’t be fired immediately after the game or the next day, but he will not be retained as UT’s head football coach.  If the Vols lose to MSU on October 13th, that will put the Vols at 0-3 in the SEC with #1 ranked Alabama coming to Knoxville on October 20th and a trip to #6 South Carolina on October 27th.  That makes the Mississippi State game the most critical for Dooley and the Vols.  A win in Starkville will give him a nice road SEC win over a solid opponent, not Vanderbilt or Ole Miss.  A loss will send the Vols heading into November at 3-5 overall.  The Mississippi State game could be “Dooley’s Reckoning.”

MORAL VICTORY?

I’ve heard a lot of people since the loss at Georgia last Saturday say, “Well, at least they played hard” or “They’re showing signs of improving.”  Yes, they did play hard and they did show signs of improvements.  But, I never thought I would hear the day that Tennessee fans were talking about moral victories.  It’s not something new, though.  UT fans have been picking up moral victories in droves over the past few years.  Since Phillip Fulmer was fired in the middle of the 2008 season, Tennessee fans have had hope that Lane Kiffin and now Derek Dooley would bring the Vols back to the top of the SEC East.  With each close loss, Vols fans would say, “Man they played great they’re close!”  Give me a break.  I saw no moral victories out of last Saturday’s game at UGA.  Some would say the showing of a good running game was a good moral victory or the fact that the Vols battled back after being down 27-10.  The Vols blew a shot to pick up a big road win and help save their coaches’ job.  That’s what I saw.

Check out these outstanding stats and records from Dooley and the Vols since 2010:

14-16 career record as UT head coach

4-14 SEC record (wins: Ole Miss, Vanderbilt (2) and Kentucky)

6 losses of 30 points or more (5 SEC)

1-8 road record in the SEC (won at Vanderbilt 2010)

0-10 versus Florida, Georgia, Alabama and South Carolina

0-12 versus ranked opponents

10-2 versus non-conference opponents (Wins: UT-Martin, UAB, Memphis, Montana, Cincinnati, Buffalo, MTSU, North Carolina State, Georgia State, Akron)  (Losses: Oregon, North Carolina)

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