In the game of chess, the pawn is the weakest piece, and it is often used metaphorically to indicate something that is unimportant or  expendable. In the game of College Football, Nu’Keese has become that pawn for the University of Tennessee football program.

Kiffin first used Nu’Keese back in February at an “energetic breakfast” with some of Tennessee’s donors and alumni. Kiffin claimed Urban Meyer broke NCAA rules by calling Richardson while he was at UT on a recruiting visit.

“I’m going to turn Florida in right now in front of you. As Nu’Keese was here on campus, his phone keeps ringing. So one of our coaches who is sitting in a meeting with him says, ‘Who’s that?’ He looks at the phone and says, ‘Urban Meyer.’

Just so you know, when a recruit is on another campus you can’t call him. But I love the fact that Urban had to cheat and still didn’t get him.”

With Kiffin’s blatant lack of knowledge of the rules,  he was able to get his national headlines after National Signing Day. With their “don’t take no for an answer” approach and his promise to turn Nu’Keese into the next Reggie Bush, Kiffin had his trophy to keep his program in the news.

Kiffin said after National Signing day, “We’re just getting started. This is just a little bit of a taste . . . There’s already been a message sent and I think there are going to be bigger ones sent soon.”

His recruiting coordinator Ed Orgeron saw it fit to take some direct shots at the Gators, “In order to beat the national champ on the field, you have to beat the national champ in recruiting. We beat them twice.”

Also Orgeron made it clear the strong arm tactics they used to get Nu’ke out Florida, “‘No’ doesn’t mean anything nowadays. A commitment doesn’t mean anything nowadays. Just the fax. When you see that name come across the paper, that’s what matters.”

While Boy Blunder and his League of Super Coaches were planning their next PR move, a unsure Richardson had to live with his rushed decision. “I wanted to move it back,” Richardson said. “I wanted to wait. But I felt if I did too much thinking it would make it harder on me.”

Fast forward to November 12th –rumors are swirling about an unhappy Nu’Keese considering a transfer and skipping a practice, but what takes place around 2 AM at the Pilot gas station in Knoxville comes as a shock to us all. I won’t get into the details as they have been covered thoroughly.

What I want to focus on is the fact that a kid promised to become the next Reggie Bush sits in a Knoxville jail cell because no one has posted a $19,500 bond for Nu’Keese. So the pawn that was uprooted from his family and friends in Florida gets sacrificed. In a week where Kiffin boasted about his clean program,  he has yet to issue any disciplinary actions or shown any compassion towards his players.

Would things have been any better if Richardson came to Gainesville? That I have no clue, but one thing is for sure; Nu’Keese has been nothing but PR magic for Kiffin. He gave the UT program its only win over Florida, and in return he gives the Tennessee Football Program its biggest black eye too. Maybe going forward,  the UT advertising agency will look  a little deeper into how these headlines affect the people in them.
UT quotes from - Knoxville News Sentinel

Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin responds to Urban Meyer’s comments that UT wasn’t playing to win.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4494316

By showing you couldn’t beat a mid-level Pac-10 team, you got Vegas to put up a 30-point spread (which no SEC team should ever have).

It is time to give the media an “aw shucks” and start talking about how great the Gators are. Everybody is now set up for the blowout and only a 50-point win will satisfy most of the Gators fan base and media.

• ESPN.com’s Pat Forde—Florida looks vulnerable in win, Tennessee looks tough in loss

• New York Times—A Letdown, but Not a Loss, for Florida.

• Mike Strange—Loss but not lost

• Orlando Sentinel Mike Bianchi—Gators win but Kiffin’s still laughing

• Palm Beach Post Ben Volin—Tennessee frustrates Florida

• SI.com’ndy Staples—Florida scored more points, but this felt like a victory for Tennessee

So how do you keep from getting blown out by the Gators? First you clearly go into the game with no plans to throw the ball over five yards deep and hope your ground game can eat up clock.

Somehow you knew you would catch a break with Deonte Thompson out due to a hamstring injury and Jeff Demps, Aaron Hernandez, and Jermaine Cunningham all battling the flu.

Kiffin told Matt Hayes of SportingNews “I started slowing down getting the plays to take time off the clock. I didn’t want to tell our players what the plan was.”

Coach Urban Meyer said that Tennessee’s apparent lack of interest in actually winning the game, as opposed to keeping it close, meshed perfectly with Florida playing conservatively.

“It was unbelievable,” he said of Tennessee’s ambivalent offense. “They were taking their time snapping the ball when they could go win the game. There was no two-minute drill.”

The conservative game calling was just as catching as the flu with Steve Addazio also unwilling to take any chances down field. Tim Tebow carried the bulk of the load with 24 rushing attempts, but it was an uncharacteristic Tebow fumble deep in Vol’s territory allow Tennessee to avoid their second 30-6 loss.

It is great to see the Vols Nation happy being mentioned as one of the best 1-2 teams in the nation. All is great since you didn’t get embarrassed in Kiffin’s first SEC game.

What seems to be missed is the program has reached a level that a loss is considered a win in anyone’s book.

Seems that the Vols have taken a page from Randy Shannon with the “This will help us more than you will ever know” philosophy.

September 20, 2008 - Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images North America

Michael Oleszek takes a look at the first SEC match up for the No. 1 Florida Gators (2-0) vs. Tennessee Volunteers (1-1)

What Happened Last Week

Florida looked every bit like the No. 1 team in the nation—after the first quarter, in a 56-6 win over Troy. The opening period wasn’t kind to the Gators, as a driving rainstorm combined with sloppy ball handling left the Gator Nation feeling a little uneasy. The Gators would go on to score on their next four possessions, effectively putting the game out of reach.

Tennessee took all of the good feelings and optimism from their week one blowout win over Western Kentucky and completely flushed it down the toilet against UCLA. The Vols took their third consecutive loss to a Pac-10 team, despite holding the Bruins to only 186 yards of total offense and a dismal 3 of 14 on third down. The Tennessee offense failed to capitalize late in the game, and the Bruins came away with an upset in Neyland Stadium.

Florida will win if…

They Win the Three and Out Battle

Three plays and get the defense off the field. That’s a pretty simple philosophy that the Gators need to mandate for Saturday. Tennessee’s offense held the ball for 14 of the last 18 minutes against UCLA and had two drives totaling 30 plays.

If Florida’s offense is parked on the sidelines that long, it will allow the Vols to control the tempo of the game and hang around longer than most people expect. Tennessee can parlay this and a solid defense into keeping the game tight heading into the fourth quarter.

Getting the Vols to go three and out gives the Gators two positives: The high-scoring Gator offense comes back on the field, and Brandon James is back to return punts.

They Take Care of the Football

There were six fumbles by Florida last Saturday, with three of them being lost. Good teams can get away with that against the Troys of the world. Florida will not win if they have three turnovers against Tennessee. Eric Berry, the best defender in the country, is a ballhawk who can take turnovers back to the house from anywhere on field. Rico McCoy is an All-SEC caliber linebacker who can cause havoc at any time. And linebacker Nick Reveiz is an underrated talent who is playing well in his first year as a starter.

They Just Play Football

It is beyond time for everyone on both teams in this rivalry to just shut up and play some football. Lane Kiffin started at his press conference with “singing Rocky Top all night when we beat Florida.” Then, he (incorrectly) said that “he loved the fact that Urban had to cheat, and still didn’t get him,” (referring to recruit Nu’Keese Richardson). Florida lineman Matt Patchan has called Kiffin a “bozo,” and quarterback Tim Tebow has said that he “doesn’t like anyone talking about Coach Meyer.”

Everybody needs to shut up, immediately. Play the game on the field Saturday between the white lines, within the rules, and settle everything then. If you need an example of how to settle things on the field, just watch the tackle Brandon Spikes made early in the Georgia game on Knowshon Moreno. The talent levels at every position favor the Gators (except for Eric Berry), and when the Gators play up to their talent level—they win, and win big.

Florida will lose if…

Eric Berry dictates the pace of Florida’s offense

The best defensive player in college football, coached by one of the best defensive minds at any level (Monte Kiffin), is lining up against arguably the best offense in the game, and do you think he’s going to just sit back and play cover two the whole game?

Um, I don’t think so.

Eric Berry will have to blitz, play man to man, play cover two, play cover three, line up in the box, and then make enough big plays on top of it to disrupt and confuse the Florida offense enough to make the Gators second guess themselves.

The Tennessee defense feeds off of Berry’s play, and they will need to do so if they want to beat the Gators.

There is no doubt that the Gators will game plan for him and where he lines up, but Florida’s offensive coordinator Steve Addazio cannot allow his play calling during the game to be dictated by one person.

Tennessee doesn’t kick the ball to Brandon James

Everyone in Tennessee should know who Brandon James is by now. If they don’t know him by name, then they should know him by the number 25 he wears on his jersey. And, if that still doesn’t work, Brandon James is the guy who has torched Tennessee’s special teams for 410 return yards and two touchdowns in the last three games.

Now think about the touchdown in 2006 that was taken away on a borderline penalty, and the one also in 2006 where the kicker tripped him in the open field, and it is enough to give any special teams coach an ulcer.

Keeping the ball away from James should be at the top of the list in the Vols’ game plan for Saturday, as it will force the Gators into either bad field position or doing something different in the return game.

The X-Factors will be…

Lane Kiffin and Nu’Keese Richardson

Is this really a shock? I think every Gator fan who hasn’t been living under a rock has been waiting for this game and these two people to come to town since signing day in February.

Personally, I could not care less what Lane Kiffin has to say about anything, but some Gator fans took it as a slap in the face. I could also not care less where Nu’Keese Richardson decided to go to school. That was his choice, and it is unfortunate for him that he was the one dragged into it.

Game Prediction

Florida has won the last four games in a row, and more than likely it will be five in a row on Saturday. Eric Berry can’t overcome the deficiencies at quarterback and receiver for Tennessee; and the Gators win with a score closer than most people think.

Florida 38 – Tennessee 13

Urban Meyer never lost to Phillip Fulmer, and is undefeated against the Vols. But now A new Coach has emerged in the Vols and has threatened to take Urban and the 3 Time National Champions down. Will Lane Kiffin make true his promise or will he be Gator Bait like all the others? The Showdown in The Swamp is coming.

Tennessee let the SEC down by getting beat by UCLA at home. Now you have to come to The Swamp and pay the price.

2009 SEC Football Week 2

Riley Angel takes a look at Week 2 in the SEC

Week Two begins the start of conference play for several SEC teams. The SEC had a good opening week, going 11-1, with the only loss being Georgia to No. 9 Oklahoma State. Here are the predictions for SEC teams in the season’s second week.

Troy at Florida

Troy came into this season as a projected favorite of the Sun Belt Conference. After a surprising loss to Bowling Green, however, the team comes into Gainesville trying to regain its footing.

The Gators are coming off a romp of lowly Charleston Southern and look to keep their momentum and No. 1 ranking. The Trojans will give it a valiant effort, but Florida will run away with this early, with Myer only resting his starters in the second half to get ready to chew up the Volunteers for their next game.

Final Score: Florida 56, Troy 13

UCLA at Tennessee

The good news for the Vols? They just put up 63 points. The not-quite-bad-but-not-really-good news? Those points came up against Western Kentucky.

Tennessee did look good in its rout of the Hilltoppers, but the Volunteers will face a much tougher test in the Pac-10 Bruins, who are coming in after a win over San Diego State. This game will be a good indicator of how the Volunteers do this year.

Final Score: Tennessee 31, UCLA 20

Mississippi State at Auburn

Both of these teams are looking to score more in this years rematch of the now-infamous 3-2 game when Auburn beat Mississippi State on the road last season.

Both teams have new coaching staffs, with each hoping to display new-found offensive prowess. Malzahn leads the offensive staff for Auburn under head coach Gene Chizik, while new head coach Dan Mullen leads the Bulldogs. They both had wins over less than stellar competition and hope to use this game as a launching point for a successful season.

That being said, the name of the game in the SEC is defense, and this game will be no different. While there will be more than five points, fans will be left wondering if their programs made the right hire with a defensive struggle.

Final Score: Auburn 17, Mississippi State 6

FIU at Alabama

Alabama showed why it deserved its No. 5 ranking last week with a hard-fought win over Virginia Tech in a game that the Tide dominated statistically, but were trailing heading into the fourth quarter. Alabama hosts FIU, who will be playing their first game of the season.

Final Score: Alabama 42, FIU 0

Vanderbilt at LSU

After giving up over 475 yards of offense last week to a team that was considered to be the worst in the FBS last season, LSU fans should be wary of an upset loss to the Commodores this week.

Vandy had an impressive offensive showing against Western Carolina and wants to prove that going to a bowl last season was no fluke. If LSU can’t fix its problems on defense, look for the Commodores to come out of Baton Rouge with possibly their most important win in school history.

Final Score: LSU 27, Vanderbilt 24

Upset Alert!: South Carolina at Georgia

Georgia comes into this game after a disappointing loss to Oklahoma State and will be hoping to have a relatively easy win with the Gamecocks rolling into town. South Carolina had a poor offensive showing in last week’s 7-3 win over the Wolfpack of NC State. Spurrier will have his boys ready to take on the Bulldogs with one of the top defenses in the SEC and will shock the opposition in Athens this weekend.

Final Score: South Carolina 17, Georgia 14

You can’t talk to a  recruit on TV, and Kiffin is shown meeting and chatting with a recruit on ESPN’s Outside The Lines.

For the—wow I’ve lost count—time, the new super staff at Tennessee is going to have to self report their program for breaking the rules. This time because Head Coach Lane Kiffin’s Twitter account mentioned by name an unsigned recruit:

“It’s a beautiful day in Knoxville, Tennessee today. I was so exited to hear that J.C. Copeland committed to play for the Vols today!”

Twitter Gets Kiffin in Trouble...Again

They use again the standard “new” employees in the office. I don’t think I would let a new employee have access to my Twitter account.

“It was one of Lane’s personal assistants, and it was his first day on the job,” Hamilton explained. “He posted the message on Lane’s Twitter account without asking compliance. It was an inadvertent error, but it’s still a violation and one of those things where you’ve got to know what the deal is. We’ll report it.”

This super staff doesn’t seem to learn from its mistakes either. This is the second time they have reported themselves for mentioning an unsigned recruit by name. While on the radio in February, Kiffin talked about Bryce Brown on the air.

Coaches you may want to look at this. If you have a Twitter account just post it yourself. If you don’t have time to write 140 characters in a day, then you don’t need to have an account for some entry level office assistant to post about the weather and what color of shirt you are wearing.

This coming off a day when Kiffin buckled and called Pahokee High School and made a public apologized for insulting the whole community.

This is great theater and I love watching old tried and true Vols fans try to justify the Kiffman and his crazy shenanigans.

Stay tuned till next week when we see Boy Blunder and his League of Super Coaches mess up on the simplest things before they even coach a SEC game.

Quote by Athletic director Mike Hamilton was first reported by the Knoxville News Sentinel.

Does Kiffin Know What He Has Got Himself Into

Who really had September 19th marked down as a big game for the Gators? Yes it is Tennessee, and there would have been some interest in this game. But after a 30-6 win in Knoxville last year and a 59-20 thumping in 2007 the Vols really weren’t a must see game.

Enter Lane “Boy Blunder” Kiffin and this game is of high interest for College Football fans outside the Vols and Gators Nation. How does this happen from a coach that has not ever won a SEC game, college game, or even held his first practice?

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