Parker: UT's problems go beyond Sanders

There's a continuous grind to life that shows up at the worst possible times.

You wake up, peel yourself out of bed and try to attack a tough day after just a handful of hours of sleep.

Chris Hannon had this potential touchdown reception slip through his fingers in the loss to South Carolina. (T-G Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge]

Your day reaches its conclusion long after everyone else's and questions arise in your head about whether or not you got the allotted 24 hours.

Exhaustion sets in and your body gives out after a long work day. Pretty soon, you are waking back up before the sun for the same battle.

All the while, every word you speak is scrutinized and accusations flood in about how you don't care and don't even want the job you've got.

What's the point of hopping on this bumpy ride if all you seem to be doing is sharpening the ax?

Randy Sanders stepped down from his post as offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee on Monday.

Sanders, who played quarterback for the Volunteers from 1984-88, dove on the sword after 22 years at Tennessee.

"This is a decision I felt I needed to make," Sanders said on Monday. "Sometimes as a coach changing the lineup on the field can give you a fresh outlook. I've never been afraid to make player changes to try to stir things up, and I'm not above changing my situation to stir things up.

"I hope this will give our team the shot in the arm it needs to get back on track for the rest of the season."

The folks that created the firerandysanders.com website got their wish asking for someone to "stop the madness."

"This has been a very difficult season for everyone, especially Randy," Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer said on Monday. "By no means is the result of the season any one person's fault. Randy has dedicated his adult life to this program and is not only a true volunteer and an outstanding coach, but a great friend.

"As circumstances would have it, things have not gone as well as anyone would like. Randy, in a selfless gesture for what he feels is in the best interest of the team, has asked to step aside at the end of the season.

"No one has worked harder or with more dedication through the years. I am sad it has come to this, but also understand the volatile and demanding world of college athletics."

"Nobody has more at stake in it than we do," said Sanders after Saturday night's 16-15 loss to South Carolina. "It's what we live. It's what we do. When you're not successful, it hurts."

The Vol nation contains thousands and thousands of playcalling legends and apparently they feel like an exchange of the headsets will make all the difference in the world.

That may happen. Who knows? Maybe Rocky Top just needs something fresh and clean.

But, I'm here to tell you, no coach could have done anything about Chris Hannon letting the ball slip through his fingers in the end zone.

No coach could have placed one foot in front of the sideline for Jayson Swain as he attempted to make a TD catch in the corner of the end zone.

No coach is going to follow Arian Foster around and put the ball back in his possession every time he dives for a score.

Let's not even touch the Bama debacle.

At some point players have to make plays.

But, Sanders is not placing all the blame on the athletes.

"The players, they're battling. They're competing. It's not like they're going out there trying to mess up. It's just that we're not making plays where we need to make them. We're making the bad ones when we absolutely can't afford to make them.

"It seems like every time we get something going, we find a way to mess it up."

The Vol offense put 10 points on the board early against the Gamecocks but were held scoreless the rest of the way with the exception of a James Wilhoit field goal midway through the fourth quarter.

"It's kind of like we've got a car with four leaky tires," Sanders said. "When you fill them up with air, it runs pretty good. But pretty soon the air runs out of the tires and it's not a very smooth ride at that point."

The glaring lack of big plays perplexes Sanders and Co.

"It's very very baffling. It's really frustrating when you know you have the right thing on, have the right play called and we're just not executing those plays."

The fumbling woes don't show up during practice because the running backs aren't getting hit. They can't take extra blows during the week because they are down to their third-string tailback after injuries.

"Everybody is pressing, trying to make something happen, trying to do something," Sanders said. "Sometimes when you try too hard, that's when the mistakes happen.

"As a coach you always believe you can fix things. Problem is you don't know where to address it because it's not like it's just one area."

Stay tuned to see if the next coach can fix a flat.

Danny Parker is sports editor of the Times-Gazette.