Parker: Prepared Vols make good impression

KNOXVILLE -- Luck, as they say, is when preparation meets opportunity.

Tennessee had quite the audience for their season-opening 63-7 shellacking of Western Kentucky on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

Offseason comments by new head coach Lane Kiffin and a staff plucked from various levels of football had both fans of the Volunteers and curious onlookers providing all the opportunity they could ever ask for to leave a first impression.

Listening to player after player in the postgame press conference, it was more than evident that this team was prepared for anything and everything Western Kentucky could throw at them.

"Coach Kiffin came in the first day and said, 'No one is going to out-prepare us, we're never going to not be ready,'" Vol linebacker/captain Nick Reveiz said. "That was true. We were so prepared. We'd seen those looks a million times in practice, and I really feel like our defense played well and adjusted well."

The UT defense allowed a grand total of 83 yards and came up with three takeaways.

Was that showing just luck? Hardly, at least not by Webster's version. But, the Vols definitely took advantage of the opportunity afforded them by SEC TV and the preparation was relentless.

"Our coaches put in numerous hours in the office getting the game plan ready. All we had to do was buy in and do what they told us," UT safety Eric Berry said.

LaMarcus Thompson hadn't started a game in four years, dating back to his time at Redan High School in Lithonia, Ga. Yet, there he was, making plays all over Shields-Watkins Field.

"Our mindset was very good," said Thompson, who had three tackles for a loss, a sack, forced a fumble and recovered a fumble. "We were very mentally prepared. We went through a ton of walkthroughs, a ton of runthroughs, so we could execute and play very fast."

The attention to detail in all facets is quickly becoming commonplace yet again with this program, and it doesn't stop on defense.

The Orange and White racked up 657 yards of offense. For those keeping score at home, that's more yardage than the output from the Alabama, Auburn and Georgia games in 2008 combined.

"We strive for 550 (yards). So, we obviously achieved that goal," said quarterback Jonathan Crompton, who had a career day by connecting on 21 of 28 passes for 233 yards and five touchdowns.

"We're not satisfied at all because we know we can do better."

Kiffin didn't exit the locker room to address the media with a glow or a smirk. He was business as usual. In fact, the first words out of his mouth referenced the team's sluggish first-quarter start. When asked to comment about the offense's production, it didn't turn into a "rah-rah" session with the 34-year-old coach patting himself on the back.

"It's one game. It's one game and this is the way we expect to play," he said. "We have high expectations here. That does not surprise me the way these numbers are. That's the way it should be."

Much-heralded freshman tailback Bryce Brown gained 104 rushing yards on only 11 attempts and bowled over two defenders for the game's first score.

However, there was Brown getting chewed out on the sideline by his position coach Eddie Gran for gearing down following a 34-yard run that ended with Brown easing out of bounds. The Vols were up 35-7 midway through the second half, but that's beside the point.

Kiffin echoed Gran's sentiments: "He was not finishing in the style that we play with here. So, that was disappointing, but he'll learn from that."

However, Kiffin did say Brown "had a great hit on the tip-ball interception" in the first quarter.

Scalding a prized recruit for letting up with his team leading by four scores? Welcome to the Lane Kiffin Era at Rocky Top.

These coaches are relentless, but the team appears to be passing around the orange Kool-Aid. Even life on the sidelines is different.

"One word is intense," Reveiz said. "As soon as you get to the sideline, there's no watching the JumboTron and seeing what the offense is doing. You sit down. You're going to get the adjustments.

"You have to adjust every single play, every single drive when you come off the field. You're not going to quit adjusting till the end of the game."

Danny Parker is sports editor of the Times-Gazette. He can be reached at dparker@t-g.com.