Why Tennessee should scare you

The people that run this blog (corporate types that wear power suits) keep telling me I have to be bolder and make big predictions. With that in mind, I’m going to make two. Starting this season, beware the Tennessee offense. Second, in about three years, the name Dave Clawson is going to start meaning a lot more to fans of the SEC.

Now the obvious question: who is Dave Clawson? Well, he is the first year offensive coordinator for the University of Tennessee. And wherever he goes, teams tend to score points, gain yards, and win football games.

Clawson got his first head coaching job at I-AA Fordham, who had endured 12 straight losing seasons before Clawson got there and took them to the playoffs. His next stop, Richmond, is where he probably did his best work. After a 3-8 record his first year in 2004 where the offense averaged 354 ypg, Clawson took the Spiders to the I-AA playoffs and a 9-4 record the very next year. The Spider offense raised its ypg average to 392 in that same year. Last year, the Spiders made it all the way to the I-AA championship game before losing to Appalachian State. The 2007 Spider offense averaged 413 ypg while compiling a record of 11-3.

Clawson’s offensive philosophy comes from spread principles. (Think more West Virginia than Florida). Anyone who saw the 2007 I-AA championship game could appreciate how much he had accomplished with less than spectacular talent. Richmond’s admission standards are not exactly football conducive. What is scary for the rest of the SEC is that he will be working with some pretty talented football players at Tennessee.

Even scarier for the rest of the conference is that Tennessee is traditionally very successful when their offense is clicking. Before Clawson, there was David Cutcliffe. Cutcliffe was Tennessee’s offensive coordinator when they won the 1998 national title. Following the ’98 title run, Cutcliffe went to Ole Miss to be the Rebels’ head coach. From that season until 2006, Tennessee won a lot of close games with defense, running the football, special teams, and a lackluster offense (which they were pretty good at). That is, until 2005 when the bottom fell out and the team went 5-6. Re-enter David Cutcliffe. The Vols go 9-4 in ’06 and 10-4 in ’07, winning the SEC East in the process.

Tennessee always has a solid defense under John Chavis. Without Cutcliffe, they seemed to struggle at times to find an offense to match. Clawson is just the guy to pick up where Cutcliffe left off, assuming that Fulmer doesn’t reign him in along with his spread offense. Tennessee’s first four games include Florida at home and at Auburn. If the offense struggles in those games, look for Fulmer to get antsy and reel in the offense. If Fulmer and Tennessee fans have patience with the new offense, Clawson could be just the shot in the arm they need. In the coming years, he could be the hot assistant coach on the short list of most athletic directors in the market for a head coach.

Ahh, the SEC East: the most ridiculously tough division in college football. And it just got tougher.