Talkin' Tennessee

A voice with a gentle twang prodded Rick Neuheisel about his first game as UCLA's starting quarterback.

"I knew it would be a tough night when Uga threw up on my shoes," Neuheisel, now the Bruins coach, said jokingly. Georgia won that 1983 game. A few months later, Neuheisel won the Rose Bowl. That's a comforting thought for UCLA this season, knowing that a rocky (top) start doesn't preclude a strong finish.

You don't always see visiting journalists at news conferences, but the question came from John Adams, sports editor for the Knoxville News Sentinel. He's been in California the last couple of weeks and vacations here frequently. Conveniently enough, Tennessee will take on UCLA in the Rose Bowl on Monday.

Adams, a Southerner, has spent time working in Louisiana, Florida and Mississippi. Add in 21 years as a columnist in Knoxville, and this man knows the SEC — especially Tennessee. I sat down with Adams and L.A. Times beat writer Chris Foster to talk about Monday's matchup between the Bruins and the Volunteers.

—Adam Rose

Image: Tennesse schedule/wallpaper from the team's website.

Adam Rose: You don't normally come out here for football — what do you associate with L.A.?

John Adams: I associate Malibu beaches with L.A. That's where I would want to live. Somebody, feel free to give me a house there! I saw a house that would run $7 or $8 million, right on the beach, that I could live in.

AR: Will write for shelter, eh? So if you think of L.A. you think of Malibu. If you think of UCLA, what comes to mind?

JA: Basketball.

AR: What about UCLA football?

JA: When I think UCLA football, I think uniforms. I love UCLA's uniforms. Don't know what they're going to put in those uniforms this year, but I love those uniforms.

AR: Coming from the SEC, what do you think about the Pac-10 as a conference? Does it get second-tier billing?

JA: I actually watch a lot of Pac-10 ball because I can see the games late at night on Saturday on TV (if it's an afternoon game I'm covering). Actually, I would probably put the Pac-10, in general, in recent years, second to the SEC. The SEC is the strongest conference most years, but I think the Pac-10 is certainly ahead of the Big 10 now. The Big XII had a strong showing last year.

I think most people in the South look down on Pac-10 football. They think of it as just an improved version of the WAC and the Mountain West with a lot of scoring and no defense — outside of Southern Cal, that is. But I watch a lot of it and I'm very impressed with the Pac-10.

AR: Chris, what do you think about the SEC?

Chris Foster: It's an outstanding football conference. Every now and then their coaches get a little holier-than-thou when it comes to talking about their conference, but they often back it up on the field and with the national titles they've won. I think they've earned the right to call themselves the top conference in the country.

AR: What's the strongest aspect of this Tennessee team?

JA: I really think it's balanced. If you look at most teams, you see some hole, maybe even a glaring weakness (or two, or three). I think with Tennessee, across the board, it's a pretty solid-looking team. It can run the ball, it's got a veteran offensive line, and a running back from San Diego in Arian Foster, who's a good, hard-nosed runner. Not a great runner, but a good runner who probably will make All-SEC. Tennessee should be able to control the ball, use play action passes, and not put a big burden on a young quarterback.

AR: Obviously UCLA's strength is the defense. Do you think they'll be able to put some pressure on that young quarterback?

CF: I know that DeWayne Walker will come up with something to try and get some happy feet going in the backfield. He's pretty good at devising blitzes and attacking weaknesses. What UCLA will have to do is cover up their secondary ... they don't want to leave some of those guys exposed. You have a true freshman at one safety, a guy making his first start at the other safety, and a backup at a corner. They've really replaced three people in the secondary, so whatever DeWayne does he's probably going to be conscious of the fact that he has that secondary and try not to leave them dangling.

AR: So you've got an young secondary for UCLA and an inexperienced quarterback for Tennessee. What about the wide receivers for Tennessee?

JA: Tennessee has a pretty deep corps of wide receivers. There's nobody right now that jumps out at ya' and looks All-World or anything, but Gerald Jones is a name to remember. He was coming on strong at the end of last season, and I'll look for him to have a big year. Lucas Taylor led them in receiving last year. They've got a bunch of guys with experience; it's a pretty deep receiving corps.

AR: You said it's a well-balanced team. Is there anything that's a real weakness?

JA: The biggest question I would have about Tennessee would be its defense against the run. Starting two new guys at defensive end, they're pretty fast like most SEC ends, but I don't know how well they'll hold up against the run. Defensive tackles — both started last year and they struggled at times. There's not a lot of depth at defensive tackle. If I'm UCLA, and I know UCLA has limitations and problems with its offensive line, I would certainly want to test those guys.

AR: UCLA has Kahlil Bell back, though he's struggled with some injuries and hasn't gotten a ton of carries in camp. How would you assess UCLA's running game at this stage and what do you think they'll be able to do?

CF: I think their running game is fine from the backfield up. Kahlil Bell has shown his cutting ability. His speed is back. They've held him out a little bit in training camp, but it wasn't because the knee was bothering him. He had a hip flexor for a little while, and they're just trying to ease him back in. It's just — how many Tennessee people will Kahlil meet before he gets to the line of scrimmage? Anybody who's been following what I've been writing knows the offensive line is the linchpin to this whole deal. If they can block, UCLA will be fine. But nobody's proven that they're exceptional yet on that line.

AR: Last question for both of you. What's the most unappreciated story line, or what do you think will really surprise people in this game?

JA: With Tennessee, maybe the quarterback. I do think Jonathan Crompton has ability. A couple years ago in a backup role he came in for an injured Erik Ainge against LSU, which had one of the best defenses in the country, and he threw two touchdown passes. So there is a bit of a track record with him, he has a little bit of a history of being a gamer. He didn't do well the next week against Arkansas, but still, that game makes me wonder if when the lights come on, he might really step it up.

CF: Safety Rahim Moore — a true freshman who's starting. He's going to do four, five, six things to make people say, "Wow! He's a freshman. Boy, he's making mistakes." But you're going to see one or two plays where people will go, "This guy's going to be an All-American some day!" Whether he is or not? I don't know. But he's got that kind of ability. Can I ask John a question? Have you ever been to Tootsies in Nashville?

JA: Yes I have!

CF: That's a fine place! Correct me if I'm wrong.... Tootsie's is the bar that's right outside the old Grand Ole Opry building — the Ryman Auditorium. During the heyday, you weren't allowed to drink at the Grand Ole Opry. Hank Williams and some of the others would slip across to Tootsies' and sit in the back room and drink and play guitar, and somebody would come and get 'em when it was their time to go on stage. That's the legend.

JA: [Grinning] You're saying Hank Williams drank?

CF: [In a wry tone] No. He played guitar! But that's the legend.

JA: It's still harder to get in trouble in Nashville than it is out here.... Did you ever eat at the Sunset Grill? Good place. You might see a few celebrities there. Or maybe just a sportswriter hanging out.

Thanks to John and Chris for taking the time to chat! For more, check out John Adams' column in today's Knoxville News and Chris Foster's expectations piece in Monday's Times.