Apparently nobody told Florida’s Urban Meyer and Tennessee’s Lane Kiffin that the game is over.

Via ESPN.com:

In looking back at the game, Meyer said Sunday he probably should have opened up the defending national champs’ offense. But he said there was no reason to because of the Vols’ conservative approach to their own offense.

“When I saw them start handing the ball off, I didn’t feel like they were going after the win,” Meyer said.

“The way we lose a game there is throw an interception. Why put yourself in that position? Let’s find a way to win the game. We’re not trying to impress the pollsters.

We’re trying to win the game. A lot of it had to do with the way they were playing. It made our life a little easier.”

Kiffin said he put his Volunteers in the best position they could be in to beat Florida. Then he took one more shot at Meyer, who said several of his players had been hit by the flu.

Asked whether he was worried about the flu also hitting Tennessee, Kiffin said: “I don’t know. I guess we’ll wait and after we’re not excited about a performance, we’ll tell you everybody was sick.”

“They wanted to shorten the game. I remember looking out there and there’s 10 minutes left in the game and there’s no no-huddle, they are down, I think it was 23-6 and [there's no] urgency,” he said.

I can’t believe I’m writing this, but I actually side with Kiffin here. This sounds like Meyer is trying to make excuses and deflect attention away from the fact that his team didn’t give Tennessee the beating of a lifetime when everyone expected them to. Watching Florida defeat Tennessee by 10 points was like waiting all week in school to watch a huge fight at the flagpole and instead both kids exchanging blows, they came out slapping each other.

The Gators may have won, but they weren’t impressive. And as I wrote after the game, maybe that’s the medias fault for hyping up a Tennessee massacre but the bottom line is that thanks to Monte Kiffin’s defense (and Tim Tebow’s second half fumble), the Vols were able to keep things relatively close.

As far as Tennessee not showing any urgency, Kiffin is right – he put the game in the hands of his tailbacks, which were the only offensive production the Vols had. Kiffin knew that defense and his running game were the only things that were going to get him a win, so he stuck to that plan.

Meyer should move on. Florida got the win and that’s the most important thing. Maybe the massacre at the flagpole will come next year.

That kind of preaching-to-the-choir comment fit perfectly into the rhetoric of his first press conference. I doubt it got much of a rise in Gainesville, since the Gators have owned the Vols in recent seasons.

What really irked Florida Coach Urban Meyer was that Kiffin continued to attempt to hire — unsuccessfully, as it turned out — receivers coach Billy Gonzales while the Gators were preparing for the national championship game.

More recently, Kiffin has gotten on the nerves of Alabama Coach Nick Saban to the extent that Saban is asking players who already have committed to the Crimson Tide not to take official visits to UT.
This is in response to Kiffin’s hiring of Lance Thompson off Saban’s staff. Thompson, considered Alabama’s best recruiter, got a big raise to jump to the Vols just two weeks before signing day.
Considering that UT is a combined 1-6 since Meyer and Saban arrived at Florida and Alabama, you have to take your victories wherever you can find them.

And don’t forget that Kiffin also has tugged on Steve Spurrier’s visor. First Kiffin hired his brother-in-law, David Reaves, off the South Carolina staff. Then Kiffin and Spurrier exchanged comments in the press about recruiting.

While we’re at it, Kiffin also threw a $400,000 offer at super recruiter Rodney Garner in an attempt to lure him off Mark Richt’s staff at Georgia. Garner chose to stay at Georgia.

For those keeping score, Kiffin has kicked sand at Meyer, Saban, Spurrier and Richt. It’s no coincidence that those are the coaches of the four most important opponents on UT’s schedule every year. Those are also four programs that the Vols must match in recruiting if they are to regain relevance in the SEC.

Obviously this is all part of Kiffin’s plan to breathe a little life into a Tennessee program that could use a shot in the arm. Is he going about it the right way? Probably not, although that won’t matter if he wins.

If pissing off your fellow conference coaches motivates the program and players, then go for it. But if nothing changes and the Vols get flattened by all of these teams next year, then Kiffin is just going to look like a pompous ass who got what was coming to him.

SPORTSbyBROOKS.com shares the news that new soon-to-be Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin is already mixed up in a recruiting scandal involving Steve Spurrier and South Carolina.

Spurrier is claiming that Kiffin’s contact with recruit Jarvis Giles on Sunday violates NCAA rules because Kiffin hadn’t yet passed a required certification test that allows contact with recruits. Giles had pulled out of a verbal commitment to the Vols after Fulmer’s departure was announced, and he was reportedly deciding between Nebraska and…yes, South Carolina.

Kiffin’s contact with Giles on Sunday is clear. What’s not clear is whether or not Kiffin was technically UT’s coach at the time and whether NCAA rules allowed such a phone call. GO VOLS XTRA’s Dave Hooker had a seemingly harmless story about Giles’ conversation with Kiffin on Sunday:

“He already called me this morning at 7 o’clock,” the 6-foot, 175-pound tailback from Gaither High School in Tampa, Fla., said Sunday afternoon. “He said ‘I sat down and watched a little bit of your film online. From what I’ve seen, you’re pretty impressive.’

“He said he was going to sit down and watch some more tonight and see how I can fit into this offense.”

Spurrier saw these comments and wondered how exactly Kiffin had signed a contract and become certified to contact recruits in such a short period of time. THE STATE of Columbia, S.C., reports that it all happened awfully fast. Spurrier of course didn’t resist the opportunity to get in a verbal jab:

“You’re supposed to have passed the NCAA test and be on board, I think. But maybe he was just calling him as an interested observer,” Spurrier said today, laughing. “I don’t know. But technically to be able to recruit you’re supposed to pass the NCAA test.

“I know when I was hired, after the press conference I took the test to qualify you to be a recruiter. I hadn’t taken it in three or four years. At that time I could start making calls. I don’t know if he was permitted to make that call or not. You’ll have to ask somebody else.”

Kiffin said today during his first press conference that he had taken the test in time. A UT spokesman told THE STATE that Kiffin signed his contract on Saturday (which is a little odd, since Fulmer was still coaching the Vols that day while they played Kentucky).

Further muddying the Giles situation is the fact that David Reaves, the recruiting coordinator at South Carolina since 2006 (in addition to duties as quarterbacks coach), just resigned from his post with the Gamecocks…to join Kiffin’s staff. It just so happens that Reaves is Kiffin’s brother-in-law. In his old job, Reaves was likely heavily involved in efforts to get Giles to Columbia.

Welcome back to the wonderful world of college football, Lane.

Kiffin, 33, will be making his college head coaching debut in succeeding Phillip Fulmer, who will coach his last game for the Vols on Saturday.

Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton denied reports on Wednesday that Kiffin had been offered a contract. But Kiffin has been at the forefront of the Vols’ search for some time.

Part of the holdup is that Tennessee didn’t want to do anything officially this week that would take away from Fulmer’s final game Saturday against Kentucky. Fulmer was fired by Hamilton on Nov. 2 and allowed to finish out the season. He’s been at Tennessee as a player, assistant coach and head coach for 35 years.

The university has dubbed Saturday’s game “Phillip Fulmer Appreciation Day” at Neyland Stadium in celebration of his 17-year tenure.

One of the big draws with Kiffin was the staff that he’ll potentially be able to put together. He’s talked with his father, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, about joining him at Tennessee. The elder Kiffin is considered one of the foremost defensive minds in football.

Outside of drawing recruits with his NFL resume, I’m not sure Kiffin is a great fit at Tennessee. But the Vols are in major need of an offensive facelift, which is supposed to be (read: supposed to be) Kiffin’s specialty.

How huge would it be if Lane could convince papa Monte to come up from Tampa and join him? Monte Kiffin’s defenses are always so underrated and he’s easily one of the best schemers in the NFL. It’s doubtful he would leave the Bucs, but one would have to imagine that the temptation to join his son would be strong.

Five years ago, Kelly was a nobody winning multiple Division II championships at little old Grand Valley State in Grand Rapids, Michigan. From there, he was hired at Central Michigan University, which had won more than three games only once in the previous four seasons. After finishing with a 4-7 record in 2004 (his first year in Mt. Pleasant) and 6-5 in 2005, Kelly led the Chippewas to a MAC Championship in 2006 before jetting to Cincinnati before coaching CMU in the 2006 Motor City Bowl.

In his first season at Cincinnati, Kelly led the Bearcats to their second ever 10-win season (first since 1949) and a top 25 ranking. He was named Big East Coach of the Year and currently has the Bearcats ranked 19th in the nation despite having to play a total of four different quarterbacks this season due to injury.

Tennessee needs a confident, offensive-minded leader and Kelly fits the bill. Many in the Mt. Pleasant area hate him for the way he left CMU in the lurch after winning the MAC Championship in 2006, but the fact of the matter is that he made that program relative again (the Chips are going for their third straight MAC title this season). He was the one that converted Joe Staley (who is currently starting for the 49ers right now) from tight end to offensive tackle, and also the one who recruited Heisman candidate Dan LeFevour. And the job Kelly has done at Cincinnati in his two years has been remarkable to say the least.

When talking to people who have worked with him in the past (like Mt. Pleasant Morning Sun columnist and Central Michigan beat writer Drew Ellis, who is a close friend of mine), you get the impression that Kelly is a cocky, but confident coach. The Vols need someone headstrong that can turn the program around in only a few short years. No offense to Riley or any other candidate Tennessee may consider, but Kelly has won everywhere he’s gone and he seems like a coach that can light a fire under that program’s ass.

Should Tennessee really have a better program than Florida or Alabama? Should it have a better program than Georgia or LSU?

Three of those schools (Florida, Georgia and LSU) have a much richer recruiting base than Tennessee. The other school (Alabama) may have the best college coach in the universe.

Potential coaching candidates understand all this. So stop the talk about bringing in Butch Davis or Bob Stoops, OK? The Tennessee job isn’t as appealing as some fans seem to think. It may not even be as appealing as some of the other jobs that are open this year.

Clemson might not have the stadium that Tennessee has, but it’s in a much softer league. So is Washington, for that matter. Would you rather succeed Fulmer or Tyrone Willingham?
So this is going to be tricky. This is going to be difficult for Hamilton to get right.

Fulmer is gone. The next guy could be better.

Unless, of course, he’s not.

Besides the tough SEC slate that he will face on a yearly the basis, the next head coach will have issues putting talent on the field, too. Anyone who has watched the Vols play this year with any regularity has seen a team that has struggled mightily with offensive cohesion and an overall lack of talent on the roster. Even when UT has moved the ball this year, they’ve often capped the drive off by turning the ball over or failing to reach the end zone. That program is a mess right now and the firing of Fulmer is only the beginning.

Top 25 Action:
No. 8 Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC) at No. 3 Georgia (4-0, 1-0 SEC), Saturday 7:45 PM ET ESPN
In their 27-10 win over Arizona State last week, the Bulldogs were able to physically dominate ASU in the trenches, but questions still remain about their inexperienced offensive line. After having trouble with South Carolina’s front four two weeks ago, UGA head coach Mark Richt made some changes that at the very least, worked in the win over ASU. But the Bulldogs’ offensive line will get another stiff test this week against a physical defensive front of Alabama. Tide head coach Nick Saban has his team believing they can win and their 328-92 rushing dominance in a win at Arkansas last week was nothing short of impressive. Last year ‘Bama gave Georgia everything they could handle before finally losing 26-23 in overtime in Tuscaloosa. So it should be another great SEC battle “between the hedges” this Saturday. Georgia is currently a 6.5-point favorite.

No. 24 TCU (4-0, 1-0 MWC) at No. 2 Oklahoma (3-0, 2-0 home), Saturday 7:00 PM ET
The Sooners wrap up their non-conference schedule by hosting an undefeated TCU team that ranks 13th in the nation in points scored. Of course, Oklahoma is the top ranked program in that category, so lets not get ahead ourselves in predicting an upset. The Sooners have outscored opponents 164-42 and are second in the nation with a 40.7 average margin of victory. OU head coach Bob Stoops has been around the block more than enough to know his team can’t relax before conference play. Oklahoma is an 18.5-point home favorite.

No. 22 Illinois (2-1, 0-1 away) at No. 12 Penn State (4-0, 3-0 home)
Entering the season, Ohio State and Wisconsin were considered the class of the Big Ten. While that might still be the case, the conference produces an underrated matchup this Saturday in Happy Valley when the Nittany Lions host the Illini. So far this season, PSU has one of the best offenses in the nation, ranking sixth in total yards, 31st in passing yards, eighth in rushing yards and third in points scored. But the last time the Lions squared off against Illinois, they turned the ball over three times inside the Illini’ 30-yard line in a surprising 27-20 loss in Champaign. Film of that game will almost certainly be shown to PSU players leading up to Saturday’s game. Illinois is currently a 15-point road dog.

Upset Watch:
Tennessee at No. 15 Auburn Saturday 3:30 PM ET CBS
Considering they were crushed 30-6 by Florida last Saturday, not too many people will give the Vols a chance this weekend against the Tigers, who are coming off a narrow loss to No. 6 LSU. But Tennessee played better against the Gators than the final score indicated. The UT defense surrendered only 16 first downs and 243 yards against the high-powered Florida offense. That bodes well this week when they take on an Auburn offense that has only managed 17 points in their first eight quarters against SEC opponents and is largely still a work in progress. Oddsmakers have established Auburn as a 6.5-point favorite.

Other notable games:
No. 1 USC at Oregon State, Thursday 9:00 PM ET ESPN
Remember the last time USC traveled to Corvallis? The Trojans certainly do.

Mississippi State at No. 5 LSU Saturday 7:30 PM ESPN2
The Tigers are coming off a huge win last week in Auburn. Will they have a letdown against unranked Mississippi State?

Arkansas at No. 7 Texas Saturday 3:30 PM ET ABC
Bobby Petrino’s bunch were hammered last week at home against Alabama. Petrino can probably count on similar results this week in Austin.