ShareThisBy STEPHEN FASTENAU
Thursday, November 02, 2006
The change has been significant.
Last year, Tennessee's offense floundered. Quarterbacks Rick Clausen and Erik Ainge split time and were equally ineffective.
This season, Ainge is alone in control of the Volunteers offense and its production has skyrocketed.
"Their offense is so much better than last year it's not even funny," said USC coach Steve Spurrier of the ninth-ranked Vols attack.
Tennessee is averaging 412.6 yards a game after averaging 326.3 in 2005 and its scoring is up from 18.6 points a game last season to 32.4. Ainge leads the SEC in passing yards and total offense and his team is second in points scored and yards per game. So its no coincidence that the Vols are 6-1 compared to last year's 5-6.
The change presents a daunting task for the Gamecocks' secondary, which up to this point found its toughest competition to be Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson.
Ainge has both better numbers and more weapons than Woodson.
"I think he's going to be the best quarterback we face," said South Carolina cornerback Captain Munnerlyn. "Every other team we've played, they pass the ball, but not that well."
The Gamecocks' pass defense has faired decently despite the loss of Ko Simpson and Jonhathan Joseph to the NFL.
Secondary coach Ron Cooper has relied on the freshman Munnerlyn and senior Fred Bennett, the unit's lone returning starter, to make up the slack.
Despite several hits at the safety position, where suspensions and injuries have left the group thin, Cooper has managed to forge the SEC's No. 2 pass defense through seven games.
The Gamecocks are No. 8 in the country in the category, allowing 147.4 yards a game through the air.
Ainge, at least on paper, will be the stiffest test for the secondary's lofty rankings to this point.
"I feel like he's got the better arm than all of them," Munnerlyn said. "He throws the ball right on the money."
Ainge also has capable targets.
Receiver Robert Meachem leads the SEC with 762 yards on the season and an average of 5.71 catches a game. Senior Bret Smith, with 27 catches, has proved a capable sidekick while senior Jayson Swain has added 25 grabs (and five touchdowns) despite a gimpy ankle.
"We feel like we've got three good corners that can cover them," Munnerlyn said. "They're real big receivers and we just want to show them that we can tackle, they don't think we can tackle."
Munnerlyn, who had his first career interception last week, said he is beginning to get the hang of SEC play. As a unit, the Gamecocks have picked off nine passes.
Ainge has faced problems with decision-making. The 6-6, 200-pounder has thrown eight interceptions through seven games. His efficiency rating, at 157, is much higher than both his and Clausen's number from a season ago.
The Volunteers' offensive success could be attributed to the lack of a quarterback controversy: Ainge doesn't split time with anyone.
"They settled on him," Spurrier said. "He gets about 80 percent of their snaps in practice, so he is much better prepared to play.
