Can Fulmer Avoid a Crooming?

Is that a death-knell you hear, or just the dulcet tones of Sly Croom? You be the judge...

When Ryan Ferguson singled out Phillip Fulmer and Les Miles as the coaches most likely to be Croomed back in June, he probably didn't know LSU was quite the chainsaw-endowed werewolf it has turned out to be, or that Fulmer would have one of the rockiest starts to a season in his long career. He also had no way of knowing that Mississippi State would be a respectable football team, one that is very physical on the line of scrimmage and capable of winning some games (does everybody, or anybody, realize that State is two wins away from bowl eligibility... and it's only October 12?).

Still, even if State is improved, and even if they make it to a bowl game this year, losing to the Bulldogs carries a stigma with it. So even though the Vols' beatdown of Georgia last week gave some hope to the Big Orange faithful, a loss in Starkville this weekend would erase all that. The things Vol fans really want to know are: was that the real UT against Georgia last weekend, or are the Vols really that team that got smoked in Gainesville? And did the run defense get that much better in the bye week, or was UGA just overrated? Was the bye week the key, or can the Vols get that prepared every time out? Answers, or possibly just more questions, after the jump...

It's hard to tell what the real UT is. There was a stunned relief in Neyland Stadium last Saturday when Tennessee showed the ability to both run and stop the run. But Mark Richt admitted back in September that his offense was a "little bit of smoke and mirrors" in the run game. Until some more returns come in, it will be hard to tell if the Vol run defense a week ago was smoke and mirrors, too. Fortunately for Tennessee, the Mississippi State game gives them a chance to see.

On the surface, it looks like Georgia and State are similar. Both want to run the ball... the difference is that MSU actually can run the ball because they're so much more experienced on the offensive line. What Tennessee will need to do to avoid the upset is to score early like they did against Georgia, forcing State to throw the ball. Croom already dared Tennessee to put nine in the box... though it's unclear if that's a challenge to stop the run game or State's best strategy to keep more passes from being intercepted.

There's no reason Tennessee shouldn't beat State this weekend. But this has been a wacky year in college football, and should the Bulldogs pull the upset, Fulmer might just join Ron Zook and Mike Shula as coaches who have been Croomed.