Today On Rocky Top: Dave Hart Talks Vols & More News

Nov 18, 2012; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers athletic director Dave Hart announces the firing of football head coach Derek Dooley at Stokely Family Media Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

From the Times Free Press

"Dave Hart left Neyland Stadium two Saturday evenings ago feeling the same way many Tennessee fans did after the Volunteers narrowly missed out on an upset of the No. 6 football team in the country.“It tore my heart out,” Tennessee’s athletic director said Thursday afternoon.For first-year coach Butch Jones and his staff, last week’s open date provided only minimal relief from that overtime loss to Georgia. Saturday’s visit from South Carolina starts a four-game stretch against teams ranked in this week’s Associated Press poll.The combined record of the 11th-ranked Gamecocks, No. 1 Alabama, No. 14 Missouri and No. 24 Auburn is 22-2."

From KentuckySports.com

"One team acknowledged more than one chip on its shoulder. The other lamented several chinks in its armor.That’s Florida and Tennessee, the teams perceived to be Kentucky’s main threats in Southeastern Conference men’s basketball this season.Tennessee Coach Cuonzo Martin and star guard Jordan McRae took no comfort in being considered good, but less than the SEC’s best this season. McRae, the league’s second-leading returning scorer from last season (15.7 points per game), objected to the media voting Kentucky freshman Julius Randle its SEC pre-season Player of the Year."

From the Times Free Press

"Antonio “Tiny” Richardson has had Oct. 19 circled on his calendar for 354 days and counting.Tennessee’s big, talented left tackle long has anticipated his rematch with Jadeveon Clowney, South Carolina’s all-everything defensive end, since the likely No. 1 pick in April’s NFL draft beat him inside, sacked Tyler Bray and forced a game-saving fumble in the Gamecocks’ 38-35 win in Columbia, S.C., last October.Already a fiery player on the field, Richardson surely will be amped up more for Saturday’s rematch than for any other game he’s played in his Tennessee career."

From Bleacher Report

"Tennessee is a 3-3 football team with the victories coming against the likes of Austin Peay, Western Kentucky and South Alabama, but it lost out to Georgia in overtime 34-31.Since then, the Vols had a week off and that extra week of preparation time could prove beneficial in this week’s game against South Carolina.South Carolina (5-1) has won three consecutive games against the Vols and enters Saturday’s game coming off its best overall performance of the season in a 52-7 victory at Arkansas."