Today On Rocky Top: Darius Thompson A Natural PG & More

Nov 22, 2013; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers guard Darius Thompson (15) brings the ball up court against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tennessee won 88 to 67. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

From Nooga.com

"As head basketball coach at Motlow State in the late ’90s, Lonnie Thompson didn’t have the luxury of a video coordinator. If he wanted to break down film of an upcoming opponent, he had to do it himself, and more times than not he had to take his work home.That’s how he discovered he had a prodigy on his hands.One night Thompson was watching tape when his five-year-old son Darius ambled into the room, sat down beside him and offered a quick opinion. “I can’t remember exactly what he said,” said Thompson, now the head coach at Cumberland University. “But it was something about one of our opponent’s players, and it was dead on. I said, ‘What?’ And I made him repeat it. And he repeated it, which told me he knew what he was talking about."

From the Times Free Press

"Inside what had to be a despondent locker room at Neyland Stadium late Saturday night, Ja’Wuan James tried to lift the spirits of a somber Tennessee football team.The Volunteers went from victory to defeat in a span of about 10 minutes after visiting Vanderbilt scored the winning touchdown with 16 seconds left, just three plays after Tennessee thought it had stopped the Commodores on a fourth-and-inches play.The loss knocked the Vols from contention for a bowl game and, perhaps more importantly, provided the worst moment in a season that’s soured significantly in the month since Tennessee upset South Carolina."

From the Times Free Press

"As their season slid off the tracks in the last month, the Tennessee Volunteers have seen their offense fall into a tailspin of mistakes, missed opportunities and ineffectiveness.It finally cost them a win, too.After scoring 23 or more points during a three-game stretch against South Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, Tennessee scored 10 points or less three times and managed just three offensive touchdowns in its past four games."

From Bleacher Report

"Filing out of a sad, stunned Neyland Stadium following Vanderbilt’s 14-10 comeback win over Tennessee, an angry Volunteers fan let fly one of many critical cries that will take place in yet another long offseason.“Give us another fancy slogan, Butch,” the fan said, referring to Tennessee’s normally optimistic, phrase-spinning head coach Butch Jones. “Tell us how it’ll all be OK.”It was a prophetic pronouncement that probably rings truer than ever after the Vols found yet another heart-twisting way to lose. Jones has to find a way to inject positive vibes into a dejected group of players right now."