5 dumbest coaching decisions in Tennessee football’s loss to Florida

3. Vols alternating kickers on special teams

Tennessee football had an automatic kicker in Aaron Medley within 40 yards and the power leg in Brent Cimaglia from beyond 40 yards. So it made sense that there would be a field goal kicking controversy.

However, knowing how mentally fragile kickers are, the Vols coaches had no business mixing them up within one game. That was ridiculous!

And this is why Charlton Warren got to join Bob Shoop and Larry Scott for horrendous coaching decisions.

Tennessee clearly made the decision to go with Cimaglia early. And he nailed a 51-yarder. But then, after he missed a 47-yarder and another 51-yarder, they pulled him for another field goal and put Medley back in.

Medley came in for a 44-yarder and missed it. But the fault does not lie with Medley. It’s with Warren and Jones.

They had already screwed up Medley’s mentality by benching him. So it made no sense to put him in. But they put him back in that situation because Cimaglia missed two very long field goals and made one! Where is the shame in that?

They had no reason to bench Cimaglia from the start. But to bench him for Medley only made things worse. The handling of this is why the Vols made only two of five field goals on the day.

Medley’s final field goal doesn’t count. It was an easy kick. But it’s part of our next dumb coaching decision on this list. Let’s find out why.