GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin jogged to midfield, briefly shook hands with Florida’s Urban Meyer and then darted toward the locker room.
Kiffin kept his head up the whole way. Who could blame him? After all, he had more reason to be encouraged than embarrassed after his Southeastern Conference opener against the top-ranked Gators.
Tim Tebow ran for 76 yards and a touchdown, Caleb Sturgis kicked three field goals and Florida eked out a 23-13 win over the Volunteers on Saturday.
It wasn’t the beatdown many expected. It gave Kiffin reason to …

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Even with offensive guru Norm Chow in the press box, UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel turned to his defense with the game on the line.
It was the right call.
UCLA stopped Tennessee’s Montario Hardesty on fourth-and-2 in the closing minutes, and the Bruins made it two in a row against the Volunteers with a 19-15 victory Saturday.
“We will be a better offense,” Neuheisel said. “But given the way our offense was playing, I thought it was better to put it in (the defense’s) hands.”
Trailing by 6, the Vols (1-1) had …

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Former defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona has died after being involved in a car accident. He was 26.
Agent Chad Speck said Saturday that Mahelona was involved in an accident about a mile from his home in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Speck did not know any more circumstances of the accident.
Mahelona was drafted in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans, where he played in 10 games as a rookie. He also spent time with the Miami Dolphins before playing his last NFL game with the Atlanta …

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin’s tenure on Rocky Top is off to a smooth start.
Jonathan Crompton threw five touchdown passes Saturday, leading the Volunteers to a 63-7 rout of Football Bowl Subdivision newcomers Western Kentucky and their largest margin of victory in nine years.
“This is the way that we expect to play,” Kiffin said. “We have high expectations here. I just talked to them about understanding that was one game and it’s over. We’ve got to find a way to play better next week.”
In its first two drives, Tennessee looked …

Tennessee and Cincinnati have agreed contractually to a one-game football matchup in the 2011 season, it was announced Wednesday.
The Vols and Bearcats are set to play Sept. 10, 2011, in Knoxville.
UT previously was scheduled to host Southern Mississippi on that date, but the Golden Eagles asked to move the game to a future season. Tennessee now plays Southern Miss in Knoxville on Sept. 2, 2017.
“We were contacted about the possibility of Southern Miss moving its game to a future year,” UT athletics director Mike Hamilton said. “For us, that was …

Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin announced Monday that senior Jonathan Crompton will be the Vols’ starting quarterback to begin the 2009 season.
Kiffin said the competition between Crompton and junior Nick Stephens was decided by the slimmest of margins.
“It really came down to Jonathan was a little bit more accurate. Both guys made a number of plays during camp, both protected the ball very well with very low interception numbers, (and) very good numbers in general in all preseason games combined.
“Jonathan had a slight edge for accuracy.”
Kiffin added that his comfort-level is strong with either signal-caller, and …

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – It would have been easy for an All-American like Tennessee’s Eric Berry to defy the leadership of a new coaching staff going into what is likely his last season with the Volunteers.
“He could have resisted,” coach Lane Kiffin said. “But from day one he’s been the first one in meetings, the last one to leave, always asking questions, always coming up to my dad’s office trying to get better.”
It’s that kind of leadership and motivation, along with the junior safety’s immense talent, that’s behind the Tennessee staff’s promotion of Berry …