Phillip Fulmer, who a decade ago brought Tennessee its first national championship in 47 years, will not return as the Volunteers’ coach next year, multiple sources told ESPN.com.
An announcement is being planned for later Monday at Neyland Stadium. Fulmer, who has won 150 games at his alma mater and is the dean of SEC coaches, met with Tennessee officials Monday morning, and they reached a mutual agreement that it would be best for all parties if Fulmer did not return next season.
The sides also agreed that the 58-year-old Fulmer would …

Freshman Stephen Garcia threw two touchdown passes and South Carolina posted a 27-6 victory on Saturday night.
The victory was just the fourth over the Vols for the Gamecocks (6-3, 3-3 Southeastern Conference), who sent Tennessee (3-6, 1-5) to its second losing SEC record in the past four seasons.
A big reason was the heady play of Garcia, who passed for 139 yards and his two scoring throws before a third-quarter knee injury sent him to the sidelines.
Gamecocks players ran to the student section when it was over, celebrating their first win …

That has to be it, right?
Tennessee can’t bring Phillip Fulmer back now.
Put aside the losses for a moment. Put aside the inept offense. Put aside the decade that has passed without an SEC title. Put aside the utter inability to compete with Nick Saban and Urban Meyer in recruiting or on the field.
Just look at the empty seats in Neyland Stadium. Look at the uncommon number of fans dressed in red.
Look at the man, standing on Phillip Fulmer Way, holding two tickets in the air.
“Where are they?”
“Lower bowl.”
“How much?”
“Fifty dollars …

The orange-painted fans sat in the stands red-faced - at least the ones who actually remained in the stadium.
It was another embarrassing loss by Tennessee to its main rival Saturday night, and the groans, grumbling and teeth-gnashing hit a season-high. Alabama waltzed into Neyland Stadium with its No. 2 ranking and a swagger resembling UT teams of yesteryear, and walked out with a dominating 29-9 victory before a crowd of 106,138.
The Crimson Tide has now outscored UT 70-26 the past two seasons, and Phillip Fulmer lost to his main rival …

Matthew Stafford passed for a career-best 310 yards, Knowshon Moreno ran for 101 yards and No. 10 Georgia beat Tennessee 26-14 on Saturday, leaving the Volunteers 0-3 in the Southeastern Conference for the first time in 20 years.
Tennessee netted only 1 yard on the ground, but the Vols capitalized on two interceptions thrown by Stafford for their its only touchdowns. Nick Stephens, in his second career start, threw two touchdown passes.
Arian Foster had only three carries for three yards for the Vols (2-4), one year after he rushed for 98 …

If anything was a sure thing for Tennessee entering the season it was a dominating offensive line. They were mountain-sized men with ballet-nimble feet. They allowed fewer sacks than any team in the nation last year, and every single starter was returning for 2008.
Then the season started.
“Disappointing” is the word UT players and coaches most commonly use when describing the offensive line’s play through five games. And with a road game at No. 10 Georgia looming this weekend, a quick fix may be too much to ask for.
“We haven’t played …

Nick Stephens threw a 52-yard touchdown pass to Denarius Moore, and Tennessee’s new starting quarterback helped the Volunteers slip past Northern Illinois 13-9 on Saturday night.
Stephens’ touchdown pass came on the first play of a third quarter drive and put Tennessee (2-3) up 13-3. It was the Vols’ longest play of the season.
“I told Nick, ‘If you can see me, just throw it out there, and I’ll go get it,’” Moore said.
Coach Phillip Fulmer named Stephens the starter on Friday in hopes of sparking a mistake-prone offense which had been …