Strange: Kiffin's loyalty to Crompton paying off

By Mike Strange
Published Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The question put to Lane Kiffin on Tuesday wasn't about quarterbacks. It was something to do with a coach standing up for his players.

My immediate thought was Jonathan Crompton.

For in the first six weeks of his first Tennessee football season, Kiffin steadfastly maintained confidence in his quarterback when hardly anyone outside Crompton's immediate family did.

And, on cue, Kiffin responded:

"We always stand up for our players. It's no different than the quarterback.

"We stood by him all year long and it's paid off for us.''

Kiffin stood by Crompton:

n When he threw interceptions on three consecutive possessions against UCLA.

n When he opened the second half at Florida with a near-interception on the first snap and an actual interception on the third.

n When his sack and resulting fumble was returned for a touchdown by Ohio, a disaster that was overturned on review because the defender had one foot out of bounds.

n When he was 4-of-16 passing in the first half against Auburn.

Kiffin had Crompton's back, no matter how fervent the chorus of criticism grew. I can't recall ever hearing a UT player disparaged in the contemporary fan forums to the degree Crompton has been.

Thankfully, the howl has diminished. If Kiffin seemed merely stubborn through September, he now appears wise.

Somewhere in the late throes of a dispiriting home loss to Auburn on Oct. 3, Crompton hit bottom or turned a corner or switched on a light or, well, choose your own metaphor.

From the fourth quarter of the Auburn game through a rout of Georgia and a near-upset of Alabama, Crompton has been a different quarterback.

Here, let's trot out some numbers to quantify the difference.

Once a season-opening rout of Western Kentucky was done, Crompton struggled against UCLA, Florida and Ohio.

In those three games he had two TD passes and six interceptions and a dreadful pass-efficiency rating of 88.44.

In the past three games he has seven TD passes, two interceptions and a pass-efficiency rating of 141.66 that would rank him on the fringe of the top 30 quarterbacks in the nation.

In the fourth quarter against Auburn Crompton was 13-of-21 for 181 yards passing with two touchdowns.

Still, I'm betting Georgia was blindsided by the proficiency with which Crompton diced up the Bulldogs' defense in a 45-19 win.

For an encore, Crompton had the best day of any quarterback to face Alabama this season. Where Jevan Snead, Ryan Mallett and others came undone, Crompton rallied the Vols with a 265-yard passing day.

Through the bad times, Kiffin was persistent in pushing the passing game. It'll be interesting to see what level it can rise to down the stretch.

"I've always talked to our quarterbacks,'' Kiffin said, "about how the better decisions you make as far as not forcing the ball . . . we'll give you more shots. We'll give you more opportunities to throw downfield.

"He's bought into that. He's doing a much better job of protecting the football.''

That's not the only factor. UT's veteran receivers took a while to get healthy. Gerald Jones, in particular, is a different player in October than September.

Right tackle Aaron Douglas, a redshirt freshman and converted tight end, is getting more comfortable and proficient as a pass protector.

And Kiffin has been more adept as a game-planner and play-caller as he grasps the strengths and weaknesses of not only Crompton but the rest of the offense.

"Every week,'' said Kiffin, "we've got to figure out a way to move our quarterback around and change things up.''

Every week, a new challenge. Three of the remaining five opponents - South Carolina, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt - are ranked in the top 25 in pass-efficiency defense.

Kiffin stood by his man through a rough start. Even Crompton's harshest critics, no doubt, would love to see him write a happy ending.

Mike Strange may be reached at strangem@knoxnews.com or 865-342-6276.