RTT#5 Lennon Creer: reviewing the class of 2007

by Joel Hollingsworth on May 13, 2008 6:47 AM EDT in Tennessee Volunteer Football

So, RTT#5 Lennon Creer, what'd you do for us this year? Profile out of high school:

Recall that Creer was the guy who didn't much care for Texas' ultimatum and whose trip to Tuscaloosa not only sold him on Tennessee but ended nearly 12 months of indecision. Dude rushed for almost 5,000 yards in two seasons in high school.

So how did the Texan who traveled to Tennessee to become a Volunteer (there's some historical irony there) do as a true freshman on Rocky Top? Hmm, let's call it "not bad for a backup."

Games
Played

Rushing

Total
Offense

Receiving

Kickoff
Ret.

Pts

Rushes

Gain

Loss

Net

TDs

Plays

Yds

TTL
TDs

224

214

243

Creer played in every game except the one against Steve Spurrier, but mostly it was just spot duty as Arian Foster had the starting position locked up, and the back up spot was anchored by LaMarcus Coker (for half a season) and Montario Hardesty. Still, Creer had enough woo plays to make Vol fans anxious to see him get the ball more often, including a 109-yard game against Louisiana-Lafayette and a 50-yard kickoff return in the SEC Championship game against eventual national champion LSU. And here, now that we've done several of these in a row, let me make an observation. Young players at Tennessee, no matter how good and with only an exception or two (Eric Berry defintely and maybe Gerald Jones last year) will only get an opportunity to showcase their talent in games against clear underdogs like Southern Miss, Arkansas State, and Louisiana-Lafayette. Sigh.

Opponent	Played in game?	Rushing					Receiving			Kickoff Ret.
		Rushes	Gain	Loss	Net	TDs	No	Yds	TD	No	Yds	TD	TTL TDs
California	Yes	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Southern Miss.	Yes	6	58	5	53	0	1	7	0	2	54	0	0
Florida	Yes	4	15	0	15	0	0	0	0	2	22	0	0
Arkansas St.	Yes	9	29	1	28	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Georgia	Yes	3	5	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mississippi St.	Yes	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	-2	0	0
Alabama	Yes	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
South Carolina	No	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
La.-Lafayette	Yes	7	109	0	109	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Arkansas	Yes	4	7	2	5	0	0	0	0	1	32	0	0
Vanderbilt	Yes	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	32	0	0
Kentucky	Yes	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	0	0
LSU	Yes	1	1	0	1	0	1	6	0	4	99	0	0
Wisconsin	Yes	1	0	2	-2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
		36	224	10	214	1	2	13	0	13	243	0	1

Highlights? Highlights:

I'm really looking forward to seeing this guy more next season. It's like he's Arian Foster with that extra step.

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Comments

MMmmm...

This kid could very well be the next great back at UT, you know, given he stays healthy and off the greenery.

I think we'll see a lot more of him this season as I'm hoping The Claw has some formations with multiple backs on the field at once.

This might be the most excited I've ever been about an upcoming season. If it's not, it's darn close!

I've got something for you young man. Oh! It's Thaa Claawww!! Oh, you're afraid of The Claw...

by XRayVol on May 13, 2008 12:11 PM EDT reply actions

Interesting note:

"... Young players at Tennessee, no matter how good and with only an exception or two (Eric Berry defintely and maybe Gerald Jones last year will only get an opportunity to showcase their talent in games against clear underdogs ... Sigh."

I wonder how much of that should now be past tense (only got) now that the regime on offense has changed. In theory, the young hotshots should be able to pick up on a reasonable number of useful plays quickly now that they get the playbook in bite-zised morsels. I think the lack of young production was largely due to the learning curve (though they probably learned the entirety of the playbook quicker that way). We'll see.

But for once, I'd like to see a young up-and-comer get discovered sometime before/during the Florida game instead of about 2 weeks too late. (Berry doesn't count; the defense didn't have to learn under Cut's system.)

by David Hooper on May 13, 2008 1:37 PM EDT reply actions