West may be cooking up surprises for alma mater Tennessee

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Posted 6:41PM on Thursday, September 28, 2006

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Every time Memphis head coach Tommy West faces Tennessee it's like a reunion. The former Volunteer may have some surprises for his alma mater on Saturday. West took over as defensive coordinator after the Tigers' 35-20 loss at East Carolina, and he's keeping Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer and staff guessing at his game plan. ``They're not going to know exactly. I'm sure they are going to take the 2000 tape when I was coordinator here and we played them. They are going to take that tape and look at it. But it's not going to be very similar, I can tell them that right now. They are wasting their time,'' said West, who was in charge of the Memphis defense one year before he was promoted to head coach in 2001. The Vols know West pretty well. He played tight end in the mid-1970s while Fulmer was in his first years as a young coach for the Vols after graduating from the university. West coached running backs at Tennessee for one year in 1990 while Fulmer and now-offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe were assistants. The 15th-ranked Vols (3-1), who travel to Memphis (1-2), lead the cross-state series 19-1 with the lone Tigers' win coming in 1996 when Tennessee had Peyton Manning at quarterback. It remains one of the biggest wins in Memphis history. Three of Tennessee's last four wins in the series were by four points or less. The Vols needed a field goal with 13 seconds left to win in 2000. Tennessee won 49-28 in West's first season as head coach in 2001. ``We're not sure what we're going to get, how much of what,'' Fulmer said. ``During the course of the game we'll have to get a feel of what they're trying to do and how much they're going to hang on to what they were doing, which is exactly opposite in a lot of ways of what coach West has done before.'' West fired defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn after the East Carolina loss and reportedly changed the scheme during last week's open date. This week's starting lineup has four defensive linemen, three linebackers and four defensive backs. Under Dunn, the starters were three linemen, three linebackers and five defensive backs. The change is designed to put more pressure on the offense. ``I think that's what he believes in,'' Cutcliffe said of West and the more conventional 4-3 alignment. ``They could get right back to what they were doing pretty quickly. It will be interesting to see. There is a lot of information coming out of their camp. You don't know what to believe or what not to believe.'' Cutcliffe, who is back in the job he held at Tennessee from 1993 to the end of the 1998 regular season, was 1-2 against Memphis when he was head coach at Mississippi. Dunn became defensive coordinator in 2003. West said so far he's pleased with the way the players have taken to the changes. ``If we had not had an open date, there's absolutely no way we could have done it. None. And to be honest, when we get to the game Saturday, I hope we get better as the game goes along,'' West said. ``We'll be very simple to try and not let them run by us and have somebody wide open because we bust a coverage or do something we're not supposed to do.'' In the first three games, Memphis has allowed its opponents to score an average of 25 points and record 185 yards rushing and 148 yards passing. The Tigers have intercepted three passes and recovered one fumble. West said Tennessee's offense will provide a test of the new defensive look. The Vols have had more success passing the ball than running, getting some big plays from receivers Robert Meachem and Jayson Swain. Quarterback Erik Ainge has had 17 of his 70 completions so far this season gain at least 20 yards. ``We'll be able to mix some defenses,'' West said. ``Mix a three-man front and a four-man front. Mix more coverages. Try to give the quarterback some different looks.'' On the Net: Memphis: www.gotigersgo.com Tennessee: www.utsports.com (Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)