If you pick up Athlon Sports' annual college football preview and turn to the Tennessee team page, you’ll get an idea how much Southeastern Conference opponents respected Vols QB Erik Ainge.
“I don’t know enough about Jonathan Crompton, but he will have a hard time playing as well as [Erik] Ainge did,”
said an unnamed opposing SEC assistant coach. “Ainge was remarkable last year.”
The numbers tell part of the story for Ainge, the Jets’ fifth-round selection in the 2008 draft. He completed 62.6 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,522 yards and 31 TDs against only 10 INTs. Ainge, who showcased his mental prowess and cool temperament while running the two-minute offensive, credits David Cutcliffe, his former Tennessee offensive coordinator and now Duke's head coach, for his guidance.
“‘He didn’t say, ‘When you throw the ball to the left, you need to open your hips a little bit,’ "
Ainge said. "He just said, ‘Be a football player first and everything else will take care of itself. Be the toughest guy on the field, be the smartest guy on the field, know where to go with the football, know how to get yourself protected and just play ball."
