By JIM STEELE
pressbox1.com

Tennessee was out of its annual game with Florida almost as it began.

No. 4-ranked Florida rocketed to a 17-0 lead in the first 10:28 and sealed their fourth straigh victory over the hapless Tennessee Vols, 30-6, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville Saturday.

For UT football coach Phillip Fulmer, it was yet another exercise in frustration and futility. Just 10 years ago, the Vols secured a thrilling overtime victory as John ward bellowed "No Sir Ree" as Collins Cooper's field goal sailed wide left, unleashing pandemonium on Shields-Watkins Field. That triumph helped ignite Tennessee's run to the national title.

What a difference a decade makes. And it seems that it doesn't matter who's running who is running the show. The vols have lost 12 of the last 17 games with Florida and the Gators have had three different skippers in that time. Once again, Fulmer has his usual post-Florida salvage operation under way.

Saturday, Florida seemingly put in half an effort to rout the Vols, again. The Gators' Tim Tebow didn't have a Heisman day, the Gators only managed 248 yards (the Vols had 253). The Vols had three red-zone opportunities and converted only one, an 8-yard run by Jonathan Crompton. Three turnovers, two horrible ones at the 1 and poor time management for the second straight week right before halftime proved costly.

In sum, the Vols appear to be a football team in disarray.

"Florida is a good team and against a good team, you can't make the kind of mistakes we made," tersely said Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer in a phone interview Sunday. "We had nine possessions and we stopped ourselves in five of them. We had a 14-play drive and no points."

Fulmer said there is a lot of disgruntlement in the vol camp these days.

"I don't know if anybody is real happy right now," Fulmer said. "We're not playing like the team I think we can be."

Fulmer said there were silver linings after a Gator storm that left yet another trail of demolition through the Vol football camp.

"We blocked and tackled well for the most part and there were some good things, but not enough," he said.

That's a concern for the coach because the Vols' path is littered with some ominous challenges. No. 14 Auburn is next on the Plains. The game will start 2:30 CDT and will be televised on CBS. Tennessee also has a road trip to No. 3 Georgia and a visit from No. 8 Alabama. There is a road trip to South Carolina, coached by Steve Spurrier. No. 21 Vanderbilt hosts Tennessee in November and the Vols host a tough Kentucky team to end the season. Given the inconsistency on offense, Tennessee's prospects for getting back to the SEC championship look grim.

"The kids are college kids and adults and they understand the challenges we have in front of them," said Fulmer. "Last year, we had Erik (Ainge) and he had his pluses and he had consistency. This year we haven't been as consistent at quarterback as I'd like."

But Fulmer dismissed any notion of pulling starting QB Jonathan Crompton: "No, Jon's our quarterback."

The coach said he the Vols offensive play must improve, especially with the tough road ahead.

"Our problem is offensive execution," Fulmer said. "But that is something we can go to the practice field and do something about. It's frustrating because we had people in position to make plays and didn't get them the ball but Florida stuck with us betteFDr than I'd like."

Fulmer was more specific.

"Sometimes our backs or tight ends didn't give Jonathan a better answer or another answer," he said, referring to Crompton's progressions. "But Crompton needs to see better. At times, he's good, but he locks in on one receiver. The problems we have at quarterback shouldn't be happening, but we'll have to go back and look to see what we can do as coaches to get him ready."

Tennessee's offense is ranked 82nd in the nation. The Vols, 1-2, started the season as the 18th-ranked team in the nation before suffering a 27-24 overtime loss to a UCLA team that has since lost to Brigham Young and Arizona by a combined 90-10 score. Auburn fell from No. 10 to 14 after suffering a 26-21 loss to Louisiana State. LSU moved from No. 6 to No. 5 as a result of the road victory. Meanwhile, one of Tennessee's Novemeber opponents, Vanderbilt, is 4-0 and, at No. 21, ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in 24 years. The Commodores last went to a bowl game in 1982, their last winning season. They lost to Air Force in the Hall of Fame Bowl in Birmingham, Ala. Vandy's last stint in the Top 25 came in 1984 when it started 4-0, including a 30-21 victory spoiling Alabama's homecoming. But the 'Dores lost six of their next seven games.