UT Vols don't need Butch Jones to lose, but at least Brady Hoke takes chances vs LSU

Warmups were still under way when fans got their first hint this wouldn’t be a normal Saturday night at Neyland Stadium.

As LSU players loosened up near the south end zone, the goal posts were tilted by a gust of wind. Mother Nature was just getting started.

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Winds swirled like Jon Gruden rumors. Then, it rained so hard you could barely see UT’s fumbles. And a bank of stadium lights went out just before the start of the second half.

Fans who stuck around for the entirety of LSU’s 30-10 victory probably were waiting for a horde of locusts to show up at some point. Things never got that bad, though.

But they didn’t get much better for UT.

The Vols fell behind by 14 points, cut LSU’s lead to seven by halftime and then executed a familiar second-half fade in a loss that dropped them to 4-7 overall and left them one loss away from becoming the first team in school history to lose eight games.

More:UT Vols blame kick-return woes on wind, pouring rain in loss to LSU

Judging by the outcome, you could say life under interim coach Brady Hoke wasn’t much different from when recently fired coach Butch Jones was calling the shots. Nonetheless, no one could accuse Hoke of playing not to lose.

And why should he? He just got a $50,000 pay bump just to head up the program until NFL analyst Gruden — or someone with not nearly as much star power — takes charge full time.

But give Hoke credit. He tried. Too hard, sometimes.

On a fourth-and-1 from Tennessee’s 21 late in the third quarter, Hoke eschewed a punt and waved his charges onward. Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano took a snap under center, lunged forward and failed to put a dent in a defense that stonewalled the Vols for most of the second half.

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A few minutes later, LSU capitalized on the favorable field position for a touchdown. But don’t get the wrong idea. It was obvious before Hoke’s gamble backfired that UT wasn’t going to win its first SEC game of the season.

LSU just had too much defense, as most opponents have when matched against an offense that has started three different quarterbacks and shuffled its line weekly because of an extraordinary run of injuries.

The latest addition to Tennessee’s injury-decimated offensive line was walk-on offensive tackle Joe Keeler, who was forced onto the field by a third-quarter injury to senior Jashon Robertson.

More:UT Vols best, worst vs LSU: Sprinter's catch, dedicated fans, Brady Hoke gambles, Grumors

The game would have been closer if not for Tennessee’s unforced errors. Usually dependable punt returner Marquez Callaway set up a pair of LSU scores when he mishandled punts.

Callaway also struggled to field the second-half kickoff, finally securing the ball at his 3-yard line. But that was more about Mother Nature than Callaway, who probably couldn’t see the ball through the driving rain.

Now, Tennessee can only hope for clearer skies and a better outcome next Saturday against Vanderbilt. As former coach Jones said, “It’s all about how you finish.”

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: Twitter.com/johnadamskns.