NO. 10 UT PLAYER: CASEY CLAUSEN You want to see grief? Watch me put former Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen at No. 10 on the list of all-time UT greats and see Vols fans give me grief. Maybe it was Clausens surfer boy looks — East Tennesseans, after all, dont cotton West Coast-ians too much. Maybe it was because his style of play on the field was as un-flashy as his hair style was under his helmet was flashy. For whatever reason, Tennessee fans never really appreciated Clausen. In fact, more than a few message board types despised him throughout his UT career. As such, he left Knoxville as one of the most undervalued and under appreciated players in the history of the UT football program. He may not have had Peyton Mannings smarts, Heath Shulers mobility or Tony Robinsons arm, but Casey Clausen had mojo. Lots and lots of mojo. All he did was win. Sure, there was that game against Florida in 2002 when Clausen fumbled approximately 45 times in a persistent downpour against the Gators. Hapless Florida coach Ron Zook walked away from Neyland Stadium that soggy afternoon with his only win over the Vols. But, hey, bad games happen . . . right? Peyton Manning lost to Memphis — Memphis! Remember that one? A loss so monumental that the school cut their goalposts into pieces and sold them to jubilant alumni? Heath Shuler allowed himself to be outshone by pony-tailed Steve Tanneyhill in a loss to Sparky Woods no-good, terrible Gamecocks in 1992. Tee Martin . . . well, Martin didnt really lose any he shouldnt have, but he certainly didnt help matters at times. Remember the 98 Arkansas game, before Billy Ratliffe and Travis Henry took over? Martin bounced more balls off the turf than he put within reach of his receivers. So if we can excuse that 02 Florida debacle for a minute, lets look at The Icemans accomplishments. As a true freshman in 2000, an injury prevented Clausen from making an appearance until the third game of the season, when his very first play went for a touchdown to David Martin against Louisiana-Monroe. Clausens first start came later that season against Alabama. Earning your first start against the despised Tide is a tough task for a Tennessee quarterback, but Clausen was up to the challenge. He completed 17 of 24 passes, had two touchdowns, and Tennessee won the game. A week later, he led UTs winning touchdown drive against South Carolina, completing six of seven passes on the final possession as the Vols snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. The game after that, he led UT from behind for a win over Memphis with a last-minute field goal. Against Arkansas, Clausen tied a Tennessee record (held by Manning, Shuler and Andy Kelly) with five touchdown passes. Three of those came in the first quarter as the Vols exploded to a 35-0 lead. By the end of the season, Clausen had completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,473 yards and 15 touchdowns — and only six interceptions. Oh, and he was undefeated as a starter. In 2001, one of the best seasons in UTs history, Clausen again shone. He started all 13 games and finished the season with 2,969 yards — the third most single-season passing yards in program history. His 64.1 percent completion mark in 2001 was just short of Mannings school record 64.2 percent. Against Memphis, he again threw five touchdown passes, again tying the school record. He led UT to another win over Alabama, earning SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors after completing 21 of 28 passes for 293 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He became known as the Ice Man after rallying the Vols to four fourth quarter comebacks. Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky and Florida. It was that Florida game at the end of the season that was the greatest. Delayed from its usual September date due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Vols and Gators met in Gainesville in the final game of the regular season. Tennessee hadnt won in The Swamp since the Nixon administration, but they did that day — despite being overwhelming underdogs. The odds-layers had predicted the Vols to lose by three scores. The win lofted Tennessee into the drivers seat for a return trip to the national championship game. Unfortunately, the Vols choked away that opportunity to LSU and a 9th string (approximately) quarterback the following week in Atlanta. But Clausen ended the season nicely with a satisfying spanking of Michigan on New Years Day. Clausen started 10 games in 2003, missing the Georgia game, the Mississippi State game, and part of a loss to Miami with an ankle injury. But he finished the season with 2,055 yards and moved into second place on UTs career pass completions list. He engineered Tennessees marathon win over Arkansas, a six-overtime affair. As a senior in 2003, Clausen again started all 13 games, finishing the season with 9,707 — second on UTs career passing list. He went to Gainesville and Tuscaloosa that season to earn wins, cementing his status as the best away-from-home quarterback in UT history. Over the course of his 4-year career, Clausen was 14-1 as a starting quarterback in road games. His only loss away from Neyland Stadium was at Miami in 2002 against the Hurricanes Team of the Century. Clausen completed a 90-yard touchdown pass to Mark Jones against No. 8 Georgia, the longest pass in school history. Against Mississippi State, he threw for five touchdown passes for the third time in his UT career. He finished his final home game against Vanderbilt with 143 passes without an interception, a Tennessee record. The win at Kentucky the following week was the 14th road victory for Clausen, the most for any Tennessee starting quarterback. And he became only the second player in school history to amass more than 9,000 yards of offense. After going undrafted in the 2004 NFL Draft, Clausen was signed as a free agent by the Kansas City Chiefs but never played in the NFL. He did play some in NFL Europe. He is currently the head coach of a California high school football team and sells insurance. And if any Tennessee fan tells you they wouldnt take him back in a heartbeat right now, theyre lying through their teeth. 10 DAYS UNTIL FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE!
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 14:02:12 +0000