Wiedmer: Ex-Vol Jason Witten likes what he sees from UT

photo Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten tries to hold off Washington Redskins inside linebacker Rocky McIntosh during the first half of an 2011 NFL football game in Arlington, Texas.

Former Tennessee tight end Jason Witten didn't get a chance to watch every minute of his alma mater's 34-10 loss at Oklahoma on Saturday night. Something about his day job with the Dallas Cowboys forced him to hit the pillow early in the third quarter.

"But I saw some of it," he said after the Cowboys' 26-10 win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday in Nashville. "I thought we looked pretty good overall. A lot more fight than the last couple of years, a lot more speed, too, especially on defense.

"Butch [Jones] has definitely got them going in the right direction. The way he's recruiting, it will only get better from here."

It could be argued -- and those folks who aren't loyal citizens of the Big Orange Nation surely will -- that any time you're impressed by a 24-point loss, your football program is nowhere close to returning to the Top 25.

And there's certainly a case to be made for that. But at the risk of drinking Team 118's Kool-Aid, Saturday night in Norman, Okla., was also one of those moments when any Volniac might rightly assume that the worst is over.

No, the Vols didn't beat the spread, if you're into such things. And the Sooners did lead 27-7 early in the third quarter, which seemed to be the point at which a lot of UT fans might justifiably have joined Witten in turning off the TV.

But this was also a night when the Big Orange never turned small with its effort, when it threatened time and time again against a defense many regard as one of the nation's three or four best, when the players and coaches looked defiant throughout -- perhaps the best sign yet that this team may still lose a few more on the scoreboard but never will lose its heart and hustle.

Beyond that, consider where the Vols could have been Saturday if an official's replay ruling of an OU fumble late in the opening half had gone their way, probably ending the half no worse than 13-7 Sooners instead of 20-7. And what if Vols quarterback Justin Worley, who overall looks better by the down, hadn't thrown two pickoffs in or at the end zone, including one that was returned 100 yards for a touchdown?

The Vols almost certainly still would have lost, but the score would have been much, much closer.

And because of that, it's nearly impossible to look ahead to their last nine regular-season games after this off week and see more than four remaining games in which the Vols definitely will be the underdogs. Even then, can anyone say that No. 13 Georgia (away on Sept. 27), No. 10 Ole Miss (away on Oct. 18), third-ranked Alabama (home on Oct. 25) and No. 14 South Carolina (away on Nov. 1) have looked as invincible as advertised in the preseason?

Still, for argument's sake, let's say UT goes zero-for-five against OU, Georgia, Ole Miss, Bama and the Ol' Ball Coach. That still would make them 7-5 assuming they flummox Florida, muscle the Mocs, KO Kentucky, mislead Missouri and vanquish Vanderbilt.

For a team that most figured to finish 6-6 at best, a program that's posted four straight losing seasons, that's quite a turnaround.

"You just feel like Butch really knows how to build a program," said Witten, who's two games into his 12th season with the Cowboys and is their all-time receptions leader. "I was able to work out with those guys some this summer, and everything they were doing was impressive."

There have been few more impressive former Vols in the NFL than Witten, who was named the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2012 for his work against domestic violence through his SCORE Foundation charity.

Asked last week about the Ray Rice situation, Witten said, "That's unacceptable, not only in the NFL and as professional athletes, but just as men in this world."

Sadly, Witten grew up with an abusive father, which forced him to move in with grandparents when he was 11, a huge reason he's long been so passionate about the subject.

"Domestic violence is real and something that goes on a lot and is frequent," he told Dallas reporters before the team flew to Tennessee. "I think big, strong athletes that can stand against that can show the way in a lot of ways."

His charity aside, Witten has best shown the way by being a loving husband and father to his wife and their three children: sons Cooper and CJ and infant daughter Landry.

"Landry?" a reporter asks. "As in Tom Landry (the late Hall of Fame coach of the Cowpokes)?"

Replied a grinning Witten: "What do you think?"

But as he exited LP Field for a festive flight home to Dallas, it's clear the Elizabethton, Tenn., native's heart will always bleed orange first.

"This is where the hopes and dreams started for me, playing football in this state," said Witten, who visited with former Vols coach Phillip Fulmer before the game. "It's always special coming back here, and this is probably the last time I'll play in this stadium. But to hear those UT fans today was great. There's nobody better than Tennessee fans when it comes to college football."

Judging from this past weekend, they may once again have a team deserving of such support.

Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.

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