Will Eric Berry be a corner in NFL?

By Glennis Curry

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

For any NFL general manager projecting Tennessee All-American safety Eric Berry as a cornerback, his current coach sees it as a mistake. Lane Kiffin, speaking at a news conference Wednesday, said the Fairburn native is a natural at safety and moving him to the boundary steals away his tackling ability.

“That would be a tough transition for him,” Kiffin said. “I think he could do it but I don’t think that would be the best move.”

Berry, the Jim Thorpe Award winner as college football’s best defensive back, has yet to declare he will be leaving Knoxville for the NFL after his junior season, though it is widely expected he will be playing his last game as a Vol tonight. He gained a reputation during his sophomore season as a vicious hitter and a presence in backfields around the SEC.

He has also intercepted 14 passes in his Tennessee career and needs seven more interception return yards to break the NCAA record. Those statistics suggest Berry would be adaptable to cornerback in the NFL, but Kiffin did not sound sold on the idea.

“First of all, he’s going to be a phenomenal special teams player in the NFL, as he does for us,” Kiffin said. “But he can play both safety spots and nickel. To play in this NFL system and as much as [defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin] has moved him around this year, it’s really helped Eric and his evaluation.”

New name for bowl awards

Chick-fil-A Bowll president Gary Stokan announced the renaming of the bowl championship trophy to the George Crumbley Trophy, in honor of the game’s founder. Stokan and the bowl committee chose to honor Crumbley, who created the game in 1968 and led the effort until 1985. He died in September at 86.

“He was a very gracious man who gave a lot back to the community,” Stokan said. “I think it’s important that we honor our traditions. George went through the bowl’s tough times at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. We think it’s fitting, the right thing to do and deserving.”

The game’s most outstanding offensive and defensive players will receive the Truett Cathy Trophy, named for the founder and chairman of Chick-fil-A. Cathy will be inducted into the Chick-fil-A Bowl Hall of Fame today with former Virginia and New York Giants running back Tiki Barber and former West Virginia head coach Don Nehlen.

Etc.

With a win, Tennessee can extend the SEC’s advantage over the ACC to 10-8 in Chick-fil-A meetings. SEC teams have won the last four matchups. ... Tennessee is 1-3 in Chick-fil-A Bowls and in bowl games played on New Year’s Eve. ... Neither Monte Kiffin nor defensive line coach Ed Orgeron reached bowl games in their stints as head coaches. Kiffin coached at NC State from 1980 to 1982 and Orgeron led Ole Miss from 2005 to 2007. ... Should running back Montario Hardesty go for 159 yards or more, he would break the UT single-season rushing record owned by Travis Stephens, who ran for 1,464 yards in 2001. Atlanta native Jamal Lewis is third on the all-time list with 1,364 yards.