The mood on campus is still somewhat somber after Tennessee's loss to UCLA on Monday evening. Everywhere I turn, people are discussing the game. From professors to secretaries, everyone is sharing his or her opinion.

Last season, Tennessee also lost its first game of the season and went on to play in the SEC Championship. However, I don't see history repeating itself this season.

The Vols had Erik Ainge in 2007, a veteran quarterback who could manage the game well. I don't want to read too much into Jonathan Crompton's first start in his era but that game on Monday scared the heck out of me.

Crompton is human and he isn't perfect. He made good and bad throws, but it didn't help that he did not get the support expected from some of the experienced players around him.

Receivers dropped passes they could have caught. If a receiver gets his hands on the ball he should catch it, and that was not always done Monday night.

Arian Foster fumbled after Tennessee got into the red zone and cost his team a scoring opportunity. He also basically sacked Crompton on one play. Those types of mistakes are inexcusable for a player who has been a starter for the better part of four years.

Those types of plays also prove what I have always said. Montario Hardesty should be the man in the Tennessee backfield when healthy.

Hardesty is always looking to run a defender over despite typically being the smaller player. Foster is talented but Hardesty has a burst that few tailbacks have, and that is the reason he hit pay dirt twice and Foster didn't.

Their was no way the Bruins should have been on the same field as the Orange and WhiteI know the Vols have pretty much an entirely new offensive staff. Moreover, being a former football player myself, I know practice reps can't substitute for actual game experience.

However, when a defense forces four turnovers in the first half, the game should be over by halftime. That was obviously not the case, as the Vols trailed during the second quarter and had to have Nevin McKenzie return the defense's fourth interception to the end zone just to have a lead at the half.

But no matter how much I want, I can't put it all on the offense. The defense should have being playing tighter coverage in the second half.

I don't understand how a defensive coordinator can have his unit playing so loose on the outside when the game is not a blowout. I have always loved John Chavis as a coach but Monday it looked like the game may be passing him by. He didn't make the necessary adjustments and that played a big part in the loss.

The special teams unit obviously didn't help matters, giving up a blocked punt for a score. Kicker Daniel Lincoln missed three field goals, but I don't think he had any business kicking two of those anyway.

Another reason the Vols should worry is the schedule. UT plays in what might be the best division in all of college football. Florida and Georgia are better than last season. South Carolina and Kentucky displayed stout defenses to open the year. Even Vanderbilt picked up a semi-impressive win last week.

The Vols also visit the Auburn Tigers the week after hosting Florida, and has to play Alabama. The schedule last year was a little bit easier. This year it's downright brutal.

The loss better serve as a wake up call to the Vols. There was no way the Bruins should have been on the same field as the Orange and White. UCLA still managed to pick up the win, though.

And if Tennessee repeats the performance that led to the loss as the season progresses, the Vols may wind up closer to the bottom of the SEC than the top.