Some First Assignment for Sanders

The Tennessee coach most likely to lose sleep this week?

That would be Randy Sanders.

He was minding his own business as the school’s running backs coach in December when offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe abruptly took the coaching job at Mississippi.

Cutcliffe called plays in Tennessee’s Southeastern Conference championship win over Mississippi State on Dec. 5, then skipped town, leaving Volunteer Coach Phillip Fulmer no choice but to elevate Sanders to offensive coordinator.

Sanders, on staff since 1991, has never before called plays in a game.

His first assignment? Come up with a winning game plan for Monday’s national title game against Florida State, the country’s No. 1-ranked defense, in the Fiesta Bowl.

“Someone said to me, ‘Does Florida State have any tendencies?’ ” Sanders said before Tuesday’s practice. “I said, ‘Yeah, they have the tendency to make people punt.’ ”

Surprisingly, Sanders said he was not nervous.

“If you’re prepared, there’s no real reason to be nervous,” he said.

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Fans storming the field in the wake of the Arizona Cardinals’ NFL playoff-clinching win over San Diego on Sunday ripped out more than 1,000 square feet of grass in Sun Devil Stadium, leaving Fiesta Bowl officials scrambling to get the field in shape for Monday.

A 10-person grounds crew began the restoration process immediately after Sunday’s game, re-sodding the barren spots at a cost of $3,000. Fans also damaged a $25,000 goal post, which had to be replaced.