Just when you thought things could not possibly get worse in Knoxville, the Tennessee Volunteers football team embarrassed themselves and their multitudes of fans in prime time on national television Saturday night.

I have watched nearly every game Tennessee has played since 1989, and this most recent version of the Tennessee vs. Florida rivalry may have been the worst Vols game I have ever witnessed. 

Over the last 10 years, the Tennessee program has had some of its worst moments. It has been bad enough to make one wonder, "is this rock bottom?" multiple times.

There was the loss to Wyoming the week Phillip Fulmer was fired in 2008. 2009 was full of scandal and off-the-field issues in lane Kiffin's one season at the helm. Under Derek Dooley, in 2010, there was the too-many-men-on-the-field fiasco at the end of the LSU game.

In 2011, Kentucky snapped its 26-year losing streak to the Vols with a wide receiver playing quarterback. The entire 2012 season was a comedy of errors.

In 2013, Butch Jones's inaugural season at Tennessee ended with the program's second straight loss to Vanderbilt.
It would be really hard to pick a singular worst moment from last season with an 0-8 conference record. But for all intents and purposes, Saturday night against Florida was easily the single worst loss of the past decade. 

Six turnovers. An offensive line that clearly has no idea what it's doing. A quarterback beaten and battered play after play.

A head coach kicking a markerboard on the sideline. The same head coach later getting an unsportsmanlike penalty.

A player reportedly not going onto the field when instructed by his coaches and subsequently sent to the locker room by the head coach for his supposed rebellion.

A fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half following one of the worst halves of football in recent memory. 

It all equaled the Vols being drilled by a Florida Gators football team that may not win another SEC game the rest of the season. 

This is Rocky Bottom.

Yes, Tennessee will get pounded at Georgia this week and at Auburn two weeks later. And I don't even want to think of how badly Alabama will beat these guys in Knoxville on the third Saturday in October. But nobody in their right mind expects Tennessee to compete in those games.

This was the most beatable Florida team of the last 25 years and Tennessee played it's single worst game of the past 25 years. 

If anything positive came out of Saturday's game, it's the realization that Jeremy Pruitt has his work cut out for him. This will not be an easy fix. Fans and supporters of this program have no other option but to give him all the time he needs. 

There is clearly a culture problem within this program. Thanks not only to Charmin-soft mentality that Butch Jones's approach allowed to take over this program, but also thanks to the massive turnover that having four head coaching changes in 10 years brings.

It's worse than anyone thought. And it's only going to get even worse before it gets better. And it will get better.

The University of Tennessee football program has too much tradition, too much money, and too much past success for it not to turn around eventually.

There is no doubt, however, that it will be a long road back to Rocky Top from this Rocky Bottom.