Ok, so admittedly I wear orange colored glasses, but give me a chance. The season hinges on the first game. A win as 10 point underdogs would be an epic start to the Pruitt era. Why do we have a shot to win the game? West Virginia is overrated. Sure they have a great offense, but their defense is horrible. I know, I know ours is worse...but are they? Last year’s team was statistically dreadful, but the stats might be misleading.
All players seem to have gotten a noticeable bump in size and strength. We’re getting DK back, and Tuttle is healthy again. Kongbo is likely a more natural fit at end/OLB, and I’m expecting Darrell Taylor to make a leap this year under the new staff. Our true freshman DBs are elite athletes and will likely be an improvement on last year’s secondary. Depth on the line may be an issue, but then again Paul Bain has said he wants to play in the League, and what Bain wants Bain gets.
Although we’re installing a new defence, our coaches and players say it will be “multiple.” If we need to switch between the 3-4 and 4-3, we can. Pruitt strikes me as a coach that will adjust, not stubbornly stick to his scheme even when adjustments are obviously needed. If what I hear from the practices is true, the new coaches are “coaching-up” the players, and that is a noticeable change from the previous staff.
I’m assuming our offense will be better than last years. I won’t go into all the details why, but our team should be better under Helton. He’s talked about flexibility with his offense and whether it’s Chryst or JG, we should be improved at QB. At the least I expect better play calling with improved discipline and execution. No more shotgun goal-line plays and procedure penalties on first and goal.
We get past W.V. and the path is clear to a 3-0 match up at home against the Gators. A team that in ‘17 took a last second play at home to secure a W. Sure, we lose to UGA, Auburn, Bama, and maybe USCjr, but I don’t see Pruitt being a coach that allows Tennessee to lose to UK, Charlotte, Missouri (with Dooley), or Vandy.
That’s how we get to 8 wins.
