nicksjuzunk
Coming home soon.
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Tennessee opens the season on a Thursday night this season, so I thought I would release the annual recruiting forum pre-game/game thread a bit early, as a bonus.
Appalachian State makes the windy drive through the Smokey Mountains next week, where 102,455 fans... and an exceptionally hungry Volunteer team will be waiting. Most Vol fans know little about Appalachian State, but some fear them on name alone. On September 2nd, 2007, a very talented Appalachian State team, who was still not yet an FBS program, knocked off #5 Michigan in what was probably the biggest upset in college football history. Michigan proved to be hugely overrated, and long tenured coach Lloyd Carr "retired" that season. If you have a couple of hours to kill, the game is below.
[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec9POE2eQdI[/YOUTUBE]
The good news for Vol fans, is that those players are long gone, yesterday's memories don't win today's games, and the Tennessee Volunteers are legit. How do the Mountaineers stack up? They are talented, but we are Tennessee. It feels extremely satisfying to be able to finally say that again.
Keys to Victory:
1. Pound their Ground(game): Appy State lives on the run, and they have talented players carrying the pigskin. Last season, they ranked 6th in the nation in rushing. RB Marcus Cox rushed for 1,423 yards. The next 5 leading rushers also all return, and they have a QB who can take off in Taylor Lamb. Running QB's for mid-level conference teams have not fared very well against TN recently so it should not be too much of a hassle. Fortunately for Vol fans, the defensive line has all-time talent potential, and I wouldn't expect the Appy State offense to be able to do much. Expect them to rush 45+ times, and if Tennessee can keep their YPC under 4.5, there won't be much to worry about.
2. No Air: Although Appy State is primarily a running team, they lost 3 of their top 4 receivers last year, including Simms McElfresh. Yes, you read that right... Simms McElfresh. One does not simply replace a name like that, so you have to assume the passing game will struggle on the loss of his name alone, and the Vols get to see what a Shoop led defensive backfield looks like. It should be something special.
3. Keep it clean: On offense, the Vols will try to keep their jerseys clean. Look for Tennessee to use their speed on offense to create space for playmakers, and less grinding between the tackles. There will be enough time for that in SEC play. The fewer hits Dobbs, Hurd, and Kamara accumulate, the better.
4. Peaking OL: It's time for the Tennessee OL to peak. Two years ago, they were absolutely awful. Last season, they showed great improvement, but Dobbs mobility also made a lot of would-be sacks into highlight fodder. This year, they have the experience and talent to step up in a major way. Appy State has a stout defense, (11th nationally in 2015) and a knack for getting in the backfield and causing some disruption. Honestly, they would probably be better off sitting back. Never let our QB go full Dobbs.
5. Youth Movement: They hype has been huge for this recruiting class. A lot of the guys have made a big impression in fall camp, and they should get opportunities to play in the 4th quarter. It's not necessarily just the true freshmen. Vol fans are eager to see if Dormady continues to look as good as he has in mop up duty. Taylor will finally get some playing time at DE, and John Kelly should get plenty of opportunities as Butch gets conservative in the second half.
6. WR Boom: Tennessee has been in a dark place with WR production since Dooley was fired. It's time for Josh Malone to put up the numbers that his apparent talent warrants. Preston Williams is now 100% and ready to terrorize defenses, and new combers Brandon Johnson and Tyler Byrd need to step into the fray and prove their worth as well. This is a great game for the new guys to get the jitters out, and for the older guys to step up big time.
Prediction: Tennessee mirrors Clemson in similar ways this year. Last season, Appalachian State lost to Clemson 41-10. That team was probably a little bit better than this current squad, and I would look for a similar result. Appalachian State scored their 10 in the second half as Clemson took their foot off of the gas, and that is a classic Butch tactic. He doesn't embarrass clearly overmatched opponents and will go conservative on offense, but Shoop will be looking for the 0, if he can get it.
TN 41
App 10
Appalachian State makes the windy drive through the Smokey Mountains next week, where 102,455 fans... and an exceptionally hungry Volunteer team will be waiting. Most Vol fans know little about Appalachian State, but some fear them on name alone. On September 2nd, 2007, a very talented Appalachian State team, who was still not yet an FBS program, knocked off #5 Michigan in what was probably the biggest upset in college football history. Michigan proved to be hugely overrated, and long tenured coach Lloyd Carr "retired" that season. If you have a couple of hours to kill, the game is below.
[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec9POE2eQdI[/YOUTUBE]
The good news for Vol fans, is that those players are long gone, yesterday's memories don't win today's games, and the Tennessee Volunteers are legit. How do the Mountaineers stack up? They are talented, but we are Tennessee. It feels extremely satisfying to be able to finally say that again.
Keys to Victory:
1. Pound their Ground(game): Appy State lives on the run, and they have talented players carrying the pigskin. Last season, they ranked 6th in the nation in rushing. RB Marcus Cox rushed for 1,423 yards. The next 5 leading rushers also all return, and they have a QB who can take off in Taylor Lamb. Running QB's for mid-level conference teams have not fared very well against TN recently so it should not be too much of a hassle. Fortunately for Vol fans, the defensive line has all-time talent potential, and I wouldn't expect the Appy State offense to be able to do much. Expect them to rush 45+ times, and if Tennessee can keep their YPC under 4.5, there won't be much to worry about.
2. No Air: Although Appy State is primarily a running team, they lost 3 of their top 4 receivers last year, including Simms McElfresh. Yes, you read that right... Simms McElfresh. One does not simply replace a name like that, so you have to assume the passing game will struggle on the loss of his name alone, and the Vols get to see what a Shoop led defensive backfield looks like. It should be something special.
3. Keep it clean: On offense, the Vols will try to keep their jerseys clean. Look for Tennessee to use their speed on offense to create space for playmakers, and less grinding between the tackles. There will be enough time for that in SEC play. The fewer hits Dobbs, Hurd, and Kamara accumulate, the better.
4. Peaking OL: It's time for the Tennessee OL to peak. Two years ago, they were absolutely awful. Last season, they showed great improvement, but Dobbs mobility also made a lot of would-be sacks into highlight fodder. This year, they have the experience and talent to step up in a major way. Appy State has a stout defense, (11th nationally in 2015) and a knack for getting in the backfield and causing some disruption. Honestly, they would probably be better off sitting back. Never let our QB go full Dobbs.
5. Youth Movement: They hype has been huge for this recruiting class. A lot of the guys have made a big impression in fall camp, and they should get opportunities to play in the 4th quarter. It's not necessarily just the true freshmen. Vol fans are eager to see if Dormady continues to look as good as he has in mop up duty. Taylor will finally get some playing time at DE, and John Kelly should get plenty of opportunities as Butch gets conservative in the second half.
6. WR Boom: Tennessee has been in a dark place with WR production since Dooley was fired. It's time for Josh Malone to put up the numbers that his apparent talent warrants. Preston Williams is now 100% and ready to terrorize defenses, and new combers Brandon Johnson and Tyler Byrd need to step into the fray and prove their worth as well. This is a great game for the new guys to get the jitters out, and for the older guys to step up big time.
Prediction: Tennessee mirrors Clemson in similar ways this year. Last season, Appalachian State lost to Clemson 41-10. That team was probably a little bit better than this current squad, and I would look for a similar result. Appalachian State scored their 10 in the second half as Clemson took their foot off of the gas, and that is a classic Butch tactic. He doesn't embarrass clearly overmatched opponents and will go conservative on offense, but Shoop will be looking for the 0, if he can get it.
TN 41
App 10
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