Are people going crazy because they think Oklahoma is a 8-5 football team?

[Vols Bish!!]

I keep hearing this from Vol fans, but would love to know what different plays you would have called. If anything, I think some of the passing on 3rd and 3 should have been running plays.

Tennessee starts slinging the ball around the field, and OU probably gets a turnover. Certainly a couple more sacks on Dobbs, or at the very least scrambling and throwing a pass on the run.

I was surprised that you didn't go for it on 4th and 1 on the first possession--but of course if you get stuffed, the momentum would have swung significantly.

If we get stuffed the momentum shifts significantly with your offense lining up in your end zone, with 100k fans screaming at 115 decibels against our fresh D? Mmmmmmk

 

[TennesseeFan07]

I'm disappointed like everyone else about the game but we did not lose to an inferior team. Many experts have Oklahoma making the playoff. Practically no one picked us and many were afraid we would get embarrassed. This loss hurts but it's not embrassing. Losing to Toledo at home is embrassing.

Butch Jones may not know many things but he does know talent. Before the Bowling Green game, he said they were an explosive offense with an NFL QB. I took it as coach speak and thought we would handle them easily. We now know Bowling Green is a good football team. Similarly, Butch said Oklahoma is underrated and a top 5 football team. If that turns out to be true, then we just had a playoff team on the ropes.

This team can still be great. Folks need to let the season play itself out before making declarations this early in the season. Bringing negativity to this football team this early in the season is wrong.

Tennessee fans need to grow up.

Then why is North getting no targets? Why did Worley play over Dobbs for the first half of last season? Why did he tell JJ Watt that he would be better suited as an offensive lineman? I disagree.

 

[99gator]

How much of that is you just hoping we're not that good?

Credible guys like Kirk Herbstreit and Tom Lunginbill have them in the playoffs. They are one year removed from being ranked #4 in the preseason and beating Alabama in a bowl game.

People practice such a double standard.

Florida is bad because of their performance against East Carolina.

But, I can't question a team with an offense that made a defense that was torched by Bowling Green look like the 85 Bears for 3 quarters.

Oklahoma's quarterback never did complete 50% of his passes.

I would think a "playoff team" could do better than that.

For the record, Florida's completion percentage against Tennessee in 2014 with Jeff Driskel at QB was 48.1. Oklahoma's QB had a completion percentage in this game of 48.7.

Dude started the game completing 8 of his first 25.

 

[gunner]

Blowing a 17 point lead at home is the reason for my concern.

 

[Volz4lif3]

People practice such a double standard.

Florida is bad because of their performance against East Carolina.

But, I can't question a team with an offense that made a defense that was torched by Bowling Green look like the 85 Bears for 3 quarters.

Oklahoma's quarterback never did complete 50% of his passes.

I would think a "playoff team" could do better than that.

For the record, Florida's completion percentage against Tennessee in 2014 with Jeff Driskel at QB was 48.1. Oklahoma's QB had a completion percentage in this game of 48.7.

Here's the stats on Mayfield from Texas Tech, I guarantee he's 100 times better than your ex boy Driskel...

Shortly before the start of the 2013 season, Mayfield was named to the starting quarterback position following a back injury of projected starter and former Lake Travis quarterback Michael Brewer.[4] Mayfield is believed to be the first walk-on true freshman quarterback to start a season opener at the quarterback position.

In his first start against SMU, Mayfield passed for 413 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. His 43 completions of 60 attempts broke a school record held by Billy Joe Tolliver, and fell only four completions short of the NCAA Division I single-game record for completions by a freshman.[5][6] For his performance, Mayfield was named Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week – the first freshman Texas Tech quarterback to be named so since current Red Raider head coach Kliff Kingsbury in 1999.[7] The game featured the last four former Lake Travis quarterbacks combined on both teams: Garrett Gilbert, Michael Brewer, Mayfield, and Collin Lagasse.[8]

Following the Red Raiders' second victory over Stephen F. Austin, Mayfield's then 780 season yards and seven touchdowns already exceeded the 755 yards and six TDs accrued by Texas Tech's last true freshman quarterback, Aaron Keesee, in 10 games.[9] After being afflicted by injury and losing the starting job to fellow true freshman Davis Webb, Mayfield finished the season with 2315 yards on 218/340 completions with 12 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.

Mayfield was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Burlsworth Trophy in November. The award is given to the best walk-on player in Division I football.[10]

Mayfield earned Big 12 Conference Freshman Offensive Player of the Year for the 2013 season. Mayfield announced that he would be leaving the program due to a 'miscommunication' with the coaching staff.[3][11] Mayfield enrolled at OU in January 2014, but had not contacted the Sooner coaching staff. Mayfield further elaborated in an interview with ESPN that he sought to transfer due to scholarship issues and a perception that he had earned the starting position and that further competition was not "really fair".

 

[BeecherVol]

I don't believe OU is a playoff team.

The one I watched Saturday is not. Good but not playoff good.

 

[thetennlegend]

The one I watched Saturday is not. Good but not playoff good.

Osu Bama and then who knows those are the only two teams that look head and shoulders above the rest. Listen we have to improve and we need to beat teams like Florida mizzou and sc for sure this year. This team is a year away from being very very good and deep.

 

[99gator]

Here's the stats on Mayfield from Texas Tech, I guarantee he's 100 times better than your ex boy Driskel...

Shortly before the start of the 2013 season, Mayfield was named to the starting quarterback position following a back injury of projected starter and former Lake Travis quarterback Michael Brewer.[4] Mayfield is believed to be the first walk-on true freshman quarterback to start a season opener at the quarterback position.

In his first start against SMU, Mayfield passed for 413 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions. His 43 completions of 60 attempts broke a school record held by Billy Joe Tolliver, and fell only four completions short of the NCAA Division I single-game record for completions by a freshman.[5][6] For his performance, Mayfield was named Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week – the first freshman Texas Tech quarterback to be named so since current Red Raider head coach Kliff Kingsbury in 1999.[7] The game featured the last four former Lake Travis quarterbacks combined on both teams: Garrett Gilbert, Michael Brewer, Mayfield, and Collin Lagasse.[8]

Following the Red Raiders' second victory over Stephen F. Austin, Mayfield's then 780 season yards and seven touchdowns already exceeded the 755 yards and six TDs accrued by Texas Tech's last true freshman quarterback, Aaron Keesee, in 10 games.[9] After being afflicted by injury and losing the starting job to fellow true freshman Davis Webb, Mayfield finished the season with 2315 yards on 218/340 completions with 12 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.

Mayfield was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Burlsworth Trophy in November. The award is given to the best walk-on player in Division I football.[10]

Mayfield earned Big 12 Conference Freshman Offensive Player of the Year for the 2013 season. Mayfield announced that he would be leaving the program due to a 'miscommunication' with the coaching staff.[3][11] Mayfield enrolled at OU in January 2014, but had not contacted the Sooner coaching staff. Mayfield further elaborated in an interview with ESPN that he sought to transfer due to scholarship issues and a perception that he had earned the starting position and that further competition was not "really fair".

I was exaggerating for effect.

It was pathetic. That was the point.

Notice how no one is claiming Dobbs' performance was due to the awesomeness of Oklahoma's defense.

Why?

Because everyone knows you should never be made to look that bad.

When you look that bad, there is more going on than the other team's defense.

 

[Volz4lif3]

I was exaggerating for effect.

It was pathetic. That was the point.

Notice how no one is claiming Dobbs' performance was due to the awesomeness of Oklahoma's defense.

Why?

Because everyone knows you should never be made to look that bad.

When you look that bad, there is more going on than the other team's defense.

Well damn I took the bait,line and sinker

 

[RockyTop411]

I was exaggerating for effect.

It was pathetic. That was the point.

Notice how no one is claiming Dobbs' performance was due to the awesomeness of Oklahoma's defense.

Why?

Because everyone knows you should never be made to look that bad.

When you look that bad, there is more going on than the other team's defense.

You're right.

But, I hate you and your team, so you're wrong.

Btw, The McElwain explosion was great. I like that guy.

 

[advancedrescue27]

Losses like the one that we just sustained hurt so much because you can play the “what if” scenarios ad nauseum and, with respect specifically to the Oklahoma game, because of how superbly our defense played for three quarters. Unfortunately, far too many contributors to this forum refuse to exercise even a scintilla of perspective and choose instead to focus exclusively on the negativity of the immediate past. Let’s take a very short look back at the magnitude of losses that Tennessee has suffered during the Butch Jones era:

2013.
Oregon (11-2) L 59-14
Florida (4-8) L 31-17
Georgia (8-5) L 34-31
Alabama (11-2) L 45-10
Missouri (12-2) L 31-3
Auburn (12-2) L 55-23
Vanderbilt (9-4) L 14-10

Ave. margin of defeat: 23 points (only because we narrowly lost to GA and VU; we had four absolute blowout losses).

2014.
Oklahoma (8-5) L 34-10
Georgia (10-3) L 35-32
Florida (7-5) L 10-9
Mississippi (9-4) L 34-3
Alabama (12-2) L 34-20
Missouri (11-3) L 29-21

Ave. margin of defeat: 11.6 points (two blowout losses).

2015.
Oklahoma (2-0) L 31-24 (double overtime).

I understand impatience; it is the nature of the beast when it comes to SEC football. However, one simply cannot dismiss the fact that Butch inherited a team that was woefully deficient in talent, as evidenced by an average 23-point margin of defeat in his first year. Through recruiting, he reduced that figure by 50% in year two and now has us at the point where, in terms of talent, we can stand toe to toe with virtually anyone on our schedule, other than Alabama. People may be sick to death of hearing the word "process," but climbing out of the crater created by the Fulmer-Kiffin-Dooley turnstile is exactly that.

Yes, there probably will be more heartbreakingly close losses; that happens when significant talent discrepancies no longer exist. However, we also will begin to break through with victories in some of those matchups and I would not be surprised to see us emerge with “scalps” that formerly belonged to Gators, Bulldogs or both. Barring significant additional injuries at critical positions, we are finally truly competitive again and that is the first major step to restoring our program to the altitude we all expect of it.

maybe I'm wrong but isn't that how one improves? Looking at what went wrong in an effort to fix?

And also it's not the immediate past, this at bare minimum year 2 that this has happened. Problem is that it's kind of a big problem that I hope gets fixed. It's not correcting better pass rush etc etc etc, it's a mind set of the coaches. That's the scary part.

Also I don't think anyone would argue that we aren't better. Do you think we will be a top team in the nation ever if we play the same game plan as Saturday? I hope someone here that's sticking up for Butch finally answers this. They seem to jump to something else each time.

 

[WesternKyVol]

Hard to take a guy touting Dobbs for Heisman seriously.

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

People practice such a double standard.

Florida is bad because of their performance against East Carolina.

But, I can't question a team with an offense that made a defense that was torched by Bowling Green look like the 85 Bears for 3 quarters.

Oklahoma's quarterback never did complete 50% of his passes.

I would think a "playoff team" could do better than that.

For the record, Florida's completion percentage against Tennessee in 2014 with Jeff Driskel at QB was 48.1. Oklahoma's QB had a completion percentage in this game of 48.7.

Dude started the game completing 8 of his first 25.

We'll find our in 2 weeks whose good. If the Florida game is close then you'll right.

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

Hard to take a guy touting Dobbs for Heisman seriously.

Hard to take a guy who doesn't support our players seriously.

 

[Volz4lif3]

Hard to take a guy touting Dobbs for Heisman seriously.

C'mon man he just bought in the hype.. Don't give em too much hell..

 

[advancedrescue27]

Hard to take a guy who doesn't support our players seriously.

Even the people most upset right now haven't generally been complaining about the players. It's actually been the opposite, very proud of them and recognize their capabilities. Somehow nothing I saw gets heard tho, no point.

 

[99gator]

We'll find our in 2 weeks whose good. If the Florida game is close then you'll right.

I don't think Florida is good.

My point was the same logic one can use to conclude that Florida isn't good can also be used to argue Oklahoma is not a playoff team.

 

[Spawn]

Typical volnation....Cry and ***** about everything good or bad. It's as predictable as day following the night. Saw it all last year with poll after poll calling for certain coaches.

CBJ has almost brought our talent and depth back to where it needs to be and is giving 100% for Tennessee.

Yes the play calling got conservative in the second half.

Suck it up and stick with bUTch or continue pushing for the coaching circle jerk we've had.

 

[JC61]

I just want to know what major sports outlet you guys work for...there are guys who think, maybe thought, OU is/was a playoff caliber team.

Maybe they are, maybe they aren't...I don't get paid to make those observations and calls....but, just think about it...why would guys who get paid to make those calls, say it?

 

[LWSVOL]

I'm disappointed like everyone else about the game but we did not lose to an inferior team. Many experts have Oklahoma making the playoff. Practically no one picked us and many were afraid we would get embarrassed. This loss hurts but it's not embrassing. Losing to Toledo at home is embrassing.

Butch Jones may not know many things but he does know talent. Before the Bowling Green game, he said they were an explosive offense with an NFL QB. I took it as coach speak and thought we would handle them easily. We now know Bowling Green is a good football team. Similarly, Butch said Oklahoma is underrated and a top 5 football team. If that turns out to be true, then we just had a playoff team on the ropes.

This team can still be great. Folks need to let the season play itself out before making declarations this early in the season. Bringing negativity to this football team this early in the season is wrong.

Tennessee fans need to grow up.

we had a good chance to beat a team better than us. We had control and failed to keep it. Not because Oklahoma took it away but because we didn't press them while we had them down. We played scared after we got our 17..

 

[VolFan_N_NC]

It's like deja vu. Except Butch doesn't have immaculate hair and orange pants. Instead of historical analogies, we get cheesy slogans. But the end result is the same. We lose games we should win and sunshine pumpers cry because people criticize the coach.

Good God man - even a blind man can see the difference that CBJ is making in the program.

You're really showing your ignorance to compare Dools to Butch.

We still have one of the youngest teams in the country and we are getting better every week. Yes, we lost a game we should have won but Dools wouldn't wven have the players we have now to be able to compete.

 

[Volz4lif3]

Good God man - even a blind man can see the difference that CBJ is making in the program.

You're really showing your ignorance to compare Dools to Butch.

We still have one of the youngest teams in the country and we are getting better every week. Yes, we lost a game we should have won but Dools wouldn't wven have the players we have now to be able to compete.

The young team crap is getting old..

 

[BeecherVol]

Osu Bama and then who knows those are the only two teams that look head and shoulders above the rest. Listen we have to improve and we need to beat teams like Florida mizzou and sc for sure this year. This team is a year away from being very very good and deep.

I dont think anybody is expecting very good out of this bunch. Our roster was plenty good enough to win Saturday. It just didnt happen for various reasons. Its good enough to win against 9 of our 10 remaining opponents as well. We ll see what they do.

 

[KBVol]

And if coaching performances like this saturday continue I'll join you. I just think the reaction the last 2 days were uncalled for.

I always felt I couldn't judge butch's performance as a coach until the end of 2016. We would know then whether he's the answer. Not week 2 of 2015.

Well, I feel like I've seen what I saw Saturday, in some sort of fashion, at least 3 times now. And I don't think it's uncalled for for fans who have suffered through the crap of the last 7 years to criticize a coach who clearly mismanaged a signature win into a devastating loss. Don't want him fired, don't want anything of the sort. Just want to voice my opinion and displeasure as a fan/supporter and hope that things change so the next time we have control of a game vs a quality opponent like OU that our headcoach doesn't "crap the bed" again.

 

[vol445]

I know vn is browsed by the ad so I will make this short and sweet. I will text butch and show support and tell him in a friendly way lets pour it on the next two weeks point wise

Somehow this posted in wrong thread meant for Florida has two weeks thread. Mod can you move it