Recruiting Forum Football Talk [RIP 9.3.2019]

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#14,178
#14,178
It will take a couple seasons for us to look like the LSUs and Alabamas of the world.

Gotta remember they’ve had 3-4 years of solid strength and conditioning while our guys have had about 8 months under the new guy.

No doubt Pruitt wants them that size though. He wants a big team unlike Butch.
 
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#14,179
#14,179
Blake25p said:
How did the Oline look to you after the first couple possessions? I thought they played well after but that was me watching live.
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Pretty solid. Kennedy got going. Really any issue was communication. Outside of the 1st play which was whiff. The rest were guys think someone next to them had the guy or people went for same guy.

I can see why they like Jahmir. He makes mental errors but when he gets his hands on them gen is physical. He kills people on screens. He and trey killed a guy buy eli wolf missed a block. Then he killed a guy again on a screen but JG overthrew it. Would have likely been 6.

OL will be fine with more reps together. Wasn't a physical problem at least the majority. Was alignment and who has what guy problem
 
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#14,181
#14,181
Flowers made lots of mistakes Saturday and looked like a strong athlete who simply hasn't played much football. Corner Bryce Thompson had a baptism by fire, too, but if I’m Pruitt, I lean on the three freshmen (Alontae Taylor had the best showing in his debut) the rest of the season.

Tennessee’s lack of team speed pops on film.

It’s most apparent at linebacker and in the secondary. The Vols should play the kids. I’d give Theo Jackson, Kenneth George (who is nursing a slight leg injury) and Shawn Shamburger (who didn’t play a single defensive snap and remains in the coaches doghouse) a ton of run the next two weeks.

Buchanan and Abernathy had really, really poor showings Saturday … and Nigel Warrior's effort was just a porous. Buchanan gave up several big plays, though he was in position to make a pair of PBUs, even breaking up a pass in the end zone with his butt on one play.

Abernathy’s 2017 struggles didn't disappear with a coaching change, as his terrible two-play sequence to set up WVU’s first touchdown was a solid encapsulation of his afternoon. The senior was caught peaking with bad technique on a first down throw and then whiffed on an eraser tackle to allow a long score.

Still, Warrior was no where to be found on several passing plays. He was a step slow in reacting to WVU’s offense. Ironically, his best pass coverage of the day was when Grier tossed a dime on a back-shoulder fade for a touchdown. Warrior was in great position. But you can’t stop that throw. Again, play the kids.
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Flipping back over to the defense, I’ve shared my skepticism all preseason that Tennessee’s front-7 was anything other than average at best. They weren’t even that good Saturday. The linebackers were a step slow and really bad at the point of attack in the run game, while the interior lineman couldn’t generate consistent penetration. Shy Tuttle had a big sack to help force a field goal and Alexis Johnson and Kyle Phillips both made a couple plays, but the unit was largely really inconsistent. Johnathan Kongbo and Darrell Taylor pulled Houdini performances, forcing Pruitt to start blitzing too much in the second half.

By my count, the Vols rushed 5+ defenders just five times total in the first half. Pruitt called seven such pressures in the third quarter alone. The Vols were obviously burned badly by the blitz, as Grier caught fire following the long lightening delay, completing 16-of-19 passes for 275 yards and four touchdowns.

Tennessee has to find a way to generate consistent pressure, but I’ll be curious to see how much the Vols continue to blitz with man-coverage behind them. Pruitt’s famous GUMBO or CREOLE pressures (two different corner and safety blitzs) work really well when you have Minkah Fitzpatrick or Eddie Jackson behind you. The Vols most certainly don’t, though.
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Finally, Tennessee’s best storyline Saturday was the emergence of Tim Jordan. On Friday’s podcast I guessed that he would start and be the team’s leading rusher. I knew the staff really liked him, but I got a bit lucky on my prediction since Ty Chandler got hurt. Still, Tennessee’s sophomore tailback ran angry against WVU, showcasing a couple filthy Marshawn Lynch-esque stiff arms.

He was decisive in the hole and ran through contact. He broke at least 10 tackles. The Vols backfield has some talent. Possibly better than any unit on the team.

Jordan is good, Chandler has real skills and I continue to believe we’ll hear from Jeremy Banks a bunch in 2018. For a season that won’t be very exciting, that group is certainly a unit to cheer for.
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-- VQ
 
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#14,182
#14,182
Nashvegas31 said:
Pretty solid. Kennedy got going. Really any issue was communication. Outside of the 1st play which was whiff. The rest were guys think someone next to them had the guy or people went for same guy.

I can see why they like Jahmir. He makes mental errors but when he gets his hands on them gen is physical. He kills people on screens. He and trey killed a guy buy eli wolf missed a block. Then he killed a guy again on a screen but JG overthrew it. Would have likely been 6.

OL will be fine with more reps together. Wasn't a physical problem at least the majority. Was alignment and who has what guy problem
Click to expand...

Good post. Same stuff I saw. Jahmir had a nice pancake where he drove a guy into the turf, got some nasty to him.
 
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#14,183
#14,183
Blake25p said:
How did the Oline look to you after the first couple possessions? I thought they played well after but that was me watching live.
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VQ's take
The Vols shuffled the unit throughout the first half, using eight different lineman and four different combinations. The unit settled in a bit once Tennessee made the adjustment of having the guards stop reaching and simply keeping Kennedy on the nose (Kenny Bigelow was a monster in the first half for WVU), creating the cut-back lanes.

The lineman were less tentative and had success running left. Still, it wasn’t a grand showing for a unit that was looking to make a physical statement in Week 1. You can definitely make the case that WVU’s front will be the worst Power 5 group Tennessee faces over the next two months.

Pruitt wasn’t discouraged, though, giving a full-throated defense of his line after the game."I believe in them. I think the guys are hard-nosed. They fight. But we’ve got to execute better.”

Kennedy and Johnson certainly bounced back after bad showings in the first half, with both newcomers making key seal blocks on Tennessee’s second touchdown drive. How quickly the Vols settle on a starting five and build continuity remains to be seen, though.

“We played guys at a bunch of different spots. And when you do that, sometimes you’re not hardly a unit yet,” Pruitt said.

“As the season goes, as they get to play together and play the same position over and over, I think they’ll get better. I really do.”
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#14,184
#14,184
jordan4vols said:
😂. Oh you’re serious. Bama’s offense is not “easily” better.
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WVU averaged 34 PPG and 459 yards per game on 72 plays. Bama averaged 444 yards and 37 points on 67 plays. One played in the SEC West and the other the B12. And now Tua is finally the starter. Hurts was not very good last year and they still put up crazy numbers, this is the best offense Bama has ever had with Saban.
 
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#14,185
#14,185
A lot of guys of defense will look better the more games on this scheme they get under their belt.

I really do believe guys like Warrior and Bituli will look much better as the season goes on. Everyone looked like they were a step slow and thinking way too much. They weren’t reacting instinctually.
 
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#14,187
#14,187
Smokey123 said:
WVU averaged 34 PPG and 459 yards per game on 72 plays. Bama averaged 444 yards and 37 points on 67 plays. One played in the SEC West and the other the B12. And now Tua is finally the starter. Hurts was not very good last year and they still put up crazy numbers, this is the best offense Bama has ever had with Saban.
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We’re talking about this year
 
#14,188
#14,188
Meant to post this before the game but picked LSU in this game today.

The rumors of their demise are greatly exaggerated imo
 
#14,190
#14,190
Smokey123 said:
On that screen pass that JG slightly over threw? He also set up that block for the Jordan TD.

Would love to see Carvin start at the other Guard spot
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Yep that’s the one I believe. Carvin was moving some bodies around out there, he’s gonna be hard to keep off the field.
 
#14,196
#14,196
volfanngatorland said:
Yep that’s the one I believe. Carvin was moving some bodies around out there, he’s gonna be hard to keep off the field.
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After a day to recover from a thorough beating, I do find some positives to keep up hope. 1. Offensive line improved throughout the game. 2. JG looked calm and capable. 3. Wide receivers looked physical and good hands. 4. Running backs going north/south. For the defense surely we find a way to get pressure.
 
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#14,200
#14,200
LSU appears to have a real QB in Burrow and the rest of their team is playing well. The U is in trouble.
 
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