Defense

#4
#4
Good stat. Didn't realize that. We will need to keep pace the next few weeks and a few players will need to step up next year but we should not have as many holes to fill as we have had the last few. Taylor and Bryce should be close to the top duo in the SEC next year. Shamburger had made leaps and bounds. Burrell will add good depth. McCullough picking things up quickly but Flowers needs to stay healthy, perhaps he moves to free safety where he isn't amongst the biggins as much. Henry is $. Line much improved but we need Crouch to take another step along with others for D line depth. I'm liking our D next year.
 
#5
#5
BEFORE Miss State:
th

AFTER Miss State:
th
 
#6
#6
Sorry guys I meant to say in the second half of the last 5 games. They gave up 10 to Georgia, 7 to Miss. St. 7 to Bama, 0 to SC and 7 to UAB against the second team still though it’s quite a improvement from earlier in the season and especially last year. Let’s hope it continues in the final 3 games. Go Vols!!!
 
#9
#9
Everyone knows that it's the D that WINS Championships.

That's 1 of the reasons I'm glad we got Pruitt for our HC.

I originally wanted the DC from Clemson but it's looking like he'll never leave Dabo and he's happy at Clemson.

When the other team can't score it takes lots of pressure off of our O and they can then focus and execute better in many cases.

I'm really praying we can WIN out and Destroy somebody in our bowl game and we get a big surge of top recruits and seriously get this rebuild going.

VFL...GBO!!!
 
#10
#10
In the last 5 games our defense has allowed just 4 offensive touchdowns and 31pts in the second half they are really getting better and improving every week from the start of the season.

So many on here are worried about who will play quarterback and it really doesn't matter as long as we continue to play like we are on the defensive side of the ball.
 
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#13
#13
The defense has really set us up to be in the position we are in right now. Ansley has started settling into his role nicely as DC. No reason if they continue playing as well as they have they can’t win out.

if out D is at full or nearly full strength for KY, it won't be a contest. They will simply beat the Felis silvestris into submission, take their balls and go home with them; no matter what our offense does.
 
#14
#14
At the beginning of this season DLine was our main concern and thanks to our great staff that area is in good shape. We're already in a position where we can start reloading each year and maintaining depth instead of rebuilding. This applies to the OLine as well but there's not quite as much depth there this year.
I really like the fact that this staff can recruit a 3* and develop him to fit our schemes. I think CJP has a good eye as an evaluator. Maybe one of the best in the country. The next 3 games will be telling if UT has indeed turned the corner.
 
#15
#15
if out D is at full or nearly full strength for KY, it won't be a contest. They will simply beat the Felis silvestris into submission, take their balls and go home with them; no matter what our offense does.
Defense comes to play tomorrow night we will molly whop them. Unless Bowden has developed any semblance of an air game, they won’t be able to do much. Is their other QB healthy, has anybody heard? Seems like during their Last game I heard them talking about he might be can’t remember right off hand
 
#16
#16
I think the 2nd stringer at the start of the season for them is a go. His name is Sawyer Smith. The Cats were playing decent in the Florida game when he went down. As I recall they lost by missing a FG in that game. The Cat's missed a 35 yd FG with 55 sec. to go. The score was 22-21 with UF leading then Hammond busted a long run as time expired making the final 29-21.
 
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#18
#18
I am in love with our defense right now. Deeply. Like Nicholas Sparks book walking hand in hand on the beach type love (OK, that got weird real quick).

Seriously though, my biggest disappointment with this team earlier in the season was the defense. We had heard all this hype about how Pruitt is one of the best defensive minds in the game and then we watch Georgia frikkin' State run all over us? Now my tune has changed. We still do not have a lot of rock stars on this defense but man they are playing like a well coached unit. I am still not completely on board the Pruitt train but the change I have seen in our defense this season has me looking at the prices of a train ticket.
 
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#19
#19
Sorry guys I meant to say in the second half of the last 5 games. They gave up 10 to Georgia, 7 to Miss. St. 7 to Bama, 0 to SC and 7 to UAB against the second team still though it’s quite a improvement from earlier in the season and especially last year. Let’s hope it continues in the final 3 games. Go Vols!!!
Now that's good stats.
 
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#20
#20
So many on here are worried about who will play quarterback and it really doesn't matter as long as we continue to play like we are on the defensive side of the ball.

Yes it does matter who plays QB and how well. If at the end of 4 qtrs. our defense has held the opponent to no points and we are a grand total of 0 pts, you play on til someone scores. You must have some success at QB or regardless of how good your defense is you lose. (unless your "d" scores more than the other team, in which case, they too stink at QB
 
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#21
#21
Yes it does matter who plays QB and how well. If at the end of 4 qtrs. our defense has held the opponent to no points and we are a grand total of 0 pts, you play on til someone scores. You must have some success at QB or regardless of how good your defense is you lose. (unless your "d" scores more than the other team, in which case, they too stink at QB
Obviously if you score zero points you won't win. All I was saying was that I believe that any of the QBs could win the remaining games on the schedule. Or in other words unless they all self-destruct the defense will carry the team. In my opinion great QB play won’t be necessary, just not awful. Heck if all three are terrible Sat, I think we could win with JJ running the wild dog the whole game.
 
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#22
#22
Obviously if you score zero points you won't win. All I was saying was that I believe that any of the QBs could win the remaining games on the schedule. Or in other words unless they all self-destruct the defense will carry the team. In my opinion great QB play won’t be necessary, just not awful. Heck if all three are terrible Sat, I think we could win with JJ running the wild dog the whole game.

I was not necessarily speaking to your post, just using it to try and make the point about our defense (or any defense) being a win all option as the thread seem to evolve into. Sorry I made it seem I was "belittling" you post. Hopeful you are right and we can win with any QB play as that's what we have right now (not awful, for the most part)...
 
#23
#23
At the beginning of this season DLine was our main concern and thanks to our great staff that area is in good shape. We're already in a position where we can start reloading each year and maintaining depth instead of rebuilding. This applies to the OLine as well but there's not quite as much depth there this year.
I really like the fact that this staff can recruit a 3* and develop him to fit our schemes. I think CJP has a good eye as an evaluator. Maybe one of the best in the country. The next 3 games will be telling if UT has indeed turned the corner.
Dline and oline were biggest concerns while many were excited about the veteran sure fire lock of the century QB we had..oh how times have changed..
 
#24
#24
I was not necessarily speaking to your post, just using it to try and make the point about our defense (or any defense) being a win all option as the thread seem to evolve into. Sorry I made it seem I was "belittling" you post. Hopeful you are right and we can win with any QB play as that's what we have right now (not awful, for the most part)...
Anything... just not awful should be our rallying cry.
I'm not a big what if guy, but I was thinking the other day .... what if Josh Dobbs was the QB of this years team? He maybe would have masked the bad o-line play in the beginning and we win every game with the exception of Georgia, including Alabubba
 
#25
#25
Fewer 3 and outs and a little depth has also helped the defense hold up in the 2nd half.
 

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