Biggest Liability ... it’s not QB

[Eastknox865]

He played fine and was still playing in the 4th. 18 was getting burned repeatedly, Flowers too.

Your wrong on both accounts

 

[Tenacguy50]

Also, we don't have any true downhill RBs. I like Gray but it doesn't take much contact to bring him down.

Yes I thought he should have scored on that little dump off that he took 30 yards and when he got to the goal line looks like he just laid down. IMO, he should have plowed the defender through the end zone.

 

[LittleVol]

Maybe, but we had several key players out and others playing out of position because of it so let's see how they look with everyone back.

Definitely was a part of the problem 2nd half

 

[chuck0303]

Shamburger is one of the best at his position in the country. The D played a lot of inexperienced guys.

Yes. The 800 lb gorilla is still a RS Sr QB who misses open receivers and is consistently late/slow with reads. If he hits the throws that were open and should be automatic for someone with his level of experience then the D is off the field more. UT had 55 plays to 67 for USCe.

The OL's inability to move USCe's DL around in the run game is also a major concern since JG is at best reliably inconsistent throwing the ball.

Agree about the gorilla comment. JG is mostly slow in getting the ball out. In addition, you don't have to try to go for the home run on every throw when what's needed is a first down. Many times he's trying to go way down field on 3rd down and low percentage of getting it.

Tennessee's defense for the most part couldn't defend the slant pass; after a couple of completions you would think they would make an adjustment. They better get better quickly. Also don't let your foot off the gas when you're ahead, put them away. I blame most of that on JG not going for the first down completion on 3rd downs but trying to hit the long ball--not the time to be doing that, Duh?

 

[GreyWolf1129]

Name 1 player on our team that has put up good consistent numbers vs those 3 the last 3 years. That's all you guys have left is the fact that JG nor Pruitt has beaten any of the big3 and I think that changes this season, you obviously feel like we don't have a chance with JG so not sure what to tell ya, go buy some Maalox for your upset stomach you get watching him play I guess.

No, we don't have much of a chance with JG against the "Big 3". The simple fact is, you measure a player by how well they play...or not...against the best competition. It is here where JG's apex is just simply not high enough to get UT to that level. Again, it is what it is. JG is an F4 in an F22 conference.

We can agree to disagree. I don't need Maalox when I watch JG do what he does so consistently. He doesn't upset my stomach; he simply confirms my belief that when you recruit middle of the SEC level talent, you get a middle of the SEC level player.

Maalox won't make that any better. Recruiting, player development, and coaching will.

Go Vols.

 

[GreyWolf1129]

Just out of curiosity, and no I haven't checked...does UT have another QB with 3+ years as a starter and zero wins against UF, UGA, and Bama?

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

I won’t say I watched every snap, but i did see a majority of the 2nd quarter-on after Miami had adequately dispatched of FSU. From what I watched, #2 on UT’s defense looked like their best player, and I liked #13 also. Both very impressive.

On offense, Gray and Chandler are a very good combo. JG is average, and not near as good as he thinks/behaves on the field. Solid o-line too. Some potential at WR.

#2 is Alontae Taylor, hugely underrated by our fanbase I feel. He, Thompson and Shamburger are why I thought we'd matchup well with Fl this season. Shamburger was out yesterday as was one of our biggest and best NTs so not sure what to think of our pass defense last night.

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

Yeah he just ran thru 3 guys on his TD run

Is that the only play you watched him run? He was arm tackled several times last season after light contact and a few times last night. One on one full speed vs a DB at the goal line, a running back should win and score 90% of the time, Gray hasn't added YAContact to his repertoire just YET. We need to get him in space more often and quit running him between the tackles I feel.

 

[whodeycin85]

Is that the only play you watched him run? He was arm tackled several times last season after light contact and a few times last night. One on one full speed vs a DB at the goal line, a running back should win and score 90% of the time, Gray hasn't added YAContact to his repertoire just YET. We need to get him in space more often and quit running him between the tackles I feel.

NeverGrayer!!! He is a sophmore

 

[marcusluvsvols]

Just out of curiosity, and no I haven't checked...does UT have another QB with 3+ years as a starter and zero wins against UF, UGA, and Bama?

I will see your question, and add 1 that I have asked repeatedly....

Name a QB to start 3 years at UT with a LOSING record????

Is there 1 besides JG? Even with a 7 game winning streak, he STILL has a losing record as a starter...not just against the big 3....or the SEC even....but a LOSING record overall as a QB, creampuffs included.

Is there another one? Definitely not in the last 43 years, I have been alive and watching for that long. I do not believe that there has ever been a 3 year starter at UT with a losing record...but if 1 of my Vol brethren can show me otherwise then I will stand corrected.

How many times has JG thrown for 300 yards or brought us 30 plus points per game? Anyone? These things happen frequently for other SEC passers and teams....why does that seem like an impossible achievement for JG???

How tired are yall of ALWAYS wishing we could trade QBs with the other team?? Even against FCS teams. App state, Georgia state, SC, even Vandy....how tired are yall of ALWAYS having an inferior QB??? It is embarrassing. We are UT...

The last QB I can remember that was always either "on" or "off" was Andy Kelly. Just like JG, he would throw the most boneheaded, off the wall passes...then throw a beautiful TD. He was a winner, though. He won plenty here, then went on to be the best Arena FB passer in the history of the league. There is no way in Hades that JG ever takes another snap after UT....he would never sniff the NFL, and cannot pass nearly well enough to play in Canada. His masters degree from UT will serve him well in something besides football....and i wish him the best. I never, ever want to see him take another snap at UT, though. Better to take our lumps with 1 of the younger QBs this season, in order to to be better prepared to make a run for the East next season IMO.

 

[orangefreak21]

Maybe, but we had several key players out and others playing out of position because of it so let's see how they look with everyone back.

Bingo.

Even though one of the best players on the team in HT plays LB, I'd say that's a pretty weak group overall. More concerning than secondary.

 

[PC Jr.]

I think the secondary will be fine after it gets enough reps. Our LBs in coverage are a concern

Very good point.

 

[SteveG]

I was frustrated with SC ability to run the ball to the outside. And,... the LB core must get better in coverage,... like immediately. My hope is they get a win over MO & then put things together. I will say this, TN plays physical and I like it

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

I will see your question, and add 1 that I have asked repeatedly....

Name a QB to start 3 years at UT with a LOSING record????

Is there 1 besides JG? Even with a 7 game winning streak, he STILL has a losing record as a starter...not just against the big 3....or the SEC even....but a LOSING record overall as a QB, creampuffs included.

Is there another one? Definitely not in the last 43 years, I have been alive and watching for that long. I do not believe that there has ever been a 3 year starter at UT with a losing record...but if 1 of my Vol brethren can show me otherwise then I will stand corrected.

How many times has JG thrown for 300 yards or brought us 30 plus points per game? Anyone? These things happen frequently for other SEC passers and teams....why does that seem like an impossible achievement for JG???

How tired are yall of ALWAYS wishing we could trade QBs with the other team?? Even against FCS teams. App state, Georgia state, SC, even Vandy....how tired are yall of ALWAYS having an inferior QB??? It is embarrassing. We are UT...

The last QB I can remember that was always either "on" or "off" was Andy Kelly. Just like JG, he would throw the most boneheaded, off the wall passes...then throw a beautiful TD. He was a winner, though. He won plenty here, then went on to be the best Arena FB passer in the history of the league. There is no way in Hades that JG ever takes another snap after UT....he would never sniff the NFL, and cannot pass nearly well enough to play in Canada. His masters degree from UT will serve him well in something besides football....and i wish him the best. I never, ever want to see him take another snap at UT, though. Better to take our lumps with 1 of the younger QBs this season, in order to to be better prepared to make a run for the East next season IMO.

Name a team that has won more than it lost when it had the worst OL and DL in their own conference. Ridiculous to put all those on JG in '17 and '18 as there were numerous factors that caused us to have the worst rosters, worst NFL draft and worst record than at any other time in our history. Moan all you want but with a competent competitive roster he's put up winning numbers. He's not done yet so it's premature to determine what his record will end up being. If we were to win the East or even finish 2nd that would be 2 critical seasons he helped get us back into the top 6 of the league, the same position we've basically held our entire history of our program other than the runs Neyland, Fulmer and Majors made.

 

[TheManFromTenn]

The offense scored 24 points. Henry T scored 6. Minus his pick 6, UT got outscored 27-24.

QB play is by far our biggest concern, and potential liability. As it has been since JG took his first snap as the starting QB at UT. It is what it is.

There were flashes of brilliance and times of pure head-scratching on both sides of the ball yesterday, as should be expected given all that this team has been through over the past 7 months. The one constant...going on what, four years now?...where we saw the exact same thing we have seen from the beginning...was the play of Guarantano. He's either "on", or "off". There is no middle ground with him.

Love his heart. Love his grit. But he has peaked, and the rest of the team, IMO, has passed him by at this point. It concerns me that, apparently, he's the best we've got right now. I don't foresee that being the issue next year. So for 2020, I have modest expectations at best for UT Football.

Go Vols.

Boom! There it is...

 

[de1conley]

IMO, the secondary is the biggest are of concern right now. They didn’t play well and it wasn’t that the didn’t understand the scheme or responsibilities. They lacked awareness in coverage and some physical ability (Speed, making tackles, strength). These are long term issues that will cause huge issues against good offenses.

remember, the offense (and Henry T) scored 31 points. That should good enough to win several games with solid defensive play.

Not sure what you watched but the secondary did well except on the underneath routes and if you rewatxh it there were quite a few pick combos in which the SC Wrs got open on. S play was shaky but the Cbs played well.

 

[99Vol]

Yes I thought he should have scored on that little dump off that he took 30 yards and when he got to the goal line looks like he just laid down. IMO, he should have plowed the defender through the end zone.

Yeah, a bit perplexed when he slowed down and did a Walter Payton high step when the defender was 10+ yards away on the goal line...

 

[Vol8188]

Defense put the offense in a situation where they only had to score 18 to win. That’s the type of performance I’ll take any Saturday.

Our secondary will be fine moving forward. Especially when we have our best player in the secondary back, Shamburger (best player not named Smith according to PFF).

 

[MemphisVol77]

Is that the only play you watched him run? He was arm tackled several times last season after light contact and a few times last night. One on one full speed vs a DB at the goal line, a running back should win and score 90% of the time, Gray hasn't added YAContact to his repertoire just YET. We need to get him in space more often and quit running him between the tackles I feel.

Gray has got an amazing natural 'juke' move that you just can't teach.

I'm not sure what to call it really. It's like a hybrid move between a stutter step/side step/pivot step that he uses in close space while accelerating through the hole into the 2nd level. I remember pre-2018 I commented on his recruiting footage on here and said, "He(Gray) is going to excel at the next level(UT)". His HS footage he looked like a demigod using it. Even early last season he was making defenders look foolish one-on-one occasionally.

That said you're absolutely right about him still being arm tackled too much. That flea flicker you just described is a perfect example. He actually slowed down. I think it's because he can't pull off his 'juke' move at full speed and tries to do too much some times. That's on Jay Graham to coach him up. "Son, this is the SEC. You don't slow down and dance you're way one-on-one into the endzone in this conference. You go full speed through the DB into the endzone".

I commented during the 2nd half of the Gameday thread that Gray was trying to do too much. I saw two plays where he let off the straight line burst, trying to make guys miss, and left yards on the play.

Gray & Chandler have both improved from last year. Chandler has improved more & Gray is still leaving himself too open to arm tackles. I think Gray has the higher ceiling but so far Chandler's out working him x&o fundamentals & strait line speed.

With Gray's natural athleticism he's good to turn a few runs between the tackles into 10-20yrds more than your average SEC back gets. If he gets his x&o fundamentals down, he could turn into the most explosives RB we've had since Kamara running off-tackle or catching swing/screen passes in the flat.

 

[utvols74]

What universe does 19-31, 260 and 2 total TDs with ZERO TURNOVERS equate to being bad QB play? He was inconsistent but not recognizing what he did well is a super weak evaluation on your part. Moan and groan all you want about the 5 or 6 bad throws and continue to say nothing about the 5 to 6 really good throws he made, the 60+ offensive plays in which his decision making was good and the fact he went on the road and led a 4th quarter game winning 4 play 75 yard drive that included 2 PERFECTLY EXECUTED pass plays by our entire offensive unit. Had one of our backups executed that drive you and those like you would be yelling as loud as you could how that was evidence that JG sucked. The problem with the JG can't improve argument is that he's improved a ton since his benching after the Florida debacle last season and that improvement has played a major role in 7 straight wins. Guys like you evidently can't see the good in something once you've already made judgement on said player being bad. I hope he plays as bad all season as he did last night and we win the East, I'm curious as to what the neverJGers with their 7th grade debating skills come up with if that were to happen.

I'll tell you what "universe".... had we had USCe QB last night, we would have won by 20+ points. Had we had Iowa State's QB in the bowl game, we would have won by at least 20 points. UT won last night because of...
1) LB pick-six
2) USCe special teams mistake

JG is not a QB that will help you "pull away" from a team and pile on 15-20 points. He's just bad enough to keep the opposing team around. This propensity will definitely cost UT a game it should win and definitely keep UT from winning a game they're "supposed to lose" (UGA, UF, Barn, Bama). 5-5 or 6-4 at best.

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

Gray has got an amazing natural 'juke' move that you just can't teach.

I'm not sure what to call it really. It's like a hybrid move between a stutter step/side step/pivot step that he uses in close space while accelerating through the hole into the 2nd level. I remember pre-2018 I commented on his recruiting footage on here and said, "He(Gray) is going to excel at the next level(UT)". His HS footage he looked like a demigod using it. Even early last season he was making defenders look foolish one-on-one occasionally.

That said you're absolutely right about him still being arm tackled too much. That flea flicker you just described is a perfect example. He actually slowed down. I think it's because he can't pull off his 'juke' move at full speed and tries to do too much some times. That's on Jay Graham to coach him up. "Son, this is the SEC. You don't slow down and dance you're way one-on-one into the endzone in this conference. You go full speed through the DB into the endzone".

I commented during the 2nd half of the Gameday thread that Gray was trying to do too much. I saw two plays where he let off the straight line burst, trying to make guys miss, and left yards on the play.

Gray & Chandler have both improved from last year. Chandler has improved more & Gray is still leaving himself too open to arm tackles. I think Gray has the higher ceiling but so far Chandler's out working him x&o fundamentals & strait line speed.

With Gray's natural athleticism he's good to turn a few runs between the tackles into 10-20yrds more than your average SEC back gets. If he gets his x&o fundamentals down, he could turn into the most explosives RB we've had since Kamara running off-tackle or catching swing/screen passes in the flat.

100 pct agree, nice post.

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

I'll tell you what "universe".... had we had USCe QB last night, we would have won by 20+ points. Had we had Iowa State's QB in the bowl game, we would have won by at least 20 points. UT won last night because of...
1) LB pick-six
2) USCe special teams mistake

JG is not a QB that will help you "pull away" from a team and pile on 15-20 points. He's just bad enough to keep the opposing team around. This propensity will definitely cost UT a game it should win and definitely keep UT from winning a game they're "supposed to lose" (UGA, UF, Barn, Bama). 5-5 or 6-4 at best.

Woulda shoulda coulda, nice comeback. How in the hell do you have any idea what we would have done with another QB? You guys act like it would just happen because you say so.

 

[BreatheUT]

Shamburger is one of the best at his position in the country. The D played a lot of inexperienced guys.

Yes. The 800 lb gorilla is still a RS Sr QB who misses open receivers and is consistently late/slow with reads. If he hits the throws that were open and should be automatic for someone with his level of experience then the D is off the field more. UT had 55 plays to 67 for USCe.

The OL's inability to move USCe's DL around in the run game is also a major concern since JG is at best reliably inconsistent throwing the ball.

Agreed too many throws over the head of wide open receivers. His numbers could've been a lot better.

I wasn't as concerned about late/slow reads.

 

[rdk4121]

Defense put the offense in a situation where they only had to score 18 to win. That’s the type of performance I’ll take any Saturday.

Our secondary will be fine moving forward. Especially when we have our best player in the secondary back, Shamburger (best player not named Smith according to PFF).

Not sure that math adds up. They scored 27 points. Even if you take out the 7 points the defense scored, that's still 20 points. The reality is that they shouldn't be giving up 27 points to South Carolina.

 

[vegasvolfan]

IMO, the secondary is the biggest are of concern right now. They didn’t play well and it wasn’t that the didn’t understand the scheme or responsibilities. They lacked awareness in coverage and some physical ability (Speed, making tackles, strength). These are long term issues that will cause huge issues against good offenses.

remember, the offense (and Henry T) scored 31 points. That should good enough to win several games with solid defensive play.

I think it was both our LBs and secondary. Our secondary was having to worry about our LBs getting burned. That said, they didn’t look like they are going pro just yet.

Shamburger’s return should help.