Biggest Liability ... it’s not QB

[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.

Anybody? Any of you guys stats/records buffs?

To save excess reading, couple questions regarding JG....

1. Has UT ever had a 3 year starter that never beat Bama, UGA, nor UF(FU!) ???

2. Has UT ever had a 3 year starter with a LOSING record overall (besides JG) ???

These are relevant questions. We are witnessing something that has never happened before ....for a QB to start 3 seasons in a row and be so inept is something not to be taken lightly. Especially with Shrout, Maurer, HB and the bluechip QB we have committed for next season...Yes Folks...JG CAN come back next season due to the virus. 6th year JG...think about that. If we do not have a QB who can beat out JG outright for the starting job, CJP will not make it as our Head Coach.

 

[2xVol]

I saw some issues, but there was a lot of positive.

That was the best I've seen Tennessee get after a QB in a while. When they blitzed, they got home on several occasions. There were also several occasions where they got pressure with just 4.

There are other examples.

In fact, in truth, the concerning thing is how much they did well and they won by 4.

I rewatched the condensed game today and honestly almost every play was positive. Receivers open all day, pass rush almost every drop back, good run defense, good run game. I think a lot of our issues came from the secondary, jg overthrows, third down woes, and honestly Pruitt getting out-called by bobo quite frequently. Good thing is we looked like the far superior team and should have won by more

 

[livefaith]

If 19-31 for 260 with 2 total TDs and 0 ints is his bad as all you say he played then we've got lots to look forward too then. Saying there is no middle ground with JG isn't a fair assessment I feel. Saying he's inconsistent is fine, acting like he's incapable is asenine I feel.

He made 3 or 4 Tom Brady level throws. He instantly turned in several inexplicable ones. It is who JG is. But, he looks confident at least, and has billed up to a solid looking QB. No INTs alone wins the game.

Also, I finally saw a little moxie from him on some broken plays. The flea flicker and the little screen to Grey. On the latter, he improvised under heavy pressure, found the safety valve under duress, and COMPLETED it. Yes, we completed a screen folks!! In the last 3 years the Grey big play would have been a sack, fumble, or incomplete. Finally, he made a football play and it was huge!

 

[Jxn Vol]

I still think JG looks like a deer in headlights. I have enjoyed watching QBs like Kelly, Shuler, Manning, Martin, Clausen, Ainge, and Bray. JG is not on that level.

I am not sure why we stay with him. But I do know if Cut was still on the hill he would not be in there bc he would have someone developed and ready.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

So someone at UTK thought participating in contact tracing was a good idea. News flash, it’s useless and dumb.

 

[37620VOL]

Your wrong on both accounts

I went back to the tape to prove you wrong, but you're actual right. Good observations.

 

[Remy]

The scariest stat was we had 10 yards rushing in the first half. Our OL was supposed to be dominating and that didn't happen against a much smaller DL USCjr had. Think that was bad, we got stopped on 3rd and short in the 2nd half whern we really needed that first down. The OL played well in spurts but. nothing close to what they're supposed to be the whole game. That is a serious cause for concern IMO.

 

[Eastknox865]

I went back to the tape to prove you wrong, but you're actual right. Good observations.

Appreciate the honesty, a rare quality these days

 

[Vol8188]

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.

20, my bad. Idk why I had 25 stuck in my head for how many they scored.

 

[whodeycin85]

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.

That's true also remeber tho they were on the field 60% of the games...with limited time to get in shape...they were gassed....

 

[livefaith]

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.

There are a lot of very good points here.

 

[whodeycin85]

There are a lot of very good points here.

Except 1 fact...in high school scouting reports says he was inaccurate and inconsistent......what is he now 5 years later..inaccurate and inconsistent

He plays well enough to beat defense 75 and below in ranking...in 2 weeks we will see if he has improved.....if he doesn't get benched before

 

[Mccage]

The scariest stat was we had 10 yards rushing in the first half. Our OL was supposed to be dominating and that didn't happen against a much smaller DL USCjr had. Think that was bad, we got stopped on 3rd and short in the 2nd half whern we really needed that first down. The OL played well in spurts but. nothing close to what they're supposed to be the whole game. That is a serious cause for concern IMO.

We had more than 10 actual yds rushing maybe 10 net yds with the 2 sacks and muffed punt. We didn't run it a lot in 1st half. I watched tape and I thought line played good.

 

[Roustabout]

The scariest stat was we had 10 yards rushing in the first half. Our OL was supposed to be dominating and that didn't happen against a much smaller DL USCjr had. Think that was bad, we got stopped on 3rd and short in the 2nd half whern we really needed that first down. The OL played well in spurts but. nothing close to what they're supposed to be the whole game. That is a serious cause for concern IMO.

Agreed. Aside from the 1st drive in 2nd half, Not impressed. Most of us have been concerned about the coaching at that position and this confirms. No reason this OC and OL coach shouldn’t be having a field day running the ball.

 

[rocktopper16]

I saw some issues, but there was a lot of positive.

That was the best I've seen Tennessee get after a QB in a while. When they blitzed, they got home on several occasions. There were also several occasions where they got pressure with just 4.

There are other examples.

In fact, in truth, the concerning thing is how much they did well and they won by 4.

Well Said.
Third down conversion will answer your concern.

Tennessee was hit the hardest by covid (Practice wise) and we still fielded a good product. Every team will improve from here on out but we have a lot more room than others and that is a plus in my book with what I saw. It’s Florida’s to lose in the East and it may come down to a cold December night in Knoxville.

 

[dcm3w]

Yeah he just ran thru 3 guys on his TD run

So one run? Cool

 

[volmoon]

Two defensive weaknesses were evident.
1. Nickel - missed Shamburger.
2. OLBs - Crouch and Banks can’t cover passing game out of the backfield or tight ends.

 

[Vol8188]

Two defensive weaknesses were evident.
1. Nickel - missed Shamburger.
2. OLBs - Crouch and Banks can’t cover passing game out of the backfield or tight ends.

Agree with 1. On 2, those guys are ILBs. But both should be athletic enough to cover. I know HT is great in coverage. You may be right though about their coverage being poor Saturday. I honestly didn’t notice.

 

[tennrich1]

I said this in another thread but I really think in the 2nd half our defense was worn out. And appeared to be a step or two behind on several series. Now I realize as any team will do that SC was exploiting our weaknesses especially in the secondary. The one big concern I still have is our inability to control the clock at the 9:00 minute mark of 4th quarter. We have a TD lead, hold SC to a three and out, and get the ball back close to midfield. In the past we would run a double tightend set and eat about 6 minutes off the clock, hopefully scoring a TD or at least a chip shot field goal to take a two score lead. But that didnt happen. In fact we gave them the ball back IIRC with still a lot of time on the clock. That's where games are won or lost.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

South Carolina was only effective on two passing plays, the crossing slants and the inside out. First game needs improvements but they didn’t play terrible either

The slant was the biggest problem. it is probably the hardest pass to cover and we had very little experience in the game Saturday night. I am surprised they didn't run it a lot more.

 

[keenobserver]

The secondary didn't play great, but they played well IMO. Bryce Thompson didn't tackle particularly well and the freshman Slaughter got beat on a TD pass. I'd also like to see Taylor shut his mouth a little more and just play ball. Other than that, I thought they played somewhere between below average and average. A well executed slant pass when we're in man coverage without safety help doesn't bother me as long as we make the tackle when he catches it. Completely taking away a slant from an offense requires LB drops and safety help. Obviously taking the offenses ability to run a slant increases their ability to complete more dangerous routes.

 

[k-town_king]

Run game still needs work too

 

[Shaun1985]

No. JG is still the biggest liability. Shi Smith was a monster but that's good coaching on uscjrs part. I didn't see a ton of busted plays and thought with key guys missing or not 100%, they did well. JG, however, has been taking snaps (what feels like 10 years) and is still inconsistent.

 

[carpbc]

We should be very concerned regarding the rest of the season if our VOLS do not learn how to tackle better than they did Saturday against USCe. At times it appeared that players in our secondary had no clue as to what was going on around them.

 

[djohnnyg]

Its not bad to win an SEC game on the road like we did by any score...but it's a game Bama wins like 50-10. To me the disappointing part is we don't seem any closer to being a team that can beat Bama...we look like an average SEC team who makes a bowl game but still loses to our chief rivals. We all want us to win 59-7 and show Bama and Georgia we are a real threat...but the other night showed we are basically the same as last year. Same QB...which is HUGE. We should be doing everything possible to get the next QB ready for sure...cuz this year it looks like another one of those "beat down by Georgia Florida and Bama" years. Id love that not to be the case.