Recruiting Forum Football Talk IV

[drvenner]

Pruitt was supposed to be a defensive guru but his defenses were mediocre at best.

I don't want any more defensive gurus here. Pruitt was turrible and even though he was not HC, Monte Kiffin was abysmal as our DC.

 

[Ulysees E. McGill]

You win all three of those plus Vandy and everyone should be ecstatic. 7-5 would be a great season.

We ain't winning all three.

 

[m1al]

Opposing fans need not troll, we troll ourselves better than they ever could.

One the most accurate statements I've ever read on VolNation...

You Sir, win the interwebz...

 

[Ulysees E. McGill]

I mean they're long shots but it's possible IF we are healthy

Sooo...even YOU can see the potential..

 

[Catbone]

We ain't winning all three.

I agree just need 2 for a bowl tho

 

[SSVol]

If we were fair weathered we wouldn't be here.

Here? Or at the stadium? The forum costs you nothing and proves nothing. It's just a way to pass time.

 

[volatil]

We ain't winning all three.

I don’t think so either. He said “most will be happy”. If we pull that off and anyone is complaining about it…

 

[m1al]

Agreed...I will be there first chance I get. We have to give these guys time. I am encouraged by the fact that with so much going wrong yesterday..we still had a good chance to win. It took everything going their way to barely beat us.

If Pruitt is still here that is a devastating blowout.

THIS.......

 

[drvenner]

I’m with you. couple really good plays but negated by really bad turnovers.

I don't get why he rolls left and just does not tuck it at that point. He is right handed and that is a very difficult throw to even get off unless it is called that way and then it's one read and let it go.

 

[rjd970]

I see we’re still doom and gloom on steroids this morning. Lol at anyone thinking UK, Mizzou, and SC are for sure losses.

Based on yesterday UK is a loss. Mizzou is probably 50/50, and we should beat SC pretty good. JMO.

 

[drvenner]

Meanwhile, at FSU...

It is funny but I feel pretty bad for those cheerleaders. They will now be immortalized with those looks on their faces. You can see it as plain as day in the replay, too. Poor kids.

 

[volinbama256]

It's funny to me how it's a forgone conclusion that any team not named UT will improve during the year, but despite the fact that our offense is clearly better than last year, in the first year of a new staff and new system, some can't enjoy the progress so far and expect more in the future.

It's often the same people who have "lost confidence in Heupel" because he hasn't yet used the QB that you are convinced (with zero evidence) would win the Heisman...AFTER 2 GAMES.

It's a rebuild. It's gonna take more than 2 games. It may take more than 2 years. You pine for guys like Mark Stoops, but completely ignore that fact it took him years to get to a bowl game. He wouldn't be doing any better than Heupel, and of course you'd lose confidence in him too.

You complain that Neyland isn't full, but are the same people saying you'll never go back.

It's no wonder coaches don't want to stay here. Opposing fans need not troll, we troll ourselves better than they ever could.

You justify it with BVS, but Coach Majors was right, we truly are the Legion of the Miserable. Pathetic.

Good Post---

I will say however, that I think most of the frustration on here post-game is that even taking into consideration that we are starting from scratch with new players, new staff, new system, that was still a winnable game that we should have won even with what we currently have to work with...

We are snake-bit with seeing too many of these games in the past 3-4 yrs where we have the talent and ability to win the game, we just don't put it together, we self-destruct, and don't finish... unfortunately yesterday the F'n Refs didn't help the situation either.... We have a lot of talent and promise with this team... I do need to see a little more from some of this staff at this point.... even though it's early.

 

[drvenner]

Meanwhile, at FSU...

It is funny but I feel pretty bad for those cheerleaders. They will not be immortalized with those looks on their faces. You can see it as plain as day in the replay, too. Poor kids.

He ain't thinking. He's smarter than this but it's a super dumb take.

I don't think it's a true take. I think he sprinkles in a few reasonable ones so that people actually buy his more outlandish ones. It's like if you tell a lie that has some truth to it, it's more believable but it's still a lie.

 

[SSVol]

Based on yesterday UK is a loss. Mizzou is probably 50/50, and we should beat SC pretty good. JMO.

Barring season ending injuries, we will improve more during the season than KY or Mizzou.

 

[Catbone]

Sooo...even YOU can see the potential..

Here's where I'm at. I said all along the keys to winning Pitt was Evans and Young being available.

I think that is true moving forward as well, but with other players. We are already getting whooped with injuries and can't afford any more. But IF we can get everyone healed up for those critical games we CAN win them and get to 6 wins.

If we continue to get injured, our depth is so bad we won't win 4.

 

[drvenner]

Have you seen florida play this year? They don’t look anything like the trask/pitts team from last year. I think it’ll be another close one if we play cleaner. We had every opportunity to beat Pitt yesterday and kept shooting ourselves in the foot. I think that was uncharacteristic of this team and doubt we see a game that sloppy again

They are clearly better than we are and it will be our first road game. Not a good combination, but I will not concede it is a guaranteed loss. It will take a perfect game and some breaks, but they are not unbeatable.

 

[Jimmy Football]

That’s a false narrative….. the university has been trying to win but just continually make bad hires…. We finally went out and got one of the best in the business to run the athletic department….
our fans have not been doing their best…. We are known more for raising h&ll then anything supportive….. I haven’t sit in my actual seats in years bc people would rather stay at the house…. First game…. I was front row at the 50 yard line of the second part on the lower level…. The Pitt game I went under the overhang for shade…we are not freaking Vandy fans…. We need to show up and show out to help us win and recruit.

A. Your first 2 statements are contradictory.

B. There’s no narrative I hate more than “It’s the fans’ fault.” Not just here, but anywhere.

 

[VolNRaleighNC]

I agree just need 2 for a bowl tho

I love how just getting bowl eligible is the new bar. This place is comedy at its finest. Hope nobody here plays the stock market. Y’all waiting on TOPS

 

[KPT_VFL]

I get it but we scored 34 points with quarterbacks you say suck and that was with losing possession with three turnovers. Our defense actually played pretty good considering the spots they were put in. Depth is most certainly an issue but we knew it would be. We were down several starters and still were in the game up to the end. Yes, we lost but there's a lot of positives to find in that loss. Still work to do? Absolutely! Doesn't mean there aren't a lot of positives as well.

We can’t hit an open receiver for a TD.

 

[KPT_VFL]

I was there and thought the turnout would be better too. Looked like 70 something k to me. I as disappointed but I understand it. People like me who get up and have to drive 4 or more hours, spending 12 or more hours of your day, not to mention money for a mediocre product is a hard sell.

There was nobody at the game. Upper deck was empty.

 

[drvenner]

Some thoughts from X2:

- we play 3 more teams that are comparable to Pitt this year - Mizzou, Ole Miss, Kentucky. We need to win 2 of those.

- Milton missed too many throws. The one Hyatt couldn’t hang on to was perfect though.

- why did we run a play with 20 seconds left in the first half instead of taking a knee? We handed off to Jabari Small, and he got up holding his collar bone area — if he broke it, we may not see him again this season. How incredibly wasteful and stupid. If you aren’t going to try to score, take a knee. We got our starting RB hurt on a meaningless play. I feel so bad for Small.

- Tyler Baron is already the best player on our D. Maybe the best player on our team. He is going to make some money playing this game.

- Kenny Pickett played really well - the kind of consistent and smart quarterbacking we’ve been missing since Dobbs graduated. There are a few reasons we lost — turnovers and penalties especially - but Pickett is why Pitt was able to win.

- Where are Beckwith and Whitehead? What does 4th and inches look like if either one of them had gotten an opportunity? How can both of them not be ready to play?

- Hooker looked okay but gave the ball away 2x. We can’t win that way. We can’t win with Milton missing wide open receivers and putting the ball on the ground either. We don’t have a competent QB right now. We have guys that have tools and show flashes, but not a full QB right now. We need a Kenny Pickett.

- The Pride of the Southland barely exists now during the game. We see them in pregame and at halftime, but during the game they are basically relegated to just being fans sitting in uniforms holding instruments. We play awful music over the loudspeakers the whole game. Most of the pomp and pageantry that make the live game experience so fun have been put on the back burner, and in their stead, we get DJs and blurry sounding hip hop music over a sound system that isn’t capable of playing it in a clean sounding way.

- concessions and beer stand lines were awful. They need more and they need to merge beer sales into the regular concessions lines. It shouldn’t take 20 minutes in the beer line and then 15 minutes in the vol dog line. You want more people in the stadium? Make it easier to get beer and food in them. You are competing with their 70 inch tv, stocked refrigerator and air conditioning. Make the in game experience more convenient and comfortable for your fans, and you’ll get more butts in seats.

Keepers: getting the TEs involved, our team speed, Tyler Baron, our D’s grittiness, our Special Teams play, stadium fan support/energy,

Trash: the officiating!, the 4th and inches play call, getting Small injured on a meaningless play, Milton’s deep ball accuracy, Jaylen Wright up the gut, QB shovel passes, the stadium sound system, the stadium music selections, the beer lines.

Fantastic post.

 

[KB5252]

There ain’t no way in hell I’m spending money on that product. And yes, the team is a “product” to consume, especially since they want to get paid now. UT football is a bad investment aside from tuning into a couple of quarters on TV. There is nothing about the live game “experience” that is better than watching it at home.

There is atmosphere you don't get at home, but I get it. It's not something I'd invest that much money and time on either.

 

[LA Vol]

You win all three of those plus Vandy and everyone should be ecstatic. 7-5 would be a great season.

Win 3 OOC and take the majority of the mid- to low-tier SEC teams and finish 3rd in the East. That helps recruiting. Thinking it will be easy to beat teams that used to be gimmes is where it gets tricky. We're going to get their best effort because these are the teams that consider us hated rivals and always root for us to lose. Our hated rivals now consider us gimmes. We have to earn back respect for recruiting.

 

[volbeast33]

If we were fair weathered we wouldn't be here.

Then show up to the games…. I have been going since 1990 and use to go to most road games before I got married….. I use to make fun of other stadiums bc they couldn’t compare to Neyland…. Now we are doing no better….. it’s embarrassing listening to Pitt fans talk about it being a Neyland takeover bc our fans didn’t show up.

 

[drvenner]

Team did not quit. That is a start.

Heupel's offense is legit. Milton just cannot hit an open receiver. Absolutely would have changed Pitt's offensive gameplan and made them more desperate.

Ride with Hooker. Obvious we need a dual threat QB. Oline is undisciplined ,can't run block , and gave up some sacks.

If the plan is to redshirt HB end the speculation and say it.

Pitt had a legit beatable team. An ACC officiating crew apparently helped. Hopefully next season our SEC crew will watch game film and reciprocate. Not an excuse for bonehead penalties.

No way we can redshirt Bailey. Not sure if Milton is hurt, but with our OL, Milton or Hooker or both will get hurt. We need to have HB ready to play.