1994 Vols compared to 2015 Vols

#1
ajvol01

ajvol01

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#1
1994 team started 1-3, but was able to turn it around to finish 8-4 after a Gator Bowl win vs Va Tech.

2015 team starts 2-3. It will be very telling to see how this team finishes. We should learn a lot about how mentally tough this group really is.

Big differences in '94 & '15:

94 had a talented & veteran OL. Unsettled at QB. Very accustomed to winning.

15 has a below average & inexperienced OL. Established starter at QB. Unaccustomed to winning.
 
#14
#14
A better comparison, if you want to have some perspective on what UT is experiencing now, is the 1978 through 1984 time frame. Johnny Majors inherited much the same situation from Bill Battle that Butch is handling right now.

Aside from Jimmy Streater, there was no SEC caliber speed wearing the Orange when "Johnny came marching home" in 1977. The Vols had ONE SEC caliber lineman in center Robert Shaw. Defensively, Roland James was just a sophomore and the only significant talent on that side of the ball. The Vols managed 4 wins that first season under Majors.

From 78 through 82, the Vols were up and down on the field, while Majors consistently plugged away off the field with recruiting. It took around SIX solid to spectacular recruiting classes before the Vols were the consistent 9 and 10 wins per year program that perennially contended for the SEC title. (The 1992 team that got Coach Majors run out of Knoxville... went 9-3, by the way.)

We fans have several years of roller-coaster football ahead of us, because of Kiffin & Dooley. (Not Butch.) We will have great players... but one injury will be the difference between winning 5 or winning 10. It's just how it is. It will take about two more recruiting classes that spend 4 years in the conditioning program before the Vols have the depth it takes to match up with quality opposition for 14 weeks per year.

The 79 Vols blew a 17 point lead at Alabama, lost at home to Rutgers, yet hammered Notre Dame, Auburn, Utah and Kentucky. 1980 UT squad went 5-6... 1981 the Vols were 8-4... 1982 6-6-1... 1983 was a 9-3 year which still featured a 37-14 home loss to Auburn.

UT stuck with Johnny Majors through all of that... and was rewarded with the Sugar Vols in 1985 and a program that spoiled the fans to the point that a 9-3 team got Majors fired 7 seasons later.

As fans, we played a role in running off both Majors and Fulmer. Hopefully, everyone (including the boosters) can chill a bit and let Butch do his work. Go to the games... buy the apparel... stay off the call in shows when you're frustrated... unless you want to be frustrated for another decade or three.

Butch's day is coming... the big wins are coming... the cake is just not ready to come out of the oven, yet.
 
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#15
#15
TommyOler said:
A better comparison, if you want to have some perspective on what UT is experiencing now, is the 1978 through 1984 time frame. Johnny Majors inherited much the same situation from Bill Battle that Butch is handling right now.

Aside from Jimmy Streater, there was no SEC caliber speed wearing the Orange when "Johnny came marching home" in 1977. The Vols had ONE SEC caliber lineman in center Robert Shaw. Defensively, Roland James was just a sophomore and the only significant talent on that side of the ball. The Vols managed 4 wins that first season under Majors.

From 78 through 82, the Vols were up and down on the field, while Majors consistently plugged away off the field with recruiting. It took around SIX solid to spectacular recruiting classes before the Vols were the consistent 9 and 10 wins per year program that perennially contended for the SEC title. (The 1992 team that got Coach Majors run out of Knoxville... went 9-3, by the way.)

We fans have several years of roller-coaster football ahead of us, because of Kiffin & Dooley. (Not Butch.) We will have great players... but one injury will be the difference between winning 5 or winning 10. It's just how it is. It will take about two more recruiting classes that spend 4 years in the conditioning program before the Vols have the depth it takes to match up with quality opposition for 14 weeks per year.

The 79 Vols blew a 17 point lead at Alabama, lost at home to Rutgers, yet hammered Notre Dame, Auburn, Utah and Kentucky. 1980 UT squad went 5-6... 1981 the Vols were 8-4... 1982 6-6-1... 1983 was a 9-3 year which still featured a 37-14 home loss to Auburn.

UT stuck with Johnny Majors through all of that... and was rewarded with the Sugar Vols in 1985 and a program that spoiled the fans to the point that a 9-3 team got Majors fired 7 seasons later.

As fans, we played a role in running off both Majors and Fulmer. Hopefully, everyone (including the boosters) can chill a bit and let Butch do his work. Go to the games... buy the apparel... stay off the call in shows when you're frustrated... unless you want to be frustrated for another decade or three.

Butch's day is coming... the big wins are coming... the cake is just not ready to come out of the oven, yet.
Click to expand...

Tommy, good post. Not sure I agree with all your sentiments. That's really neither here nor there.

what i want to know is how you manage to be so objective and optimistic about our current team/coaches and our future? It's very difficult for me due to the way weve been losing games for the past decade.
 
#16
#16
ajvol01 said:
1994 team started 1-3, but was able to turn it around to finish 8-4 after a Gator Bowl win vs Va Tech.

2015 team starts 2-3. It will be very telling to see how this team finishes. We should learn a lot about how mentally tough this group really is.

Big differences in '94 & '15:

94 had a talented & veteran OL. Unsettled at QB. Very accustomed to winning.

15 has a below average & inexperienced OL. Established starter at QB. Unaccustomed to winning.
Click to expand...

I think you're being a little to nice with how you worded that. The OL is still garbage.
 
#17
#17
TommyOler said:
A better comparison, if you want to have some perspective on what UT is experiencing now, is the 1978 through 1984 time frame. Johnny Majors inherited much the same situation from Bill Battle that Butch is handling right now.

Aside from Jimmy Streater, there was no SEC caliber speed wearing the Orange when "Johnny came marching home" in 1977. The Vols had ONE SEC caliber lineman in center Robert Shaw. Defensively, Roland James was just a sophomore and the only significant talent on that side of the ball. The Vols managed 4 wins that first season under Majors.

From 78 through 82, the Vols were up and down on the field, while Majors consistently plugged away off the field with recruiting. It took around SIX solid to spectacular recruiting classes before the Vols were the consistent 9 and 10 wins per year program that perennially contended for the SEC title. (The 1992 team that got Coach Majors run out of Knoxville... went 9-3, by the way.)

We fans have several years of roller-coaster football ahead of us, because of Kiffin & Dooley. (Not Butch.) We will have great players... but one injury will be the difference between winning 5 or winning 10. It's just how it is. It will take about two more recruiting classes that spend 4 years in the conditioning program before the Vols have the depth it takes to match up with quality opposition for 14 weeks per year.

The 79 Vols blew a 17 point lead at Alabama, lost at home to Rutgers, yet hammered Notre Dame, Auburn, Utah and Kentucky. 1980 UT squad went 5-6... 1981 the Vols were 8-4... 1982 6-6-1... 1983 was a 9-3 year which still featured a 37-14 home loss to Auburn.

UT stuck with Johnny Majors through all of that... and was rewarded with the Sugar Vols in 1985 and a program that spoiled the fans to the point that a 9-3 team got Majors fired 7 seasons later.

As fans, we played a role in running off both Majors and Fulmer. Hopefully, everyone (including the boosters) can chill a bit and let Butch do his work. Go to the games... buy the apparel... stay off the call in shows when you're frustrated... unless you want to be frustrated for another decade or three.

Butch's day is coming... the big wins are coming... the cake is just not ready to come out of the oven, yet.
Click to expand...

Excellent post, sir. I vote that you post more often!
 
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#18
#18
TommyOler said:
A better comparison, if you want to have some perspective on what UT is experiencing now, is the 1978 through 1984 time frame. Johnny Majors inherited much the same situation from Bill Battle that Butch is handling right now.

Aside from Jimmy Streater, there was no SEC caliber speed wearing the Orange when "Johnny came marching home" in 1977. The Vols had ONE SEC caliber lineman in center Robert Shaw. Defensively, Roland James was just a sophomore and the only significant talent on that side of the ball. The Vols managed 4 wins that first season under Majors.

From 78 through 82, the Vols were up and down on the field, while Majors consistently plugged away off the field with recruiting. It took around SIX solid to spectacular recruiting classes before the Vols were the consistent 9 and 10 wins per year program that perennially contended for the SEC title. (The 1992 team that got Coach Majors run out of Knoxville... went 9-3, by the way.)

We fans have several years of roller-coaster football ahead of us, because of Kiffin & Dooley. (Not Butch.) We will have great players... but one injury will be the difference between winning 5 or winning 10. It's just how it is. It will take about two more recruiting classes that spend 4 years in the conditioning program before the Vols have the depth it takes to match up with quality opposition for 14 weeks per year.

The 79 Vols blew a 17 point lead at Alabama, lost at home to Rutgers, yet hammered Notre Dame, Auburn, Utah and Kentucky. 1980 UT squad went 5-6... 1981 the Vols were 8-4... 1982 6-6-1... 1983 was a 9-3 year which still featured a 37-14 home loss to Auburn.

UT stuck with Johnny Majors through all of that... and was rewarded with the Sugar Vols in 1985 and a program that spoiled the fans to the point that a 9-3 team got Majors fired 7 seasons later.

As fans, we played a role in running off both Majors and Fulmer. Hopefully, everyone (including the boosters) can chill a bit and let Butch do his work. Go to the games... buy the apparel... stay off the call in shows when you're frustrated... unless you want to be frustrated for another decade or three.

Butch's day is coming... the big wins are coming... the cake is just not ready to come out of the oven, yet.
Click to expand...

Johnny Majors was the Peyton Manning of his era. That alone bought him a lot more leeway from the fans than most other coaches would get.
 
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#20
#20
Many forget (not saying you did) that John Majors won a National Title in 1976 at Pitt. His previous record (not to mention his UT pedigree) allowed fans to breath somewhat during those up and down years.

Butch Jones has not won any such thing and this has lack of a relevant record against tough competition has many worried. If we could see incremental improvement on the field in terms of player development and/or coaching techniques/adjustments - many, many on here would breathe easier. As such, the VN bomb throwers are out in full force.
 
#21
#21
I still have hopes for a 7-5 season but this 'rumor' thing has me concerned.
 
#24
#24
This thread has makes a lot of sense and is a good perspective. I believe had a high winning percentage 94-97 because of manning. The four years after that probably were helped by his influence and the positive image he brought to the program, recruiting etc. Take away those eight years and ut football is a little better than average winning percent over the last 40 years just like every other team having ups and downs.
 
#25
#25
The ONLY similarity between these two teams is the record. That 94 team was miles ahead of this team in terms of talent and leadership. They knew how to win. This team does not.
 
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