London Vol
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GAME 4 – UAB
Like most people I don’t like cupcake games because if you lose (Arkansas or Florida have already done so this year) then the overreaction can sink a season. If you thrash the opposition it seems not credible as they are “only a FCS team”. But after last week’s physical and emotional game, perhaps it was a good time to not have the hardest of opponents coming to town. Still, I don’t choose the schedule so whilst it doesn’t seem relevant to give grades, lets at least try to examine what we learnt last night, some good and some not so.
QUARTERBACKS
Yet again the offense under Joey Aguilar was purring from the start and if Tennessee needed to score 100 points last night to reach the playoffs they probably would have done. Before the season the ‘knock’ on Aguilar was the number of INTs and for the second week running he suffered one which was the fault of the Receiver than himself, but still a 12-3 ratio is fine by me. Once you start to undervalue Joeys performance up stepped Jake Merklinger to show how an ordinary QB looks, and again it wasn’t very pretty. I know Josh Heupel can be a bit stubborn about his QB depth chart but how do you feel going to Alabama, Mississippi St or even at home to Oklahoma and dare I say it Vanderbilt with Merklinger under center? Yes, queasy seems a good word and we might rue not giving George McIntyre a genuine chance to be the backup.
RUNNING BACKS
The pecking order of Star Thomas, then DeSean Bishop then Peyton Lewis is quite apparent, or is it? two cameo appearances this season from Daune Morris has me thirsting for more. Thomas is NFL bound (and also clearly the best RB catching out of the backfield as well), and Bishop is an old dependable Back, but Morris is showing glimpses of being really special, so please get him the rock more often.
WIDE RECEIVERS
After an off-season and the first couple of games where the WR`s have been a bit ‘dropsy’ this department excelled against Georgia, but then against UAB everybody seemed to drop at least one ball and then make another. Let’s hope it was down to not getting focused enough and that it is not a larger problem as this season we will need to score 30 - 40 points to win some of the hardest games left on the schedule
TIGHT ENDS
Not much to see here in fact it could almost be ‘cut and paste’ every week with good blocking and a couple of catches for Miles Kitselman. Given that all of the field is open for Aguilar I hope at some stage this season the TE`s will post some big receiving numbers.
OFFENSIVE LINE.
Like the TE`s its ‘cut and paste’ here also. The O`Line have been a really pleasant surprise all season especially when missing the golden boy at Right Tackle. I must admit though I am not sure I have seen before an O`Lineman commit TWO penalties on one play, clearly Jesse Perry wanted a bit of exposure during the game.
DEFENSIVE LINE
23 yards on 17 carries suggest the D`Line were a massive road block but whilst they do stop the run, there does not seem to be “much push”. Special mentions to both Bryson Eason and Dom Bailey who continue to put in long shifts whilst others cannot get on the field. I did notice some good moments from Freshmen Mariyon Dye and Isaiah Campbell though.
LINEBACKERS
If you asked me to name the team’s biggest weakness then I would say Pass Defense, especially over the middle such as slants or they are just simply wide open. It’s easy to blame the Secondary but I feel a large portion of blame should lay at the door of the Linebackers. Arion Carter, who is clearly talented, does not yet seem to have “a nose” for where the ball is going and as I have mentioned before, Jeremiah Telander just does not seem athletic enough for this roll. If QB`s Stockton and Kitna can throw for over 300 yards what will Mateer, Simpson and others who are far better, will do this season to Tennessee? I fear, they may very likely sink our playoff hopes.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Probably unfairly, but eyes were on Ty Redmond last night. Last week this true Freshman got some unfair stick, especially as some of Stockton's throws were so accurate that Deion Sanders would have struggled to defend them. Add this to being left with no protection from the Safeties, a lot of the criticism seemed rather harsh. Well l though the young man did will especially by not hiding, he is gonna be a really good one on Rocky Top.
BIG MOMENT
I would like to choose two this week. A surfer waits in the Oceans “lineup” waiting patiently for to catch a large ”set” of waves and then at last it comes along. Well I have been screaming at my TV for a Safety, and equally culpable Boo Carter, to start anticipating these over the middle routes and even ‘jumping’ one or two, then finally Andre Turrentine did it, oh I cannot explain my relief that it finally happened.
My second point is a much more personal one, my eldest son has started watching the games this season and even though he is 100 miles away it’s great to share the game with him
. He says he will read my report here, so please for once, be nice to me as he will read your comments.
GO VOLS
Like most people I don’t like cupcake games because if you lose (Arkansas or Florida have already done so this year) then the overreaction can sink a season. If you thrash the opposition it seems not credible as they are “only a FCS team”. But after last week’s physical and emotional game, perhaps it was a good time to not have the hardest of opponents coming to town. Still, I don’t choose the schedule so whilst it doesn’t seem relevant to give grades, lets at least try to examine what we learnt last night, some good and some not so.
QUARTERBACKS
Yet again the offense under Joey Aguilar was purring from the start and if Tennessee needed to score 100 points last night to reach the playoffs they probably would have done. Before the season the ‘knock’ on Aguilar was the number of INTs and for the second week running he suffered one which was the fault of the Receiver than himself, but still a 12-3 ratio is fine by me. Once you start to undervalue Joeys performance up stepped Jake Merklinger to show how an ordinary QB looks, and again it wasn’t very pretty. I know Josh Heupel can be a bit stubborn about his QB depth chart but how do you feel going to Alabama, Mississippi St or even at home to Oklahoma and dare I say it Vanderbilt with Merklinger under center? Yes, queasy seems a good word and we might rue not giving George McIntyre a genuine chance to be the backup.
RUNNING BACKS
The pecking order of Star Thomas, then DeSean Bishop then Peyton Lewis is quite apparent, or is it? two cameo appearances this season from Daune Morris has me thirsting for more. Thomas is NFL bound (and also clearly the best RB catching out of the backfield as well), and Bishop is an old dependable Back, but Morris is showing glimpses of being really special, so please get him the rock more often.
WIDE RECEIVERS
After an off-season and the first couple of games where the WR`s have been a bit ‘dropsy’ this department excelled against Georgia, but then against UAB everybody seemed to drop at least one ball and then make another. Let’s hope it was down to not getting focused enough and that it is not a larger problem as this season we will need to score 30 - 40 points to win some of the hardest games left on the schedule
TIGHT ENDS
Not much to see here in fact it could almost be ‘cut and paste’ every week with good blocking and a couple of catches for Miles Kitselman. Given that all of the field is open for Aguilar I hope at some stage this season the TE`s will post some big receiving numbers.
OFFENSIVE LINE.
Like the TE`s its ‘cut and paste’ here also. The O`Line have been a really pleasant surprise all season especially when missing the golden boy at Right Tackle. I must admit though I am not sure I have seen before an O`Lineman commit TWO penalties on one play, clearly Jesse Perry wanted a bit of exposure during the game.
DEFENSIVE LINE
23 yards on 17 carries suggest the D`Line were a massive road block but whilst they do stop the run, there does not seem to be “much push”. Special mentions to both Bryson Eason and Dom Bailey who continue to put in long shifts whilst others cannot get on the field. I did notice some good moments from Freshmen Mariyon Dye and Isaiah Campbell though.
LINEBACKERS
If you asked me to name the team’s biggest weakness then I would say Pass Defense, especially over the middle such as slants or they are just simply wide open. It’s easy to blame the Secondary but I feel a large portion of blame should lay at the door of the Linebackers. Arion Carter, who is clearly talented, does not yet seem to have “a nose” for where the ball is going and as I have mentioned before, Jeremiah Telander just does not seem athletic enough for this roll. If QB`s Stockton and Kitna can throw for over 300 yards what will Mateer, Simpson and others who are far better, will do this season to Tennessee? I fear, they may very likely sink our playoff hopes.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Probably unfairly, but eyes were on Ty Redmond last night. Last week this true Freshman got some unfair stick, especially as some of Stockton's throws were so accurate that Deion Sanders would have struggled to defend them. Add this to being left with no protection from the Safeties, a lot of the criticism seemed rather harsh. Well l though the young man did will especially by not hiding, he is gonna be a really good one on Rocky Top.
BIG MOMENT
I would like to choose two this week. A surfer waits in the Oceans “lineup” waiting patiently for to catch a large ”set” of waves and then at last it comes along. Well I have been screaming at my TV for a Safety, and equally culpable Boo Carter, to start anticipating these over the middle routes and even ‘jumping’ one or two, then finally Andre Turrentine did it, oh I cannot explain my relief that it finally happened.
My second point is a much more personal one, my eldest son has started watching the games this season and even though he is 100 miles away it’s great to share the game with him
. He says he will read my report here, so please for once, be nice to me as he will read your comments.GO VOLS
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