After game thoughts

[HuntlandVolinColo]

Marshall won!!

Sun Belt looks to be 2nd best conference in NCAA this week: AppSt spanked #6 aTm, Marshall spanked #8 Notre Dame, and Georgia Southern Spanked Nebraska...all road wins.

Who would have thought that the Sun Belt would take down two top 10 teams all season, let alone in one week.

Frost has a very hot seat as does Jimbo!

 

[igotworms]

If you call Pitt trash it takes away from our win. Had Slovis stayed in the game outcome may have been different. Took us overtime to beat a team playing their second team QB.

If if if
If tillman actually catches his tds
If flowers doesn't muff

You can if all day but you seem to be one sided with it

 

[Defcon5]

I still can’t understand why a good transfer running back could not have been found -Someone like Ty Chandler. The Clemson West Virginia washout was a long shot but there simply needs to be more competition and depth at RB. Maybe Sampson can get ready ASAP.

I don’t think we have an SEC caliber RB. Not many teams in SEC Small would make 2 deep, Vandy? Staff tried to get help at RB with Lyn-Dickson so they saw the need. Who knew he would be a head case? Sampson may be the answer.

 

[Woke]

I don’t think we have an SEC caliber RB. Not many teams in SEC Small would make 2 deep, Vandy? Staff tried to get help at RB with Lyn-Dickson so they saw the need. Who knew he would be a head case? Sampson may be the answer.

Small can get the tough short yards but is not a breakaway threat. Wright is our best overall RB but has fumble-itis. IMO Sampson needs to get some serious evaluation play time this Sat.

L-D from Clemson should have been the answer bc he suited up in TWO NC games and Heup invested personal time coaching him but like you said he’s a head case who was unwilling to invest in us only in himself.

 

[Defcon5]

Sun Belt looks to be 2nd best conference in NCAA this week: AppSt spanked #6 aTm, Marshall spanked #8 Notre Dame, and Georgia Southern Spanked Nebraska...all road wins.

Who would have thought that the Sun Belt would take down two top 10 teams all season, let alone in one week.

Frost has a very hot seat as does Jimbo!

I didn’t know Neb lost until you posted. Frost’s seat not hot, it’s scorching! May be gone before seasons end. Think Fisher’s seat warming. Who do you replace him with? Almost anyone can take over Neb & do better. Just not a destination players want to go too. Bet Big 10 sorry they asked Neb to join conference. They’ve brought nothing.

 

[Defcon5]

Small can get the tough short yards but is not a breakaway threat. Wright is our best overall RB but has fumble-itis. IMO Sampson needs to get some serious evaluation play time this Sat.

L-D from Clemson should have been the answer bc he suited up in TWO NC games and Heup invested personal time coaching him but like you said he’s a head case who was unwilling to invest in us only in himself.

I give CJH huge credit for trying & investing time with trying to coach him. Just didn’t work. Maybe TN should hire a Phychiatrist to analyze the players before we sign them. HaHa.

 

[FranklinVFL]

This team won't beat UF playing the way it played today. Fact.

So whatever ails this team, they need to get it figured out ASAP. I'm beginning to question the abilities of our DC and DB coach. Yes, we're thin on the back half. But "thin" and "porous" are two different things. With a 25 minute offense, Heupel needs a 35 minute defense. We don't have one.

Go Vols.

I will have to disagree. We won yesterday because of the defense.

We were down 10-0 and the INT in the end zone changed the momentum

We gave them multiple short fields (fumble, muffed punt, blocked punt) yet our defense would only give up 27 total points.

Our DL spent more time in their backfield than they did on our side of the ball

Most QB hurries by a UT defense in 10 years

I mean, after Ball State I was worried. I feel much better about or defense now.

 

[FranklinVFL]

Hooker looked awful tonight. He needs to forget about dark horse Heisman talk and just go out and have some fun and play ball. He's letting the pressure get to him. There was one point where I thought maybe time for Milton...lol. He really isn't that accurate downfield.

After our first three “drives” and Hooker overthrowing everyone, I had a concern that maybe it was Milton time.

Luckily, I think there was too much adrenaline in the beginning of the game and he settled down for the rest of the game.

But we cannot spot SEC teams 10 points in the first quarter and expect to win a lot of those.

 

[Defcon5]

I think I learned three things today:

1. Offensively we may not be as good as I had hoped.
2. Defensively we may be better than I thought.
3. Overall, we could be be a much better team than we were last year.

Go Big Orange!

D is better, deeper. I thought the game plan was written on a cocktail napkin by CJH on the plane ride to Pitt. Apparently staff saw something in Pitt secondary that made them cautious to throw down field consistently. Still need an every down SEC RB. Hooker can’t keep focusing on Tillman every throw. Didn’t notice but was Hyatt effective yesterday? We need some guys to step up.

 

[FranklinVFL]

Pitt is trash.

No. I think the remainder of the year will show this was a quality win. I mean, who in the ACC is going to put a better team out there? Clemson?

 

[VOLNPA]

Am I the only one who thought Patti played better than Slovus once he got acclimated? We dropped a bunch of INTs vs Slovus. Patti played a smart, efficient game which gave us issues. Thoughts?

 

[Ty4Vols]

D is better, deeper. I thought the game plan was written on a cocktail napkin by CJH on the plane ride to Pitt. Apparently staff saw something in Pitt secondary that made them cautious to throw down field consistently. Still need an every down SEC RB. Hooker can’t keep focusing on Tillman every throw. Didn’t notice but was Hyatt effective yesterday? We need some guys to step up.

Hyatt had a team high in receptions (11) for 73 yards.

 

[sjt18]

That may have been the ugliest half off offense we have played under Heupel, and to come out of there with a W is very fortunate. I feel it was also very important for the program to Win that game, no matter how ugly. If we had lost that game after being up by 7 at the half, and going against their fair at best passing back up QB, because of our offenses inability to score would have been really bad. There are still may concerns, but they are easier to take after the W.
It’s easy to second guess play calling, I thought it was ok but could have been better (esp outside screens in long situations where they lit up Hooker). But the main issue was lack of consistent execution, plays were there to be made many times and was a bad throw, dropped pass, missed block, etc..

UT played poorly and kept shooting themselves in the foot... and found a way to win. In fact, they found a way to control the game which wasn't easy either. Hooker's slow start really shaped the game. They were kind of playing from behind from then on. It probably kept them from getting more in the run game.

Good teams win even when they don't play their best.

BTW, Patti is a good back up QB. I'm not sure why so many of you are intent on cheapening this win because he played.

The second half the D didn’t dominate but it did it’s job, albeit against a a backdrop up qb and half a quarter back up center.

So Bama's win doesn't count since they knocked Ewers out of the game with the back up completing 64% of his throws?

Current thoughts and looking ahead:
- So far Hooker is not as accurate as he was last year, and that is hurting us some on offense.
- Although Tillman is putting up good stats,I think he either has 4 or 5 drops on the year in just 2 games, that’s not good.
- I think the O line is blocking slightly better in the run game this year and is also better in pass protection. Most the time when they got to Hooker it seemed they were bringing extra guys. Which goes back to the play calling comment, I think WR screens on pash rush downs are missing and passes to backs out of the back field.

The OL is better period. The RB's leave something to be desired right now. Small has probably developed himself to the extent of his talent... and needs to be the back up to a true #1. Wright is a better runner but has to take care of the ball. IMHO, one of the Fr may end the season as the #1 RB with or without injuries.

The officials let Pitt get away with a lot of hands on UT's WRs and particularly Tillman. The long pass just before the blocked punt couldn't have been a clearer case of interference. He grabbed Tillman's left arm when he was in the process of catching the ball. There were a couple of drops. Hooker was definitely off target several times. But Pitt played very physical in the secondary and should have gotten more penalties.

Defense:
- I think the D is generating better pass rush, not where it needs to be but was better against Pitt. We blitzed though to get it, blitzed A lot…
- im still very concerned about our pass coverage against good passing teams, I feel well get lit up when we face one. We’re still weak covering the middle of the field, and the opposing WR completion percentage against #4 is bad

Dude. What game were you watching? Pitt attempted around 48 passes. UT had 16 hurries and 4 sacks according to the info I found. ESPN said they impacted the passer 26 times. Pitt's OL may not be all that it was advertised before the season but they don't outright suck. They returned all 5 starters. UT got to them with blitzes but also with 4.

Marshall beat ND, Appy St gave A & M fits, Texas almost beat Bama, Kent St giving OU all it wants…. So all in all, you have to give the Vols credit for gutting it out and finding a way to win against a good team. Especially once it had reached the point of “what bad is going to happen on the next play”, and I was there for most the second half.
There’s A LOT to work on still, but now we’re set up for a HUGE game in a couple weeks against the Gators ( as long as we don’t have a world class goof up next week). There will more than likely be some type of game day crew there, whether it’s ESPN or the SEC network boys. The hype and atmosphere at Neyland will be no doubt be through the roof! It’s time to get this Gator monkey off our backs!!! Go Vols!!!

Maybe not after the UK loss.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

Am I the only one who thought Patti played better than Slovus once he got acclimated? We dropped a bunch of INTs vs Slovus. Patti played a smart, efficient game which gave us issues. Thoughts?

I thought so too.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

Small can get the tough short yards but is not a breakaway threat. Wright is our best overall RB but has fumble-itis. IMO Sampson needs to get some serious evaluation play time this Sat.

L-D from Clemson should have been the answer bc he suited up in TWO NC games and Heup invested personal time coaching him but like you said he’s a head case who was unwilling to invest in us only in himself.

I read in practice that he was the 5th RB behind the Fr duo.

 

[Defcon5]

Hyatt had a team high in receptions (11) for 73 yards.

Hyatt had a team high in receptions (11) for 73 yards.

Thanks Ty4Vols. Guess I was just not paying that much attention. Need to get him & McCoy some TDs. Free Tillman up. After yesterday, think Hooker & Tillman reading too many preseason press clippings. Staff did nothing to help those guys yesterday. D looked good. Overall a good road win.

 

[Ty4Vols]

Sun Belt looks to be 2nd best conference in NCAA this week: AppSt spanked #6 aTm, Marshall spanked #8 Notre Dame, and Georgia Southern Spanked Nebraska...all road wins.

Who would have thought that the Sun Belt would take down two top 10 teams all season, let alone in one week.

Frost has a very hot seat as does Jimbo!

Frost fired after starting 1-2. Just in.

 

[FBtime]

Am I the only one who thought Patti played better than Slovus once he got acclimated? We dropped a bunch of INTs vs Slovus. Patti played a smart, efficient game which gave us issues. Thoughts?

yes…you’re the only one.

 

[Defcon5]

I read in practice that he was the 5th RB behind the Fr duo.

So who is RB 3 & 4? Wright, Sampson? To me Sampson looks best running the ball, not sure of his blocking skills.

 

[Defcon5]

Frost fired after starting 1-2. Just in.

Wow! Saw it coming just not this soon. Question, who they gonna get? Neb no longer a destination school. Any players we can raid, scholarships or recruits?

 

[supersmo18]

Sun Belt looks to be 2nd best conference in NCAA this week: AppSt spanked #6 aTm, Marshall spanked #8 Notre Dame, and Georgia Southern Spanked Nebraska...all road wins.

Who would have thought that the Sun Belt would take down two top 10 teams all season, let alone in one week.

Frost has a very hot seat as does Jimbo!

And now Frost is out…

 

[Defcon5]

Wow! Saw it coming just not this soon. Question, who they gonna get? Neb no longer a destination school. Any players we can raid, scholarships or recruits?

Let me clarify my last post. Recruits we can go after. Scholarship athletes we can only contact if they are in the portal. Contact with them while on scholarship would be considered tampering & we at TN abide by all NCAA rules. TN loves the NCAA. Right Volnation?

 

[Backwards K]

Yesterday:
Offensively:
-- Lack of talent at running back hurts. They only get what the line gives them which is not much
-- Offensive line: very good in pass blocking, not so much in running plays
-- Velus Jones and Payton were better last year than what we thought
-- Pitt had Vols scouted well and threw some different looks that Hooker had a hard time reading
-- A lot of mental mistakes. Penalties, fumbles, lazy effort and missed assignments stopped every drive in the 2nd half
-- Hyatt had a decent game but not as physical as Jones with the ball
--WRs struggled some with press coverage which threw Hooker's timing off.
--Vols found a way, made a play (TD pass) in OT when needed

Defensively:
-- Lack of speed/talent in defensive backfield. One player in particular gets picked on a lot
-- Linebackers are just not fast or athletic enough, especially in pass coverage
-- DL played hard, making up for lack of size in some positions, lack of quickness in others
-- Coaches/players made some great adjustments with a blitz package and disguising coverages in the back end
-- Vols found a way, made a play in OT (sack) when needed.

Miscellaneous:
-- Ugly win but Pitt is physical and hardnosed on both sides of the ball. They make you grind to be successful
-- Good win. Pitt won the ACC Championship last year and had a lot returning starters. Well coached team.
-- Special teams made enough mistakes to lose the game. Ekler better heat up his chili quickly or we'll find another cook
-- Vols defense had to dig deep to pull this one out. Showed some mental toughness when needed.
-- Vols need help at RB, LB, and DB and need more overall speed and athleticism to get to where they want to be.

Feels great to be 2-0. This was the kind of the game, the Vols used to always win up until about 2008 or 09. Haven't been tough enough to win many of these since. Maybe the corner is being turned.....again.

 

[GreyWolf1129]

The numbers for UT -v- Pitt are fairly even, except for TOP. Here, Pitt had nearly a 10 minute advantage. But the rest of it is a virtual coin flip. The blocked punt and muffed punt are huge miscues by the Vols. Pitt gashed UT with two huge scoring plays; one on the ground, and one through the air / ground. UT started slow, and Pitt jumped out to a 10-0 lead, and it could have been 17-0. I shifted from Yeungling to the hard stuff right after it went 10-0. I'd seen this act before...

...and then, go figure, the UT defense shows up. Not like the '98 team, but they did show up. Bend, but don't break. And right about the time my BAC went north of "don't drive", the UT defense had done things they never do; Hooker had found his rhythm; and it was a ballgame again. For as many ways as UT tried to gift-wrap this game for Pitt, it says a lot about the guts of this team that they found a way to win a tough one on the road. Been awhile since those words were typed on VN, right?

So it turns out that we do have a defense. Not the kind that keeps OC's awake at night, but the kind that can be just enough of a pain in the caboose to allow the offense to find its' rhythm, which in this case was just enough to win a very losable game. I would not count on our defense to bail us out again, but it was nice to see what they can do when they bow their backs.

Akron will tell us nothing, no matter how it plays out (unless of course UT loses, which I seriously doubt). UF has a cupcake next week as well, so both teams will get to "tune-up" next Saturday for the coming battle on September 24th. It matters not to me one bit what UF's record is; who plays at QB for them; or what the rankings are. This is UT -vs- UF, and it's time to serve notice that Neyland Stadium is no longer a wildlife preserve. In Knoxville, Gators get served up fried and with a side of baked beans...

Heupel's early success makes it easy to overlook the fact that he started in a huge hole, and there are still significant gaps in this roster that separate UT from the upper crust of the SEC. But we are pointed in the right direction, and if nothing else, yesterday's win showed that we do have a defense that is capable of playing tough when it needs to.

Based on yesterday, there is room for improvement on offense, defense, and special teams. All 3 made good plays yesterday, and some bone-headed ones as well. Gotta clean that up. I have no illusions about the UGA and Bama games, but playing well from the start, and eliminating the mistakes will spell the difference between 7 wins, and 9 or 10. There's a lot of football yet to be played, but it starts...IMO...by exorcising the Gator Demon first. Do that, and we're ahead of the curve.

Go Vols.

 

[Rocky Top T]

Our OL is not good!!!!!!