Are we really that far behind Florida?

I have used this old saying before, "you can drive a horse to water, but you can't make him drink", all the prep in the world won't work if the effort reacts like "water off a duck's back". You think this staff can't motivate with their background? As to "game plan".... It helps if your team has the ability to play the game. With the guys at this staff'e disposal, it's a wonder they could even put together a "plan" as the season started. However as they had time to prepare their player's mentally and physically, things looked better until they ran out of gas as will happen when you are shorthanded to begin with.

The team didn’t run out of gas at the end of the season. Reports from people close to the program are that some players didn’t want to win either of the last 2 games and go to a low tier bowl game in a non premier city. Those players wanted their Christmas break instead of extra practices. During the last 2 weeks of practices those players showed up and just went through the motions without giving any effort. Right after the Vandy game there was a fight between a few players in the locker room as the quitters were called out.

These quitters are still on the team. Pruitt had the opportunity to make a statement about what is acceptable behavior when you wear the orange, but he chose to keep them around since being talented is more important than giving your all for Tennessee when you step on the field.
 
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The team didn’t run out of gas at the end of the season. Reports from people close to the program are that some players didn’t want to win either of the last 2 games and go to a low tier bowl game in a non premier city. Those players wanted their Christmas break instead of extra practices. During the last 2 weeks of practices those players showed up and just went through the motions without giving any effort. Right after the Vandy game there was a fight between a few players in the locker room as the quitters were called out.

These quitters are still on the team. Pruitt had the opportunity to make a statement about what is acceptable behavior when you wear the orange, but he chose to keep them around since being talented is more important than giving your all for Tennessee when you step on the field.

Yeah? Please, enlighten us... who are they?
 
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We literally did everything we could to give them that game last year. Remember, those guys lost at home to ky, who we murdered and left to travel uo 75 with their tails between their legs. Florida is not better than us. If the oline improves, a lot of what happened last year will have one source, scheme......and that is on Helton. I didnt care for his playcalling and i think Tee got a raw deal at Southern Cal.
 
We literally did everything we could to give them that game last year. Remember, those guys lost at home to ky, who we murdered and left to travel uo 75 with their tails between their legs. Florida is not better than us. If the oline improves, a lot of what happened last year will have one source, scheme......and that is on Helton. I didnt care for his playcalling and i think Tee got a raw deal at Southern Cal.
Florida finished 10-3 and trounced Michigan in a bowl game. We lost to Missouri and Vandy in humiliating blowout losses. Make all the excuses you want but Florida is better than us and the results on the field show it.
 
Hate the gators with a passion. But the reality is UF has some built in advantages over TN, and always has. That doesn't mean UT can't beat them, but even back in the Vols' glory years of the 90s we lost to UF more than we won. Their primary advantage is in recruiting. Florida is the 3rd most populous state in the union. It has prep talent out the wazoo. I have said before that UF could recruit every player it needs and not drive more than 2 hours from Gainesville. While recruiting in TN is better than it used to be, thanks to the growth of metro Nashville, it is still miles behind the prep talent that Florida churns out. Add to the fact that a major source of prep talent in TN is in the Memphis area, which is a solid 7-8 hour drive from Knoxville, and which is closer in proximity to Ole Miss, MS State, LSU, Arkansas and heck even Tuscaloosa. I grew up in West TN and I know from experience that a lot of Memphis area people don't even view UT as the state university. To beat UF, UT must recruit nationally at a consistent, high level. We were competitive in the 90s mainly because UGA was down and Clemson off the radar, so UT was sucking up great players from GA and the Carolinas. Not anymore.

UF has also been far more intelligent with its AD and coaching hires. Obviously. I feel like for many years UT's leadership has been very poor. Just timid. No one wants to rock the boat. I think this is getting better and there is better alignment between the players, coaches, AD, and UT administration. At least I hope so.

Anyway, combine all of the foregoing, and you see a pretty big hill to climb.
Your point stands on Memphis but it most certainly is not 7-8 hours away unless you are stopping for a sit down lunch and 2+ additional stops for gas and/or the bathroom. You are off 2 hours.
 
Your point stands on Memphis but it most certainly is not 7-8 hours away unless you are stopping for a sit down lunch and 2+ additional stops for gas and/or the bathroom. You are off 2 hours.
Dolly Pardon has always said that her favorite pee stop between home and Nashville is Cookeville. But now that the Shoneys is being renovated she may have to change up her plans.

I was just passing through here on my way to other threads. My thoughts, most of you have already quit reading though: I don't think you are very far behind right now, if you are at all. Certainly the recruiting grounds are an advantage, and the hiring/firing process has been terrible up on Rocky Top (my kid was a LadyVol Rower, I pay a little attention) But I think it's pretty close right now.

Yall know this is a game of inches, and we've had some of those inches come out in our favor lately. It's also a game of streaks and momentum. That's some pretty shady stuff that seems to have a mind of it's own.


respectfully,
gb
 
Your point stands on Memphis but it most certainly is not 7-8 hours away unless you are stopping for a sit down lunch and 2+ additional stops for gas and/or the bathroom. You are off 2 hours.

It depends on when he was in west Tn. as to time to Knoxville. Not many years ago from my home town (on the southwest edge of mid Tn.) it would take 6 hrs. + to get to Knoxville. Several SEC schools are closer (time wise and media coverage) to Memphis than Knoxville. If you look at the attitude of many in the far sw corner of the state, they pay little attention to the rest of the state (more to Miss.) much less in sports. (as does the far east Tn feel about them). AND as to the most/best talent in the state coming out of Memphis, likely not, unless you are talking basketball which is another story.
 
The team didn’t run out of gas at the end of the season. Reports from people close to the program are that some players didn’t want to win either of the last 2 games and go to a low tier bowl game in a non premier city. Those players wanted their Christmas break instead of extra practices. During the last 2 weeks of practices those players showed up and just went through the motions without giving any effort. Right after the Vandy game there was a fight between a few players in the locker room as the quitters were called out.

These quitters are still on the team. Pruitt had the opportunity to make a statement about what is acceptable behavior when you wear the orange, but he chose to keep them around since being talented is more important than giving your all for Tennessee when you step on the field.

"these quitters" how many were there? 4-5-8-10? setting them aside, the rest of the guys RAN OUT OF GAS!! As to what caused it, there were several reasons one of and not the least were the alleged quitters.
 
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Do what? Our team was straight trash last year and we beat the brakes off of #11 Kentucky in November....sometimes that happens. Bottom line, Florida won 10 games last year to our 5 and they beat the hell out of us in Neyland....they’re far ahead of us right now, as usual.

Never said we were ahead of Fl. Do I believe they are a top 10 team....no I don't. The Michigan bowl game was a blueprint of the Tenn/Fl. Game. Both helped Fl. more than Fl. helped themselves. Missouri literally beat them in all phases of the game at the swamp. Vanderbilt gave their game away.
With the exception of last years game Tenn. Out played Fl. In the previous 3 games. Last years recruiting classes of both teams were close. I'm not ready to claim FL. leaps and bounds ahead of Tenn.
 
Your point stands on Memphis but it most certainly is not 7-8 hours away unless you are stopping for a sit down lunch and 2+ additional stops for gas and/or the bathroom. You are off 2 hours.
You are correct. More like 6 hours. I grew up in NW TN and when I used to drive home from school at UT it took 6 hours. I calculated it would be longer to Memphis but I was mistaken.
 
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Top 10 teams don't get monkey stomped by Missouri in November!

Top 10 teams have depth ... not the dregs that Butch left. Depth is how you avoid losing in the fourth quarter and in November. You can't play successfully in the SEC with CUSA type players which is what Butch left; and with NCAA rules on recruiting and scholarships, you can't fix that overnight.
 
I Guess some of ya'll have forgot how many time Tennessee has begun a game as a heavy underdog like in 2001 I believe Florida was a 3 td favorite at home n Travis Stephenson n company showed up n showed at!

So Florida was #2 and we were #5 in 2001 when we played. I find it a little hard to believe UF was a 3 TD favorite. But I digress. Even though Stephens had a game for the ages, we still barely won. Even at our absolute best and strongest, we still have never really dominated UF. The fact is, Florida is just a better team and they have a huge mental advantage over us.
 
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I have used this old saying before, "you can drive a horse to water, but you can't make him drink", all the prep in the world won't work if the effort reacts like "water off a duck's back". You think this staff can't motivate with their background? As to "game plan".... It helps if your team has the ability to play the game. With the guys at this staff'e disposal, it's a wonder they could even put together a "plan" as the season started. However as they had time to prepare their player's mentally and physically, things looked better until they ran out of gas as will happen when you are shorthanded to begin with.

In short, it all went to hell when Dobbs wasn't there to improvise when the rest of the team screwed up. Guarantano is certainly no Dobbs, so the rest of the team becomes far more important; and so far, they haven't been up to the task.
 
How does it look different if we played them late in the season? We got boat raced by Missouri and Vandy to end the season and even Pruitt said later that we made the same mistakes defensively against KY but Missouri and Vandy had QBs good enough to take advantage of our mistakes.

UF beats us just as bad if not worse if we play them late in the season.

We still lose this year but not as bad imo.

Normally we'd do better with the FL game later in the season (unless it's at the end of one of those scheduling strings with which the SEC likes to bless us). Right now with no real depth, earlier is definitely better.
 
Normally we'd do better with the FL game later in the season (unless it's at the end of one of those scheduling strings with which the SEC likes to bless us). Right now with no real depth, earlier is definitely better.
it's never bothered FL playing that game early, even when we were freaking awesome.
 
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Have to agree. we have had better teams many times in the past and lost. Even Peyton lost to them. Until this team learns how to win, and I know CJP will teach them, we won't beat FL this year. No one hates them more than I do, no one! And getting blown out by vandy, twice, just proves the world is off center. I learned that in my geology classes.
I disagree. We have a decent chance to beat UF this year. I would put it at between 35-40 % chance.
 
Everybody that puts on a Gators uniform will have two arms, two legs, and a head just like the Vol players. Until that biological demographic changes I refuse to admit defeat before any game we play with UF. If our football team plays solid team football without beating themselves we should be in a good position to win. Zero to few penalties, no turnovers, a solid kicking game, playing assignment football, if we do that we will be okay at the end. Last year, we played against UF so poorly as a team, they didn't have to do anything but just show up. My expectations are much higher this year.
 
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I think you need to stop saying “we” when everything you post is negative towards the Vols. I don’t mean to attack you but it’s exhausting.
Just seems I'm negative because posters make idiotic statements like "I'm not worried about Florida. We're the Vols. We're gonna whoop them easy" and I have to give a dose of reality as to where we are as a program right now.
 

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