Breaking Down the 2015 Losses

[1974Vol]

Of course there are a number of things that contributed to each of the Vols losses last year but the constant seems to me was that once the competition found a crack in the defense the D coaches didn’t seem to have an answer; except for Bama. Bama just made plays.

In the Oklahoma game the biggest game changer was Maggit’s injury. I get the penalties that kept Sooner drives alive and the not going for a TD on 4th and goal, etc., etc. But here’s the thing once Curt went down the Vols lost contain on the right side (offensive right side). Mayfield time after time was allowed to roll right and either buy time to make throws or run for first downs. I get the other DE’s were not game ready but you guys that are coaches isn’t there something that could have been done schematically to slow Mayfield down? Spy him with an LB or something? The total inability of the Vols to keep contain to Mayfield’s right transformed him from a struggling QB in the first half to an all Big 12 QB in the second.

Same issue different symptoms in the Florida game. Gators double teamed Barnette all day and the Vols just didn’t have a credible pass rush with their front 4. Gator’s couldn’t run a lick but an emerging Grier had all day to throw and as a result gained confidence throughout the game. So you got a first year starter in his 3rd game looking over his shoulder at Harris and you essentially give him a green jersey. I mean the Florida OL gave up an all-time Gator high 45 sacks over the course of the season and The Vols got to Grier 3 times. Again I get Maggit’s hurt but can’t you schematically get more QB pressure against statistically the worst Gator OL in history?

Once Arkansas realized they could run right up the gut and our young MLB’s couldn’t get off blocks that pretty much sealed that deal. I guess when you’re just getting physically whipped there’s not a lot to be done. But hey if I had to play BOTH safeties in the box I’m taking away the Hog’s running game.

I have to say with Vereen’s coming out party at Bama the D played their most complete game of the season in MHO. On the game winning drive for Bama they just couldn’t get Coker down when they had him for a 10-12 yard loss and he scrambled back to the LOS, and then when Ridley high pointed that fade over Cam…well the writing was kind of on the wall. No one made a mistake or stupid penalty, no one failed to play fundamentals or was out of position they just got beat by some very great football plays.

The Vols now are deeper, more experienced at DE and Kirkland has stepped up at MLB so maybe these issues are fixed. If the key players on that D, Barnette, Sutton, Reeves-Maybin, and Kirkland stay healthy maybe they win all the close one’s this year. GBO

 

[InspectorVol]

Shoop was brought in to fix those very issues. Lets see if he gets it done.

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

Butch Jones and Jancek cost us the Florida game. Butch Jones and Debord cost us the Oklahoma game.

The players on this team were good enough to go 11-1. Bad coaching pryed 2 losses out of the jaws of victory.

 

[99gator]

I feel like I am alone in the wilderness here, but the offense was a problem in some of these losses as well. In fact, I would argue the offense was the bigger problem.

Bottom line, IMO, the defense got it done against Oklahoma and Alabama. Those two teams were held to under 20 in regulation. That's got to get it done. And against Oklahoma, the offense went on vacation for 3 quarters.

The offense was not that impressive against Arkansas either.

Florida is the only game where the defense bears most all of the blame, but there were coaching decisions all over the place (not just by a defensive coordinator) that can be called into question.

 

[Jax_Vol]

In general, too much fatigue by defense in 4th quarter.

This year, we got serious depth on the Orange Mamba Defense.

Recent photo of JRM.

 

[flatiron]

Butch Jones and Jancek cost us the Florida game. Butch Jones and Debord cost us the Oklahoma game.

The players on this team were good enough to go 11-1. Bad coaching pryed 2 losses out of the jaws of victory.

It was a combination of coaching errors and player mistakes. Even with the coaching decisions, we still could have won both games you mentioned if players execute down the stretch.

 

[fade route]

JRM has already admitted that team 119 relaxed too much after building leads the first half of the year. There's your answer. They weren't coached up to finish games, and there was a lack of leadership on the roster to get it done on the field.

 

[sjt18]

Players consistently did NOT execute vs Arkansas.

Bama- well played game against a team with more talented depth.

UF and OU- COACHING strategy. Tried to go 4 corners too early and got bit in both games. You can't just close 90% of the playbook against D's as good as those and hope that your D can just keep stopping them.

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

Players consistently did NOT execute vs Arkansas.

Bama- well played game against a team with more talented depth.

UF and OU- COACHING strategy. Tried to go 4 corners too early and got bit in both games. You can't just close 90% of the playbook against D's as good as those and hope that your D can just keep stopping them.

That's because they were devastated after coaching errors costs them 2 sure wins.

That was the only game last year where they played with no passion.

You can choose to hold that against them. I choose to blame the coaching staff for breaking their will with 2 gut wrenching losses.

 

[orangeluvr]

Defensive break downs and penalties in the fourth quarter. Our DBs play the receiver and don't play the ball. See Foreman's PI vs. okie in the end zone , face guarding. You gotta look for the damn football! Hope we've learned the lessons from this losses.

 

[Bassmaster_Vol]

Butch Jones and Jancek cost us the Florida game. Butch Jones and Debord cost us the Oklahoma game.

The players on this team were good enough to go 11-1. Bad coaching pryed 2 losses out of the jaws of victory.

The Florida game yes, but i do not agree that the coaches alone cost us the OU game. Our players made a lot of mistakes in that game. Penalties and the failure to take Mayd=field down when the had him dead to rights in the backfield etc

 

[Bassmaster_Vol]

I feel like I am alone in the wilderness here, but the offense was a problem in some of these losses as well. In fact, I would argue the offense was the bigger problem.

Bottom line, IMO, the defense got it done against Oklahoma and Alabama. Those two teams were held to under 20 in regulation. That's got to get it done. And against Oklahoma, the offense went on vacation for 3 quarters.

The offense was not that impressive against Arkansas either.

Florida is the only game where the defense bears most all of the blame, but there were coaching decisions all over the place (not just by a defensive coordinator) that can be called into question.

There was a lot of problems with the offense in the Arky game. That game is confusing to me. I think the team was really down after the Florida loss and just weren't into the game because they didn't play well at all. That said though, Hurd had 95 yards in the first half. He was dominating. But the scouting report was that Arkansas could not stop the pass. So Debord kept forcing the issue with the passing game. And Hurd only carried the ball 4 times in the second half. Unless he got hurt, that is criminal. But I believe Debora will be much better because he knows his team better

 

[aaronvol]

I feel like I am alone in the wilderness here, but the offense was a problem in some of these losses as well. In fact, I would argue the offense was the bigger problem.

Bottom line, IMO, the defense got it done against Oklahoma and Alabama. Those two teams were held to under 20 in regulation. That's got to get it done. And against Oklahoma, the offense went on vacation for 3 quarters.

The offense was not that impressive against Arkansas either.

Florida is the only game where the defense bears most all of the blame, but there were coaching decisions all over the place (not just by a defensive coordinator) that can be called into question.

yep.

 

[Other_Guy]

That's because they were devastated after coaching errors costs them 2 sure wins.

That was the only game last year where they played with no passion.

You can choose to hold that against them. I choose to blame the coaching staff for breaking their will with 2 gut wrenching losses.

Lets not give the players on defense a free pass for their terrible play at the end of the Florida game. Florida wanted to win. UT didn't.

 

[G-Vol]

Queue Salt-n-Pepa: "Makes me wanna Shoop, baby, Shoop!" He got it this time!

 

[Concept]

You can't look at the close losses, but ignore the close victories. But more importantly, I do not accept the premise that it is a losing strategy to run the clock out when you have the lead. It's a valid strategy, and one that, like every other strategy, depends on execution.

Lack of depth on the defensive line is the best explanation for late losses and getting blown out by a power run team. UF and OU didn't have any success until our DL was too tired to bring down the QB even when they sure sacks, later in the game.

The development of the offensive line, which was steadily improving the previous year and all of that year, played a big role in the season. Oklahoma beat us by going to a blitz package, and I know from experience that it takes more time for the offense to be ready for that. We had run blocking down, had some issues with pass blocking, and literally didn't have enough practice time to be ready for a comprehensive blitz package that early in the year.

As far as actual mistakes, Butch did pretty well except for the UF game. Looking to the ref to bail us out on the final seconds instead of just calling a time out (and not seeing our guy commit a substitution infraction while focusing on an official) was probably the worst, and that's not really all that bad. But almost everyone could have individually made the difference between a win and a loss in that very close game.

 

[G-Vol]

Sorry *cue Salt-n-Pepa. My B.

 

[Iam4utalways]

Lets not give the players on defense a free pass for their terrible play at the end of the Florida game. Florida wanted to win. UT didn't.

UT didn't want to win. Poor choice of words. Fl made the plays to win, UT didn't.

 

[TN Outlaw]

That's because they were devastated after coaching errors costs them 2 sure wins.

That was the only game last year where they played with no passion.

You can choose to hold that against them. I choose to blame the coaching staff for breaking their will with 2 gut wrenching losses.

No sir! It was both the coaches and players faults for the 2 gut wrenching losses.

The players could've won that game vs Okl on mult plays on offense and defense. Elite players make plays period!

Instead of a dumb PI in the back of the endzone, turn and make a pick or bat it down without running over the guy. Get a sack/fumble on Mayfield. Make a play to win the game. They were there and in position to win the game.

Vs Fla there were 3-4 guys that could've made a play to stop that 4th and 14. Players could've stopped Fla on any of the 5 4th downs.

Yes the coaches made plenty of errors themselves as we have all said but the players made their share too. When it came time for our players to make plays and they were there to make em, they didn't. Either could have won those games in spite of the other but both failed.

 

[sjt18]

That's because they were devastated after coaching errors costs them 2 sure wins.

Nope. They played poorly and particularly Dobbs. They were flat. They lost the LOS.

That was the only game last year where they played with no passion.

Players in that one.... not coaches.

You can choose to hold that against them. I choose to blame the coaching staff for breaking their will with 2 gut wrenching losses.

Not the first stupid thing you've chosen to believe.

Long ago when I played, we didn't lose often. Five games in 3 years with 4 of those losses coming to teams that eventually won state championships. BUT when we did lose.... and played a lesser opponent the next week.... we took out our frustration on them.

That is the way the mind of a team works.

 

[sjt18]

No sir! It was both the coaches and players faults for the 2 gut wrenching losses.

The players could've won that game vs Okl on mult plays on offense and defense. Elite players make plays period!

They should have never had to make those critical plays because they shouldn't have lost those leads because Jones shouldn't have tried to go into a shell.

You simply cannot get away with going that conservative against teams as good as OU and UF. Stoops is a good case study in how NOT to go too conservative.

It was also interesting to see he and his staff realize what Jones was doing. They lost ALL fear of UT's O and loaded up to stop the "safe" stuff. Moreover, they started taking HUGE chances on O because they figured that even if they turned it over UT would just punt it right back to them.

HORRIBLE game management and in game strategy.

 

[Crazy Ivan]

I feel like I am alone in the wilderness here, but the offense was a problem in some of these losses as well. In fact, I would argue the offense was the bigger problem.

Bottom line, IMO, the defense got it done against Oklahoma and Alabama. Those two teams were held to under 20 in regulation. That's got to get it done. And against Oklahoma, the offense went on vacation for 3 quarters.

The offense was not that impressive against Arkansas either.

Florida is the only game where the defense bears most all of the blame, but there were coaching decisions all over the place (not just by a defensive coordinator) that can be called into question.

The offense could not get on the field the 2nd half against Arkansas. I said before that game that it was our biggest matchup problem because of the hogs' mammoth and experienced OL. Tuttle and KMac were still not used to playing 60 minute games and having OLs that were as big as they were and stronger than they were. The defense literally could not get the off the field.

Can't get much offensive production when the offense can't get on the field.

 

[sjt18]

The offense could not get on the field the 2nd half against Arkansas. I said before that game that it was our biggest matchup problem because of the hogs' mammoth and experienced OL. Tuttle and KMac were still not used to playing 60 minute games and having OLs that were as big as they were and stronger than they were. The defense literally could not get the off the field.

Can't get much offensive production when the offense can't get on the field.

That's when you go "Spurrier" on them. Take chances on D. Even if they score.... we get the ball back. Take away the run, screens, short, and even intermediate games.... make they hit the home run.

If they do.... then you have the ball back and can grind on THEIR D.

 

[Crazy Ivan]

That's when you go "Spurrier" on them. Take chances on D. Even if they score.... we get the ball back. Take away the run, screens, short, and even intermediate games.... make they hit the home run.

If they do.... then you have the ball back and can grind on THEIR D.

We tried to take the run away but they pounded it up our gut. That was the game where we needed a big, physical MLB in a 4-3 set.

 

[9296potsguy]

How about South Carolina? Do yourself a favor and don't watch the replay of that one.