DiderotsGhost
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I hadn't planned on writing anything this week but thought it turned out to be a very interesting weekend overall. I'll admit that I didn't watch all of the North Texas game (easily the dullest game this season), but watched enough.
We're Bowl Eligible. This is the first time we've hit 6 wins before the third Saturday in November since 2007!
24-0. The Vols might not have played as well as they should have, but dramatically criticizing Butch Jones for a 24 - 0 win is pretty silly IMO. We won the game in dominating fashion and since I'm not a gambler, I really don't care one bit whether we covered the spread or not. If the game had ever been in question, it would be a different situation, but North Texas never stood a chance, despite our lackluster performance on offense.
The Field Shouldn't Undermine Our Offense. It's pretty bad the field surface is overshadowing the game. There's been a lot of talk about it here on VN, but I'm starting to wonder if the poor field is actively impeding our performance. Keep in mind that the Butch Jones' offense is designed around speed, quickness, and deception in the running game. A falling apart surface slows down our guys, leads to more injuries, and makes our offense more difficult to run. Is it simply a coincidence that our offense seems to play better on the road? I'm starting to think that it might not be. Let's hope that the "powers that be" start looking into a replacement. Maybe it's time to consider one of the new field turfs.
It's Not That Crazy. I know it might sound far-fetched to think that the field could determine outcomes, but I'm a trail runner, have done numerous obstacle course races, and have played my fair share of field sports and I can remember doing all of those activities at one point on a poor or slippery surface. After you slip awkwardly once or twice, you really do think about it the rest of the way. It can significantly change the way you run, shift, jump, etc, because your natural instinct is always self-preservation (e.g. no big injuries). That's a disadvantage when your team has superior speed and quickness.
Coaches Played Very Conservative ... As They Should Have. Most of the criticism about our performance is that we played super-conservative, but you know what? Would you have rather played super-conservative against a vastly inferior opponent or had a major injury to a player like Josh Dobbs, Jalen Hurd, or yet another O-lineman? I think our coaches understand that we are depleted at several positions right now, and even our guys that are "healthy" are a bit banged up. They'd rather win ugly than risk putting us in a weaker position against Missouri or Vandy. And let's be honest ... this game was never in doubt.
North Texas Slowed Game Down. North Texas deliberately wanted to slow the game down, knowing that they had no chance to keep up with us playing fast. I don't think Butch Jones minded this either. Sure, we only scored 24 points, but keep in mind, we had fewer meaningful possessions than usual. We had 6 in the first half, 3 of which resulted in scores, and 1 resulted in a turnover. In the 2nd half, we really only had 5 possessions, and one of those was the "run down the clock" possession. Sure, our offense didn't play great, but don't get too hung up on statistics. The "stats" that people normally cite tell you more about the tempo of the game than actual performance.
Should've Started Dormady. I know I'm not a football coach and I can't possibly know as much about the team as Butch Jones and Mike Debord, but all this week, I've been thinking that Quinten Dormady should've gotten the start. The coaches were terrified to put Dobbs into a situation where he might get injured or more banged up. To me, it simply made more sense to play 100% with Dormady than to play 80% with Dobbs. I realize that 90% of American college football coaches wouldn't consider doing that, but honestly, I think we could've played with Evan Berry at QB and still won this game. Happy that Dormady played pretty well once he made it into the game; just wish he had gotten more snaps.
Defense Played Spectacular. North Texas may have been an inferior opponent, but our D absolutely dominated them on every level. They never made it past the Tennessee 45 yard line. That's why 24-0 is a bigger win that it might seem.
Kamara. Happy to see Kamara have a big day!
Darrin Kirkland. He's only a true Freshman, but he has been playing spectacular the past few weeks. I can't remember too many football players that have learned to adapt as quickly as Kirkland has. Looking forward to the next two years (and maybe three!) with Kirkland.
Other Stuff
Our Opponents. Did anyone else happen to notice that virtually all of our opponents played very well this week? Arkansas upset LSU. Alabama dominated Mississippi State. Oklahoma had a huge win against Baylor. Mizzou beat BYU. Bowling Green clinched the MAC East title with a win over Western Michigan. Georgia's defense dominated Auburn. Western Carolina played Texas A&M tough for three quarters. And Florida beat South Carolina. Right now, we have not one, not two, but THREE opponents that could conceivably make the college football playoff. So much for the "easier schedule" this season, eh?
Safe Space U. I've been saying all season that Mizzou's defense is outstanding. If they'd just get their problems on offense sorted out, they'd be tough to beat. Unfortunately for BYU, Mizzou had one of its best offensive performances of the season this week. Make no mistake about it, Mizzou could be a tough game for us. However, there is one reason to be positive ... our offense won't have to deal with the awful field surface at Neyland! Is it possible that we are actually better off playing on the road than at home? It has seemed that way thus far.
Next Two Weeks Will Be Tough. Both Mizzou and Vandy are playing their best football of the season right now. I'm confident that we can go 2-0, but I feel like one or the other (or maybe both) teams will give us a close game. I don't care if we win both games by 1 point, I just want to finish off the season 2-0.
Florida vs Alabama. Right now, our two chief rivals look like they are headed for an SEC Championship matchup. Florida is already in and Bama just has to beat Auburn (and might even go if they lose to Auburn if Ole Misses loses again.) I hate this as a Vol fan, but I admit I'll probably root for the Gators over Bama, even if it weakens the SEC's odds for making the playoff.
We're Bowl Eligible. This is the first time we've hit 6 wins before the third Saturday in November since 2007!
24-0. The Vols might not have played as well as they should have, but dramatically criticizing Butch Jones for a 24 - 0 win is pretty silly IMO. We won the game in dominating fashion and since I'm not a gambler, I really don't care one bit whether we covered the spread or not. If the game had ever been in question, it would be a different situation, but North Texas never stood a chance, despite our lackluster performance on offense.
The Field Shouldn't Undermine Our Offense. It's pretty bad the field surface is overshadowing the game. There's been a lot of talk about it here on VN, but I'm starting to wonder if the poor field is actively impeding our performance. Keep in mind that the Butch Jones' offense is designed around speed, quickness, and deception in the running game. A falling apart surface slows down our guys, leads to more injuries, and makes our offense more difficult to run. Is it simply a coincidence that our offense seems to play better on the road? I'm starting to think that it might not be. Let's hope that the "powers that be" start looking into a replacement. Maybe it's time to consider one of the new field turfs.
It's Not That Crazy. I know it might sound far-fetched to think that the field could determine outcomes, but I'm a trail runner, have done numerous obstacle course races, and have played my fair share of field sports and I can remember doing all of those activities at one point on a poor or slippery surface. After you slip awkwardly once or twice, you really do think about it the rest of the way. It can significantly change the way you run, shift, jump, etc, because your natural instinct is always self-preservation (e.g. no big injuries). That's a disadvantage when your team has superior speed and quickness.
Coaches Played Very Conservative ... As They Should Have. Most of the criticism about our performance is that we played super-conservative, but you know what? Would you have rather played super-conservative against a vastly inferior opponent or had a major injury to a player like Josh Dobbs, Jalen Hurd, or yet another O-lineman? I think our coaches understand that we are depleted at several positions right now, and even our guys that are "healthy" are a bit banged up. They'd rather win ugly than risk putting us in a weaker position against Missouri or Vandy. And let's be honest ... this game was never in doubt.
North Texas Slowed Game Down. North Texas deliberately wanted to slow the game down, knowing that they had no chance to keep up with us playing fast. I don't think Butch Jones minded this either. Sure, we only scored 24 points, but keep in mind, we had fewer meaningful possessions than usual. We had 6 in the first half, 3 of which resulted in scores, and 1 resulted in a turnover. In the 2nd half, we really only had 5 possessions, and one of those was the "run down the clock" possession. Sure, our offense didn't play great, but don't get too hung up on statistics. The "stats" that people normally cite tell you more about the tempo of the game than actual performance.
Should've Started Dormady. I know I'm not a football coach and I can't possibly know as much about the team as Butch Jones and Mike Debord, but all this week, I've been thinking that Quinten Dormady should've gotten the start. The coaches were terrified to put Dobbs into a situation where he might get injured or more banged up. To me, it simply made more sense to play 100% with Dormady than to play 80% with Dobbs. I realize that 90% of American college football coaches wouldn't consider doing that, but honestly, I think we could've played with Evan Berry at QB and still won this game. Happy that Dormady played pretty well once he made it into the game; just wish he had gotten more snaps.
Defense Played Spectacular. North Texas may have been an inferior opponent, but our D absolutely dominated them on every level. They never made it past the Tennessee 45 yard line. That's why 24-0 is a bigger win that it might seem.
Kamara. Happy to see Kamara have a big day!
Darrin Kirkland. He's only a true Freshman, but he has been playing spectacular the past few weeks. I can't remember too many football players that have learned to adapt as quickly as Kirkland has. Looking forward to the next two years (and maybe three!) with Kirkland.
Other Stuff
Our Opponents. Did anyone else happen to notice that virtually all of our opponents played very well this week? Arkansas upset LSU. Alabama dominated Mississippi State. Oklahoma had a huge win against Baylor. Mizzou beat BYU. Bowling Green clinched the MAC East title with a win over Western Michigan. Georgia's defense dominated Auburn. Western Carolina played Texas A&M tough for three quarters. And Florida beat South Carolina. Right now, we have not one, not two, but THREE opponents that could conceivably make the college football playoff. So much for the "easier schedule" this season, eh?
Safe Space U. I've been saying all season that Mizzou's defense is outstanding. If they'd just get their problems on offense sorted out, they'd be tough to beat. Unfortunately for BYU, Mizzou had one of its best offensive performances of the season this week. Make no mistake about it, Mizzou could be a tough game for us. However, there is one reason to be positive ... our offense won't have to deal with the awful field surface at Neyland! Is it possible that we are actually better off playing on the road than at home? It has seemed that way thus far.
Next Two Weeks Will Be Tough. Both Mizzou and Vandy are playing their best football of the season right now. I'm confident that we can go 2-0, but I feel like one or the other (or maybe both) teams will give us a close game. I don't care if we win both games by 1 point, I just want to finish off the season 2-0.
Florida vs Alabama. Right now, our two chief rivals look like they are headed for an SEC Championship matchup. Florida is already in and Bama just has to beat Auburn (and might even go if they lose to Auburn if Ole Misses loses again.) I hate this as a Vol fan, but I admit I'll probably root for the Gators over Bama, even if it weakens the SEC's odds for making the playoff.
