First Impressions are everything

#51
#51
TheRealUT98 said:
Very interesting I remember us starting extremely quick and fading off throughout most games but I didn’t realize it was that much of a drop off from quarters 1 to 3. I think our defense was above average as well but as you stated left far too many drives scoreless or a fast turn around for the other teams O to get right back to it. IMO we need more depth in the secondary this year and things may look a little better overall defensively. Need to improve on points in the second for sure but I think that’s more the other team adjusted to our game speed even for just a few drives. We need for our defense to be on the field as little as possible in the first half this year so we come at in 3rd hair on fire trying to create turnovers and quick possessions not being so winded by the 2nd drive we’re already fatigued from the first half. It will be an interesting season to see if the guys in the backend of the D can step up and be ready to contribute, we have solid LB core and a above average Defensive line, have to improve in the secondary all around and we could be solid
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Hard to rate a team that had so many transfers and never fielded a full team, compared to other teams who did. No real QB emerged until the 4th or 5th game and it was their first year behind the wheel of that offense. The defense was a patch job the entire season start to finish, hats off to those gentlemen. To hear they did that well is surprising. The whole season was surprising. I am anxious to see what they can do with a full compliment of players who know thew offense and fewer patch jobs on defense.
 
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#52
#52
LittleVol said:
We've all heard the saying.
At First impression, our OFFENSE looks amazing and super explosive. But is it "efficient "?

We ranked 7th in scoring!
- Excellent
We ranked 1st in scoring for the 1st Qtr!
- excellent again!
But what about 2nd qtr?
- 59th...🙄
Well we had a good 1st qtr so we can drab a little on the 2nd qtr maybe. But an explosive offense will pick it up in the 2nd half!
So what about 3rd qtr?
- 29th...🤔
Not awful...but we're kind of in a lull.

What about this saying?
" Its not about how you start but HOW YOU FINISH "
So 4th qtr scoring!
- 47th....🤨

All the while this 3 qtr lull is happening and we're only possessing the ball for 24 mins a game 😣.
Time of possession
- 130th or, dead last.

We ranked 7th in scoring but 13th in points per play🤔...
That's not bad really. So we're getting a good amount of plays (opportunities) and on average are doing decent with overall scoring.

HERE'S THE PROBLEM: We're getting
a good number of continous opportunities early on BECAUSE the defense is getting STOPS in early half of the game.
But as you look at our 2nd and 3rd qtr output.(59 and 29th) ..we're not really pouring it on the opponent, IN ADDITION to not using a lot of time 😐.

So our defense has gotten turnovers and stops, but our offense hasn't really put things away and now we're gassed...

Again: We have gotten offensive possessions....so it's not like the other team is just chewing up clock and keeping our offense off the field. NO...it's our offense getting off the field too quickly with many scorless possessions and putting our average defense RIGHT BACK on the field.

THIS was the difference between
10-3 and 7-6 imo

I just wanted to present this so that everyone can see that it's not that we have great offense and a bad defense...NO, we just play at a slightly Above average level as an overall team.

Great Recruiting will help obviously, but please I encourage you all to take a closer look at what's actually happening out there.
We need improvement all around! Not just defense...
Click to expand...

IMO, it's a good point you bring up in that the efficiency seems to drop or waver as the game progresses. Certainly, the offense has a direct correlation to the defense - given the style of play. Combine that with pretty much direct statements that the defense was gassed late in the game sums it all up - all of which gave the O less and less opportunity. It was year 1....etc....and I'm sure this isn't lost on the staff (TBD). If I'm coach......and I see and scoring average of 39 ppg but a defense giving up 40 ppg, it tells me things aren't complimenting each other. Either the D needs to stop someone more or the O needs to capitalize more when the get the opportunity. I'll just go ahead and agree with others, depth is an issue, particularly on D. They've done much to address it across the offseason - but is it enough? So far I trust the offense - scheme or otherwise - to put up numbers, but like many coaches, CJH has got to solve his defensive question to be reach his goals. Doesn't matter if you're winning 20-17, or 41-34 - you're winning. You're finding the right balance on both sides of the ball to compete, regardless of day-and-age. This has to happen against opponents that matter...eventually. Not cupcakes. Hence the Fla, Ga, AL, LSU games are key litmus tests...where are you, where do you need to improve?
 
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#53
#53
tnutater said:
Perhaps you are mistaken.
We scored 28 points in the first quarter in two games.
South Carolina trailed 28-0.
Missouri trailed 28-3
The only other game we scored more than 14 points in the first was Purdue at 21.
FYI , we scored first quarter points
FL 7
Bama 14
GA 0
Hardly the first quarter juggernaut you describe.
Click to expand...
7 in the first against Georgia. I guess it doesn't much matter but wanted to clarify.
 
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#55
#55
It comes down to quality depth. Our first 22 could play with anyone but the fall off from our first team to second team was too much for the SEC. I believe that is why we lit everyone up in the first quarter we just couldn't sub late in games and maintain it.

For what they had last year as far as numbers (scholarship players), I believe these coaches did an awesome job.
 
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#57
#57
VFL-82-JP said:
Noticed another interesting thing about those numbers you included in the OP, Little.

Check this out:


If you average 1st, 59th, 29th, and 47th, it comes out to 34.

But we weren't 34th in the nation over the duration of an entire game. As you said, we were 7th. That's a big difference.

What gives? How does a great 1st quarter put us so high up in the overall standings on this metric?

As tnutater points out, it's not because we're scoring crazy big numbers in the 1st quarter. Just two games saw us score 28...a third game was 21 points...and all the rest of our 1st quarters were 14 or less. We may have been #1 in the nation in the 1st Qtr, but we clearly weren't ahead of everyone else by 20-30 points.

Mathematically, then, there's only one possible answer: EVERY team scores less in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters.

It might just be a feature of the game of football. The silhouette of a typical college football game may have a lump of scoring in the first, then taper dramatically off the rest of the game.

In other words, to a certain extent, it is possible that this just isn't something you bother too much to solve. It's just how football goes. Maybe.

I'm not saying we shrug our shoulders and forget about it all, but the math is pointing at a quirk we ought to understand before coming to any big conclusions.
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A few other questions I have. Some teams have the first few series pretty well scripted, idk if that’s the case with us or not but I would imagine the offense knows pretty well what they believe will work out of the gate vs the opposing defense. Also I think both offense and defense are going to be adjusting after the initial so as you said a slow down in tempo overall probably not just our team that’s doing that but several teams probably slow tempo somewhat after first quarter. I wonder if some of the slow down is purposefully done bc we’re up and giving the defense time to rest?
 
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#58
#58
Our 4th quarter scoring had a lot to do with our gassed defense not being able to get off the field. I expect that to improve this year. We will have more depth, and one of Heupel’s emphasis this offseason was learning to finish games.
 
#60
#60
I'm convinced there is no one better at scripting plays for an opponent and taking advantage of those opportunities. This is apparent because of the efficiency of opening drives and those that start the half. I actually believe we're virtually unstoppable during these moments.

With that said, I'm hoping there is an emphasis this season on operating more efficiently during situational football. I'm wondering if there's a way we could be more intentional and pragmatic during the ebs and flo's of the game while not abandoning our "attack" philosophy. As great as we are offensively a large chunk of the time, there are times we look equally as bad. In other words, we have great possessions and terrible possessions. How do we turn the terrible possessions into at least quality drives. Ones that at the very least result in 3 points or rest time for the defense.
 
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#61
#61
LittleVol said:
We've all heard the saying.
At First impression, our OFFENSE looks amazing and super explosive. But is it "efficient "?

We ranked 7th in scoring!
- Excellent
We ranked 1st in scoring for the 1st Qtr!
- excellent again!
But what about 2nd qtr?
- 59th...🙄
Well we had a good 1st qtr so we can drab a little on the 2nd qtr maybe. But an explosive offense will pick it up in the 2nd half!
So what about 3rd qtr?
- 29th...🤔
Not awful...but we're kind of in a lull.

What about this saying?
" Its not about how you start but HOW YOU FINISH "
So 4th qtr scoring!
- 47th....🤨

All the while this 3 qtr lull is happening and we're only possessing the ball for 24 mins a game 😣.
Time of possession
- 130th or, dead last.

We ranked 7th in scoring but 13th in points per play🤔...
That's not bad really. So we're getting a good amount of plays (opportunities) and on average are doing decent with overall scoring.

HERE'S THE PROBLEM: We're getting
a good number of continous opportunities early on BECAUSE the defense is getting STOPS in early half of the game.
But as you look at our 2nd and 3rd qtr output.(59 and 29th) ..we're not really pouring it on the opponent, IN ADDITION to not using a lot of time 😐.

So our defense has gotten turnovers and stops, but our offense hasn't really put things away and now we're gassed...

Again: We have gotten offensive possessions....so it's not like the other team is just chewing up clock and keeping our offense off the field. NO...it's our offense getting off the field too quickly with many scorless possessions and putting our average defense RIGHT BACK on the field.

THIS was the difference between
10-3 and 7-6 imo

I just wanted to present this so that everyone can see that it's not that we have great offense and a bad defense...NO, we just play at a slightly Above average level as an overall team.

Great Recruiting will help obviously, but please I encourage you all to take a closer look at what's actually happening out there.
We need improvement all around! Not just defense...
Click to expand...

Crunched some numbers for some perspective from some online sourses.

1660172468314.png

The note on the web page I derived these numbers from said these stats only reflect games when two FBS schools played each other.

So the most prolific scoring quarter accoss all 130 FBS teams and also of the top 10 scoring teams by quarter is the 2nd by a fairly large margin. While not as much as the first, the Vols do outscore the FBS avarage across all four quarters except the second and they are consistent by scoring just over a TD on average the 2nd- 4th quarters.

1660173369127.png

Here's some more numbers that could tell us something about our offense. Here are the top seven scoring offenses from last year. I think we played tougher competition than most of these schools with the exception of Ohio State and Alabama. Also, we outscored everyone by a large margin in the last 3 games. Even if you throw out South Alabama (60) and plug in Kentucky, we still averaged 45 points per game.

Our offense is pretty simple but takes advantage of mismatches and the tempo keeps opposing teams from having much time to make adjustments on the fly. We only really struggled offensively against Georgia. Below our avarage against Bama and Mississippi as well. Those teams have athletes playing safety and LB that can cover a TE, slot receiver or running back, which can help neutralize those kinds of mismatches. Still is more about the Jimmys and Joes than the X's and O's, but we're getting there.
 
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#62
#62
1974Vol said:
Crunched some numbers for some perspective from some online sourses.

View attachment 479282

The note on the web page I derived these numbers from said these stats only reflect games when two FBS schools played each other.

So the most prolific scoring quarter accoss all 130 FBS teams and also of the top 10 scoring teams by quarter is the 2nd by a fairly large margin. While not as much as the first, the Vols do outscore the FBS avarage across all four quarters except the second and they are consistent by scoring just over a TD on average the 2nd- 4th quarters.

View attachment 479285

Here's some more numbers that could tell us something about our offense. Here are the top seven scoring offenses from last year. I think we played tougher competition than most of these schools with the exception of Ohio State and Alabama. Also, we outscored everyone by a large margin in the last 3 games. Even if you throw out South Alabama (60) and plug in Kentucky, we still averaged 45 points per game.

Our offense is pretty simple but takes advantage of mismatches and the tempo keeps opposing teams from having much time to make adjustments on the fly. We only really struggled offensively against Georgia. Below our avarage against Bama and Mississippi as well. Those teams have athletes playing safety and LB that can cover a TE, slot receiver or running back, which can help neutralize those kinds of mismatches. Still is more about the Jimmys and Joes than the X's and O's, but we're getting there.
Click to expand...
I agree.
And I think Heupel is a fan of watching the sport as much as he loves coaching it. He'll see something from someone else that may feel will help us.

He'll need to because this is the best league. The most talented AND best coached.
Very successful 1st year on Rocky Top
 
#63
#63
Hyatt, Tillman and Mccoy needs 10 touches each a game.

Our running backs seemed to diminish last game. I can see why Heupel was trying to add another guy

Still. 5 straight possessions without scoring and having a 7 point lead is a cause for concern. Should have put Pitt away by 4th qtr

It's the same stuff I've been saying all summer.
 
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#64
#64
LittleVol said:
Hyatt, Tillman and Mccoy needs 10 touches each a game.

Our running backs seemed to diminish last game. I can see why Heupel was trying to add another guy

Still. 5 straight possessions without scoring and having a 7 point lead is a cause for concern. Should have put Pitt away by 4th qtr

It's the same stuff I've been saying all summer.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Tillman is getting his 10 and then some. I would like to see Hooker target Hyatt and McCoy more.
 
#65
#65
90 Vol said:
Agreed. Tillman is getting his 10 and then some. I would like to see Hooker target Hyatt and McCoy more.
Click to expand...
Every time Tillman is lined up wide with a db attempting to guard him one on one then I’m throwing him the ball. He’s a mismatch on a db without help
 
#66
#66
tennesseeduke said:
FYI… we had 3 games with 28 Pt leads after first quarter
Click to expand...

The South Carolina game stands out to me. For some reason that game, we just handed the ball off in the second half and packed it in. We let them get a sliver of hope and then put one more score on them, if I remember correctly. Not sure if that and the other 2 games skewed the overall data, but it is interesting. When this offense is flowing, it is scary good, but when it gets stuck in the mud...ugh
 
#67
#67
Last season Tennessee had a limited roster…..and much fewer “stars.”

If your dominating a game early……..why keep taking chances?

Sure “us” fans would love to see 80 points……but the coach wants to win games down the road and keep his job. Losing players needlessly would have been extremely costly last year.

Slowing things down, closing things off a bit…….was probably the correct move at times.
 
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#68
#68
billcox0625 said:
It comes down to quality depth. Our first 22 could play with anyone but the fall off from our first team to second team was too much for the SEC. I believe that is why we lit everyone up in the first quarter we just couldn't sub late in games and maintain it.

For what they had last year as far as numbers (scholarship players), I believe these coaches did an awesome job.
Click to expand...


I know we lost those 3 games including the bowl by less than a TD and we were generally 1 more defensive stop OR 1 less terrible call by an official from winning each of those 3 games....it was hard to watch.

That said....with us having only 60 to 65 scholarship players versus 85 scholarship players for all of our games...the equivalent of our opponents have another scholarship player to sub for all 11 players on offense AND all 11 players on defense ....what this coaching staff did last season was nothing short of amazing. Almost miraculous. Extremely impressive.

Need i remind the posters here that the 2 seasons leading up to last were THE worst 2 seasons in my 45 years of life? 4 and 8 for the only 8 loss season in UT history, followed by a 3 and 7 campaign???

At Tennessee? THEN the bulk of the highest rated players on the team...including both relevant 5 star players, our starting RB Gray, both starting inside LBs, our starting left tackle....etc etc. The best players at the most important positions ran scared....and Coach Heupel came in and lead us to a winning season while setting several all-time records offensively at Tennessee in the process?!?!

I think some of my Vol brethren have forgotten how terrible this program was immediately prior to last season....we were historically bad and the butt of every SEC joke and lots of national jokes, too.

We are SO lucky to have this coaching staff. So very lucky, and AD Danny White has had the Midas touch...with nearly every UT sport having great success from FB, to BB, to BasketVols and even winning the rugby national championship! We are so lucky, contrary to the belief of some here, the best coaches in college football were not beating down the door to come coach at a program which hasnt been relevant in 20 years, that chooses to play Bama every fall in addition to the muderers row that is an SEC schedule...just for extra credit.

Our offense improved by nearly 100 places nationally in an FBS that only has 130ish teams. We are so blessed to have Coach Heupel. I am thankful that he brought this program outta the ditch faster than any reasonable person could have ever possibly expected.

Go Coach Heupel and GO VOLS!!
 
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