How much difference would Harrell and Inky have made this year?

#1
Ohio Vol

Ohio Vol

Inquisitor of Offense
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#1
For all the talk about how crappy this year went, let's not forget that Inky Johnson and Justin Harrell combined for about 4 total man-games between them due to injuries.

You'd have to believe that just having Harrell at 100% for Florida would have been the difference (to say nothing of having Inky Johnson around), and I'm fairly certain it would've made the difference against LSU. As for the Arkansas game....well, who knows how that would've bounced out.

I don't normally go for injuries as being a handy-made excuse, but when the difference between being 9-3 and 11-1 going into bowl season is 5 points (both losses in the waning moments) without two top defenders....well, it's tough to look at everything as being this epic failure.
 
#3
#3
Ohio Vol said:
For all the talk about how crappy this year went, let's not forget that Inky Johnson and Justin Harrell combined for about 4 total man-games between them due to injuries.

You'd have to believe that just having Harrell at 100% for Florida would have been the difference (to say nothing of having Inky Johnson around), and I'm fairly certain it would've made the difference against LSU. As for the Arkansas game....well, who knows how that would've bounced out.

I don't normally go for injuries as being a handy-made excuse, but when the difference between being 9-3 and 11-1 going into bowl season is 5 points (both losses in the waning moments) without two top defenders....well, it's tough to look at everything as being this epic failure.
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Of course, we were 6-7 points away from being 7-5 (Air Force and Kentucky).
 
#4
#4
It's hard to say, but with Inky still playing, that would mean Stewart stays at safety where he should have been and Morley wouldn't have seen the field as much as he did. I think Morley was responsible for at least 1 Florida TD and at least 1 LSU TD, so maybe we win both those games, maybe not.

Who knows, really?
 
#5
#5
Can I answer the queston of this thread? OK... One helluva a lot better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#6
#6
As thin as we were at DT, I think Harrell would have made a huge difference. Inky would have help too...surely he is faster then Stewart. But Harrell would have been key...he was consistently getting push in the Cali game, he would have opened up everything for our ends.

I think Morley was responsible for at least 1 Florida TD and at least 1 LSU TD
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Dont forget Morley also scored a td against lsu.
 
#8
#8
Its not a matter of if it was easy or not...the fact is he scored a td. Who is to say another player would have been in position to make the same play?
 
#9
#9
TravisHenryCBlockedMe said:
Its not a matter of if it was easy or not...the fact is he scored a td. Who is to say another player would have been in position to make the same play?
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Sorry, I'm just not going to give credit to somebody because a ball was thrown directly to them. Any DB in the nation could do what he did on that play.
 
#10
#10
JAllen18MVP said:
Sorry, I'm just not going to give credit to somebody because a ball was thrown directly to them. Any DB in the nation could do what he did on that play.
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You are right. But, the question is, would all other DBs been in the right position to have the ball thrown at them. Maybe he was lucky...maybe he had the right read.
 
#11
#11
He really didn't have to make a read. He lined up where he was supposed to, took a few steps back in coverage and Russell threw the ball right at him.
 
#12
#12
For that matter, think if Tony McDaniel and Rob Smith had come back... our biggest weakness (line play) surely would have been significantly better.

Oh well.
 
#13
#13
If UT had played well against Air Force, those guys wouldn't have been in the game very much and never would have gotten hurt. UT cannot blame this season's troubles on injuries that never should have occurred anyway.
 
#14
#14
kptvol said:
If UT had played well against Air Force, those guys wouldn't have been in the game very much and never would have gotten hurt. UT cannot blame this season's troubles on injuries that never should have occurred anyway.
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well said
 
#15
#15
kptvol said:
If UT had played well against Air Force, those guys wouldn't have been in the game very much and never would have gotten hurt. UT cannot blame this season's troubles on injuries that never should have occurred anyway.
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But but but... Air Force ran the option. We aren't used to seeing the option. It is hard to prepare for. It's only been around for the last 100 years of football. You gotta cut the defense some slack.
 
#16
#16
The option has only been around for around 60 years for starters. Second, Air Force and Navy are the only teams that run it with any degree of regularity. Of course, Nebraska used to and they won a ton, even though it was the same offense for 40+ years against the same opponents.
 
#17
#17
Ohio Vol said:
The option has only been around for around 60 years for starters. Second, Air Force and Navy are the only teams that run it with any degree of regularity. Of course, Nebraska used to and they won a ton, even though it was the same offense for 40+ years against the same opponents.
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Seems like 7 other teams (4-8 record for Air Force) were able to control the Air Force option. What can you say about that? We made Air Force look like a BCS team.
 
#20
#20
I think Harrell would have made a significant impact on our rush defense. His leadership was sorely missed.

Inky would have helped us out alot in the ARK and PSU games. We had problems defending their impact receivers.

However, even with both healthy, I think we only might have beat LSU. Their presents wouldn't have been enough for ARK and Penn State.
 
#24
#24
TravisHenryCBlockedMe said:
And yet they almost (should have) beat us. Awful.
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I wouldn't go as far as to say they should have beat us. Anytime you have to do an onside kick, it shows that you were desperate in the fourth quarter. We certainly should have crushed them, but it wasn't like we stole the game from a team that seemed to have assured victory.
 
#25
#25
Ohio Vol said:
For all the talk about how crappy this year went, let's not forget that Inky Johnson and Justin Harrell combined for about 4 total man-games between them due to injuries.

You'd have to believe that just having Harrell at 100% for Florida would have been the difference (to say nothing of having Inky Johnson around), and I'm fairly certain it would've made the difference against LSU. As for the Arkansas game....well, who knows how that would've bounced out.

I don't normally go for injuries as being a handy-made excuse, but when the difference between being 9-3 and 11-1 going into bowl season is 5 points (both losses in the waning moments) without two top defenders....well, it's tough to look at everything as being this epic failure.
Click to expand...

I can't remember UT ever having a season without one key injury. Maybe thats a reflection on the conditioning program.

I've thought one of the secrets of Tubberville success at Auburn was his conditioning program. The athletes on his team always seemed faster, quicker, and even stronger when UT played them.

I think this is one of the reasons for the lack of player development at UT. Other schools are taking their athletes to the next level because of superior conditioning.
 
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