In retrospect to 2021…. man Heupel had some bad luck

#26
#26
It was like for the first time since Mizzou joined the conference, we finally treated them like they were Mizzou and we were Tennessee.

Agreed, we treated them like they were Mizzou and we were Tennessee last season. But take out "for the first time," and give credit to the lads of 2020 (Vols 35, Mizzou 12) and 2016 (Vols 63, Mizzou 37). We've beaten them resoundingly a few times. And are currently riding a three-game win streak.

Go Vols!
 
#29
#29
And don’t forget this head-scratcher.



One of the dumbest plays I've seen a college football player make. I know we should leave things in the past, but I'd like to know what most people think happened there. It's actually poll worthy.

(A) completely mortified at the possibility of getting hit
(B) clueless about the situation we're in
(C) gave up/quit on the play.....submit (if you will)
 
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#30
#30
One of the dumbest plays I've seen a college football player make. I know we should leave things in the past, but I'd like to know what most people think happened there. It's actually poll worthy.

(A) completely mortified at the possibility of getting hit
(B) clueless about the situation we're in
(C) gave up/quit on the play
B
 
#31
#31
Yeah all of this is true but it’s how the game goes. Pitt returned a complete team. Now Tennessee HAS to beat the hair off them this yr in Pitt. Lord we owe those guys an a$$ kickin. You can’t control when you play Fla. just get it done. And it’s important in building a program that you keep games against superior teams close. Giving them easy TDs late cause your “manhood” says go for 4th & 16 is just stupid.
 
#35
#35
Honestly... because NEITHER of those calls should have gone the way they did. In fact, there were numerous calls in the OM game that went against UT that shouldn't have. Go back to the 2:09 mark and tell me where the hold was. So a phantom hold call set up that 4th and long. I believe earlier in that drive an obvious hold against Tillman prevented a long TD.

Repeatedly OM's OL got away with pretty obvious holds. It was a poorly officiated game that heavily favored OM.

No one said the calls were remotely good or correct. They were atrocious and yet they still stand and we still lost.

The OPs post was right on. We hit several teams at just the wrong time and still came away in Year 1 with positive results and, yes, it could have been better but wasn’t.
 
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#36
#36
No one said the calls were remotely good or correct. They were atrocious and yet they still stand and we still lost.
Yeah. That's what the record books will show just like Bama's vacated wins won't show up on their record though everyone knows they happened.

We don't get to see the inner workings of reviews of officials. But someone should have lost their job especially over the Purdue call. I think there were worse calls in the OM game than that one. If I were going to pick that nit then my attention would be on the initial call. Even if UT was still short, the initial spot was very clearly wrong.

The OPs post was right on. We hit several teams at just the wrong time and still came away in Year 1 with positive results and, yes, it could have been better but wasn’t.
I like Heupel more than anyone they've hired since Fulmer was fired. I think he's the best leader as a HC UT has had at least since Majors was fired. I am hopeful. However I wouldn't call last year a positive result. I think it was neutral. When you could have very easily been a 10 win team and win 7... even with the caveats... I don't think that's "positive". There were a LOT more ways those 3 games could have been won than a good break on a few calls.
 
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#37
#37
And don’t forget this head-scratcher.


Watching this makes me sick to my stomach all over again. As big as Milton is I think that run could have been a TD. Does Jauan Jennings have any eligibility left? Lol. He would have dragged about 3 defenders into the end zone with him if he knew winning the game rested on that run.
 
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#38
#38
Just a few points of note here to put it in perspective:

-Pitt was a combined 26-23 in the 4 years leading up to our game. In 2020 they were 6-5 in a really bad ACC conference. They basically brought back the same team, same QB, and in 2021 they were magically an 11-win team with a Heisman finalist at QB.

-We lost against Ole Miss by 5, and we scored a TD that the refs were just like “Nah, we don’t want that to be a TD”

-We scored a TD in OT against Purdue…. and the refs were just like “Nah, we don’t want that to be a TD”

-Florida completely derailed, and in the back half of the season was one of the worst teams in the league. The Florida we played was good enough to slug it out with Bama in a 2-point loss the previous week.

-Heupel had to go up against 2 of the 5 Heisman finalists, and Matt Corral who was basically the #6 finalist.

There are other things, like the Georgia and Bama games being way closer than the score indicates.

But geez… a lot of tough breaks for a Year 1 coach.

YEP!

Here is my analysis of the losses

- As you said, Ole Miss and Purdue we only lost because of the refs. Horrible referreeing. No other reason to say there.
- Flori-DUH: Again, we had more pentalties. This one is because of the refs.
- Bammer: the refs always hand Bama games. They handed them a free 28 points. Plus we basically had a pick six - if that doesn't happen there's 7 back. Plus, we only ran for 65 yards - if we run for more, we probably win (but have to beat the refs).
- UGA: this one might be the only legit loss. Of course the refs called us for more penalties, and probably took some points off the board. Also if we didn't turn it over twice, you have to think this is a closer game.

Long story short - refereeing has to get better. I think this year they will.
 
#39
#39
I don't believe in luck... but the probability is that if you do things right you get some of these back over time. UT WAS a 9 win team last year. The books will say 7 but we know they won 9.

Pitt was simply the product of Milton being unable to take practice to game. Had he hit the open WR's early in that game, it would have looked a lot like Mizzou. UT would have played with a 3 or 4 TD lead. Allowing Pitt to hang around with a guy like Pickett was just too much.

Very, very easily it could have been a 10 win team.



With DECENT QB play, Tenn easily beats Pitt. You can't play defense the whole game. BUT, The QB decision is ON CJH. He was his own worst enemy until FORCED to Play Hooker. And I Mean Forced.....
 
#40
#40
On our first drive in the UGA game, we went 10 plays, 77 yards and scored a TD, 7-0 UT

Then UGA scored a TD, 7-7 TIE

On our second drive, we had a 3 play, 9 yard drive and punted.

Then UGA punted

On our third drive we went 13 plays, 78 yards and kicked a FG, 10-7 UT, 1:39 left in the 1st.

The rest of our first half possessions went like this

3 plays, -7 yards, PUNT
4 plays, 13 yards, INT
3 plays 6 yards, PUNT
5 plays, 20 yards, PUNT
1 play, 5 yards, END OF HALF, UGA up 24-10.

In the second half:

UGA got the ball and fumbled on the opening possession,

UT got the ball at the Tenn 41, we moved it to the UGA 17 (42 yards) and turned it over on downs (eschewed 3 points).

UGA kicks a FG, goes up 27-10, 4:41 left in the 3rd quarter.

UT starts a new drive at the UT 25, 10 plays, 35 yards and we turn it over on downs at the UGA 39, down 27-10, with 1:05 left in the 3rd quarter.

UGA then scores a TD goes up 34-10, with 13:14 left in the 4th quarter.

UT starts a new drive in the 4th quarter, down 24, at the UT 25, we go 8 plays netting 48 yards, Hooker is sack fumbled on 3rd and 6 and UGA takes over at the UGA 27.

UGA scores another TD, up 41-10, with 7:03 left in the game.

At that point we got 9 plays, 75 yards and score a TD with 3:38 in the game. 41-17.

Down 24, we get the ball back for the games last possession and net 3 yards on 6 plays.

The UGA game was not close.

We definitely eschewed a field goal though.

This is night and day from the Bama game, in the Bama game we were down 31-24, with 14:30 left in the 4th quarter.

Not trying to attack or anything, but I honestly wonder if uga is your second favorite team? I ask because you are usually very quick to jump into a thread in their defense.

Not saying your post is incorrect, just curious. Even if you think a post is 'unfair' to uga, I am curious why you routinely see the need to correct it in uga's favor.

Again, no attack implied or intended, but frankly I have never felt the need to defend a rival, even if a post is skewed our way.

As for uga?? Well, my feelings about that trash program are clear, but irrelevant here. :)
 
#41
#41
tenor.gif
 
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#42
#42
With DECENT QB play, Tenn easily beats Pitt. You can't play defense the whole game. BUT, The QB decision is ON CJH. He was his own worst enemy until FORCED to Play Hooker. And I Mean Forced.....
And you are wrong... AND I MEAN WRONG.

The decision was on him. By ALL ACCOUNTS, Milton won the competition in practice. By several accounts, it wasn't all that close. So what would your recommendation have been? "Guys, I know Joe has been best in practice but I'm going to start Hendon anyway"? Milton played poorly in the first game. So do you give up on the starter that quickly and risk losing the trust of anyone on the roster? He then played poorly against Pitt. Very poorly. He made a MAJOR contribution to that loss by missing wide open TD's. He was injured and Hooker provided a spark. Heupel wasn't hesitant with Hooker... and he didn't put Milton back though the reports I've seen since said he could have played. He was also available for the next game... but Heupel stuck with Hooker to see if the spark could be sustained. Then Hooker became the starter. Heupel didn't play them both or give everyone a chance to earn it on the field as the Bailey fans wanted. He made Hooker the starter... and quite possibly Milton was still the best practice player.

There were A LOT of different and wrong ways he could have handled it. But putting yourself into the moments of his decisions... they were all "good" decisions. Coaches are not fortune tellers. They have to go on the best information they have when it is time to make a decision. He did that when he chose to start Milton... and again when he made Hooker the starter. He just had a lot more information with his second decision.
 
#44
#44
I don't believe in luck... but the probability is that if you do things right you get some of these back over time. UT WAS a 9 win team last year. The books will say 7 but we know they won 9.

Pitt was simply the product of Milton being unable to take practice to game. Had he hit the open WR's early in that game, it would have looked a lot like Mizzou. UT would have played with a 3 or 4 TD lead. Allowing Pitt to hang around with a guy like Pickett was just too much.

Very, very easily it could have been a 10 win team.

The way that funny shaped ball bounces, whether it’s off the ground, hand/hands, foot, helmet, right to them, right to us, away from them or away from us, you can calculate the probabilities, but when it’s consistently helping them, that’s bad luck. Sure thru preparation and proper execution of the basics the “luck” factor can minimized.

There will still be times when a lucky or unlucky bounce here or there can really change a highly contested ball game.

The Maxims address “luck” when referring to the breaks and putting on more steam.

Ask Taco about luck. He rarely fumbled, but when he did, it’s was the worst of times. Seems like he only fumbled inside the 20. Inside our 20, inside their 20, that’s when The Fumbler did his thing. It was very annoying.

You may have jinxed us by not believing in luck and I don’t believe in jinxes, due to all the times that if I did believe in a jinx I know I would be the King of Jinx.

Even if there are jinxes, curses and just bad luck, it’s just a few more things I expect the Vols to overcome to get the win. Like when the other team has more NFL quality talent than the Vols, I expect our HC and staff to come up with a winning game plan that our players can execute consistently and then go out and do it on Saturday or any other day a game is played.

There’s some low hanging fruit from last year when it comes to room for improvement on both sides of the ball. I expect the improvement to be made and to see it on the field and in the win column.
 
#45
#45
Had the Pitt game been played later in the year…..after Hooker had solidified himself as the starter I think Tennessee wins.

Same with Florida……not from Hooker but from Florida…….they were a snowball rolling down hill……in a bad way.

Kiffin simply learned from playing Heupel. It was bull crapppp but he had (for them) a solid game plan……just jump on the ground and slow down the tempo…..and it worked. Stand up and fight like a man Kiffin…..your an O genius right?

That Purdue game just sucked. Tennessee definitely got in the end zone.


Definitely some bad luck, some bad timing and defensive debacles at times…….but they happened and it was what it was. Most fun to watch non 9 win or better season I can remember.
 
#47
#47
And, for the usual Contrarian Vol Fans who will always argue against the program they seem to love so much, here is the Purdue call. No whistle, and upon review, no pulling over the line, either. Our guy realized what he was about to do and stopped. We had the ball across the line before the whistle.

Just an absolutely blown call. But I am sure the Legions of the Contrarians will lecture us on how we are wrong, and Tennessee lost fairly.

 
#48
#48
The way that funny shaped ball bounces, whether it’s off the ground, hand/hands, foot, helmet, right to them, right to us, away from them or away from us, you can calculate the probabilities, but when it’s consistently helping them, that’s bad luck. Sure thru preparation and proper execution of the basics the “luck” factor can minimized.

There will still be times when a lucky or unlucky bounce here or there can really change a highly contested ball game.

The Maxims address “luck” when referring to the breaks and putting on more steam.

Ask Taco about luck. He rarely fumbled, but when he did, it’s was the worst of times. Seems like he only fumbled inside the 20. Inside our 20, inside their 20, that’s when The Fumbler did his thing. It was very annoying.

You may have jinxed us by not believing in luck and I don’t believe in jinxes, due to all the times that if I did believe in a jinx I know I would be the King of Jinx.

Even if there are jinxes, curses and just bad luck, it’s just a few more things I expect the Vols to overcome to get the win. Like when the other team has more NFL quality talent than the Vols, I expect our HC and staff to come up with a winning game plan that our players can execute consistently and then go out and do it on Saturday or any other day a game is played.

There’s some low hanging fruit from last year when it comes to room for improvement on both sides of the ball. I expect the improvement to be made and to see it on the field and in the win column.

Luck denies two things that I affirm. One, that cause and effect operates universally with one exception. Two, that one exception is God... and God leaves nothing to "luck".
 
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#49
#49
And, for the usual Contrarian Vol Fans who will always argue against the program they seem to love so much, here is the Purdue call. No whistle, and upon review, no pulling over the line, either. Our guy realized what he was about to do and stopped. We had the ball across the line before the whistle.

Just an absolutely blown call. But I am sure the Legions of the Contrarians will lecture us on how we are wrong, and Tennessee lost fairly.



The “You can’t pull them over the line” argument everyone tries to use is stupid for two reasons:

1) When has that ever been called? On every goal line push that stalls out, folks are pushing and pulling like crazy

2) That’s not what was called
 
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