Pitt - Sept. 11, 2021 - a likely gauge for Vols ability to adapt to new systems

#52
#52
LittleVol said:
Any of Heupel UCF teams would beat this Pitt team. And this Tennessee team is more talented than any of those UCF teams.

I don't give a damn about a spread predetermined from what we were last season.
Pitt doesnt have the offense to dominate the clock. Nor does their defense have the ability to slow down our offense.

51-17 UT
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You are setting yourself up for disappointment if you believe that Heupel's offense is going to come into the SEC and consistently put up 50+ points on conference and P5 opponents, something he didn't even accomplish at UCF.
 
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#53
#53
BeardedVol said:
You are setting yourself up for disappointment if you believe that Heupel's offense is going to come into the SEC and consistently put up 50+ points on conference and P5 opponents, something he didn't even accomplish at UCF.
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I'm excited to see what he can do, but you are exactly right. Some of these predictions, goodness.
 
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#54
#54
miket4god said:
I'm excited to see what he can do, but you are exactly right. Some of these predictions, goodness.
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I expect our offense to score more than the ~20/PPG we averaged with Pruitt as HC based off the fact that Heupel isn't a complete and utter football-moron, but we are still playing in the SEC, where teams still care about defense even if the rules are tilted towards the offense.
 
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#55
#55
I’d place Pitt in with a middle of the pack SEC school (Ole Miss, Texas A&M, etc.) OP’s point was this game will be a good indicator for our team…just how good will we be? I agree. We win this one and we are definitely on the right track. Can we compete, adapt in real time, make adjustments, not quit, or execute when we really need it? This game well tell us many things. GBO!
 
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#57
#57
BeardedVol said:
I expect our offense to score more than the ~20/PPG we averaged with Pruitt as HC based off the fact that Heupel isn't a complete and utter football-moron, but we are still playing in the SEC, where teams still care about defense even if the rules are tilted towards the offense.
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Just out of curiousity, what do you expect as far as points per game? I know it's a guess until we see the product on the field (just like everyone else's opinion is a guess).
Just curious what you think.
 
#58
#58
miket4god said:
Just out of curiousity, what do you expect as far as points per game? I know it's a guess until we see the product on the field (just like everyone else's opinion is a guess).
Just curious what you think.
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I wouldn't try to pin a number down before I see the offense on the field, but I'm assuming that Heupel is a competent enough offensive coach to move us closer towards the SEC conference game average which was 29.9 in 2020.
 
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#59
#59
HiltonHeadVol said:
Then you are well outside majority opinion that this will be a nail-biter. Current spread is Tenn -2.5pts
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If you believe the old adage about home field being worth 3 points, I don't see a orange blowout either.
I think the game with Pitt will be the one I attend this year. If it has cooled down some.
 
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#60
#60
I4Vols said:
I hope.
Do you expect our D and fast paced offense in our second game to get an over under of 66 or less vs Pitt?
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If he ever predicted anything POSITIVE about the VOLS, many would be shocked.
 
#61
#61
Pride85 said:
If he ever predicted anything POSITIVE about the VOLS, many would be shocked.
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#65
#65
Pitt is probably one of my favorite teams other than Tennessee. They do have an experienced coaching staff, and. one that can pull the upset. Look at their record past, and they are as likely to beat a top 10 team and lose to a bottom team every year. Not that Tenn is in the top or bottom, but Pitt has upset potential.
 
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#66
#66
BeardedVol said:
I expect our offense to score more than the ~20/PPG we averaged with Pruitt as HC based off the fact that Heupel isn't a complete and utter football-moron, but we are still playing in the SEC, where teams still care about defense even if the rules are tilted towards the offense.
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Agreed. I have been thinking this all along. Some have it in their mind because of what he has done at UCF will translate here. Meaning his offenses were in the top 5 nationally so our offense is going to be mega explosive.

I mean I have seen people say if we don’t beat BG by 35+ points then it will be letdown. I agree with you in that I believe we will average more than Pruitt. But to think JH is going to step in, year one and light the SEC up is foolish.
 
#68
#68
HiltonHeadVol said:
So I hear folks regularly talk about going into Florida undefeated in the 2021 season. Ok, let's hold the bus on the 3-0 assumption for a minute. Pitt, only our second foe of the season has a well established Head Coach (Pat Narduzzi) and will be a serious test. Pitt has 5 players pre-season on All ACC team, their punter is on the Ray Guy list, and Pitt was just rated pre-season 8th best pass rush in the nation in Pro Football Focus. That same pub picked the 5 most under-rated conference teams around the country and Pitt was their ACC most under-rated.

None of that really matters until we see things on the field, but Pitt is a legit football team who will come into Knoxville and certainly present a challenge to say the least. The Panthers could come in and even win handily over a team with a new system on O and D. Hoping this doesn't happen of course, but people need to take them quite seriously. It is a huge game and depending on the rest of the season, it could be that losing a competitive game to Pitt might not be the disaster most on here would assume it to be. There are always teams on our schedule who perform well above preseason expectations, and those that do the opposite. Sadly we have been in the latter category much too often - usually from poor coaching/development. Heck, I don't believe we have even scored a touchdown against Pitt in the two games we've played. I was at the 1983 game in Knoxville as a young dude (Pitt won 13-3). We shall see how things go with the new regime, but I have some hope in that regard.

And as a case in point, Pitt was not super highly regarded that year - '83, Foge Fazio's 2nd year - but ended up being ranked after beating us and ended up 18th in the Top 20 post season polls (8-3-1). They beat Fla State (Bowden's 8th year), beat Notre Dame at S. Bend, tied Penn St, and lost a close game to Ohio St in bowl game. BTW, Tennessee was never ranked that year (surprisingly) and ended up 9-3 only losing to Pitt, Auburn, and Ole Miss. Just a little walk back in time.
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Sure, Pitt will be a tough game and Narduzzi is an established coach, but under Narduzzi, Pitt has won only ONE September road game: Akron. No P5 road wins, no southern road wins under Narduzzi in Sept. They will burn alive during the noon heat and that will absolutely be a factor in us winning, likely a close game.
 
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#69
#69
The great unknown..........besides a lot of things under a new coaching staff.......is how good will the defense be? One thing that is known is that Tennessee has more talent on paper and more speed at the offensive skill positions. If the offense can be learned and executed decently by Tennessee then it will be hard for Pitt to keep up, especially in the second half.
 
#71
#71
HiltonHeadVol said:
So I hear folks regularly talk about going into Florida undefeated in the 2021 season. Ok, let's hold the bus on the 3-0 assumption for a minute. Pitt, only our second foe of the season has a well established Head Coach (Pat Narduzzi) and will be a serious test. Pitt has 5 players pre-season on All ACC team, their punter is on the Ray Guy list, and Pitt was just rated pre-season 8th best pass rush in the nation in Pro Football Focus. That same pub picked the 5 most under-rated conference teams around the country and Pitt was their ACC most under-rated.

None of that really matters until we see things on the field, but Pitt is a legit football team who will come into Knoxville and certainly present a challenge to say the least. The Panthers could come in and even win handily over a team with a new system on O and D. Hoping this doesn't happen of course, but people need to take them quite seriously. It is a huge game and depending on the rest of the season, it could be that losing a competitive game to Pitt might not be the disaster most on here would assume it to be. There are always teams on our schedule who perform well above preseason expectations, and those that do the opposite. Sadly we have been in the latter category much too often - usually from poor coaching/development. Heck, I don't believe we have even scored a touchdown against Pitt in the two games we've played. I was at the 1983 game in Knoxville as a young dude (Pitt won 13-3). We shall see how things go with the new regime, but I have some hope in that regard.

And as a case in point, Pitt was not super highly regarded that year - '83, Foge Fazio's 2nd year - but ended up being ranked after beating us and ended up 18th in the Top 20 post season polls (8-3-1). They beat Fla State (Bowden's 8th year), beat Notre Dame at S. Bend, tied Penn St, and lost a close game to Ohio St in bowl game. BTW, Tennessee was never ranked that year (surprisingly) and ended up 9-3 only losing to Pitt, Auburn, and Ole Miss. Just a little walk back in time.
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After that game, Bill Fralic told the media that the skinny DE he matched up against was an “animal” - Dale Jones.

We moved the ball pretty well at times, just very inconsistent. Sam Henderson had a big game if I recall.
 
#73
#73
BruisedOrange said:
I'm convinced that the fans who post with the most optimism about the upcoming season don't really believe what they write.

That's why it's in August that they're so intent on enjoying the season they predict...
before it actually begins.
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So youre only smart, sane, rational if you believe extreme negativity?

Wow
 
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#74
#74
igotworms said:
So youre only smart, sane, rational if you believe extreme negativity?

Wow
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I understand your logic, but it isn't what I meant.

It's smart, sane, and good for anyone's psychological health to not become emotionally invested in unknown future results over which they have no control---whether according to orange-tinted optimism or nega-Vol pessimism. Seeking to avoid the possibility of future pain, both extremes have ceased to live in the moment, and allow (and enjoy) reality unveiling itself day by day.

It's like paying $12 to see a movie, deciding how it ends before it begins, and telling everyone around you waiting for the movie to start that it was the best or worst $12 you've ever spent--and that they should feel the same way you do!
 
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