Saturday Down South predicts Vols record...

#26
#26
PulaskiVolFan said:
How come I never see the "we can't win more than 8 with JG" never mention the fact that our running game needs to make a much bigger jump in yards than does our passing game? Our running game has stunk the last 2 seasons and until that changes our offense is not going to improve regardless of who is playing QB.
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Pulaski...it's well known how much of a JG fan you are. But you have to admit it's easy for a defense to know they can stack the box to slow the run game when they have zero confidence that your QB can beat you. The risk/reward is in the defense's favor with JG as the QB based on his history of play.

Hopefully that changes....but we will see.
 
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#28
#28
PulaskiVolFan said:
How come I never see the "we can't win more than 8 with JG" never mention the fact that our running game needs to make a much bigger jump in yards than does our passing game? Our running game has stunk the last 2 seasons and until that changes our offense is not going to improve regardless of who is playing QB.
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First it was the OL being awful and not giving JG enough time to throw, now its the running game..Never JG though..
 
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#29
#29
To not assume we beat Kentucky is being silly.

I'm also not seeing how South Carolina is that much of a toss up.

What is Hilinski gonna do against our defense? They scored on one fluke post/slant route and like the best catch of the year basically.

Only way we lose those games is if our QB really stinks it up big time because I think at this point we have a huge advantage on the line of scrimmage and they won't have the high power passing games to overcome that.
 
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#30
#30
lifeisdeep said:
I think JG should not even be in the conversation. Anyone who watched Maurer or Shrout either one in the games in which they got to play more than ten seconds should be able to recognize that both have far more potential than JG. If either was given the reins and not yanked after one bad play - how many thousands of times now could JG have been yanked by that same standard - he would develop, and we would no longer be hamstringing an entire team's future by the clear, unmistakable limitations of one player. The other viable option is for Bailey to play like Ainge did as a freshman, in which case Maurer and Shrout could play cards with JG on the bench while we make our way to the SECCG.

I think Pruitt is doing mostly a great job but it is several levels beyond maddening to me that he keeps trotting JG out there when Stevie Wonder could see he ain't got it, and ain't gonna ever get it.
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Wow. I love Maurer's moxie but he's lucky he didn't have a lot more interceptions last year. He'd throw to the primary receiver regardless of the coverage.
 
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#32
#32
TrumpedUpVol said:
I hate the notion that Tennessee shouldn’t schedule strong OOC opponents just because we play Alabama (or UGA/UF, for that matter) every year. I’m not saying that we should exclusively schedule home-and-homes with programs that have won national titles over the past 30 years, but there’s no reason that a school like Tennessee should be scared to play Oklahoma/Nebraska/Oregon/any other major program once a year in tandem with our eight game SEC schedule.
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I look at it a little differently. Our goal is to win the SECE and then the SEC. The conference slate is a meat grinder year in and year out. We always seem to catch the rotating west opponent when they're flying high so there's no gimme among the conference foes.

I don't see us being "afraid" of playing anyone, but I do see the benefit from a mental and more importantly, a physical standpoint to having a schedule with lesser opponents placed strategically on our schedule to go along with open dates. Having a major opponent like OU or Oregon right before or right after a big conference game like Bama, UGA or UF is nuts. If we're going to schedule an opponent like that, do it for a season opener not in the middle of the conference gauntlet.
 
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#33
#33
ScottyP5 said:
“and even though Tennessee played well against Kentucky the past 2 years, that’s by no means an automatic win.”

53-14-2 overall record...yet we seem to have only played well against them for the past two years. Give me a break.

We’re Kentucky’s daddy. Please stop trying to make them relevant. That’s a W.
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These pre-season predictions are as significant as the weather in Timbuctu.
 
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#34
#34
CAVPUT said:
I look at it a little differently. Our goal is to win the SECE and then the SEC. The conference slate is a meat grinder year in and year out. We always seem to catch the rotating west opponent when they're flying high so there's no gimme among the conference foes.

I don't see us being "afraid" of playing anyone, but I do see the benefit from a mental and more importantly, a physical standpoint to having a schedule with lesser opponents placed strategically on our schedule to go along with open dates. Having a major opponent like OU or Oregon right before or right after a big conference game like Bama, UGA or UF is nuts. If we're going to schedule an opponent like that, do it for a season opener not in the middle of the conference gauntlet.
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Schedule strength in the SEC East is vastly overrated. If you don't believe that, realize how flawed last year's Tennessee team was and that they should have been 9-3.
 
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#35
#35
CAVPUT said:
I look at it a little differently. Our goal is to win the SECE and then the SEC. The conference slate is a meat grinder year in and year out. We always seem to catch the rotating west opponent when they're flying high so there's no gimme among the conference foes.

I don't see us being "afraid" of playing anyone, but I do see the benefit from a mental and more importantly, a physical standpoint to having a schedule with lesser opponents placed strategically on our schedule to go along with open dates. Having a major opponent like OU or Oregon right before or right after a big conference game like Bama, UGA or UF is nuts. If we're going to schedule an opponent like that, do it for a season opener not in the middle of the conference gauntlet.
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Other than Notre Dame & Miami, I don’t recall playing many major out of conference opponents in the middle of the conference schedule. Large majority have been 2 weeks before Florida. Penn State in ‘71 & UCLA in the 65 & 70 season were after Vandy.

Playing 4 mid major schools puts Tennessee in the class with Ole Miss, Miss State, even Kentucky with Louisville being their only “major” opponent and we don’t wanna go there.
 
#37
#37
CAVPUT said:
I look at it a little differently. Our goal is to win the SECE and then the SEC. The conference slate is a meat grinder year in and year out. We always seem to catch the rotating west opponent when they're flying high so there's no gimme among the conference foes.

I don't see us being "afraid" of playing anyone, but I do see the benefit from a mental and more importantly, a physical standpoint to having a schedule with lesser opponents placed strategically on our schedule to go along with open dates. Having a major opponent like OU or Oregon right before or right after a big conference game like Bama, UGA or UF is nuts. If we're going to schedule an opponent like that, do it for a season opener not in the middle of the conference gauntlet.
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Well we are playing Pitt for the next two years. Not gonna play Oklahoma again until 2024, so I guess we learned our lesson already.
 
#39
#39
EZE said:
I can’t argue with any of the logic by those writers. They make some valid points.

That is why I’m with Murph above...and why I think an 8-win season would be another big step in the right direction (and no need to freak out even at at 7-5). BUT, with some surprisingly positive QB play, 9 to 10 wins could sneak into view.

This upcoming season will be another challenge for Pruitt. He still doesn’t have the roster completely rebuilt yet, and as mentioned above, we still need more from the QB position.
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I am looking at this season, almost exactly like last. I expect problems, early on. Losses to OU, and UF. But, I EXPECT even more improvement, as the season progresses.
Either JG will "Get it", or, HB will assume the starting QB job.
If JG gets it, I can see a 10-3 finish. If he doesn't, and HB is thrown into the fray, I can see a 8-5 or 9-4 finish, with HB and the offense rolling at season's end.
Either way, its a win. If JG performs, we win, this season, and HB gets a year to figure it out.
If HB is forced to play, he will struggle, mightily, until he gets his senses about him. But, we will finish strong, and 2021 will look very promising.
I will make a prediction. HB will NEVER lose to UGA, as a starter.
 
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#40
#40
lifeisdeep said:
I think JG should not even be in the conversation. Anyone who watched Maurer or Shrout either one in the games in which they got to play more than ten seconds should be able to recognize that both have far more potential than JG. If either was given the reins and not yanked after one bad play - how many thousands of times now could JG have been yanked by that same standard - he would develop, and we would no longer be hamstringing an entire team's future by the clear, unmistakable limitations of one player. The other viable option is for Bailey to play like Ainge did as a freshman, in which case Maurer and Shrout could play cards with JG on the bench while we make our way to the SECCG.

I think Pruitt is doing mostly a great job but it is several levels beyond maddening to me that he keeps trotting JG out there when Stevie Wonder could see he ain't got it, and ain't gonna ever get it.
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I think coaches trust in ball security got JG the playing time down the stretch...warranted or not.
 
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#41
#41
Tennesseefan2019 said:
Pitt isn't a pushover and the Vols will have to bring their A game to beat the Panthers.
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They aren't that great.

I mean we certainly can't bring a GA State, BYU game, but they're an above average ACC team.

We indeed have to respect them, but the only way we lose to them is if we beat ourselves.

All that being said, the point was being against scheduling playoff contenders in the non-conference, when we already play three or four contenders every year in the SEC.

Pitt is the perfect type of team to balance out the schedule like the writer in the article was recommending and what the poster here was suggesting.
 
#43
#43
PandamoniumReigns said:
Pulaski...it's well known how much of a JG fan you are. But you have to admit it's easy for a defense to know they can stack the box to slow the run game when they have zero confidence that your QB can beat you. The risk/reward is in the defense's favor with JG as the QB based on his history of play.

Hopefully that changes....but we will see.
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We didn't face a stacked box much, we couldn't convert 3rd and 1 vs Ga St last year. I don't buy the stacked box theory, I think it's mainly RB play and inconsistent line play that has been the cause of our anemic run game.
 
#44
#44
MurphyVol said:
I believe if people respected our passing game it would drastically help the running game
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Vols were 6th in passing yards per game and 12th in rushing yards per game in the SEC. Our passing game has not hindered our running game and stats show if we are going to improve our numbers to a championship level we need our running game to improve much more than our passing game.
 
#45
#45
wmcovol said:
It depends on QB play and OC playcalling. I’ve still not forgot 4 straight passes after first and goal from the 7 vs Indiana. Who in hell does that?
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We also called 3 straight non executed screens one possession vs Ga St too which no surprise produced a 3 and out.
 
#46
#46
FLVOL_79 said:
First it was the OL being awful and not giving JG enough time to throw, now its the running game..Never JG though..
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If you think we had good OL play the 1st 2 years of JG then there is no need debating with you. You neverJG guys have failed to show me a team in the history of the SEC that had the worst OL and DL in conference and produced a winning record playing the schedule we played those 1st 2 years. Show me a team that's accomplished this and then we'll debate if line play had been adequate. 6th in passing/12th in rushing last year, passing was top half, rushing was bottom 3, line play was suspect last year as well.
 
#47
#47
PulaskiVolFan said:
Vols were 6th in passing yards per game and 12th in rushing yards per game in the SEC. Our passing game has not hindered our running game and stats show if we are going to improve our numbers to a championship level we need our running game to improve much more than our passing game.
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Against BYU, UF and Bama we didn't break 200 yards passing.
We had a respectable 250 yards against UGA but that was Maurer.

Our passing game has been average to poor for years.

There is a reason Pruitt chose to play 3 QBs last year.
 
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#48
#48
MurphyVol said:
A good while back I said 20-21 was the year the Vols would take a big step forward and win 10ish games. But, I was assuming we'd have adequate/stable qb play by that point.

Unless Bailey is significantly more ready than Peyton was his first season, I can't see us winning more than 8 in the regular season.
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I would’ve assumed that Bailey would be ready to start. Freshman QBs are more ready than back then. However, with the spring practices out of the picture, I couldn’t guess at this point what will happen.
 
#49
#49
MurphyVol said:
I believe if people respected our passing game it would drastically help the running game
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It would.

They complement each other.

I find it comical that some quickly jump to the idea that JGs problem has been the OL or the running game (basically anything or anyone but him) but dont mention the QB or OL when talking about the running game.
 
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