Something changed after our Kentucky win...

[njvols]

I also think we keep churning inexperience, while schools like Mizzouri, as poor as their recruiting is, seems like they're always "veteran" at the positions which matter most. With CBJ, we'd have good recruiting rankings, then have a hand full of defections every year, which kept us from getting "old". Then, every time you change coaches, you have some more defections and lose recruits...Martinez, for example at Nebraska was all Vol until coaching change. Everyone knew how we'd be last year, but assumptions from another year in S/C and knowing Pruitt's system/expectations would be at least a little better this year. Guess the impact of having all our DL exit, and "retirements/defections" of last year's OL (though they were really bad), has hurt us. I really expected our OL/DL to at least be "SEC serviceable". Lastly, I expected JG to take step forward in his control/leadership...if we're going to win any games we're not supposed to, he's going to have to get his audibles and play to a higher level...I may have been wrong. We may see a frosh at QB next year, because you'd think if the two we had on the team are that good, they'd be pressing JG, and they aren't.

 

[Arpitpatel86]

Fahrrr pruitt

 

[lsanders2727]

Cutcliffe discussing what he saw when Duke faced off against Alabama:

“We played hard,” David Cutcliffe told the media Tuesday. “There’s no question. You know what was interesting? They played harder. If there’s a lesson learned, that’s it. That’s what really great football teams do. You find a way to play harder than your opponent no matter how hard they play. If we take that challenge and we really absorb that--and this was the conversation Sunday--I wasn’t upset, I wasn’t raising cane. But I was pretty emotional about this. That’s the game. That’s where it lives.”

So ... When will TN start playing hard until the whistle blows?

 

[Arpitpatel86]

And to think we could of had trevor lawrence, amari rodgers, Mays, Martinez and countless others on this team ugh

 

[CAVPUT]

I also think we keep churning inexperience, while schools like Mizzouri, as poor as their recruiting is, seems like they're always "veteran" at the positions which matter most. With CBJ, we'd have good recruiting rankings, then have a hand full of defections every year, which kept us from getting "old". Then, every time you change coaches, you have some more defections and lose recruits...Martinez, for example at Nebraska was all Vol until coaching change. Everyone knew how we'd be last year, but assumptions from another year in S/C and knowing Pruitt's system/expectations would be at least a little better this year. Guess the impact of having all our DL exit, and "retirements/defections" of last year's OL (though they were really bad), has hurt us. I really expected our OL/DL to at least be "SEC serviceable". Lastly, I expected JG to take step forward in his control/leadership...if we're going to win any games we're not supposed to, he's going to have to get his audibles and play to a higher level...I may have been wrong. We may see a frosh at QB next year, because you'd think if the two we had on the team are that good, they'd be pressing JG, and they aren't.

Takes a couple of years to season and strengthen linemen. Its why butch not taking more linemen is killing us now. You take a bunch on both sides of the ball every year....well the band member turned coach turned gopher apparently didn't see the need. Idiot.

 

[njvols]

Cutcliffe discussing what he saw when Duke faced off against Alabama:

“We played hard,” David Cutcliffe told the media Tuesday. “There’s no question. You know what was interesting? They played harder. If there’s a lesson learned, that’s it. That’s what really great football teams do. You find a way to play harder than your opponent no matter how hard they play. If we take that challenge and we really absorb that--and this was the conversation Sunday--I wasn’t upset, I wasn’t raising cane. But I was pretty emotional about this. That’s the game. That’s where it lives.”

So ... When will TN start playing hard until the whistle blows?

Cutcliff...another chapter in "what could have been" for UT. Though most at the time thought Cut was washed up and not the guy for UT...if we'd have hired him after Fulmer, we'd all be belly-aching about ONLY winning 9 games in a season and probably ready to run him off because we've not de-throned Saban. We've got "humble pie" down to a science by now...give us 6 wins and the Liberty Bowl...dang.

 

[GoVols64]

Cutcliffe discussing what he saw when Duke faced off against Alabama:

“We played hard,” David Cutcliffe told the media Tuesday. “There’s no question. You know what was interesting? They played harder. If there’s a lesson learned, that’s it. That’s what really great football teams do. You find a way to play harder than your opponent no matter how hard they play. If we take that challenge and we really absorb that--and this was the conversation Sunday--I wasn’t upset, I wasn’t raising cane. But I was pretty emotional about this. That’s the game. That’s where it lives.”

So ... When will TN start playing hard until the whistle blows?

This is spot on. I am convinced that we have a bigger problem than anything else and that is confidence. Confident teams play hard, fast and at their ability level. If UT comes out and confidently plays hard nose football they win against GA ST. They came out tepid and when it didn't go their way it was what we say last year against two beatable teams. We need to win again, to make good plays (and some great ones), get stops on 3rd and anything. Let the doubt recede and just go play football like you know how to do.

Until the kids can do that we will see an ugly on field product.

 

[utvols74]

Volnation has turned into group-therapy.

 

[TennesseeTarheel]

Or, just maybe, Neyland was built on Mayan burial grounds.

 

[volgrad500]

I think we will see improvement on Saturday.


Heck even if Tennessee gets beaten by 20 it will be a huge improvement, over getting beaten by Georgia State.

Disclaimer: not sure why but I believe Tennessee will win Saturday.....(prob just the fan in me not willing to admit total defeat)

I think we win also. It's a must win game, or the season is over already (which is shocking to type, but I believe it to be true). Faced with that, playing a bad BYU team (see the Utah game) and with a home field advantage, we gonna pull it out.

 

[nash101]

The problem goes deeper that the holdovers from the butch era. I think it was McDad that reviewed the roster and found 61% were Pruitt recruits or transfers. Even as 1st and 2nd year players that should have enough talent to beat Georgia State.

One problem is that only leaves 40-50 players so that would leave zero depth. Except for increasing the chances for injury, I’d rather see the freshmen and Sophomores out there playing every down than the upper class Players that Butch left us with (with some notable exceptions like Jennings)

Remember in Saban’s First year, he kicked half the starters off the team right before they played us - and they “scrubs” wiped us off the field. I think we could see a similar turnaround here if we just sit some of the juniors who don’t seem to want to play (or don’t like Pruitt). That will either light a fire under them or they’ll quit. Either way, the team should get better

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Welll we shouldn't have beat Kentucky last year. That team came in looking down on us and we smacked them while they weren't looking. Could you imagine that lol? Kentucky was looking down on US?!?! And they will this year. They looked too damn good for us to beat honestly. I think we need to get our mouths smacked in by them (and that will probably happen) for our players to wake the hell up!

If getting beat by Ga State didn't provide the necessary wake up call, why would losing to KY?

 

[landscapingvol]

They quit on Butch Jones too. Face it, many of them are just a bunch of quitters

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Or, just maybe, Neyland was built on Mayan burial grounds.

I think this has been explained a few times, but one of the construction workers who helped build the bridge that connects the Ag Campus to the Main Campus disturbed a Cherokee Burial Mound and we have not yet apologized properly to the Cherokee Nation.

Theory: after winning the 1998 BCS NC, The University of Tennessee disturbed a Cherokee burial mound on campus, and UT football has been in decline ever since. : CFB

 

[barstoolvcrew]

If getting beat by Ga State didn't provide the necessary wake up call, why would losing to KY?

I mean idk you're right we will probably get our asses kicked by them they seem pretty good. I was just saying they woke up for Kentucky last year in that fluke win maybe they'll wake up when they kick our asses this year.

 

[yotebuster]

The young guys behind him are worse/not ready?

In week 2 of the 2001 NFL season Drew Bledsoe got throttled and Tom Brady came in as backup....and the rest is history. My point is apparently Bledsoe practiced better because he was the starter but Brady comes in and as you know Bledsoe was done. Some are great in practice and some are great in games.