Speed and Talent not the problem against WVU

[HeyHeyUT]

It's not unusual for Volnation to be terrible analysts... but

Defense. Was UGA a slow and untalented team 2 years ago when they got drubbed by Ole Miss 45-14 and almost got beat by Nichols State 26-24? They looked worse against Ole Miss than UT did vs. WVU and yet those players went to the Natty last year. Look, being out of position and running in the wrong direction makes you look 4 steps slower than the guy who is running full speed in the right direction. Unfortunately WVU is a pretty tough offense to play when learning a new scheme with young players. Additionally, If anyone watched the Pruitt show replays, UTs d-line should have sacked Grier 2 or 3 more times in the first half alone (despite being held). But Grier has that Dobbs-like wet noodle escapability that few QBs have the instincts to pull off.

Offense. Did anyone think our WRs, QB, or running back looked like they lacked Talent or Speed? I actually thought the WRs looked like grown men amongst boys, JG threw lasers perfectly and had plenty of time to throw outside of the first drives. And as far as the Oline, when they did the right thing, they got more push than they did any game last year... But as Pruitt Said in his show: it's a new scheme and Trey Smith, Chance Hall, Brandon Kennedy, and Jamir Johnson had their first real practices with 30 days ago and were shuffling positions the whole time. My guess is Will Friend will be able to get them blocking the right people a little more before UF with 17 practices and 2 full games coming up. He also wasn't too high on Tim Jordan breaking tackles because he said he was missing big A Gap holes that would have prevented him from having to break tackles in the backfield.

Summary. There is middle of the pack SEC talent on this team... Maybe even a little better. And as fans we should expect improved play by game 4 because of repetitions in the same position on the same scheme (SOMETHING THAT NEVER HAPPENED LAST 2 SEASONS WITH BUTCH). Unfortunately... As UGA showed in their first season with Smart... It can take more than a couple games to know a system enough to play instinctually on the field.

 

[livefaith]

Exhibit A: Pay particular attention to blue & gold streaks moving rapidly toward end zones.

[VIDEO=]

 

[livefaith]

I'm just ribbing you HeyHey. I think you're right. We've got some talent and I expect improvement as we go along.

 

[Volfan2012]

Three or four guys on defense could make the difference and I suspect we'll see different guys for anyone that didn't play as expected in this game. I like the offense as it is just get the OL going we have the skill players to make things happen.

 

[99gator]

1. Stuff happens. Blowouts happen. Good teams get blown out. So, no, a final score does not necessarily reflect the difference between two teams.

2. The body of work over time suggests that several players on the team aren’t very good. It’s not the first time some of those guys weren’t getting it done.

3. There were about 140 plays in that game. I am sure there were plenty of them where Tennessee knew exactly what they were doing and were beaten.

4. Every team, even Alabama, makes mistakes during the game. The difference is the ability of other guys on the field to cover up for the mistake. By and large, Tennessee doesn’t have that.

5. Usually, what makes the big jump from year 1 to year 2 is guys knowing the system better, but also the influx of some talented true freshman to supplement what’s already there which is why a year 2 recruiting class is huge

 

[OldLofter]

Have to disagree with the OP re speed. Speed was missing in our defense. The DB’s will not acquire speed. This could be a long season.
On the other side, both sides of the ball should show improvements as they become more familiar with the system.
Be patient.

 

[HeyHeyUT]

Suck for UF too then... I mean you guys conceded an average of 38 points on 4 of your last 5 games... You must not have any players to make up for the other guys mistakes!

 

[DaphneVol]

While I’m positive on the direction we are headed, I think Kirby inherited a better situation than Pruitt. GA had more depth and overall talent and far less attrition. We’ve lost too many players the last 4 years who could have contributed Saturday. IMO our first contention for the east will be in Y3.

 

[99gator]

Suck for UF too then... I mean you guys conceded an average of 38 points on 4 of your last 5 games... You must not have any players to make up for the other guys mistakes!

Exactly.

Name the guy for Florida or Tennessee that makes the other 10 on the field better. Who’s the guy that keeps an offensive or defensive coordinator awake at night?

 

[Cartervol]

New coach, new system, a lot of new. A lot of the same players though and same results unfortunately. Front 7 on defense was what was most glaring to me. It's lacking and that's putting it kindly.

 

[Gandalf]

While I’m positive on the direction we are headed, I think Kirby inherited a better situation than Pruitt. GA had more depth and overall talent and far less attrition. We’ve lost too many players the last 4 years who could have contributed Saturday. IMO our first contention for the east will be in Y3.

Cant even begin to compare the situations that Kirby got and CJP came into. The dogs were 10-3 the 2 years before Kirby took over with 2014 a final #9 ranking. T

he morale of this team (and fans) was DESTROYED after last year with a HISTORIC 0 SEC wins and a complete crap show for coach search. They lost to VANDY and KY in the same year!!! How do you look in the mirror as a football player and ever have respect for yourself or your team after that? Pruitt seems to be working on mindset and mechanics. He has a real challenge in front of him but I have high hopes. Good recruiting can help that too.

 

[Rooster1]

Cant even begin to compare the situations that Kirby got and CJP came into. The dogs were 10-3 the 2 years before Kirby took over with 2014 a final #9 ranking. T

he morale of this team (and fans) was DESTROYED after last year with a HISTORIC 0 SEC wins and a complete crap show for coach search. They lost to VANDY and KY in the same year!!! How do you look in the mirror as a football player and ever have respect for yourself or your team after that? Pruitt seems to be working on mindset and mechanics. He has a real challenge in front of him but I have high hopes. Good recruiting can help that too.

You can already see the diff in his recruiting vs the Jones era. Diff type players, Stars be damned, and I follow recruiting closely in the SEC. Pruitt is building a new recruiting philosophy and its more like Aub and Bama type players. He looks past everything but the intangibles like height, weight, athleticism, speed and FB playing prowess. You can find a bunch of diamonds doing that if you know what to look for, seems he does. Muschamp recruits the same way, he gets his occasional 5 star at SC, but the 4 and 3 star kids he gets are gamers in spite of the rankings. Once you get them it’s all about development and if that is done right, these types are every bit as good as the ones ranked over them. I think both Pruitt and Muschamp look for same intangibles and it’s why they have been going h2h on many recruits.

 

[Crazy Ivan]

The front 7 didn't make Grier uncomfortable in the 2nd half. They did in the first half, and coupled with that nice 7:57 drive in the 2nd quarter, is why WVU only managed 13 pts in the first half. Give WVU credit for the adjustments they made in that long break, but UT was unable to get much push the 2nd half. 300 lbers having to play too many snaps in 90* heat. And WVU just has too many weapons at WR. Too often there were mismatches because a safety ended up having to cover a WR 1 on 1 on a deep route. The match ups in that game were all bad for UT for an opener.

But it was a good learning experience, and the staff learned more about their team and problem areas than they would if they had beaten a directional school 50-0. And there were bright spots, both on offense and defense. Most of the offense's problems were things that can be corrected, and we have 2 weeks to work on them. The defense did play well the first half overall. They were able to get a good push and collapse the pocket. If we can get some young guys up to speed over the next few weeks, it will definitely help the rotation so those guys aren't playing on noodle legs the 2nd half. Which will certainly help the secondry.

But the reality is, some of us said that a 6-6 season would be a success. I wanted desperately to be wrong, but sadly, Saturday i think drove that point home like a dagger.

 

[sameolvol]

Thanks

1. Stuff happens. Blowouts happen. Good teams get blown out. So, no, a final score does not necessarily reflect the difference between two teams.

2. The body of work over time suggests that several players on the team aren’t very good. It’s not the first time some of those guys weren’t getting it done.

3. There were about 140 plays in that game. I am sure there were plenty of them where Tennessee knew exactly what they were doing and were beaten.

4. Every team, even Alabama, makes mistakes during the game. The difference is the ability of other guys on the field to cover up for the mistake. By and large, Tennessee doesn’t have that.

5. Usually, what makes the big jump from year 1 to year 2 is guys knowing the system better, but also the influx of some talented true freshman to supplement what’s already there which is why a year 2 recruiting class is huge

Thanks for the wishful thinking, '99...but no thanks. OP's far more correct in his expostulation than are you. No? Let's see:

1. You are correct, sir. Season openers are always full of surprises and, yes, Even great teams get blown out every now and then.

2. Not all that many "Uh, Oh's" gator boy...just not that good? You're comparing gayduh meat to ripe oranges. You left out the prime factor in UT's past bodies of work. Those to which you were referring were products of Butch Jones, et al. This leaves open the opportunities afforded by our new coach and his compadres. His name is Jeremie Pruitt. Pretty soon, you'll be wishing you'd never heard his name. His coordinators and assistants aren't exactly wilting willows, either, when it comes to developing future NFL talent. You'll catch on to this assortment of mental pedigrees as you watch Tennessee football blossom THIS SEASON. O-line mistakes versus lack-o-talent? Here's another name that'll be imprinted in your nightmares come your boys' D-day in K-town: Are you ready? Trey Smith. You don't need to write that one down. You'll see why real soon.

3. You should be more astute...or just should've learned more about the game of football. Three frosh DBs just aren't going to play their very first college game of football against a trio of future Sunday ballers...no matter who's prepared them or how great they'll be in the future. Also, you cloud your projection as a football prognosticator by failing to recognize the absolute difficulty in switching from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense...particularly since these young men have had the 4-3 drilled into their heads and muscle memories. This Pruit fella' and his coaching cohorts just might know how to fix that. Let's hide and watch as these faux pas' get fine tuned outta' their heads.

4. As for covering for mistakes, it's not only the fella' covering the successful eluder that's got to be in position to keep his man covered. If safeties or LBs make that bad first...or second...step, then their abilities to cover their bros' mistakes have been compromised beyond recovery. Once again...your opinion is laced with wishful thinking.

5. Influx of talented frosh, eh? Even if I were one of these (dubiously presumed by you) not-so-talented rookie student-athlete DBs who didn't do such an admirable job against that elite receiving corps led by a Heisman candidate, I'd be pretty dang confident that Coach Jeremie Pruitt is gona' develop me into a lock-down type monster...sooner or later. UT's already in the top 10 in Coach Pruitt's second year recruiting crop. Your gayduhs are, uh, wait a minute.................................Whoa! Way down there? Puleeeeeeeeeeeez!

 

[allenrikvik]

Overall, the team did not meet my expectations, but the defensive front 7 is concerning. Not able to slow the run nor place any pressure on the QB without a blitz package. The front 7 need to do one or the other, preferably both.

 

[46yrvol]

1. Stuff happens. Blowouts happen. Good teams get blown out. So, no, a final score does not necessarily reflect the difference between two teams.

2. The body of work over time suggests that several players on the team aren’t very good. It’s not the first time some of those guys weren’t getting it done.

3. There were about 140 plays in that game. I am sure there were plenty of them where Tennessee knew exactly what they were doing and were beaten.

4. Every team, even Alabama, makes mistakes during the game. The difference is the ability of other guys on the field to cover up for the mistake. By and large, Tennessee doesn’t have that.

5. Usually, what makes the big jump from year 1 to year 2 is guys knowing the system better, but also the influx of some talented true freshman to supplement what’s already there which is why a year 2 recruiting class is huge

A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. The most frustrating thing is to have a ton of talent collectively only to have blaring weakness between them.

 

[Rooster1]

A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. The most frustrating thing is to have a ton of talent collectively only to have blaring weakness between them.

Not my place here to comment on your current level of talent but I have posted several times that I personally believe BJ recruited highly ranked classes that were in hindsight over rated, but I don’t want to go in depth on that subject, it’s not for me to say.

 

[photovol]

It's not unusual for Volnation to be terrible analysts... but

Defense. Was UGA a slow and untalented team 2 years ago when they got drubbed by Ole Miss 45-14 and almost got beat by Nichols State 26-24? They looked worse against Ole Miss than UT did vs. WVU and yet those players went to the Natty last year. Look, being out of position and running in the wrong direction makes you look 4 steps slower than the guy who is running full speed in the right direction. Unfortunately WVU is a pretty tough offense to play when learning a new scheme with young players. Additionally, If anyone watched the Pruitt show replays, UTs d-line should have sacked Grier 2 or 3 more times in the first half alone (despite being held). But Grier has that Dobbs-like wet noodle escapability that few QBs have the instincts to pull off.

Offense. Did anyone think our WRs, QB, or running back looked like they lacked Talent or Speed? I actually thought the WRs looked like grown men amongst boys, JG threw lasers perfectly and had plenty of time to throw outside of the first drives. And as far as the Oline, when they did the right thing, they got more push than they did any game last year... But as Pruitt Said in his show: it's a new scheme and Trey Smith, Chance Hall, Brandon Kennedy, and Jamir Johnson had their first real practices with 30 days ago and were shuffling positions the whole time. My guess is Will Friend will be able to get them blocking the right people a little more before UF with 17 practices and 2 full games coming up. He also wasn't too high on Tim Jordan breaking tackles because he said he was missing big A Gap holes that would have prevented him from having to break tackles in the backfield.

Summary. There is middle of the pack SEC talent on this team... Maybe even a little better. And as fans we should expect improved play by game 4 because of repetitions in the same position on the same scheme (SOMETHING THAT NEVER HAPPENED LAST 2 SEASONS WITH BUTCH). Unfortunately... As UGA showed in their first season with Smart... It can take more than a couple games to know a system enough to play instinctually on the field.

I feel so much better now, thanks

 

[tbones0711]

You can already see the diff in his recruiting vs the Jones era. Diff type players, Stars be damned, and I follow recruiting closely in the SEC. Pruitt is building a new recruiting philosophy and its more like Aub and Bama type players. He looks past everything but the intangibles like height, weight, athleticism, speed and FB playing prowess. You can find a bunch of diamonds doing that if you know what to look for, seems he does. Muschamp recruits the same way, he gets his occasional 5 star at SC, but the 4 and 3 star kids he gets are gamers in spite of the rankings. Once you get them it’s all about development and if that is done right, these types are every bit as good as the ones ranked over them. I think both Pruitt and Muschamp look for same intangibles and it’s why they have been going h2h on many recruits.

T.Jordan likes it physical. I saw just a little but Banks looks like he's that type of player too. Jones recruited TJ and CJP recruited banks. Neither was highly rated.

 

[LibertyVolance]

Overall, the team did not meet my expectations, but the defensive front 7 is concerning. Not able to slow the run nor place any pressure on the QB without a blitz package. The front 7 need to do one or the other, preferably both.

The next 2 weeks should allow CJP and the defensive coaches try some new personnel upfront. It's time for some of those guys to produce or give way to somebody else who will. It's not helping the team to trot out there with experience but get blocked out of every single play. They need to find players that will fight off blocks and make plays (tackles). We have some that simply occupy space but never actually run to the ball and make a play, who get blocked and content to stay blocked.

 

[OldLofter]

The coaches have film to look at (why do we still call it film?) I’m sure they spent all Sunday and today seeing who can get the job done, who needs help on technique, and who needs a new position.
This will be a long season. Be patient. It will get better.

 

[Mccage]

Pruitt and Associates knew going into the WV game we were behind the 8 ball. The plate only had a spoonfull on it and it took WV a half to clean the plate. All the analysing and wishfull thinking want change the fact it's going to be awhile before we have a three course meal. We got the right chef just need to be patient and let him cook! I got full confidence before it's over he will be serving up cornbread.

 

[Vol737]

I'll be happy if we just show significant improvement through out the year (enough to steal one from either FLA or SC) and give Auburn, Georgia and Bama fits instead of more mega blow outs. Would love to beat KY, Vandy and the team that shouldn't be in the SEC anyway at the end of the season.

 

[1955bamavol]

Have to disagree with the OP re speed. Speed was missing in our defense. The DB’s will not acquire speed. This could be a long season.
On the other side, both sides of the ball should show improvements as they become more familiar with the system.
Be patient.

DB's have speed. The problem was reading routes and that comes with experience. DB's bit on short routes too often.

 

[revjayp]

Exactly.

Name the guy for Florida or Tennessee that makes the other 10 on the field better. Who’s the guy that keeps an offensive or defensive coordinator awake at night?

Before Saturday I thought his name was Nigel Warrior. Boy was I wrong. I hope he just had a bad game but I thought he had Eric Berry ability waiting to come out. I guess it was more John Perry talent. He was my waiter at Shoneys.