The Best Play of Each Game, 2021

[VFL-82-JP]

A fellow Vols fan on YouTube nicknamed Eagle built a nice video showing the best play (Eagle's choice) of each 2021 game. Win or lose. Here goes:


.

For those searching a specific game, here are some time hacks and brief descriptions of each play:

• 0:00 -- Bowling Green -- O -- Joe Milton to Cedric Tillman in end zone, touchdown
• 0:29 -- Pitt -- D -- Panther punt from own end zone blocked by Christian Charles, setting up 1st and goal from the 1 yard line for the Vols
• 1:13 -- Tennessee Tech -- D -- TTU pass intercepted by Solon Page, run back 25 yards for Vols touchdown -- pick six
• 1:39 -- Florida -- O -- Hendon Hooker to Javonta Payton, 75 yard touchdown strike
• 2:30 -- Mizzou -- O -- Tiyon Evans 92 yard run for a touchdown from Vols' 8 yard line
• 3:15 -- South Carolina -- O -- 39 yard touchdown pass, Hooker to Payton
• 3:41 -- Ole Miss -- D -- Trevon Flowers interception of Matt Corral mid-field pass in early 4th quarter, Vols down by 5 points, 26-31
• 4:17 -- Bama -- ST -- De'Shawn Rucker blocks Bama punt at their own 15 yd line, setting up short field for our O, 3rd Qtr, Vols down 14-21
• 4:52 -- Kentucky -- D -- Alontae Taylor interception at mid-field, run to end zone for pick six, putting Vols up 38-28 in 3rd Qtr
• 5:45 -- Georgia -- O -- Hooker to Jones, 8 yard TD, first points of the game, making it 6-0 Vols just over 3 minutes into the game's 1st Qtr
• 6:19 -- South Alabama -- ST -- just 1:30 to halftime, Velus Jones receives USA kickoff and runs 96 yards the other way for a Vols touchdown
• 7:18 -- Vandy -- D -- Theo Jackson interception at midfield run to the checkerboards for a pick six, early in the 1st Qtr, first score of the game
• 8:06 -- Purdue -- O -- red zone offense, Hooker to Tillman to tie the game, 38-38, with less than 4 minutes remaining in the match

I can think of a couple of plays I like better in one or two of the games, but Eagle's picks are all really nice choices.

What do you think? Would you replace any of these with another play? Which one? Bonus points if you can link to a video of your choice, for comparison.

Give Eagle a thumbs up over on YouTube for this video, he done good.

Go Vols!

 

[HalfullVol]

Pitt, UF, Ole Miss, Bama, UGA and Purdue were all close and winnable with better execution on both sides of the ball.

jmho

 

[jim pique]

So ready for this season to begin!

 

[65YearsAVol]

Somebody say daggone say dang man. I tell ye whut.

 

[VOLfrombama]

 

[VOLfrombama]

^My favorite thing about that play was Heup yelling out the coverage from the sideline

 

[Volmac2022]

Pitt, UF, Ole Miss, Bama, UGA and Purdue were all close and winnable with better execution on both sides of the ball.

jmho

We got blown out in the Georgia game last year they were up 24-10 in the first half and they out scored us 17-7 in the second half. So no we weren't close in that game by any means. We scored 10 points in the first quarter and when the game was over we scored another 7 in the 4th. Bama game we were competing until the last 10 or 12 minutes of that game so I'll give you that even though they destroyed us in the 4th. Florida blew us out of the water in the 2nd half. Florida was actually a great team until Mullen lost his team. I'm a big vols fan but saying we were close in those three games is by far misleading. The Pitt, Purdue and ole miss yeah we got robbed but oh well. New season, new players, GBO!!!

 

[CornbreadVol]

We got blown out in the Georgia game last year they were up 24-10 in the first half and they out scored us 17-7 in the second half. So no we weren't close in that game by any means. We scored 10 points in the first quarter and when the game was over we scored another 7 in the 4th. Bama game we were competing until the last 10 or 12 minutes of that game so I'll give you that even though they destroyed us in the 4th. Florida blew us out of the water in the 2nd half. Florida was actually a great team until Mullen lost his team. I'm a big vols fan but saying we were close in those three games is by far misleading. The Pitt, Purdue and ole miss yeah we got robbed but oh well. New season, new players, GBO!!!

The deciding factor in that Bama game imo was when Hooker threw the INT when we were driving down by 14 in the 4th. I was so proud of the way our guys competed though.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

We got blown out in the Georgia game last year they were up 24-10 in the first half and they out scored us 17-7 in the second half. So no we weren't close in that game by any means. We scored 10 points in the first quarter and when the game was over we scored another 7 in the 4th. Bama game we were competing until the last 10 or 12 minutes of that game so I'll give you that even though they destroyed us in the 4th. Florida blew us out of the water in the 2nd half. Florida was actually a great team until Mullen lost his team. I'm a big vols fan but saying we were close in those three games is by far misleading. The Pitt, Purdue and ole miss yeah we got robbed but oh well. New season, new players, GBO!!!

I think both you and HalfullVol got it pretty close to right.

We could certainly have won the Pitt, Ole Miss, and Purdue games with better execution...or more capable refereeing. Either/or. The game plan was right. The play calls were good. The players had the talent needed. But we let ourselves down at a few key points of each game, and the refs played an out-sized (and lopsided) role in those matches, esp. the latter two. So split the blame 50/50 between execution and reffing.

The Bama game was a little different from those other three. The refereeing actually wasn't bad (though not perfect), and our execution was largely good. The coaching, planning, and play calling were all solid, too. We simply ran out of gas. Particularly on defense, but I think on both sides of the ball. Our lack of depth cost us that game. I'm not saying we would definitely have won with 85 scholarship players, but it would probably have been just as close with 1 minute left in the 4th quarter as it was with 14 minutes left in the 4th quarter. In other words, still close on the final possession. That's what lack of depth cost us.

UGa and Florida, agreed. Not close. Not pretty. Combination of many things that needed to be better in both games. In the UGa game, playing what amounted more or less to an NFL rookie defense (7 of the 11 starters were drafted right after the season ended) was a big part of it. But no, we were nowhere near close to winning either of those games, at any point.

Yeah, we could've been 10-3 rather than 7-6 last year, with better execution and/or more capable and balanced refereeing.

I think that is precisely why Josh Heupel and his assistant coaches are repeatedly banging the drum this off-season on "finishing." And expecting to win, rather than hoping to win.

But that's last year. It's the past. Etched in stone, unchangeable. Now it's time for this year. Finish, lads. Expect to win. We have confidence in you.

Go Vols!

 

[ptcarter]

OK.. I admit- Even with internet lag, I still listen to Kesling. Was watching this and heard Beth (fingernails on the chalkboard) Mowens make the call on Taylor's pick six against Kentucky. She called him "The Cookie Monster". Ya'll know I read every post in every forum every day (artistic license), and I've never heard Taylor referred to "the Cookie Monster". Is that something she just made up or was he really called that? It's sort of cringe worthy.

 

[ptcarter]

I think both you and HalfullVol got it pretty close to right.

We could certainly have won the Pitt, Ole Miss, and Purdue games with better execution...or more capable refereeing. Either/or. The game plan was right. The play calls were good. The players had the talent needed. But we let ourselves down at a few key points of each game, and the refs played an out-sized (and lopsided) role in those matches, esp. the latter two. So split the blame 50/50 between execution and reffing.

The Bama game was a little different from those other three. The refereeing actually wasn't bad (though not perfect), and our execution was largely good. The coaching, planning, and play calling were all solid, too. We simply ran out of gas. Particularly on defense, but I think on both sides of the ball. Our lack of depth cost us that game. I'm not saying we would definitely have won with 85 scholarship players, but it would probably have been just as close with 1 minute left in the 4th quarter as it was with 14 minutes left in the 4th quarter. In other words, still close on the final possession. That's what lack of depth cost us.

UGa and Florida, agreed. Not close. Not pretty. Combination of many things that needed to be better in both games. In the UGa game, playing what amounted more or less to an NFL rookie defense (7 of the 11 starters were drafted right after the season ended) was a big part of it. But no, we were nowhere near close to winning either of those games, at any point.

Yeah, we could've been 10-3 rather than 7-6 last year, with better execution and/or more capable and balanced refereeing.

I think that is precisely why Josh Heupel and his assistant coaches are repeatedly banging the drum this off-season on "finishing." And expecting to win, rather than hoping to win.

But that's last year. It's the past. Etched in stone, unchangeable. Now it's time for this year. Finish, lads. Expect to win. We have confidence in you.

Go Vols!

One thing about college football, and this goes back to when Bear Bryant had like 200 players (before limits, and that is an exaggeration before anyone gets their knickers in a bunch) and that is depth. If your starters don't get relief, the legs get like rubber in the 4th quarter, and that is where Ga and Bama have the upper hand at this juncture. Swapping D linemen in and out during the 1st and 2nd quarter give you a shot with fresh legs in the 4th. I strongly feel that if we could have done that against Bama, we'd have been right there with them till the buzzer.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

OK.. I admit- Even with internet lag, I still listen to Kesling. Was watching this and heard Beth (fingernails on the chalkboard) Mowens make the call on Taylor's pick six against Kentucky. She called him "The Cookie Monster". Ya'll know I read every post in every forum every day (artistic license), and I've never heard Taylor referred to "the Cookie Monster". Is that something she just made up or was he really called that? It's sort of cringe worthy.

A local Knoxville bakery established a promotional campaign last year involving Alontae, one of the early NIL deals. The promotion was: every time Alontae intercepted a pass, the bakery would give two free cookies to any Vols fan who walked in and mentioned the interception. And so Alontae became the "cookie monster" getting the fan base free cookies.*

That promotion has been renewed this year, too! This year, the cookie monster is, I think, Cedric Tillman. I think it goes, any game in which Cedric scores two TDs, the bakery gives out free cookies.

Anyway, that's what it was all about.

Go Vols!


EDIT: here's an article about it from the Athletic: 'Cookie Monster': Inside Alontae Taylor's unique, lucrative deal that leads to sweet treats for Vols fans


* Alontae himself didn't get anything from the bakery for his interceptions; that would have violated NCAA restrictions on pay-for-play. Instead, they paid him a flat weekly salary for doing commercials.

 

[ptcarter]

A local Knoxville bakery established a promotional campaign last year involving Alontae, one of the early NIL deals. The promotion was: every time Alontae intercepted a pass, the bakery would give two free cookies to any Vols fan who walked in and mentioned the interception. And so Alontae became the "cookie monster" getting the fan base free cookies.*

That promotion has been renewed this year, too! This year, the cookie monster is, I think, Cedric Tillman. I think it goes, any game in which Cedric scores two TDs, the bakery gives out free cookies.

Anyway, that's what it was all about.

Go Vols!


EDIT: here's an article about it from the Athletic: 'Cookie Monster': Inside Alontae Taylor's unique, lucrative deal that leads to sweet treats for Vols fans


* Alontae himself didn't get anything from the bakery for his interceptions; that would have violated NCAA restrictions on pay-for-play. Instead, they paid him a flat weekly salary for doing commercials.

Thanks JP

 

[FLVOL_79]

That first play..man Milton can whizz that sucker..

 

[NeverWe'llSever]

Pitt, UF, Ole Miss, Bama, UGA and Purdue were all close and winnable with better execution on both sides of the ball.

jmho

UGA game was going very well until Hooker threw that uncharacteristic pick.

 

[V04L]

Even though we ended up scoring on that first drive against Georgia, I have always had the feeling that if Hooker doesn't overthrow Velus on the second play of the game and we open with a two-play, 77-yard drive the entire dynamic of that game is changed. Sure we probably don't win but I think we keep it a lot closer. Based on absolutely no logic, just a feel (but isn't that what we do as UT fans.)

 

[Volmac2022]

The deciding factor in that Bama game imo was when Hooker threw the INT when we were driving down by 14 in the 4th. I was so proud of the way our guys competed though.

That's a good look and fair however I think it was mainly our defense. Unfortunately we were just too thin. We are currently at 80 scholarships so who knows we might get another 5 to help with subs this year.