The onside kick

[K-town Vol Fan]

I've seen a lot of posters bashing Pruitt for the onside kick call. I happen to think it was a perfect call at the perfect moment. The players didnt execute. Exhibit A:



As you can see, every player around the ball is watching the ball. Someone, not sure which one, is supposed to be blocking the 1 guy from UF around the ball. If that 1 guy does his job and blocks him instead of trying to go up and get the ball and be a hero, its UT ball and we probably even return that one a few yards, if not for a TD.

Great call, 1 player not doing what he was supposed to do ruined it. Players. Have. To. Execute.

There are many more instances of poor execution in this game.

 

[reeceb73]

I agree completely. Gutsy, calculated call and it should have worked. At least Pruitt has some stones

 

[FLVOL_79]

Nope. All coaching. Players cannot be expected to execute without being coached up..

 

[SD189]

Nope. All coaching. Players cannot be expected to execute without being coached up..

unless the players just aren't very good.

 

[K-town Vol Fan]

Nope. All coaching. Players cannot be expected to execute without being coached up..

You dont thnk the coaches told them exactly what to do? I'm sure they've practiced this before and everyone knew what they were supposed to do. Someone just didn't do it.

 

[ProudVOLfan]

Nope. All coaching. Players cannot be expected to execute without being coached up..

Blue font??

 

[JohnD13]

Nope. All coaching. Players cannot be expected to execute without being coached up..

Can't help you if you don't understand that they are coached and didn't execute.

 

[GetEmVols]

Saban did it the first kick of the game Vols in 2007.

 

[LordBolton]

Everybody had an assignment on that play. One player decided to go off script, and blew up the play which eventually resulted in a safety on us. Hopefully, that guy is still running laps around the field, having to throw a block every time he makes a lap.

 

[jakez4ut]

loved the call.

 

[TNDeb3]

I LOVED this call...and if we had gotten the ball...y'all would be all about it! I also love that CJP will go for it on 4th down. Damn sure don't miss our former coach pacing the sidelines with his arms folded across his chest. Once we can get a team of CJP's chosen players I think we're going to see a much better team on the field.

GBO!

 

[beneVOLence]

I didn't agree with the call at the time, but if we had executed it would have been a great. It caught me off guard and I'm sure that's what it was meant to do towards Florida. Seemed a little desperate at a time and we were still in the game. Defense did their job and held and everyone knows what happened after that.

 

[utvolpj]

Cost us a lot of points and any momentum. Kick it deep and hold them and we're in a much better spot

 

[edyeary]

I thought it was good aggressive call.

 

[jakez4ut]

Cost us a lot of points and any momentum. Kick it deep and hold them and we're in a much better spot

the call did that, or the lack of execution? we did everything right, except 1 thing. the call was fine. the resuult was not.

 

[goooooovols]

Really good onside kick too but there is always a 50/50 chance you dont get it.... you can say the player didn't execute all you want but the chances are what they are.

Terribly early in the game to do this and really not necessary.... our defense was playing well when we weren't giving them a short field much better to kick there, hold and get the ball back instead of digging a deeper hole. The consequences were a direct result of the head coaches decision. Dont blame the players... if the players made the right plays all the time, whats the use of the coaches being around on game day, it's a give and take.

 

[EricberryFAN]

I loved the call!

 

[ProudVOLfan]

Definitely a good call in my eyes.. No one would be crying if just 1 of the 5 guys around the ball would have had some fight in him and come down with the ball..

 

[Lawrence Wright]

It was a perfect call, at the perfect time to steal a possession and get back momentum, and you had us outnumbered 4 to 1 on our left/your right.

I don’t get the folks here blaming Pruitt. It was a great call.

 

[TheDeeble]

It was a great call. I was impressed. We had 5 players at the ball with only one Florida player. Problem was one of our five players was supposed to block the Fla player that actually recovered. We didn't execute.

 

[Blackburn]

In the post game press conference Pruitt talked about how they practiced the play a lot in practice and there was a guy that was supposed to take out the Florida player but for some reason went for the ball during the game. That's lack of execution from the players. IF the 1 guy that was assigned to block the Florida player had actually done what he was instructed to do instead of trying to be the hero the Vols would have gotten the ball. I thought it was a great, gutsy call. It's too bad the players didn't execute it correctly.

 

[Volinnooga]

I liked the call too. Those bashing it would be raving about what a great call it was if it had worked. Hindsight is 20/20 for many posters.

 

[njvols]

Nope. All coaching. Players cannot be expected to execute without being coached up..

Pruitt said player was assigned to hit the "catcher" and decided to be a spectator. Alot of stuff on coaches, but in this case, it's on the player(s).

 

[a vol n tears]

This was a play that actually gives me confidence Pruitt can be a HC. I’d venture the coaches had practiced a lot of things that would improve the team but the players are not executing. He stated earlier this year they are having to teach the players how to act at the hotels and how to dress before games!!! This teams has a lot to learn and discipline is a big part. It’s not just talent.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

There was a lot of awful coaching calls and coaching decisions Saturday night. This was not one of them....