The Vandy game is CRITICAL

#1
tennesseekilt

tennesseekilt

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#1
Remember 2016, when we beat Florida and had had a pretty solid season, and were in line for a Sugar Bowl bid until an upset end-of-season loss to Vandy? Completely ruined the season. Yes, this season was arguably ruined in a lot of ways by the USEjr loss given the chance we had to play for a national title. However, the Vols still have a chance for a Sugar Bowl bid, a top-10 finish, and a fantastic overall season ... IF they beat Vandy. It will also give us a sneak peek into 2023 with Joe Milton at the helm. We're either talking about going into the off-season with optimism for the future or ... I don't even want to think about it - losing possibly the last 3 games and all the momentum this wonderful season has brought us so far. Not to mention dreading an entire season with Milton. So yeah, this game is critical to the program, more than even they probably want to admit. I hope they take it as seriously as the moment warrants. Clearly, that wasn't the case on Saturday.
 
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#9
#9
Volunteer_Kirby said:
The team quit in 16. Straight quit after the 2nd half of the Bama game. This team is different and they actually care about each other. That 16 squad was playoff talent with no real leadership and tragic coaching ineptitude.
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That season began to end the second that Hurd got clocked when he was showboating on that touchdown at Georgia. But Hurd not training with the team in the offseason, along with coddling and entitlement by everyone…..led by Butch started driving nails in the coffin of that season in August.
 
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#13
#13
HuntlandVolinColo said:
Vandy pass defense is about as bad as ours. They allow 153 rushing per game too.

So, Milton should tossing 60-yard dimes to Squirrel and Hyatt while Sampson/Wright and Small are plowing the middle of the field.

Game is at Vandy, so we have home field advantage too!
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Key word…”should”! Should’ve beat the shizz out of SC.
 
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#15
#15
It's nothing short of comical to even mention the 2016 team in the same breath as this one. There was never a feeling, even at 5-0, that the '16 team wasn't a paper tiger and where I wasn't waiting for the other shoe to drop. This group had us believing they were playoff worthy even though the talent level and depth didn't necessarily reflect that status. I still believe we could make noise in a playoff with this group if Hooker hadn't gotten hurt.
 
#18
#18
HuntlandVolinColo said:
IDK, after what I read about butch, he was the one that wrecked that team and made it so toxic they couldn't play.

Also Hurd had a concussion that kept him out. I think Lyle called it a lower body extremity injury too!
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100% right about Butch, but Hurd should have risen above Butch and his baloney for his team and teammates.

It’s unfortunate that there was more pressure on Hurd than the HC. That’s is the way it is.

There’s no one that will second guess a player’s performance than each player about their own. These guys are competitors, they’ve need to get past this and I expect they will.
 
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#19
#19
Did anyone see the Vandy - Florida game? I heard the Florida WRs were juggling passes and they were almost bouncing to the Vandy DBs.

I think I also read where AR had 40 passes and 4 rushes...talk about playing away from somebody's skill set!
 
#20
#20
sami said:
It's nothing short of comical to even mention the 2016 team in the same breath as this one. There was never a feeling, even at 5-0, that the '16 team wasn't a paper tiger and where I wasn't waiting for the other shoe to drop. This group had us believing they were playoff worthy even though the talent level and depth didn't necessarily reflect that status. I still believe we could make noise in a playoff with this group if Hooker hadn't gotten hurt.
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I disagree with that completely. 2016 was stacked and ready to win it all, then Butch did his thing and ran Hurd off.

Milton is about to ball out vs Vandy.
 
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#21
#21
Iam4utalways said:
It’s already hard enough to win, then take a team playing it’s biggest game of the year, vs a distracted team, that’s how South Carolina played out.

Vandy is more of a joke than South Carolina, I expect a win.

It’s Joe’s time to shine. I’m willing to watch.
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How do you explain vandy winning at Kentucky and beating Florida? They are not a joke. It will be a tough game.
 
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#22
#22
Volunteer_Kirby said:
The team quit in 16. Straight quit after the 2nd half of the Bama game. This team is different and they actually care about each other. That 16 squad was playoff talent with no real leadership and tragic coaching ineptitude.
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Then we should beat Vandy by 20 or more Sat night.
 
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#23
#23
Clad in Big Orange said:
How do you explain vandy winning at Kentucky and beating Florida? They are not a joke. It will be a tough game.
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How do you explain that same Kentucky team giving Georgia fits? Every week is different.

One thing I will say about Florida and Kentucky, their play has been far more bipolar. We got Florida playing good and still spanked them. We caught Kentucky in suck mode and laid the wood to them!

Our biggest setbacks were against good defenses, rowdy road crowds, at night!

Vandy is a home game of sorts so we have that going for us and they are far from a good defense.
 
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#24
#24
Iam4utalways said:
It’s already hard enough to win, then take a team playing it’s biggest game of the year, vs a distracted team, that’s how South Carolina played out.

Vandy is more of a joke than South Carolina, I expect a win.

It’s Joe’s time to shine. I’m willing to watch.
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I'm not sure Vandy is that much worse than South Carolina. Their last two games they've been pretty good. If our guys are hungry and focused, they should handle them. But if they're not, they won't.
 
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