Turning Point: Cam Sutton Muffed Punt

#1
TheMookieMonster

TheMookieMonster

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#1
Hindsight is 20/20 and it's impossible to predict the rest of the game based on one play, and maybe I am in the minority, but I have never seen a bigger momentum shifting play in the past 10 years of TN football then that mistake right there.

We shut them down and force a 3-and-out real quick. We set up a punt where at the worst with no return we get it around our own 45. Instead, Cam was clearly thinking more about taking it to the house than securing the football. You could see it in his body language and how he left for the endzone before the ball had even touched his hands.

If we secure that punt and drive down and score a quick 7, who knows how this game would have turned out. Cam made up for it later with a sensational NFL caliber interception, but I can't help to think that one play gave App State a major confidence boost and demoralized our defense so quickly.

Does anyone else feel like this play, so early in the game, completely set the tone in App State's favor?
 
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#2
#2
I think the Dobbs INT was more demoralizing than the muffed punt. It wasn't until that point when I realized Tennessee truly didn't have it and the game was likely to be close until the very end.

Cam's mistake happened so early that it was hard to get too worried about it, plus we hadn't even seen our offense yet at that point.
 
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#3
#3
05_never_again said:
I think the Dobbs INT was more demoralizing than the muffed punt. It wasn't until that point when I realized Tennessee truly didn't have it and the game was likely to be close until the very end.

Cam's mistake happened so early that it was hard to get too worried about it, plus we hadn't even seen our offense yet at that point.
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Good points. I tend to agree, but I just think our defense was shell-shocked at Cam's mistake and it looked like it because the next few plays our D-Line proceeded to get pushed around and we saw Marcus Cox have several huge gains.

That Dobbs INT was all-time bad though. I mean just a horrible mistake. Tried to make something out of absolutely nothing when he should have just thrown it away.
 
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#4
#4
It occurred to me at that point that the team may not be focused. I don't think I've ever seen Cam muff a punt like that. He said in his post game interview that he snapped and cleared. He may just not have wanted to talk about it. It was beyond great that he got the interception later on but I agree that was a huge momentum swing. Our defense on the series that led to that punt played lights out. App state was going backwards. jmo.
 
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#5
#5
We had a few TPs:

Cam Fumble
JRMs Ejection
PWilly's Dropped TD pass

and Biggest of all:

Our Oline is a sive for the 4th year in a row.

Butch should have replaced Mahoney 2 years ago.
 
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#6
#6
It was 3 minutes into the freakin game.

Some of y'all are really working hard to avoid what took place.

It was a dog (blank) performance against a dog (blank) team.

Hopefully, it was a complete fluke.

But, there was no turning point. They are not a very good team. This isnt syracuse in 1998, etc, etc, etc.
 
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#7
#7
that fumble coupled by the JRM ejection really gave them life...
it seemed like even JRM could feel the momentum slipping he was trying to get the crowd and team mates hyped as he left the field obviously he was upset but the game never felt like we were in control.....that silly hind leg pick while inside FG range though....SMH
oh well on to VaTech
 
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#8
#8
VersaceButch said:
Hindsight is 20/20 and it's impossible to predict the rest of the game based on one play, and maybe I am in the minority, but I have never seen a bigger momentum shifting play in the past 10 years of TN football then that mistake right there.

We shut them down and force a 3-and-out real quick. We set up a punt where at the worst with no return we get it around our own 45. Instead, Cam was clearly thinking more about taking it to the house than securing the football. You could see it in his body language and how he left for the endzone before the ball had even touched his hands.

If we secure that punt and drive down and score a quick 7, who knows how this game would have turned out. Cam made up for it later with a sensational NFL caliber interception, but I can't help to think that one play gave App State a major confidence boost and demoralized our defense so quickly.

Does anyone else feel like this play, so early in the game, completely set the tone in App State's favor?
Click to expand...

I'm with you except for the biggest play in 10 yrs. Pigs TD then Fumble against Georgia, LSU win and then no win, Bowl win over NC then no win are all bigger. However I get you point. It was like sticking a needle into a huge balloon and then realizing once the air is out, there is no more fun.

:thud:

Tennesseeduke
 
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#9
#9
We can only speculate. In short, we will never know. That said, there seemed to be this "oh no, here we go again" cloud that came over the team.

If that's true, and its a big if, Butch has a lot more teaching when it comes to Resolve and Resiliency. The tough part? The mental cloud appeared early while playing a Sun Belt team at home! Is Appy good? Sure. But its still the Sun Belt, it was still the first quarter, and it was still Neyland Stadium.
 
#10
#10
99gator said:
It was 3 minutes into the freakin game.

Some of y'all are really working hard to avoid what took place.

It was a dog (blank) performance against a dog (blank) team.

Hopefully, it was a complete fluke.

But, there was no turning point. They are not a very good team. This isnt syracuse in 1998, etc, etc, etc.
Click to expand...

I saw the game..."dog (blank) team...really...honestly I can see calling us that after this game, but App St...don't think so...:)

GO VOLS!
 
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#12
#12
05_never_again said:
I think the Dobbs INT was more demoralizing than the muffed punt. It wasn't until that point when I realized Tennessee truly didn't have it and the game was likely to be close until the very end.

Cam's mistake happened so early that it was hard to get too worried about it, plus we hadn't even seen our offense yet at that point.
Click to expand...

Thre interception was really bad.. Cost points.. When he threw it and it floated.. You knew something bad was gong to happen
 
#14
#14
99gator said:
It was 3 minutes into the freakin game.

Some of y'all are really working hard to avoid what took place.

It was a dog (blank) performance against a dog (blank) team.

Hopefully, it was a complete fluke.

But, there was no turning point. They are not a very good team. This isnt syracuse in 1998, etc, etc, etc.
Click to expand...

You have to admit, even if it was early, a leader of the team made a huge error. Players respond when they see a reliable leader make a game changing play for better or worse.
 
#15
#15
99gator said:
It was 3 minutes into the freakin game.

Some of y'all are really working hard to avoid what took place.

It was a dog (blank) performance against a dog (blank) team.

Hopefully, it was a complete fluke.

But, there was no turning point. They are not a very good team. This isnt syracuse in 1998, etc, etc, etc.
Click to expand...

App State is not a dog (blank) team. They aren't UMass or North Texas. They went 11-2 last year and are favorites to win their conference this year.

I was on these boards yesterday saying that I thought the game could be close for a quarter and a half, maybe longer, but the talent gap alone should have been enough for Tennessee to win this game by 17 points.
 
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#16
#16
99gator said:
It was 3 minutes into the freakin game.

Some of y'all are really working hard to avoid what took place.

It was a dog (blank) performance against a dog (blank) team.

Hopefully, it was a complete fluke.

But, there was no turning point. They are not a very good team. This isnt syracuse in 1998, etc, etc, etc.
Click to expand...

I clearly said this is all in hindsight and in no way am I making an excuse for this terrible performance. We stunk it up and now we have to hear from filth like you for several weeks about how terrible we are. I'll take my losses and move on and try to block out all the noise on the internet from non-Vol fans. But I brought this up for discussion because if you don't believe that mistake on the punt wasn't huge then idk what to tell you. It showed we clearly lacked focus and it gave App State the confidence to know tonight was their night.

By the way, this time last year it took you all till the bitter end to shake off an ECU team that is probably worse than App State. This dog (blank) team you are talking about probably would have given you all a fight as well. Like I said, in the end it was a terrible performance but you act like Florida hasn't struggled against lesser competition before (*cough FAU/Georgia Southern*cough*)
 
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#17
#17
ChattaTNVol said:
It occurred to me at that point that the team may not be focused. I don't think I've ever seen Cam muff a punt like that. He said in his post game interview that he snapped and cleared. He may just not have wanted to talk about it. It was beyond great that he got the interception later on but I agree that was a huge momentum swing. Our defense on the series that led to that punt played lights out. App state was going backwards. jmo.
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Cam muffed a couple of punts last season, but he was very fortunately in the ball taking good bounces as once he was able to fall forward on the ball and the other time he attempted to catch the ball near the sidelines and it bounced off his foot and out of bounds.

I don't know that it was the critical point in the game or not. I think it was certainly an indicator that the team may not be fully focused, for sure. I thought the Preston Williams 'reception/not a reception' in the back of the endzone later in the 1st qtr was big as well. Offense had driven right down the field to seemingly tie the game, and having to settle for a FG seem to take the air out of the offense. It seemed to me that Williams had control of the ball when he hit the ground. I wouldn't really disagree with the refs on the call except I had flashbacks to the Gaffney 'catch' in the EZ where UF was awarded a TD to beat UT after Gaffney dropped the ball but the refs said he held on to the ball long enough for it to be a TD catch. Williams had possession as long as Gaffney did. But the offense seemed to sleepwalk after that.
 
#18
#18
jlindsa4 said:
You have to admit, even if it was early, a leader of the team made a huge error. Players respond when they see a reliable leader make a game changing play for better or worse.
Click to expand...

My honest thought when it happened....Appy might not get shut out.

I didnt think...."game on".

I was in complete shock the whole game. Couldnt even flip to SC-Vandy
 
#19
#19
99gator said:
It was 3 minutes into the freakin game.

Some of y'all are really working hard to avoid what took place.

It was a dog (blank) performance against a dog (blank) team.

Hopefully, it was a complete fluke.

But, there was no turning point. They are not a very good team. This isnt syracuse in 1998, etc, etc, etc.
Click to expand...

They were definitely no Georgia Southern.:neener2:
 
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#20
#20
VersaceButch said:
Hindsight is 20/20 and it's impossible to predict the rest of the game based on one play, and maybe I am in the minority, but I have never seen a bigger momentum shifting play in the past 10 years of TN football then that mistake right there.

We shut them down and force a 3-and-out real quick. We set up a punt where at the worst with no return we get it around our own 45. Instead, Cam was clearly thinking more about taking it to the house than securing the football. You could see it in his body language and how he left for the endzone before the ball had even touched his hands.

If we secure that punt and drive down and score a quick 7, who knows how this game would have turned out. Cam made up for it later with a sensational NFL caliber interception, but I can't help to think that one play gave App State a major confidence boost and demoralized our defense so quickly.

Does anyone else feel like this play, so early in the game, completely set the tone in App State's favor?
Click to expand...

I've said the same thing in other threads.
 
#21
#21
I did see a couple of turning points in the game last night, but neither of them was in the first quarter.

Around halftime, I saw our Defensive adjustments really kicking in; that was our D's turning point, was the locker room and Shoop's brain.

Somewhere between the last few minutes of the 3rd Qtr and mid-4th Qtr, I saw a light bulb come on over our Offense's heads. The light bulb that says, "if you don't win this by grit, ain't no one else coming to win it for you." After that point, the O play wasn't pretty, but it was sweat-desperate. And that plus our awakened defense are the only reasons we won.

Oh, and App State's kicker missing a few times. Poor lad, he might have been our MVP. But you were asking about turning points, and he's not one of them.
 
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#22
#22
tennesseeduke said:
I'm with you except for the biggest play in 10 yrs. Pigs TD then Fumble against Georgia, LSU win and then no win, Bowl win over NC then no win are all bigger. However I get you point. It was like sticking a needle into a huge balloon and then realizing once the air is out, there is no more fun.

:thud:

Tennesseeduke
Click to expand...

Speaking of the "pig fumble", what was the difference in it and the Dobbs fumble last night? Both fumbled into the end zone.
 
#23
#23
99gator said:
My honest thought when it happened....Appy might not get shut out.

I didnt think...."game on".

I was in complete shock the whole game. Couldnt even flip to SC-Vandy
Click to expand...

So, not going to respond to my comment about your own team's shortcomings against lesser competition? Nah, you'll just stick to your own personal narrative.
 
#25
#25
VersaceButch said:
So, not going to respond to my comment about your own team's shortcomings against lesser competition? Nah, you'll just stick to your own personal narrative.
Click to expand...

No, I'll respond.

Would you consider it a successful season if Tennessee has the records those Florida teams did?

Was Florida a top 10 team expecting to compete for an SEC title and dare i say it, national championship, before the season in those years?

Are you really trying to compare a 4-6 florida losing to Georgia Southern with a top 10 team picked to challenge for a conference title surviving against Appy State?

You can make comparisons all you want and try to make it about Florida and thats fine if you wish. But, try to find a comparison that makes sense.

This isnt about Florida. This isnt about 1998 and Syracuse.
 
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