What was the trigger?

[PhoenixAZVol]

I must say that I am very confused, but pleasantly surprised to see our 180 degree turnaround. Just curious about what you all think ‘triggered’ this drastic change. How in the heck do we go from CJP showing no emotion whatsoever, making poor in game decisions, having an uninspired team and grossly underachieving against GA State and BYU to all of the sudden, well, turning into the polar opposite of what I just described. What could have caused such a significant turnaround? Did things finally start to click? Was it Maurer? Jennings who ignited the flame? Was it just good timing to run into MS ST when we did? I am baffled. Our coaching, game planning, play calling and execution were horrible and then all of the sudden both the coaching and players improved at the same. Somethings strange here but I’m not complaining.

 

[stevenrich2003]

Not saying it was the " trigger " but getting our best defender back in Bituli surely helps the cause.

 

[casetopia]

The players buying in.

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

I must say that I am very confused, but pleasantly surprised to see our 180 degree turnaround. Just curious about what you all think ‘triggered’ this drastic change. How in the heck do we go from CJP showing no emotion whatsoever, making poor in game decisions, having an uninspired team and grossly underachieving against GA State and BYU to all of the sudden, well, turning into the polar opposite of what I just described. What could have caused such a significant turnaround? Did things finally start to click? Was it Maurer? Jennings who ignited the flame? Was it just good timing to run into MS ST when we did? I am baffled. Our coaching, game planning, play calling and execution were horrible and then all of the sudden both the coaching and players improved at the same. Somethings strange here but I’m not complaining.

We were minus Bituli and Thompson early and we were playing true freshmen across the board. We still had some guys not bought in that were getting critical minutes at critical positions. We were making critical mistakes early with so many new faces playing. We've actually played pretty good since the UTC game. QB play has gotten better and not turned the ball over. This team has played hard all season really.

 

[cwbytruckers]

I think a bunch of guys threatened to visit his house for cornbread and beans and the wife said get your crap together. Them boys aren't coming over here for nuttin.

 

[VolForLife83]

I think it's these younger guys finally coming along. No one wanted to hear that early on. They are in midseason form and only going to continue to improve. That and a competent qb has opened the playbook on offense.

 

[VolunGator]

I must say that I am very confused, but pleasantly surprised to see our 180 degree turnaround. Just curious about what you all think ‘triggered’ this drastic change. How in the heck do we go from CJP showing no emotion whatsoever, making poor in game decisions, having an uninspired team and grossly underachieving against GA State and BYU to all of the sudden, well, turning into the polar opposite of what I just described. What could have caused such a significant turnaround? Did things finally start to click? Was it Maurer? Jennings who ignited the flame? Was it just good timing to run into MS ST when we did? I am baffled. Our coaching, game planning, play calling and execution were horrible and then all of the sudden both the coaching and players improved at the same. Somethings strange here but I’m not complaining.

CJP's seat was getting insanely HOT! Figured he needed to start doing things differently. You know the saying, "If you you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

 

[Tstormtrooper]

I think a bunch of guys threatened to visit his house for cornbread and beans and the wife said get your crap together. Them boys aren't coming over here for nuttin.

I actually saw it transpire the minute Maurer walked out onto the field. It all changed. Suddenly after that it's as if the WIND WAS AT THEIR BACKS. Maurers passion spread like wildfire.
It's like a little kid and his friends being out in a 10 acre field in the late fall when the grass is all dried up. He has some matches in his pocket and he decides to light the dead grass on fire so he sits down and just kind of spreads his legs out to prevent the fire from getting too large but suddenly a gust of wind blows and suddenly the fire escapes the boundary the kid had set with his legs and suddenly the whole 10 acres was on fire.
This is actually a somewhat true story and it happened to me just like the fire spread throughout this whole team.
Everything was already there. It just needed the match. Welcome Brian Maurer.

 

[volsdeepnsc]

We were minus Bituli and Thompson early and we were playing true freshmen across the board. We still had some guys not bought in that were getting critical minutes at critical positions. We were making critical mistakes early with so many new faces playing. We've actually played pretty good since the UTC game. QB play has gotten better and not turned the ball over. This team has played hard all season really.

Very well done! This all day! We also had a defensive line with little to no experience. Nice to see someone post facts! GO VOLS

 

[OldVolMan]

All good answers. I think it is lots of things coming together, mainly team unity.
We think Pruitt did not have the team prepared game one, but in fact with the youth and culture issues he had overall he may have known it was going to be ugly a few games.
Just maybe that is why he counted on JG so much early on, thought he was best chance to play QB with such a young and weak team.

I keep thinking how he never seemed to panic, kept the same message to the team. Sure he got mad some but he had so much passion. That passion carried over to the team as they developed and gained experience. They were becoming Pruitt’s team.

Some players that left were interfering with team chemistry. Heck, I’m not so sure now that even Banks was not a problem, or just did not fit in. Just another thing that happened right at the turn around time.
Also, thinking of the things that have come together and it just looks like something special is going on with this entire team. Will we win out? Who knows, but we will see a team that lays it all on the line.
I believe before this year is over that Tennessee will be the talk of college football.
And, I believe that we as fans are finally seeing the rebirth of Tennessee Football!

 

[Fullfillmer]

I must say that I am very confused, but pleasantly surprised to see our 180 degree turnaround. Just curious about what you all think ‘triggered’ this drastic change. How in the heck do we go from CJP showing no emotion whatsoever, making poor in game decisions, having an uninspired team and grossly underachieving against GA State and BYU to all of the sudden, well, turning into the polar opposite of what I just described. What could have caused such a significant turnaround? Did things finally start to click? Was it Maurer? Jennings who ignited the flame? Was it just good timing to run into MS ST when we did? I am baffled. Our coaching, game planning, play calling and execution were horrible and then all of the sudden both the coaching and players improved at the same. Somethings strange here but I’m not complaining.

Replacing JG at quarterback was a big piece -- the tempo and flow of the offense are WAYYYYYYYYY better now. Even JG had better tempo Saturday ...... but that was the trigger.

 

[UTK]

What I think has happened is.... remember last year? CJP up until after the Bama game was a REALLY fire filled HC on the sidelines. Kicking the whiteboard, saying he's going to replace his team with 25 guys that actually wanna be here...ect ect....so in short he was being himself. I think some pansy in a high up position didn't think that was professional though and someone talked to him and he turned into "boring, straight face Pruitt" and it back fired BIG TIME. He lost a lot of the team by changing so drastically. But after losing, he said "screw it. I'm being myself" and players have bought in and respected that.

Plus all the cancerous players that were never going to buy in regardless, they're gone. The locker room is United. Even someone like JG, who honestly may not even care for Tennessee at this point after all the way over the top bashing, it's clear he still is part of the team and wants his teammates to succeed.

Point blank, THE CULTURE HAS FLIPPED and now it's where it should always be. A team playing for each other.

 

[London Vol]

Three things

1) Player development on and off the field

2) Maurer has an attitude of we can win not we hope not to lose

3) The way Pruitt didn't throw Thompson under the bus (same with Jennings a couple of years ago, how did that work out?) the message is clear Ive got your back this often results in players prepared to run though walls for that support.

 

[nash101]

All the bamboo we’ve been watering for years finally sprouted!

the QB change was the spark. It coincided with young players having enough experience to play with confidence and our few seniors stepping up as big time leaders (I don’t think they wanted to concede their leadership roles to a Freshman). Don’t overlook the fact that most of them rats had jumped off the ship by then and the remaining players rallied around each other.

as long as injuries don’t take a huge toll on the team, I see us continue to develop and make a bowl game this year. The future is brighter than it was a month ago.

 

[Other_Guy]

I think a bunch of guys threatened to visit his house for cornbread and beans and the wife said get your crap together. Them boys aren't coming over here for nuttin.

She is pregnant, so maybe she went to the practice field and yelled at them to get it together

 

[VolTexas]

There is the mental part, but I suspect they only started in season training after UTC. Too ripped from workouts to play well.

 

[Raleigh-Vol]

Time.
Have to be patient. This is Pruitt's second year but new coordinators on both sides and lots of new assistants. There was hardly any carry over from last year so it was almost like starting off new again.
Players certainly look more comfortable now in the system.
Finally QB position is settling down, that seemed to be the last glaring area we had to improve and it is finally falling into place.

 

[jwilliams]

I don't think there's been a trigger. We've improved weekly since the start of the season. I would call Murphy leaving the team a notable milestone... attitude/drive/determination seemed to improve markedly after that.

 

[guido4198]

I don't mean this as a knock on JG. Please do not read it that way.
It's hard to dispute the changes that we saw when BM came on the field. Sometimes it could be measured in actual perfomance numbers...sometimes, if you paid attention...you just saw it in overall "attitude" on the field but it was THERE. I believe seeing Coach Pruitt make that change...being willing to take a chance instead of just plowing the same row with JG, over and over brings something out in our guys and they respond at a much higher level.

 

[DoyleMcOrange]

Definitely Maurer, imo.

 

[TennesseeTarheel]

We might never know if there was a watershed moment or not. But, I liken it to an engine rebuild (and I am not a mechanic) where the parts, once assembled, run but not too well. So, with some tweaking and dialing in and some advice from your old man, you get it where it will run down the road. But, it's a new engine, and it should run better. Finally you replace those cheap after-market parts with OEM and it shows it has some guts, but it still has a miss when you tromp down. So, finally, you drop the gas tank and drain that crappy fuel (transfers) and put in some fresh gas and, boy howdy, she's running like a champ...uh, what was the question, again?

 

[gtin723]

Strout and Maurer both have the ability to lead become exceptional QB if they can get playing time. Strout flat out can stretch the field with that cannon arm. His touchdown pass was 50 yards in the air and right on the money allowing Calloway to catch it in stride and moving laterally away from the defender, beautifully thrown ball. That long ball threat forces the defenders to not be able to crowd the line of scrimmage, which opens the running game. If they move up to stop the run and go man to man, Strout will burn them with the deep ball.

Maurer has the addition of being able to scramble and evade taking a hit, but he has to learn to get down and protect himself, this is not highschool, you can get killed out there with the size and speed of the players.

JG looked really good also, and honestly I think he has a confidence problem and he is better suited to share the QB position with these other more aggressive QB that have no hesitation to fire those passes, you don't see them freezing up and getting clobbered for a loss, they get rid of the ball.

 

[vol4220]

I think it was Banks. Kicking him off the team showed that CJP would not put up with the outside noise. The others leaving was also a sign that things were not going to be easy, they had to work.

 

[goldvol]

I know most won't agree with this, and will just laugh at me, but I said right after Georgia State that no matter what happened after that fiasco, it would look like our team improved as the season progresses because couldn't get any worse than that. So I'm not one of those that believes that we are that drastically better.

 

[FLVOL_79]

It all started when JG got benched.