Why the losses hurt more this year

[TacomaJPP]

To the OP, I get what you are trying to say. It all "feels" like we are on the cusp of getting better.

Reality so far is saying otherwise. We will know soon enough. Eight more games to go.

 

[LargeOrange1]

2-2 vs 4-0.. Game over

Vols = 4-0

Coaches = 2-2

 

[LargeOrange1]

Hurt? I was pissed for an hour and then enjoyed my weekend. I suggest some of you all do the same.

I got over the OK loss within a couple days....but this loss is still burning in the pit of my stomach....I want to climb a tower and scream. A big part of that, I think, is that I am coming to realize the "scouting" report on Butch is accurate.....Great recruiter.....HORRIBLE Game-day coach. I want him to succeed more than anything because we cannot afford another new coach and years of rebuilding.

Beat the "Obama" out of the Hogs and Dogs....and all will be right in KnoxVegas! GO VOLS!!!!

 

[MrBiggles]

One of the things that has become aggravating every season for Vol fans is watching other teams over the course of the season pound Florida.

I know Tennessee could have and should have won. But, I think you will see some games here soon (possibly this week) where Florida isn't even competitive.

Outplaying Florida at this point in time is not necessarily an accomplishment. And there's only one team I can think of that has outplayed or been in position to beat Florida the last two seasons and lost. Everyone else got it done.

Hate to say it, but I agree with Gator! I think it is now a mental thing. Both years we could have killed off the game, but let the Gators hang around and when the breaks went against us, the game was over. "We've seen this" before was the feeling.

 

[Carlitovol]

One of the things that has become aggravating every season for Vol fans is watching other teams over the course of the season pound Florida.

I know Tennessee could have and should have won. But, I think you will see some games here soon (possibly this week) where Florida isn't even competitive.

Outplaying Florida at this point in time is not necessarily an accomplishment. And there's only one team I can think of that has outplayed or been in position to beat Florida the last two seasons and lost. Everyone else got it done.

Honestly, I get tired of FLA fans poor-mouthing their team when you still have loads of talent on defense and plenty of 4* and 5* players all over the roster. There is very little difference in "talent" compared to UT when evaluating recruiting rankings over the past 4-5 years.

Yes, I'm well aware of how FLA under Muschamp has had a few lean years.. I'm also aware that last year FLA drilled a UGA team that was top 10 at the time and finished the season 10-3. And lost to the undefeated playoff-bound Seminoles by a mere 5 points.

Enough with the "we suck". When you have a defense as strong as yours, you give yourself an opportunity to be competitive in every game.

We also should have won against the #15 team in the nation - the same team that beat the snot out of us last season.

I'm not saying I'm OK with moral victories. I'm saying that we have shown evidence that we can potentially be a good team. And we most likely ARE a good team (with flaws) that has suffered from pitiful coaching and game management.

 

[99gator]

Honestly, I get tired of FLA fans poor-mouthing their team when you still have loads of talent on defense and plenty of 4* and 5* players all over the roster. There is very little difference in "talent" compared to UT when evaluating recruiting rankings over the past 4-5 years.

Yes, I'm well aware of how FLA under Muschamp has had a few lean years.. I'm also aware that last year FLA drilled a UGA team that was top 10 at the time and finished the season 10-3. And lost to the undefeated playoff-bound Seminoles by a mere 5 points.

Enough with the "we suck". When you have a defense as strong as yours, you give yourself an opportunity to be competitive in every game.

We also should have won against the #15 team in the nation - the same team that beat the snot out of us last season.

I'm not saying I'm OK with moral victories. I'm saying that we have shown evidence that we can potentially be a good team. And we most likely ARE a good team (with flaws) that has suffered from pitiful coaching and game management.

You are what your record says you are. I'm not poor mouthing. This is a team that missed a bowl in 2013 and went to the Birmingham Bowl in 2014. The combined record the last two seasons is 11-13.

They were picked to finish 5th in the SEC East.

This is a team with 2 1/2 linebackers and one of those guys is injured.

The offensive line has 3 true freshman, 1 redshirt freshman, a transfer from Fordham (yes, Fordham), and three other guys who wouldn't sniff the field on a normal Gator football team.

It is without a doubt, the worst roster Florida has had since probation. I know you may question that, but don't doubt me. It is depressing for me to see the SEC East at a level of bad that I can't fathom and know that it would take a miracle to get to Atlanta.

The sad reality is, this past Saturday, if either team were close to what they once were....the game isn't close. One team has a talent problem. The other team has no passing game, a problem at head coach, and a complete lack of clutch gene.

The difference is Florida is in year 1 where a new coach has to fix this mess on the recruiting trail and get the guys currently on the team to drink their milk while Tennessee is in their 3rd year with a guy who supposedly "gets it" who has already had the luxury of bringing in highly ranked recruiting classes of his guys.

In a normal world, Tennessee should not have had much difficulty with Florida. As I said before, that will become more evident as the year goes on and some of the other teams on the schedule beat them badly.

It's the reason I believe Butch isn't the guy.

 

[FlyFishnVol]

The coach didn't want to set himself up for failure either. That's why he was playing everything down.

I disagree, I don't think anyone wanted to believe that the UT Football program was that broken, trust me, I thought the same thing......two good recruiting classes 2.5 years on the job......of course it is fixed, UT is back!.........wrong! it is not and everyone could not see it, you don't fix SEC programs in 2 years.......hate it just like everyone else, but that is the reality of how far UT has fallen.

Go Vols!!!

 

[rocketskates]

It hurts more because you taste the victory. I'll be honest. When we were up 20-7 on Florida and they couldn't move the ball I was already thinking of how I was going to celebrate the win and the program turning the corner. And then, boom like a bad dream...

 

[jbr82]

Because everyone, including me, bought into the HYPE that media was printing on UT, coach Jones has said repeatedly that this program was a long ways from where it needed to be........but that doesn't sound as good as ESPN, CBS, SEC Network etc. etc.........you guys bought their BS and didn't want to hear what the coach had to say, because it is not sexy enough.

Blame yourselves for the butt hurt.

Go Vols!!!

Most of time when you're up by 2 or more scores going into the 4th you're suppose to win. Predictions dont mean squat. Expectations changed when we were up and dominated most of both games

 

[LA Vol]

You are what your record says you are. I'm not poor mouthing. This is a team that missed a bowl in 2013 and went to the Birmingham Bowl in 2014. The combined record the last two seasons is 11-13.

They were picked to finish 5th in the SEC East.

This is a team with 2 1/2 linebackers and one of those guys is injured.

The offensive line has 3 true freshman, 1 redshirt freshman, a transfer from Fordham (yes, Fordham), and three other guys who wouldn't sniff the field on a normal Gator football team.

It is without a doubt, the worst roster Florida has had since probation. I know you may question that, but don't doubt me. It is depressing for me to see the SEC East at a level of bad that I can't fathom and know that it would take a miracle to get to Atlanta.

The sad reality is, this past Saturday, if either team were close to what they once were....the game isn't close. One team has a talent problem. The other team has no passing game, a problem at head coach, and a complete lack of clutch gene.

The difference is Florida is in year 1 where a new coach has to fix this mess on the recruiting trail and get the guys currently on the team to drink their milk while Tennessee is in their 3rd year with a guy who supposedly "gets it" who has already had the luxury of bringing in highly ranked recruiting classes of his guys.

In a normal world, Tennessee should not have had much difficulty with Florida. As I said before, that will become more evident as the year goes on and some of the other teams on the schedule beat them badly.

It's the reason I believe Butch isn't the guy.

I don't disagree with much of what you say. And we didn't have a lot of difficulty with UF until the 4th qtr. You had held your first three opponents to something like 55 yds rushing and we put up triple that before halftime. This is off the top of my head, so I might be off some, but we appeared confident and in control until the familiar 4th qtr collapse.

We find new and creative ways to lose, and we will keep doing it until something changes. Butch is good at 2/3 of his job. But he needs help coaching between the lines. If he would surround himself with top-tier coordinators whose strengths counteract his weaknesses, it could get him over the hump, at least mid-term. But we all know that is unlikely to happen.

 

[jbr82]

I disagree, I don't think anyone wanted to believe that the UT Football program was that broken, trust me, I thought the same thing......two good recruiting classes 2.5 years on the job......of course it is fixed, UT is back!.........wrong! it is not and everyone could not see it, you don't fix SEC programs in 2 years.......hate it just like everyone else, but that is the reality of how far UT has fallen.

Go Vols!!!

Florida has first yr coaches and very inexperienced offense. UT should be ahead of florida

Not to mention they had suspensions and health issues.

 

[FlyFishnVol]

Florida has first yr coaches and very inexperienced offense. UT should be ahead of florida

Not to mention they had suspensions and health issues.

You think CBJ actually went out there to lose? Florida's defense was better than UT's, like OU they did what they needed to do, this is like the old game show The Price is Right, you thought you picked the right door, but you didn't. This team had to be rebuilt on both sides of the ball, and everyone thought it was done. Come'on man! if you remember those teams in the 90s and early 2000s, this team does not resemble them in talent or experience. Give this staff time to build it right and I can almost guarantee you that we will enjoy years of success. I know everyone wants it now and their tired of waiting, but this program was raped by a lot of bad decisions before Butch arrived and if we replace him now, it going to be a mushroom cloud the size of Texas in Knoxville that might not ever be repaired. For the sake of this program, we have to give Butch more time, that is all I know that will bring UT back.......support this team and the coaches, don't melt down now.....players and coaches are not going to want to come to UT with a fan base this volatile.

 

[London Vol]

Is Butch the 21st Century "Grand all Duke of York"

 

[Catbone]

It hurts because it seems like if we can't be good this year with a easy schedule and a good roster, we may never be.

10 years of horse**** and counting...

 

[DaddyChad]

It's not the losses, it's how we lose these games that has fans upset. Jones has to learn to close teams out.

 

[Carlitovol]

You are what your record says you are. I'm not poor mouthing. This is a team that missed a bowl in 2013 and went to the Birmingham Bowl in 2014. The combined record the last two seasons is 11-13.

They were picked to finish 5th in the SEC East.

This is a team with 2 1/2 linebackers and one of those guys is injured.

The offensive line has 3 true freshman, 1 redshirt freshman, a transfer from Fordham (yes, Fordham), and three other guys who wouldn't sniff the field on a normal Gator football team.

It is without a doubt, the worst roster Florida has had since probation. I know you may question that, but don't doubt me. It is depressing for me to see the SEC East at a level of bad that I can't fathom and know that it would take a miracle to get to Atlanta.

The sad reality is, this past Saturday, if either team were close to what they once were....the game isn't close. One team has a talent problem. The other team has no passing game, a problem at head coach, and a complete lack of clutch gene.

The difference is Florida is in year 1 where a new coach has to fix this mess on the recruiting trail and get the guys currently on the team to drink their milk while Tennessee is in their 3rd year with a guy who supposedly "gets it" who has already had the luxury of bringing in highly ranked recruiting classes of his guys.

In a normal world, Tennessee should not have had much difficulty with Florida. As I said before, that will become more evident as the year goes on and some of the other teams on the schedule beat them badly.

It's the reason I believe Butch isn't the guy.

I agree with most of what you're saying. And I'm starting to have serious doubts about Butch, as any Vol fan should.

But your point about "should have" goes both ways:

There is a very real possibility that last year FLA should have been a MUCH better team in terms of Ws and Ls. Muschamp was a dead man walking and clearly in over his head.

Yes, you are what your record says you are. But in terms of talent and potential, your record is obviously not a perfect indicator. This is true for every team.

My point stands that you have plenty of talent, especially on defense. Maybe some of it is young - I'll give you that. Also, I get the youth on offense and I understand that you're hamstrung there.

But now you get a head coach that actually knows a thing or 2 on the offensive side and has the ability to coach up the talent and provide a spark to the entire program.

The low preseason predictions/expectations are clearly rooted in last year's performance (as well as some player turnover). Again, though - was last year's performance primarily because of players or coaching? I think you would agree that it had a LOT to do with coaching ineptitude.

Again, I agree with you that we should have won Saturday's game. Any knucklehead could see that. I'm just saying that this whole "if you can't beat FLA, you suck and probably won't win another game this season" story is a false narrative.

Tennessee clearly has the potential and talent/ability/experience to win NOW. We've proven int on the field. So coaching is to blame. That's plain as day.

 

[calban]

Was anyone devastated by the loss to OK last year? To FLA last year? (Don't get me wrong, I was angry and disappointed, but that was nothing compared to how I felt this year.)

And why is that, exactly? Because this year, for the first time in a long time, I see a team that has the chance to win every game they are in. (I'm not calling for an undefeated season from here on out, but I am calling for competitive games.)

This year, the difference is hope. The team is good enough to be in games that a lot of years they haven't been. And yeah, losing to FLA is always tough, and that streak is getting real old, but let's not act like Butch is the only coach at UT who hasn't been able to beat the Gators. And most of those losses haven't been close.

So watching the game Saturday, while I was telling myself that it wasn't going to end well because, let's face it, it never does, I found myself starting to believe.

And despite the loss, I'm actually grateful for that. I believe the team is better than it's been in years, and yeah, the losses are hard, but it's because we as a fanbase (even with the "questionable" coaching) are starting to believe.

I'm not ok with the losses, but I can't argue that something seems different about this team, and I can't deny that this season really feels like things are starting to turn around.

I haven't felt that way about Tennessee football in long, long, while. And it's about time.

Unfortunately, both of these losses gave me the same sick feeling as the famous Dooley #13.

 

[Chad F]

The last few seasons, there were actual reasons for coming up short. What made things harder last year and Coach Jones' first season were the ones that, in hindsight, now look like the "norm" under this staff: the inexcusable loss to Vandy in 2013 and the UF choke in 2014.

This year, we all bought into something that SHOULD be true. Our Volunteers SHOULD be a good team this year. So far, not so much. Yes, there is talent. Yes, there is potential. But at some point you have to actually win a meaningful game. That has not happened yet. The only thing that HAS happened is continued ineptitude. There are no more reasons for this . . . only excuses. I, like most other fans, am tired of this. We'll stand by our team until the end, but that doesn't mean that we have to pretend that everything is fine with this coaching staff. It isn't. They have to provide tangible results in the "W" column to justify the faith that the fans placed in them and the $$$$ that the University pays them.

 

[CMvol]

You think CBJ actually went out there to lose? Florida's defense was better than UT's, like OU they did what they needed to do, this is like the old game show The Price is Right, you thought you picked the right door, but you didn't. This team had to be rebuilt on both sides of the ball, and everyone thought it was done. Come'on man! if you remember those teams in the 90s and early 2000s, this team does not resemble them in talent or experience. Give this staff time to build it right and I can almost guarantee you that we will enjoy years of success. I know everyone wants it now and their tired of waiting, but this program was raped by a lot of bad decisions before Butch arrived and if we replace him now, it going to be a mushroom cloud the size of Texas in Knoxville that might not ever be repaired. For the sake of this program, we have to give Butch more time, that is all I know that will bring UT back.......support this team and the coaches, don't melt down now.....players and coaches are not going to want to come to UT with a fan base this volatile.

CBJ coached really well in the first Half. he literally threw the kitchen sink at them. Second half everything changed. How do we explain that. Even with the fact that we had more depth than Florida! I mean we have three years of good recruiting. Tell me how many years do you think we should wait for this staff to rebuild the program?

I tend to compare where other programs are. Look at Kentucky, They dont have similar recruiting classes like we do. Gary Pinkel is an amazing coach. I dont remember him having a top 10 recruiting class. Florida is under the first year coach. Their coach even had the audacity to say "One doesn't simply lose to Tennessee" in his first year.
Next game against Arkansas where both teams are in the same boat, struggling to finish of games. Would you agree that we can at least expect us to win this one?
I am all for giving him time to build a program, but at least play to your strengths in all the four quarters of the game! We have a team of studs!

 

[VolsSA]

Those 2 losses this year have ripped my heart out

 

[VOL Campbell]

I'm not calling for an undefeated season from here on out, but I am calling for competitive games.

Sit back, keep cheering for your team and I think you'll be watching competitive games for the rest of the season.

I think we will be able to make the GA game competitive and hang with AL also.

 

[Boca Vol]

I said before the season that UT has equal or better talent than 10 teams on the schedule. Only Bama & UGA have an edge. BUT the schedule was favorable with OU, Ark, UGA, & USC at home.

Did I expect UT to go 10-2? No. I just didn't think the team was "ready" for that kind of success, but it wasn't because of lack of talent.

Unfortunately, we're seeing it pan out right before our eyes. That's what makes it frustrating. A really boneheaded penalty pushing the receiver out of the endzone, and the multiple 3rd & 4th down pick-ups by UF in the 4th quarter ARE the reasons we're not 4-0.

This team needs to learn how to win. The talent is there, but the game is 60 minutes, not 55.