UT Football (Knoxville: high school, deal, quality)

[nashvols]

Originally Posted by Emigrations

I think CBJ is a hell of a guy and a great motivator, but we just don't have the talent to really compete and I'm not convinced at all he can get UT back to a winning program after watching us squander a game we dominated yesterday.

"We just don't have the talent to really compete"....this after losing consecutive weeks by 3 and 1 respectively?? How is that NOT competing???

Now winning, that's a different issue. I agree that execution has to improve. Unfortunately, Worley does not possess that clutch factor that we desperately need in close games. He can make plays to win the game, but it's hard to rely on him to LEAD the team to victory, especially in late game crucial moments.

I understand that you are not yet convinced that Butch can lead us back to being a winning football team, but again, I think he has to get more time.

Originally Posted by Emigrations

We have virtually no running game to speak of - 112th overall. The reason the plays are so predictable is because we're one dimensional. Worley is a decent QB and has some catching weapons, but the offensive line is young and bad, and he doesn't get much time or protection. Once Worley graduates, we're back to square one on QB, as neither Peterman nor Dobbs are SEC level QBs, and we'll have to try and get a good freshman. Our rush defense is also highly suspect.

We do have a running game, and it has definitely been effective at times. Jalen Hurd looks good for a true freshman. What is deceptive about the running stats is that QB sacks count against the rushing total rather than the passing total (the NFL does it the other way around, which I think is more correct).

The offensive line is definitely young. I think bad is not a good word to use, unless you refer to most freshman players as "bad". More than any other position, the offensive line requires experience. At most schools, O linemen are only playing 1-2 years, and it is not uncommon to see multiple 5th year (RS) seniors on a line. It simply requires more physical and mental maturity. Short of recruiting 5 JUCOs, you can't just instantly create a solid O line. We lost every starter from last year. We knew that was going to happen. There was nothing that could be done about it. If you somehow managed to have last year's offensive line with this year's team, you would have a massively improved offense. It was a step back that Butch had basically no control over.

Peterman is not SEC-level. Dobbs is still young. We have a 4 star QB recruit committed for next year.

The offensive line should lose no one, and we will be gaining some decent recruits to back them up (or replace, if necessary).

We will lose AJ Johnson to the NFL draft -- that will hurt. But we have a BEASTLY defensive line in the making for next year.


There are gaps in what has been recruited so far. But by next year, you should start noticing more depth at virtually every position.

Originally Posted by Emigrations

After Chattanooga, we go to Ole Miss, have Alabama at home, go to South Carolina, and have Kentucky and Missouri at home. All five of those games are likely losses. If we steal one and beat Chatt/Vandy, we go 5-7, same as last year. If we lose all five, we go 4-8, worse than last year. Right now, we're stuck at the bottom of the east with Vandy, and Vandy looks to be our best shot for a conference win. I bet we do worse in conference play than last year.

I'll give you Ole Miss and Alabama. It's not impossible, but extremely likely we will lose those.

However, I'm not as quick to call the other's "likely". Again, we have lost our first two games by a combined 4 points. What puts South Carolina ahead of us? They beat Georgia, sure. But they also dropped late leads to Mizzou and a big late lead to Kentucky. Speaking of Mizzou, they beat South Carolina, yes. They also lost at home to Indiana. Indiana! Kentucky? Definitely not a pushover, but a likely loss? Based on....what?

Like I said earlier, the SEC East is crazy. None of the teams are good. None of the teams are terrible (except for Vandy, but they will probably improve). We basically came out on the losing end of two tossup games. South Carolina, Kentucky, and Mizzou are tossups as well. Not one of those games would be a "steal"...especially considering two are in Knoxville. Yesterday's game wouldn't be considered a steal, because again, we were at home. Bama and Ole Miss? Those would be steals.

Originally Posted by Emigrations

When you look at OTHER SEC teams that are rebuilding/are rebuilt, it's obvious UT is still behind. Kentucky seems to have turned a corner, and could be undefeated. Miss and Miss State are clearly far better than in years past. LSU and South Carolina seem to be struggling a bit, but both are better than TN. The only team that is clearly worse than us is Vandy, who had to replace a very capable HC who turned that program around. At best, I think we do 5-7, just like in the past two years.

Kentucky has improved. How much so? I don't know. The back end of their schedule is brutal.

This is Hugh Freeze's 3rd year at Ole Miss. Last year, they went 7-6.

This is Dan Mullen's 6th year at Mississippi State. Last year, they went 7-6.

Both of the previous guys have recruited well for several years. Butch has 2 very good recruiting classes, and is working on a third. It takes time. The problem with UT is that the coaching carousel has depleted the seniority on the roster. None of the teams you mentioned have had even close to the personnel situation that UT has had. Last year, we were so thin at several positions that we barely had a two-deep. This year, we have started twenty-something true freshmen. NO OTHER TEAM IS DOING THAT. It's not something to brag about (though it means they are all getting more experience than they would typically have at this point). Teams like Alabama have been able to recruit at that level for years...and some freshmen see the field, but most get redshirted or see very limited action. When a senior graduates, there is a rising junior to take their place, that might have up to 3 years experience learning the coach's system. Here, we don't have a single player with 3 years under this system.

Simply put, we have to stabilize our program. We cannot afford to change coaches anytime soon. As fans, we have to put the kind of faith in this program that Butch requires of his players. He's a big winner off the field, and appears to be a great leader to our young athletes. We need to have this type of guy at our program, and I'm willing to give him the time to prove himself.

Originally Posted by Emigrations

That's not improvement, that's more of the same.

At best, I think we do 7-6. At worst, I think we do 5-7. If we go 6-6 and make a bowl game, that will be an improvement.

[Beretta]

Agree nashvols ^^. Great post!

[hiknapster]

We may have lost, last weekend, but we also won.

Micah Abernathy Commits to Tennessee: What 4-Star CB Brings to Vols | Bleacher Report

[Beretta]

Weather has cleared for now. Hoping for a good day.

[Serious Conversation]

Great, solid effort by UT. Ole Miss may run is over, but the real question is how good Ole Miss is, and not that TN is terrible objectively.

[nashvols]

Amazingly, between Ole Miss and Alabama, I think we have a better shot of beating Bama. Still very slim.

[Serious Conversation]

It was a better effort against Alabama than I thought. Still, there's no reason to think this team can beat Missouri, South Carolina, or Kentucky, all of whom look superior to us now.

[nashvols]

Don't start slitting your wrists just yet. There's no one in the East that isn't beatable.

[nashvols]

Big win.


What a game by Dobbs!

301 passing yards, 166 rushing yards, 5 total TDs.

When's the last time Tennessee had 300 passing yards and 300 rushing yards?? Ever?

[BadJuju]

That was awesome.