London Vol
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GAME 10 – GEORGIA 16 NOVEMBER 2024
I am sure you all know who my favorite College Football team is, but do you know who my least favorite team is? Well apart from THE Ohno State (I can’t explain why them, it is just the way it is) my least favorite team are the Georgia Bulldogs. Why? because I don’t like their attitude on and off the pitch, I think at times Kirby Smart is the instigator of their ethos, I think it is stupid to have hedges in a stadium they belong in a garden or a park, I think the uniform colors are ugly, hey, even the mascot is ugly. I can go on, but I wanted you to get a flavor of my dislike of our neighbors and thus appreciate how I must have felt watching last night’s game slowly disappear. So watching my Vols imploding after such a bright start was ….……(please insert your own expletive).
There were so many moments that Tennessee failed to take advantage of the chances they had in the game, three important off-sides, numerous dropped passes and a couple of debatable Pass Interference calls. This was a game that they should never have lost by 14 points.
So, here’s this week’s grades:
QUARTERBACKS B-
After a week of wondering if Nico Iamaleava was going to play? I was relieved to see No 8 lining up under center. He looked crisp for most of the evening and was mainly accurate and the lack of production in the passing game was more due to the drops from the Wide Receivers. Considering that the doubt about his participation was due to concussion protocol, nobody should question his bravery (if not his sanity) how he took off many times on both broken and scripted plays even lowering his head in pursuit of the extra yards. But in truth he really scares me as his physique is not sturdy enough to take so many big hits like a Josh Allen of Lamar Jackson. Stay healthy young man, no quarterback in history has directly won a game from IR. Even though his stats did not register on the Richter Scale last night, he again showed this guy is very good and is going to get even better. This loss was not on him.
RUNNING BACKS B
Dylan Sampson broke the century mark for the 9th time in 10 games this season and this 100 was littered with tough yards.However, I still worry about some of his blocking assignments as this may affect his draft valuation next April. Peyton Lewis was again no drop off; he seems to have both quickness and power and not for the first time he showed life after Sampson will be fine.
WIDE RECEIVERS E-
After improvements last week this unit chose the very worse game to “lay their biggest egg of the season” There were so many drops, even when they are contested (Cedric Tillman won these) or they did not seem to get separation (Jalin Hyatt did this with ease). This area of the team has been such a disappointment this season as not for the first time this season Bru McCoy was the only one who was blameless. I am not sure who is coming back in 2025 but there is early playing time for some new arrivals, if they want it.
TIGHT ENDS A-
I am not sure what else Holden Staes and Miles Kitselman could have done better, their blocking is of Sunday blocking quality and Kitselman again was solid in the passing game including his ‘belly flop’ for the TD to opened the scoring. Go big man.
OFFENSIVE LINE B-
It was always going to be tough against their big D`Line with exceptional DE`s and on the whole they gave as good as they got. The plus was the 152 yards rushing, but the minus was that the team gave up 5 SACKs and 6 TFLs. It should be noted there we only a few flags throw against them (I am looking at you John Campbell) but as I said this could have been a worse night.
DEFENSIVE LINE E-
Reading back on my previous reports I have noted the last couple of weeks a pattern of regression in this Units performance and last night it continued. There was just no push up front all night and this was against allegedly Georgia`s biggest weakness their O`Line (last week ~Ole Miss had 5 SACKs and 9 TFLs). Add 3 off-sides which led to free plays and momentum changing long receptions and copious amounts of time for Beck to pick apart the secondary it was a bad night. The only reason there is no F here is because the play calling (see below) should have changed to more blitzes.
LINEBACKERS C-
Another department that had both good and bad moments and not for the first time Keenan Pili was sorely missed. Whilst I really like Arion Carter, and he has some good moments against Georgia, it does feel sometimes he is freelancing as opposed to sticking to lane and gap discipline, notwithstanding this he has improved immeasurably this season and is going to be a big asset going forward.
DEFENSIVE BACKS B
Carson Beck threw for 375 yards and 2 TD`s and 0 INTs but that was no surprise given the time he had due to the lack of pass rush, you can only cover in the secondary for so long. I must say Ricky Gibson is fast becoming one of my favorite players on the 2024 team. If he develops further next season he will be drafted in the 1st round in Apr 2026. It was interesting to observe that Georgia moved away from him and attacked Jermod McCoy instead, who is no slouch himself.
PLAY CALLING E
Tin Banks has had a very good season but last night he was out coached. It was clear from the start that the front four had no penetration whatsoever. It looked that he had bought into the theory that you just had to sit back and wait for Beck to self-implode, but he only does that when he is pressured not when he has time to survey the field. Finally, just before halftime he “sent the kitchen sink” and Beck misfired, and it was only a field goal yet he reverted mainly to a four man rush in the second half. My second gripe is why do coaches let the clock run down to conserve timeouts especially when you need two scores, keep the time and play three down football not four down football but at least then you have the time.
OVERVIEW
Remember if Florida beat Ole Miss (quite likely) and Texas beat Texas A&M (very likely) we will finish fourth in the SEC and therefore probably gain a place in the Play Offs which would be great, but I am not sure if we are quite ready to be an legitimate member of it. There is a reason why I write my report the day after because it allows me to take a more objective view than an emotive one, so if we win the Gator Bowl, we should finish 11-2 this has been a terrific season. and in the last three years our combined record against Alabama, Georgia and Florida is 5-4, as opposed to 0-18 in the previous six seasons. What I am trying to say is it was more the expectation which was a letdown last night than the result.
Here in England the sun has risen this morning, and it is a beautiful day. I hope it has for my fellow Volnationers 4,102 miles away.
GO VOLS
I am sure you all know who my favorite College Football team is, but do you know who my least favorite team is? Well apart from THE Ohno State (I can’t explain why them, it is just the way it is) my least favorite team are the Georgia Bulldogs. Why? because I don’t like their attitude on and off the pitch, I think at times Kirby Smart is the instigator of their ethos, I think it is stupid to have hedges in a stadium they belong in a garden or a park, I think the uniform colors are ugly, hey, even the mascot is ugly. I can go on, but I wanted you to get a flavor of my dislike of our neighbors and thus appreciate how I must have felt watching last night’s game slowly disappear. So watching my Vols imploding after such a bright start was ….……(please insert your own expletive).
There were so many moments that Tennessee failed to take advantage of the chances they had in the game, three important off-sides, numerous dropped passes and a couple of debatable Pass Interference calls. This was a game that they should never have lost by 14 points.
So, here’s this week’s grades:
QUARTERBACKS B-
After a week of wondering if Nico Iamaleava was going to play? I was relieved to see No 8 lining up under center. He looked crisp for most of the evening and was mainly accurate and the lack of production in the passing game was more due to the drops from the Wide Receivers. Considering that the doubt about his participation was due to concussion protocol, nobody should question his bravery (if not his sanity) how he took off many times on both broken and scripted plays even lowering his head in pursuit of the extra yards. But in truth he really scares me as his physique is not sturdy enough to take so many big hits like a Josh Allen of Lamar Jackson. Stay healthy young man, no quarterback in history has directly won a game from IR. Even though his stats did not register on the Richter Scale last night, he again showed this guy is very good and is going to get even better. This loss was not on him.
RUNNING BACKS B
Dylan Sampson broke the century mark for the 9th time in 10 games this season and this 100 was littered with tough yards.However, I still worry about some of his blocking assignments as this may affect his draft valuation next April. Peyton Lewis was again no drop off; he seems to have both quickness and power and not for the first time he showed life after Sampson will be fine.
WIDE RECEIVERS E-
After improvements last week this unit chose the very worse game to “lay their biggest egg of the season” There were so many drops, even when they are contested (Cedric Tillman won these) or they did not seem to get separation (Jalin Hyatt did this with ease). This area of the team has been such a disappointment this season as not for the first time this season Bru McCoy was the only one who was blameless. I am not sure who is coming back in 2025 but there is early playing time for some new arrivals, if they want it.
TIGHT ENDS A-
I am not sure what else Holden Staes and Miles Kitselman could have done better, their blocking is of Sunday blocking quality and Kitselman again was solid in the passing game including his ‘belly flop’ for the TD to opened the scoring. Go big man.
OFFENSIVE LINE B-
It was always going to be tough against their big D`Line with exceptional DE`s and on the whole they gave as good as they got. The plus was the 152 yards rushing, but the minus was that the team gave up 5 SACKs and 6 TFLs. It should be noted there we only a few flags throw against them (I am looking at you John Campbell) but as I said this could have been a worse night.
DEFENSIVE LINE E-
Reading back on my previous reports I have noted the last couple of weeks a pattern of regression in this Units performance and last night it continued. There was just no push up front all night and this was against allegedly Georgia`s biggest weakness their O`Line (last week ~Ole Miss had 5 SACKs and 9 TFLs). Add 3 off-sides which led to free plays and momentum changing long receptions and copious amounts of time for Beck to pick apart the secondary it was a bad night. The only reason there is no F here is because the play calling (see below) should have changed to more blitzes.
LINEBACKERS C-
Another department that had both good and bad moments and not for the first time Keenan Pili was sorely missed. Whilst I really like Arion Carter, and he has some good moments against Georgia, it does feel sometimes he is freelancing as opposed to sticking to lane and gap discipline, notwithstanding this he has improved immeasurably this season and is going to be a big asset going forward.
DEFENSIVE BACKS B
Carson Beck threw for 375 yards and 2 TD`s and 0 INTs but that was no surprise given the time he had due to the lack of pass rush, you can only cover in the secondary for so long. I must say Ricky Gibson is fast becoming one of my favorite players on the 2024 team. If he develops further next season he will be drafted in the 1st round in Apr 2026. It was interesting to observe that Georgia moved away from him and attacked Jermod McCoy instead, who is no slouch himself.
PLAY CALLING E
Tin Banks has had a very good season but last night he was out coached. It was clear from the start that the front four had no penetration whatsoever. It looked that he had bought into the theory that you just had to sit back and wait for Beck to self-implode, but he only does that when he is pressured not when he has time to survey the field. Finally, just before halftime he “sent the kitchen sink” and Beck misfired, and it was only a field goal yet he reverted mainly to a four man rush in the second half. My second gripe is why do coaches let the clock run down to conserve timeouts especially when you need two scores, keep the time and play three down football not four down football but at least then you have the time.
OVERVIEW
Remember if Florida beat Ole Miss (quite likely) and Texas beat Texas A&M (very likely) we will finish fourth in the SEC and therefore probably gain a place in the Play Offs which would be great, but I am not sure if we are quite ready to be an legitimate member of it. There is a reason why I write my report the day after because it allows me to take a more objective view than an emotive one, so if we win the Gator Bowl, we should finish 11-2 this has been a terrific season. and in the last three years our combined record against Alabama, Georgia and Florida is 5-4, as opposed to 0-18 in the previous six seasons. What I am trying to say is it was more the expectation which was a letdown last night than the result.
Here in England the sun has risen this morning, and it is a beautiful day. I hope it has for my fellow Volnationers 4,102 miles away.
GO VOLS
