'25 Official pregame/game thread ‘25 Music City Bowl vs Illinois

#1
JCVol00

JCVol00

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#1
Bowl season is the season of opt outs, since @OGbabyaviVol opted out and @Glitch got benched for his performance vs Austin Peay, I guess it’s my turn. Really banking on a Vols W so I dont get FAHRed off the getgo.

Tennessee enters as 2.5 point favorites, and it’s supposed to be a very cold day in Nashville. You have to assume this favors illinois to some degree since they are used to the cold.

This game has 0 excitement, and honestly more disappointment than anything. I guess that can speak to the quality of teams we usually have under Heupel. This game for our defense is essentially an open tryout for both players and coaches on that side of the ball with the portal opening up and a new DC who may want to change up the staff defensively.

Bowl games and season openers are the two games with the biggest questions, because it’s a lot of new names in new places. We have a lot of opt outs, Illinois does too. With Colton Hood opting out, it’s assumed William Wright gets the start along side Ty Redmond. Will we get other freshmen like Merritt and Poteat some work this game? Id like to, id also like to see other defensive players like Campbell, Dye, House, Utley and Harmon some work too.

On the offensive end, no Moe on the OL, so Sham will get the start in his place. Will we see them rotate some more young guys on the OL like Satterwhite and Warren? Maybe, theres a chance we return all starting 5 on the OL for next year, which will be huge. Id also like to see us get Gmac a minimum of 3 series regardless of the score, we dont know yet what we have with him in a live game setting.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

1. Dont let Illinois play their pace. They love controlling the clock and keeping opposing offenses out of sync, we need to keep their drives short.

2. Efficiency on the defensive end: dont miss as many tackles as we have in the past, dont bust coverages, dont miss gap fits.

3. No turnovers

4. No 3&outs

5. Special teams efficiency

Prediction:

It’s so hard to predict bowl games because you have to wonder how checked in both teams are, because I know the fanbase is not invested or excited for this game, will our players be? Will Illinois be checked in? Our offense will be key, I think we can get a 2-3 score cushion and win this game.

UT: 37
Illinois: 28
IMG_7913.jpegIMG_7914.jpegIMG_7915.png
 
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#8
#8
😱seinfeld-thunderdome-riggsseinfeldthunderdome.gif





Anyways.......



Joey Foosball ends the 2025 season with a bang and our defense has their best game of the season. It's TENNESSEE football and I can't wait to see the ORANGE and WHITE take the field 1 more time. Enjoy it errybody.... it's a long time until September.

gbo-neyland-1.gif

VOLUNTEERS- 45
fighting bielemas- 30


GBO




*thanks for giving your all for TN today, @JCVol00.
 
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#10
#10

Plenty of opportunity for Tennessee in the Music City Bowl​

NASHVILLE – Tennessee will take on Illinois in the Liberty Music City Bowl on Tuesday and it will be a game that could mean much more than the final score.

Sure, Tennessee fans may not be too excited about the bowl game coming up – given the postseason aspirations created by the expanded playoff. Throw in a demoralizing three-score loss to Vanderbilt that capped the regular season, some fans were indifferent on a bowl game altogether.

Until your team loses a ‘meaningless’ bowl game, nobody cares. A loss and those same indifferent fans will get angry. All this to say – the final score matters – but how you get there could mean much, much more.

Former Tennessee wideout Jalin Hyatt caught a touchdown on three receptions for 35 yards in the Music City Bowl loss to Purdue that capped the 2021 campaign. That season was in large a disappointment for Hyatt, who got plenty of run the first half of the year.

The stat line in the bowl game wasn’t historic, but it was a good game for a guy who had a tough season. We know what transpired the following year for the Biletnikoff Award winner. The All-American went on to capture one of the best single seasons in program history.
Was it all because of a good game in the Music City Bowl? No, but it was a process that kickstarted success.

“I think a lot of times in December you get a glimpse of where they’re continuing to grow,” Heupel said on Friday. “Last time we were here, Jalin Hyatt was a great example and that’s a story we actually talked to our team about pretty much every single year. One that I share with our young guys. That guy that had a little bit of up and down during the course of the (2021) season and his focus, his preparation, his work habits during the month of December – dramatically different.

“Expected him to play really well when we got here. He obviously did and that was the springboard to his following season.”

There are some second, third and even fourth-year players with eligibility for 2026 that could use Hyatt as an example. There’s also plenty of underclassmen who didn’t see the field much this year who could – and probably will – get extended looks on Tuesday due to injuries and opt-outs.

“Tre has done a phenomenal job during the course of the season of continuing to grow. Made plays on special teams and got some action on the defensive side of the ball early in the year,” the coach said of freshman Tre Poteat. “His preparation here in December has been really good. Expect him to be ready to go play at a really high level.”

Rickey Gibson and Jermod McCoy have been out at corner all season due to injury. Colton Hood has declared for the NFL Draft. Who will start opposite of freshman Ty Redmond is up in the air. Whether it is veteran reserve William Wright, or the freshmen Tim Merritt and Poteat – the truth is probably somewhere in the middle with several guys seeing action at corner.

“It’s an opportunity through the month of December to continue to grow, get better fundamentals, technique inside of the scheme. Bowl games, young guys get a lot of opportunity in the preparation, but also on game day too,” Heupel continued. “Obviously, it’s the last chance for us to compete with this team together in this 2025 season. In some ways it’s, it’s built up to the following year.”

Jadon Perlotte has been a freshman who has impressed in limited time this year at linebacker. With Arion Carter declaring for the draft and opting out, Perlotte stands to benefit from an increased snap count in the bowl game as well. Same for wideouts Radarious Jackson and Travis Smith as Chris Brazzell is NFL bound.

Even a guy like Christian Gass, who has been injured for much of the campaign, could get extended looks with Joshua Josephs opting out of the bowl game.

The Music City Bowl isn’t going to make someone’s 2026 season for Tennessee, but the weeks of preparation leading into the event can certainly springboard inexperience into a new fold.
Click to expand...
-VQ
 
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#18
#18
JCVol00 said:
Bowl season is the season of opt outs, since @OGbabyaviVol opted out and @Glitch got benched for his performance vs Austin Peay, I guess it’s my turn. Really banking on a Vols W so I dont get FAHRed off the getgo.

Tennessee enters as 2.5 point favorites, and it’s supposed to be a very cold day in Nashville. You have to assume this favors illinois to some degree since they are used to the cold.

This game has 0 excitement, and honestly more disappointment than anything. I guess that can speak to the quality of teams we usually have under Heupel. This game for our defense is essentially an open tryout for both players and coaches on that side of the ball with the portal opening up and a new DC who may want to change up the staff defensively.

Bowl games and season openers are the two games with the biggest questions, because it’s a lot of new names in new places. We have a lot of opt outs, Illinois does too. With Colton Hood opting out, it’s assumed William Wright gets the start along side Ty Redmond. Will we get other freshmen like Merritt and Poteat some work this game? Id like to, id also like to see other defensive players like Campbell, Dye, House, Utley and Harmon some work too.

On the offensive end, no Moe on the OL, so Sham will get the start in his place. Will we see them rotate some more young guys on the OL like Satterwhite and Warren? Maybe, theres a chance we return all starting 5 on the OL for next year, which will be huge. Id also like to see us get Gmac a minimum of 3 series regardless of the score, we dont know yet what we have with him in a live game setting.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

1. Dont let Illinois play their pace. They love controlling the clock and keeping opposing offenses out of sync, we need to keep their drives short.

2. Efficiency on the defensive end: dont miss as many tackles as we have in the past, dont bust coverages, dont miss gap fits.

3. No turnovers

4. No 3&outs

5. Special teams efficiency

Prediction:

It’s so hard to predict bowl games because you have to wonder how checked in both teams are, because I know the fanbase is not invested or excited for this game, will our players be? Will Illinois be checked in? Our offense will be key, I think we can get a 2-3 score cushion and win this game.

UT: 37
Illinois: 28
View attachment 801209View attachment 801210View attachment 801211
Click to expand...
been waiting for this one for years.
 
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#20
#20
JCVol00 said:
Bowl season is the season of opt outs, since @OGbabyaviVol opted out and @Glitch got benched for his performance vs Austin Peay, I guess it’s my turn. Really banking on a Vols W so I dont get FAHRed off the getgo.

Tennessee enters as 2.5 point favorites, and it’s supposed to be a very cold day in Nashville. You have to assume this favors illinois to some degree since they are used to the cold.

This game has 0 excitement, and honestly more disappointment than anything. I guess that can speak to the quality of teams we usually have under Heupel. This game for our defense is essentially an open tryout for both players and coaches on that side of the ball with the portal opening up and a new DC who may want to change up the staff defensively.

Bowl games and season openers are the two games with the biggest questions, because it’s a lot of new names in new places. We have a lot of opt outs, Illinois does too. With Colton Hood opting out, it’s assumed William Wright gets the start along side Ty Redmond. Will we get other freshmen like Merritt and Poteat some work this game? Id like to, id also like to see other defensive players like Campbell, Dye, House, Utley and Harmon some work too.

On the offensive end, no Moe on the OL, so Sham will get the start in his place. Will we see them rotate some more young guys on the OL like Satterwhite and Warren? Maybe, theres a chance we return all starting 5 on the OL for next year, which will be huge. Id also like to see us get Gmac a minimum of 3 series regardless of the score, we dont know yet what we have with him in a live game setting.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

1. Dont let Illinois play their pace. They love controlling the clock and keeping opposing offenses out of sync, we need to keep their drives short.

2. Efficiency on the defensive end: dont miss as many tackles as we have in the past, dont bust coverages, dont miss gap fits.

3. No turnovers

4. No 3&outs

5. Special teams efficiency

Prediction:

It’s so hard to predict bowl games because you have to wonder how checked in both teams are, because I know the fanbase is not invested or excited for this game, will our players be? Will Illinois be checked in? Our offense will be key, I think we can get a 2-3 score cushion and win this game.

UT: 37
Illinois: 28
View attachment 801209View attachment 801210View attachment 801211
Click to expand...
0 excitement? I am always excited when my Tennessee Vols hit the field.
disappointment? Only if we don’t play
 
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#21
#21
Practicing in the 60s and low-70s... then playing in below freezing temps... does not bode well for good form tackling.

Look for high YAC numbers as ball carriers bounce off of cold-fingered "projectile" tackling.
 
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#23
#23
Thanks @JCVol00 🧡 Tim Merritt or Tre Poteat staring opposite of Redmond?
McMurray at NB. Spillman - Telander at LB.
Radar Jackson at WR with Brazzell out.
ETHAN DAVIS!!!!!🧡

This is low-key going to be a good game.
 
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