Are we approaching the defining moment in CJH's tenure at UT?

[Volfan1000]

2 things will determine the success at Major programs.....Recruiting and playoffs. Bowl games not associated with the playoffs are IMO no more than the NIT in basketball. It just depends on how the schools and fans view what success is.

Development is also key besides recruiting and getting to the playoffs.

 

[RockyTop603]

Are you saying we would be 9-2 this year with Gaston Moore at QB? The same Gaston Moore who has been in the CJH system for years, is a senior and still can't see the field? That Gaston Moore?

Yes that Gaston Moore because Dylan Sampson is the bread and butter of this offense not the $8 million bust

 

[cyclevol]

Were we "elite" in the 90's?

No we were not elite. We couldn't beat UF after starting off well in 90. We should have been elite, but the fact is most people that saw the 90's don't realize that we are better now, but so is everybody else. I might add in regards to UGA this year, did anyone think they could lose 2 games in a row after losing to the only other team not Bama for the first time in 56 games?

 

[cyclevol]

Were Hyatt and Tillman that much better than Squirrel/ Bru /Thornton and Brazzell or was the QB play and play calling better??

They caught the football.... Hyatt was the fastest player in the country I think and defenses thought they could cover him straight up. Hooker had confidence to throw it to them and his accuracy was incredible. Now our receivers don't run the right routes, and when they do they can't catch a ball thrown in stride most of the time. Defenses have adjusted, so we run it more.

 

[Golfprovol]

Yes that Gaston Moore because Dylan Sampson is the bread and butter of this offense not the $8 million bust

But if Gaston Moore doesn't pose any passing threat, then DS will face stacked boxes and get nothing.

The 2 are a symbolic relationship.

 

[Golfprovol]

No we were not elite. We couldn't beat UF after starting off well in 90. We should have been elite, but the fact is most people that saw the 90's don't realize that we are better now, but so is everybody else. I might add in regards to UGA this year, did anyone think they could lose 2 games in a row after losing to the only other team not Bama for the first time in 56 games?

So in order to be elite, you have to go undefeated every year?

 

[Lekvolrrah]

Sampson is better than Wright. Tillman and Hyatt weren’t very good for the majority of their tenures here.

Hooker made that offense special and elevated everyone around him.

I don't know about all that. Wright was just as good and better in pass protection while also sharing more of the load. Hooker doesnt have the season he had without Hyatt. All those guys complimented each other to make that offense elite.

 

[cyclevol]

So in order to be elite, you have to go undefeated every year?

Back then we did as most years we didn't get in the SEC championship game even though we were the second best team in the conference. We had to beat UF to get to the SEC Championship every year except 1997.

 

[LegionnaireOfTheMiserable]

I don't know about all that. Wright was just as good and better in pass protection while also sharing more of the load. Hooker doesnt have the season he had without Hyatt. All those guys complimented each other to make that offense elite.

Wright had fantastic speed for a back, but he didn’t really run around or over many guys and didn’t add much as a receiver. Wright would also take himself out seemingly after a couple of carries. I’m not knocking the guy, but I think Sampson is better.

Hyatt certainly helped Hooker in 2022, but Hooker was very good the year before without him.

 

[Tnphil]

Development is also key besides recruiting and getting to the playoffs.

If you are getting to the playoffs I'd say you are developing...But you are right. IMO, right now our OL....WRs...and to some extent our QB isn't being developed well. Big reason we are on the outside looking in.

 

[WiseOlVol]

10-win HCs in the SEC don't grow on trees.

Give CJH a raise and a street. Nobody's been beating Georgia. We beat Florida and Alabama twice each the last 3 years.

 

[Smokefatty]

Now I know that there will be push-back on this topic. But can we just ask the question that is sitting out there. I didn't really mean to sound too dramatic with this thread......but for some time I've said that CJH will have to re-invent/re-shape his offense as smart defensive coaches adapt to his unique style. Last year made I was mildly concerned with offensive drop-off, but this year it seems clear that Coach is struggling to adjust his system to continue and remain productive. 2024 in CJH's professional life has been unique and challenging obviously.
But is he evolving as he must, or is he a bit lost? THIS is the defining question regarding not only his tenure at UT but his long term coaching legacy.
I suspect the loss of Golesh was a much bigger set-back than most realize. There are holes on this team that are chronic problems at UT. Offensive line recruiting and development have been suspect for many years (at least in my view). Talent in the defensive backfield and at LB has either been thin or not developed. Penalties are problematic and we cannot currently "outscore our mistakes". Play calling at least superficially appears predictable and therefore it must accept some responsibility for our repetitive two-quarter scoring lapses.

So I eagerly await input from those on this forum who understand football far better than I. Some might suggest this team has produced beyond expectations. I am proud of this team at 8-2 but there are some troubling signs. Our identity, Coach's adaptability, and player development have been difficult this year and yet I think in many ways some would call 2024 one of Huep's best, despite the things listed above. I've seen suggestions that all the Huepel-esque style offenses are not producing as before. If so, why? Is our coach evolving as he must? Let me say that I really like Coach Huep and his character. I think he is a good man and I'm pulling for him big-time. But I am concerned. OK, I'll hang up and listen.

Nico missed way too many wide open wide receivers and the wide receivers dropped way too many easy catches for me to say that Coach needs to adjust his system. It might look a lot more like 2022 offense with better individual play at QB, WR and OL. There is a good argument that he needs to make huge strides in player development this offseason.

 

[RockyTop603]

But if Gaston Moore doesn't pose any passing threat, then DS will face stacked boxes and get nothing.

The 2 are a symbolic relationship.

What passing threat is there now? Basically none between the wide open overthrows and the WRs dropping passes…

 

[Golfprovol]

What passing threat is there now? Basically none between the wide open overthrows and the WRs dropping passes…

I would say 2200 yards, 64% completion rate and a 142 rating is quite the threat

 

[Golfprovol]

What passing threat is there now? Basically none between the wide open overthrows and the WRs dropping passes…

I get what you are trying to say but your expectations are vastly unrealistic. How many guys out of the 134 QB1's out there are throwing for 350 yards per game? What we need of Nico right now is 200 yards, no picks, and a good %, exactly what we are getting.

Could he be better, absolutely. Did we think he would be better, most probably did, realistic fans probably not this year.

But to say Gaston Moore could produce the same thing is ludicrous. If he could, why did he not start last year? Why did he barely play last year or the year before? Why is he a senior and can't get on the field?

 

[BenGrimm]

Mark richt begs to differ. Not sure of the record but he was doing solid at GA. Admin decided “solid” wasn’t good enough.

Richt was there for 15 years. It wasn’t 10 years since he had won the SEC title. Not exactly a 3 and out tenure.

 

[nomads-11]

Golesh could be some of the difference, hard to tell. But I think we all saw several games where they left 10-20 points on the field per game (Florida, Bama, Kentucky) with WRs running wide open on several plays. Something's working but it's not clicking. For me the combo of OL-QB-WR isn't what it needs to be. After 4 years we field the weakest OL, at least in passpro, of them all. That is hard to excuse, given the defensive growth over the same period. Combine that with a growing QB who's missing high, behind and too far (not even a 50-50 ball) - not by much, but enough. And when it does get there the WR have a habit of dropping it. At any given time, if one element breaks down (to include penalties), it all falls apart....percentage of success is low. If they can be successful more times than not in the passing game, to include NOT missing wide open receivers, they can beat anyone, anywhere. Until that time, who knows.

Start by fixing the OL...said it last year, and can't believe I'm saying it again this year.

 

[RockyTop603]

I get what you are trying to say but your expectations are vastly unrealistic. How many guys out of the 134 QB1's out there are throwing for 350 yards per game? What we need of Nico right now is 200 yards, no picks, and a good %, exactly what we are getting.

Could he be better, absolutely. Did we think he would be better, most probably did, realistic fans probably not this year.

But to say Gaston Moore could produce the same thing is ludicrous. If he could, why did he not start last year? Why did he barely play last year or the year before? Why is he a senior and can't get on the field?

Nico has only put up big numbers against nobody teams. If it wasn’t for the awesome defense, o-line and Dylan Sampson, I don’t see us sitting at 8-2 and being at 8-2 isn’t because of anything Nico has done.

 

[RockyTop603]

I would say 2200 yards, 64% completion rate and a 142 rating is quite the threat

Only against non SEC teams for the most part…

 

[Remy]

I question the growth of Nico. Lagway is doing well at UF and he's a true freshman I think. Why is Nico struggling to grasp things? Is it him or is it his coaching that's slowing his growth? Is our OL still affecting his performance in the pocket? Are our WRs so pedestrian that we're forced to limit our playbook? Who did the evals? Certainly Heupel signs off on every recruit we offer and sign so maybe we're just missing the mark in recruiting?

THIS is an entirely fair post and set of questions IMO. At this point in the season Nico is no longer a freshman due to the amount of games and minutes played. I personally do not see Nico as our offense's problem. I see poor play selection frequently. Let me just give you one example of many. If we throw the ball on first down and it's incomplete, an extremely high percentage of the time our very next play is a rush between the tackles. If there's a tell there it's due to our play calling, not because an OL is giving it away with a stance or something like that.

 

[Golfprovol]

Nico has only put up big numbers against nobody teams. If it wasn’t for the awesome defense, o-line and Dylan Sampson, I don’t see us sitting at 8-2 and being at 8-2 isn’t because of anything Nico has done.

Any yet he is starting in front of Gaston Moore. Point being we would not be 8-2 with Gas Pipe starting

 

[bigorangepoppa]

THIS is an entirely fair post and set of questions IMO. At this point in the season Nico is no longer a freshman due to the amount of games and minutes played. I personally do not see Nico as our offense's problem. I see poor play selection frequently. Let me just give you one example of many. If we throw the ball on first down and it's incomplete, an extremely high percentage of the time our very next play is a rush between the tackles. If there's a tell there it's due to our play calling, not because an OL is giving it away with a stance or something like that.

The comment about the stance was from a Georgia offensive lineman, talking about how Georgia's offense watched a lot of Tennessee defense film. They noticed how Tennessee's defensive line setup, and how the defense's stance changed depending on what the defense was going to do. He was talking about which foot the defensive players had back showed what the defense was going to do. That's breaking it down to the most minute detail.

 

[RockyTop603]

Any yet he is starting in front of Gaston Moore. Point being we would not be 8-2 with Gas Pipe sta

Any yet he is starting in front of Gaston Moore. Point being we would not be 8-2 with Gas Pipe starting

$8 million NIL is why he is starting…

 

[RockyTop603]

THIS is an entirely fair post and set of questions IMO. At this point in the season Nico is no longer a freshman due to the amount of games and minutes played. I personally do not see Nico as our offense's problem. I see poor play selection frequently. Let me just give you one example of many. If we throw the ball on first down and it's incomplete, an extremely high percentage of the time our very next play is a rush between the tackles. If there's a tell there it's due to our play calling, not because an OL is giving it away with a stance or something like that.

Nico is way overhyped and not panning out to be this elite QB everyone was screaming at the start of the season. Not saying he is a bad QB he is just not $8 million good… could put that money to better use…

 

[Rushin Orange Collusion]

The comment about the stance was from a Georgia offensive lineman, talking about how Georgia's offense watched a lot of Tennessee defense film. They noticed how Tennessee's defensive line setup, and how the defense's stance changed depending on what the defense was going to do. He was talking about which foot the defensive players had back showed what the defense was going to do. That's breaking it down to the most minute detail.

On the other hand, what aspect of film study, if any, caused Tim Banks to abandon pass rush against Georgia’s suspect OL? IMO our defensive game plan and scheme made no sense.