Being “The Hunted”

#1
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bigorangecrush89

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#1
I dont think any of us expected UT to be at this point so soon into CJH’a tenure. It’s been awhile since Tennessee has had so much at stake this far into the regular season. Given the high ranking, going forward, many of the Teams Tennessee plays are going to want that to be their “signature” win and head coaches want to be put on the map for a big raise by beating a top team. Im thinking UK (UT is their superbowl regardless, but especially now) and South Carolina primarily, Mizzou too. How does UT now handle the weight of expectations and being “the Hunted” instead of being the nice, plucky little team looking to upset somebody?
 
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#2
#2
bigorangecrush89 said:
I dont think any of us expected UT to be at this point so soon into CJH’a tenure. It’s been awhile since Tennessee has had so much at stake this far into the regular season. Given the high ranking, going forward, many of the Teams Tennessee plays are going to want that to be their “signature” win and head coaches want to be put on the map for a big raise by beating a top team. Im thinking UK (UT is their superbowl regardless, but especially now) and South Carolina primarily, Mizzou too. How does UT now handle the weight of expectations and being “the Hunted” instead of being the nice, plucky little team looking to upset somebody?
Click to expand...
It's so much better to be the Hunted than the Hunter there's absolutely no comparison.
 
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#4
#4
bigorangecrush89 said:
. . . How does UT now handle the weight of expectations and being “the Hunted” . . . ?
Click to expand...

This is just another version of Saban's "rat poison" conversations. Different coaches do it different ways.

Did you notice CJH said in the post-game PC that he was proud that the players focused on "business" during the week of practice? They handle it by ignoring it until they no longer can, and then start with their own version of rat poison.
 
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#5
#5
When we're off we score 35. Don't see anyone other than maybe Georgia that can put up more points than that. You don't beat Florida, Alabama, and LSU to start the conference season 3-0 to lose to teams we beat before CJH got here. Relax and enjoy. Worrying is not productive.
 
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#7
#7
bigorangecrush89 said:
I dont think any of us expected UT to be at this point so soon into CJH’a tenure. It’s been awhile since Tennessee has had so much at stake this far into the regular season. Given the high ranking, going forward, many of the Teams Tennessee plays are going to want that to be their “signature” win and head coaches want to be put on the map for a big raise by beating a top team. Im thinking UK (UT is their superbowl regardless, but especially now) and South Carolina primarily, Mizzou too. How does UT now handle the weight of expectations and being “the Hunted” instead of being the nice, plucky little team looking to upset somebody?
Click to expand...
It's one thing to beat the best...it's another to be the best. Time will tell.
 
#8
#8
bigorangecrush89 said:
I dont think any of us expected UT to be at this point so soon into CJH’a tenure. It’s been awhile since Tennessee has had so much at stake this far into the regular season. Given the high ranking, going forward, many of the Teams Tennessee plays are going to want that to be their “signature” win and head coaches want to be put on the map for a big raise by beating a top team. Im thinking UK (UT is their superbowl regardless, but especially now) and South Carolina primarily, Mizzou too. How does UT now handle the weight of expectations and being “the Hunted” instead of being the nice, plucky little team looking to upset somebody?
Click to expand...

Don't want to jinx us, but I feel really comfortable with our head ball coach. Confident demeaner, players seem to respect him, cutting edge play-caller. After being lost in the forest for the better part of a decade and a half, maybe we've finally turned the corner.
 
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#10
#10
bigorangecrush89 said:
I dont think any of us expected UT to be at this point so soon into CJH’a tenure. It’s been awhile since Tennessee has had so much at stake this far into the regular season. Given the high ranking, going forward, many of the Teams Tennessee plays are going to want that to be their “signature” win and head coaches want to be put on the map for a big raise by beating a top team. Im thinking UK (UT is their superbowl regardless, but especially now) and South Carolina primarily, Mizzou too. How does UT now handle the weight of expectations and being “the Hunted” instead of being the nice, plucky little team looking to upset somebody?
Click to expand...

The apex predator hunts the hunters.
Nothing changes for Heupel and team. I think it's fan silliness to think "oh, team x has a mark on their back now" or "team x lost, now they're a wounded animal and even more dangerous". Ditto with "locker room material".

That stuff only matters in the stands, not the field.
 
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#12
#12
You know, honestly I don't FEEL like we're the hunted yet.

I mean, we play UT-Martin next. And I don't feel hunted. I feel like we're going into that game hungry, on a mission, and we're going to hunt them down. Sorry, little brother in the UT system, we're going to brutalize you.

And I don't feel hunted when it comes to Kentucky, either. We owe them about 10 years of payback for that one year they beat us recently. Seriously. The going rate in this rivalry is 10 for 1. We get 10 for every 1 they get. Far as I can tell, we owe them nine more.

And I certainly don't feel hunted with UGa. We're still chasing them down from behind. They are the reigning East champs. We need to go out, track them down, corner them, and take the East away from them.

So yeah, not feeling it yet.

Maybe we'll feel more like that in mid-November, i don't know. Just know we're not there yet.

We are the hunters.

Go Vols!
 
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#14
#14
I would say the majority still think Tennessee loses to Georgia in that game. A lot have said this wasn’t the Bama of old, they were very beatable, etc.

Basically a lot of ppl still move the goal posts on what makes this team a good team. Only way to shut them up is to run the tables. We’re still not respected by the national media we just beat a down Bama team to them.
 
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#17
#17
Starts next week first we skin us a cat, then whack a dawg's nose, hang up another Tiger carcass, wring us a chicken's neck and blow the doors off the Dores.
 
#18
#18
Spoke w a friend last night who is a big Tar Heel BB fan. They are preseason #1, and we spoke about the pressure for any college or professional sports team to carry that burden/target on their back throughout the entire season. Nobody expected the 1998 Vols to win a NC after PM left, so expectations where slim to none. Same as this year. Kids got something to prove and that is what they are fighting for. See, prior to the season, they earned nobody's, or very few people's respect outside of Ktown. CJH got them hungry and to believe in themselves and EARN respect. That is why repeating championships is mentally so hard. You've already earned it and more than likely not playing as hard as previous year (not to mention lots of players being traded)

Good thing is, IMO, is that we are still not the hunted. We will be 7-0 for the first time in a generation however, and thank goodness, we will be the prohibited underdog going into Athens - and I for one would not want it any other way.

Go Vols. Take care of UTM and fight like hell to earn continued respect from Vol fans and, the country!
 
#20
#20
I like what I've been hearing from the players. We do what we do and if the other team can't keep up or get crucial stops then we win. Doesn't matter who's the hunter or hunted, we do what we do.
 
#21
#21
bigorangecrush89 said:
I dont think any of us expected UT to be at this point so soon into CJH’a tenure. It’s been awhile since Tennessee has had so much at stake this far into the regular season. Given the high ranking, going forward, many of the Teams Tennessee plays are going to want that to be their “signature” win and head coaches want to be put on the map for a big raise by beating a top team. Im thinking UK (UT is their superbowl regardless, but especially now) and South Carolina primarily, Mizzou too. How does UT now handle the weight of expectations and being “the Hunted” instead of being the nice, plucky little team looking to upset somebody?
Click to expand...

Enjoy the ride—we never expected this in year 2.
 
#22
#22
VFL-82-JP said:
You know, honestly I don't FEEL like we're the hunted yet.

I mean, we play UT-Martin next. And I don't feel hunted. I feel like we're going into that game hungry, on a mission, and we're going to hunt them down. Sorry, little brother in the UT system, we're going to brutalize you.

And I don't feel hunted when it comes to Kentucky, either. We owe them about 10 years of payback for that one year they beat us recently. Seriously. The going rate in this rivalry is 10 for 1. We get 10 for every 1 they get. Far as I can tell, we owe them nine more.

And I certainly don't feel hunted with UGa. We're still chasing them down from behind. They are the reigning East champs. We need to go out, track them down, corner them, and take the East away from them.

So yeah, not feeling it yet.

Maybe we'll feel more like that in mid-November, i don't know. Just know we're not there yet.

We are the hunters.

Go Vols!
Click to expand...
We are the hunters until we will championships. We are still hunting those.
 
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#25
#25
It's good they play UT Martin this week. The back half of this schedule will be tougher than expected. There are no easy outs in this league, well except Vandy..
 
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