Could Tennessee be a sleeper in SEC East? -article

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WilliamDuVOL

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Could Tennessee be a sleeper in SEC East?

Really good article, not trying to get too excited this early but we certainly looked good last night.

The Tennessee Volunteers needed to make a statement in last night’s opener. They didn’t just talk, they yelled.

They screamed aloud a warning call to the SEC their recent downswing may finally be over and the program that was once the all-time winningest in the conference is on its way back to prominence.

Tennessee’s win over Utah State doesn’t mean it deserves to be in the AP Poll or a favorite to win the national championship, but it’s a start. The battle cry of a roster full of players that has never even experienced a bowl game rang through the Tennessee hills and across the country.

The team in last night’s 38-7 thrashing of Utah State didn’t look like one coming off a 5-7 record and four-straight losing seasons. The fan base didn’t seem as though they’ve been through three coaching searches and masochistically attended rivalry games with their beloved Vols on the short end of a blowout.

Sunday’s nationally televised game looked like a dominant SEC program vs. a mid major, which isn’t to say that Utah State is a pushover by any means. In fact, leading up to the game many believed the Aggies would upset the Vols and quarterback Chuckie Keeton would pad his stats toward a potential Heisman Trophy candidacy. That wasn’t the case. Tennessee dominated Utah State in all aspects and took a giant leap back to legitimacy. This might be the first time in several years that Vol fans should actually feel optimistic of their team’s chances.

The SEC East looks to be wide open. Outside of Georgia, Tennessee was the only team to have a convincing win against a quality opponent this weekend. As it stands, a good Tennessee team could be a potential sleeper contender. The Vols have talent on both sides of the football. Their freshman looked about as good as possible entering their collegiate debut. The players seem to have an unrivaled camaraderie, attending to injured teammates and running together after every single play. When this team gets even more experience and chemistry, they will be a legitimate force in the SEC and could be a surprise team as the season moves forward.
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#4
#4
I agree on all of that except....

I'm not sure that I would call Utah State a quality opponent. I have a feeling they have a really bad year.

It's hard to say whether we were just that good, or they were just that bad, but I just didn't feel like they gave us much trouble at all. Vigil on the DL was about the only headache we had all night.
 
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#5
#5
Maybe a little premature but I could hear all of Volnation breath a sigh of relief last night. Nice opener any way you slice it. OK will be a real test but at least if will give is a true snapshot of what to expect for SEC play.
 
#6
#6
Same guy predicted USU to challenge UT for the same ignorant reasons the national press did.
 
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#8
#8
TNHopeful505 said:
I agree on all of that except....

I'm not sure that I would call Utah State a quality opponent. I have a feeling they have a really bad year.

It's hard to say whether we were just that good, or they were just that bad, but I just didn't feel like they gave us much trouble at all. Vigil on the DL was about the only headache we had all night.
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I'm feeling the same as you concerning USU, but only time will tell. I also agree with article that Vols should only get better as the season goes along. I don't expect any SEC contention, but it only helps that we don't play our first conference game for another month.
 
#9
#9
Yankee_Vol said:
We'll find out in 2 weeks.
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Exactly. It's not hard to win in Neyland when it's packed full of people screaming your name, and you're playing against a team that lost a ton of talent, and had nothing but a good QB to carry it.

Oklahoma will be a true test.

And....there's a part of me that thinks we may have held back last night. I think we were going for simple, efficient, and confidence building. Then I think we're going to do the same thing next week against AS, and then I think we're really going to open it up against OK.

I mean, North got 4 catches on 4 balls thrown his way. He's our best receiver, and he got 4 catches?

Plus....I think once we start getting the ball to Pearson more, we will see some magical things happen.

Ball distribution was great last night, but we didn't come close to utilitizing and focusing on our playmakers. Last night was just about settling everybody down, and getting ourselves comfortable and in rhythm. I expect the same next week.

But Oklahoma? We'll come out swinging.
 
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#11
#11
I think its funny how UT isn't going to make a bowl all offseason now all of a sudden SC has a bad day and Vandy sucks and now we're contenders. Wonder how many will have us being OU. LOL at the media.
 
#12
#12
EZE said:
I'm feeling the same as you concerning USU, but only time will tell. I also agree with article that Vols should only get better as the season goes along. I don't expect any SEC contention, but it only helps that we don't play our first conference game for another month.
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I think if SC beats UGA in two weeks, then the SEC East can be ours for the taking. It's very possible.

And we nearly beat UGA last year. Goodness that one still hurts to think about. You better believe we'll come out ready for that one.

South Carolina will be much tougher, unless they really are down this year. Once again, time will tell on that one. I expect that last week was a fluke. I think that USC will still have a very strong season.
 
#13
#13
If our O-line doesn't vastly improve we won't win a game in the East not named Kentucky or Vandy.

With that said, I look to see our O-line vastly improve. :)
 
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#14
#14
TNHopeful505 said:
I think if SC beats UGA in two weeks, then the SEC East can be ours for the taking. It's very possible.

And we nearly beat UGA last year. Goodness that one still hurts to think about. You better believe we'll come out ready for that one.

South Carolina will be much tougher, unless they really are down this year. Once again, time will tell on that one. I expect that last week was a fluke. I think that USC will still have a very strong season.
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Gurley didn't play last year. I don't think we can stop him this year. I hope I'm wrong! Our lines will improve by then.
 
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Other_Guy said:
I think its funny how UT isn't going to make a bowl all offseason now all of a sudden SC has a bad day and Vandy sucks and now we're contenders. Wonder how many will have us being OU. LOL at the media.
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Usce didn't just have a bad game.. They're obviously a very different football team after losing everyone they did.. Same with vandy
 
#17
#17
Not sure if this is same USU team that played other big name schools tight but just watching the Orange we are much faster, more athletic and well coached. We are much better and that's all I care about.
 
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#18
#18
If uga stays healthy, they'll be tough.. Killer front seven on D and probably the best running game in the country.
 
#19
#19
TNHopeful505 said:
I think if SC beats UGA in two weeks, then the SEC East can be ours for the taking. It's very possible.

And we nearly beat UGA last year. Goodness that one still hurts to think about. You better believe we'll come out ready for that one.

South Carolina will be much tougher, unless they really are down this year. Once again, time will tell on that one. I expect that last week was a fluke. I think that USC will still have a very strong season.
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let's slow down on the east being ours. This is the exact crap people spewed after the Vols blew out NC State got ranked in the top 25 then went on to win 5 games...same as last year, blow out opening opponent and then false hopes arise and disappointment ensues
 
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#24
#24
ACvol3 said:
Usce didn't just have a bad game.. They're obviously a very different football team after losing everyone they did.. Same with vandy
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Bad game was the wrong wording. My point is they are still a solid team simply overrated. After 1 week all of a sudden UT is the 2nd best East team (since UF didn't play). Bu this website could have had UT doing well anyway.
 
#25
#25
Sin City Vol said:
let's slow down on the east being ours. This is the exact crap people spewed after the Vols blew out NC State got ranked in the top 25 then went on to win 5 games...same as last year, blow out opening opponent and then false hopes arise and disappointment ensues
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I've said the exact same thing in another thread.

All I'm saying is that, the east winner may not be as clear cut as people think. Obviously, SC dropped the ball to A&M. If UGA drops the ball against SC, then they both are sitting at 1 SEC loss, and a win over them would break a tie breaker if it was needed.

I'm just saying, if we play well, and the dominos fall right, it could work.
 
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