Does UT Compare with Stanford vs. Oregon?

#52
#52
Yes, I did raise this point a few weeks ago, but that was AFTER the replay was on. Now, folks interested in this issue can watch the game and better inform their opinions.
I wouldn't put too much stock in Stanford's recent record. They couldn't beat Notre Dame, who got blown out by Alabama and who would have been underdogs to 5 other SEC teams in the NCG.
Also, when you watch the replay, you'll see that Stanford's young QB was not that polished and was running for his life A LOT. UT's OLine gave up 8 sacks all year, with a flat-footed QB.
Assuming UT arrives in Eugene 2-0, they should be more confident, positive and enthusiastic than at any time since the last time UT and Oregon played.
Really hard to spot UT 25 points at the window.
 
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#53
#53
VOLorNuttin said:
I certainly think we have a better chance than most people here think.

We were underdogs to Butch's Cincinnati team, in 2011. There is no doubt, they were a well coached team...BUT...we had an ace in the hole. We had a QB with an NFL arm and 2 big NFL receivers. They just could not handle that much size and talent at WR.

The Bearcats put a good scare in us early, and mounted a furious comeback attempt...so at least I know Butch's team does not quit. That is just the opposite of a Dooley coached team. Once we get down by a good opponent, we find a way to choke and cave in to the pressure. So, I'm not saying beating Cincinnati is the same as trying to beat Oregon, but I am saying that any team will have it's hands full trying to cover multiple BIG WR's.

I think our ace in the hole against Oregon is our OL and Massive group of WR's. If I'm Butch, I sic Croom, Harris, and North on Oregon's DB's and keep hitting them deep. They will try to compensate against the size mismatch with interference and holding (like they did against DaRick Rodgers last year when they played TTU), and when they don't our guys are good at jump balls and plucking it out of the air.

If we can keep hitting them with the deep ball and get some stops on defense, early....I think we can get on top of them and take em out of their element. We'll have to see.
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UT is definitely going to have to throw the ball down the field some, but the Vols ain't gonna pick on Oregon's corners. That's a _very_ solid group with possibly the best CB in the nation in Ifo Ekpre-Olomu.
 
#54
#54
I have a lot of respect for Stanford. Look at what they've done over the last few years on top of the Ivy League academics. I assume their requirements for athletes are tough also.
 
#55
#55
ImportedVoL said:
What does Stanford's record over the past few years in a dried up conference that has 1 or 2 decent teams a year have to do with it?

All we have to do is keep Oregon away from the big home run plays and its over for them, despite what most think, Oregon has been within a couple spots of us in recruiting every year, at no point do they have the personnel to destroy us.

Everyones opinions on this game stem from comparing records over the past 3-4 years. Which have jack squat to do with what happens on the field.

and BTW, if we played in the pac our record would be three times better.
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Well said, my friend! Coaching makes a HUGE difference. Great coaching will keep a team athletic and competitive for all 4 quarters of the game.
 
#56
#56
That's a _very_ solid group with possibly the best CB in the nation in Ifo Ekpre-Olomu
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This is what EVERYONE said about NC State's great Cornerback last year, he ended up looking like a HS kid...;
 
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#57
#57
Stanford had a conservative offensive approach, predicated on power running and a smash mouth defensive mentality. They had a well coached core of kids who had been with the program for awhile and had received instruction from top notch coaches.

Comparing us to Stanford is pretty misleading. I'll be surprised to see us adopt anything like the "3 yards and a cloud of dust" gameplan that Stanford had going in, simply because that's kind of the opposite system to the no-huddle stuff Butch Jones runs and because that means you're relying heavily on your defense, which I think will be improved, but would probably need to be better than they've been in the past 6 years to be the dominant factor in that game.
 
#58
#58
1SmokinVol said:
This is what EVERYONE said about NC State's great Cornerback last year, he ended up looking like a HS kid...;
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Judge for yourself:

Ifo Ekpre-Olomu Oregon sophmore highlights 2012 - YouTube

I do think UT will have some success early pounding the ball, but it goes without saying that field goals won't cut it.

With serious questions about QB play, and not tons of enthusiasm about your WRs, it just seems a bit of a stretch to me to think that UT is going to be throwing darts deep with any regularity.
 
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#61
#61
VOLorNuttin said:
Harbaugh changed the culture of the program. Yes, they have gotten more talented since he first upset USC and Oregon. But he has outcoached them, when they clearly had more talent top to bottom than he had.

I'm not saying Butch can flip the program around in one season, but he has more talent (overall) at his disposal than Stanford had/has. It's all about getting the most out of what you have. Dooley did less with more.

Harbaugh and Stanford's current HC (forget his name...Shaw, is it?), have gotten more with less, and that is how they manage to be a thorn in both USC and Oregon's side every year. CBJ is that kind of coach, too. He had a lot less talent than Virginia Tech, Syracuse, and Pitt...and yet beat all three of them.
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There's something to this. Coaching certainly does matter, but we haven't seen CBJ coach this team yet. I do expect a considerable upgrade over the last guy.

Lots of people mention Stanford, but the Duckies have an annoying habit of losing to Oregon State. I get the whole in state rivals, throw the records out the window stuff, but in this case, Oregon has had so much more talent than OSU, there really is no excuse for losing to them. I won't go so far as to predict a UT victory, but Oregon can, and has been, beaten by teams with less talent.
 
#62
#62
Did you guys not see our defense last year?

I want us to win just as much as any other Vols fan, but come on guys. They're going to use our speed and coverage lapses against us.

I'll consider it a success if we don't have another 2011 Arkansas punt return highlight to watch for the rest of the year.

Keeping their QB contained is hard enough. Add to that the Black Mamba, and their slew of speedy offensive weapons, and we've got a lot to worry about.

And that's just on defense.

It will be the first TRUE test for whatever QB we've settled on by then, our new receiving corps (WR and TE) (and Oregon's DBs aren't crap), our OL, and our RBs.

We'll have to play keep away, and play INCREDIBLY disciplined on defense. With a new coach, new coordinators, new starters, new schemes, new playbooks.

Guys, please check your expectations. Some of you are going to flip your you know what when they run the same play on us three different times for 80 yards a piece. I'll give us a shot on offense to keep them contained in the first half.

Second half, once they make their adjustments and see where our holes are... it's going to be tough.
 
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#63
#63
VFL1953 said:
There's something to this. Coaching certainly does matter, but we haven't seen CBJ coach this team yet. I do expect a considerable upgrade over the last guy.

Lots of people mention Stanford, but the Duckies have an annoying habit of losing to Oregon State. I get the whole in state rivals, throw the records out the window stuff, but in this case, Oregon has had so much more talent than OSU, there really is no excuse for losing to them. I won't go so far as to predict a UT victory, but Oregon can, and has been, beaten by teams with less talent.
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Huh? Oregon has won the last 5 games vs. Beavis. Try again.
 
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#65
#65
Air_Force_Vol27 said:
06- Air Force
07- Ark St
09- Georgia
09- USCe
11- Vandy
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Wow. You lucked out during one of the worst periods in Tennessee history. Good job, or maybe you are our rabbits foot. If you go to this game and we win, I think we should start a fund to buy you season tickets.
 
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#66
#66
As I agree that the comparisons to Stanford need to stop, Im growing even more tired of hearing about the past three years. People continue to ignore the fact that we are beginning a new era! The past three years no longer matter! Dooley is gone folks, and the snatching defeat at the jaws victory style football left with him. We have talent on this team, a lot of it young and unproven, but still talented.

Dooley failed to ever develop that talent, so we haven't seen just how great our team can really be. Butch appears to get the best out of his players, everywhere he's been, and I don't see that changing with him in charge at Tennessee. The question mark at QB worries me and our inexperience at the WR position isn't helping, but if we can establish a solid passing game to take the pressure off of Neal and Lane then we could be a dangerous team.

I fully expect this defense to be at least top 25, but IMO we'll finish in the top 15. Our personnel is best suited for the 4-3, and should've never been changed to a 3-4 to begin with. And especially not when the DC that you hired to implement a new system and develop each player into the new system, only had DC experience at a division two school. Even then, he probably sucked. But forget the past, lets focus on the future!

Our team is in good hands and will be in position to win some big games this year. The question is, can we finish? I believe we will if given the opportunity. Not saying we beat Oregon by no means, but to say its completely out of the realm of possibility is foolish. You haven't seen our product this year, so how can you properly make those kind of predictions? All these predictions are based off of last year under Derek Dooley's Barnum and Bailey's circus act. Butch Jones is I'm charge now, and the "Rise To The Top" begins now.
 
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#68
#68
AllVolForLife_16 said:
As I agree that the comparisons to Stanford need to stop, Im growing even more tired of hearing about the past three years. People continue to ignore the fact that we are beginning a new era! The past three years no longer matter! Dooley is gone folks, and the snatching defeat at the jaws victory style football left with him. We have talent on this team, a lot of it young and unproven, but still talented. Dooley failed to ever develop that talent, so we haven't seen just how great our team can really be. Butch appears to get the best out of his players, everywhere he's been, and I don't see that changing with him in charge at Tennessee. The question mark at QB worries me and our inexperience at the WR position isn't helping, but if we can establish a solid passing game to take the pressure off of Neal and Lane then we could be a dangerous team. I fully expect this defense to be at least top 25, but IMO we'll finish in the top 15. Our personnel is best suited for the 4-3, and should've never been changed to a 3-4 to begin with. And especially not when the DC that you hired to implement a new system and develop each player into the new system, only had DC experience at a division two school. Even then, he probably sucked. But forget the past, lets focus on the future! Our team is in good hands and will be in position to win some big games this year. The question is, can we finish? I believe we will if given the opportunity. Not saying we beat Oregon by no means, but to say its completely out of the realm of possibility is foolish. You haven't seen our product this year, so how can you properly make those kind of predictions? All these predictions are based off of last year under Derek Dooley's Barnum and Bailey's circus act. Butch Jones is I'm charge now, and the "Rise To The Top" begins now.
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Mix in a paragraph break.
 
#71
#71
A lot of our fans are really ignorant. We don't match up at all and they are much better football team and program right now. They have lost 7 games in 4 years. If you want to figure out this game, don't be dumb and watch the Stanford game. Go watch a game when they were up 50-0 at the half, then watch our defense from last year and tell us how we miraculously have a chance of stopping them.
 
#72
#72
Boca Vol said:
For you nimrods who are looking at recruiting numbers please stop!

Some teams recruit to needs, not how many stars they have. If Bama had the #1 HS QB coming on campus this Fall, do you think he beats out McCarron? Not on your life. It's not all about stars and recruiting rankings, it's about fit.
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McCarron was one of the top QBs in his class and put in his time at Bama before starting...I know the point you were trying to make but it fell short...since you put Bama into the equation, their consistently top ranked classes have less to do with their success than Nick Saban x's and o's?
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#73
#73
butchna said:
McCarron was one of the top QBs in his class and put in his time at Bama before starting...I know the point you were trying to make but it fell short...since you put Bama into the equation, their consistently top ranked classes have less to do with their success than Nick Saban x's and o's?
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Let's pretend your premiss that we have equal talent to Oregon is correct. Let's pretend that we have great talent and Dooley is just an awful coach. Let's pretend Sal was 100% percent of the reason we were one of the worst defenses ever last year.

Butch Jones is a good coach.

All that being said, his offense isn't in the same stratosphere as Chip Kelly's. Even if their new coach isn't near the play caller. Their players have been in this system for years. This will be our 2nd game. There is no logical way that we are in this game. None. We are completely outclassed.
 
#74
#74
Yankee_Vol said:
Look at the records of us and Stanford the last 5 years. There's your answer
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Look at the conference we play in, compare the strength of schedule and our coaching staffs over the past five years and your arguement doesn't hold water.

Can't judge the future by past performance. It's a new day my friends, as many will soon find out.
 
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#75
#75
oldfartvol said:
Look at the conference we play in, compare the strength of schedule and our coaching staffs over the past five years and your arguement doesn't hold water.

Can't judge the future by past performance. It's a new day my friends, as many will soon find out.
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If we had played Stanford last year, we would have gotten massacred!
 
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