Heupel's Monday Presser

[RDU VOL#14]

He doesn’t seem happy but, is it in his DNA to really get on a players a$$? I don’t think I have seen him light anyone up (but the refs).

Edit to add, I support CJH

I think he probably coaches them hard in practice and tries to keep everything in house when it comes to criticism. From all accounts he is one of the most competitive people you will ever be around. Probably why came he across the way he did today.
I trust and support him too. I’m not going to read into something when he’s not publicly going after people. He seems like the kind of guy that doesn’t have time for distractions or bull$hit. He knows what needs to be fixed, I think his biggest issue is figuring out what buttons to push to make those corrections .

 

[Tnphil]

It would have been worse if we had scored like last year. Please tell me one time last year that time of possession wasn't severely in favor of our opponent.

UGA was close...within about 5 minutes IIRC....Lost TOP pretty good to USC. Some were pretty close and we actually won the TOP in 1 or 2.

If you are going to lose the TOP big you better be scoring a lot or you will see more of what we saw against Florida. Without our warp speed high scoring offense and iffy defense we will have some troubles.

 

[DownTheField]

That's the most defeated I've seen Heupel.

 

[CAVPUT]

That's the most defeated I've seen Heupel.

Let's hope this is as bad as it gets for him. Something in the back of my mind tells me we've not reached bottom just yet this season.

 

[RDU VOL#14]

Well, let’s just go ahead and make it 2-10 while we’re at it and burn down the stadium….

I see no circumstances where he is fired this year or next.

I say we just go ahead and burn everything. Hell I’ll drive 5 hours and light the match. I’m sure some posters will be waiting w/ the kerosene. Shut it down SMU style for a few years and get this Heupel stench off of the program.

 

[Tnphil]

I'll have to see it to believe it. Seems that secondary has unlimited good will. None of them can screw up badly enough to warrant bench time from Martinez and Banks. Hadden especially. The only thing that makes sense is that they're protecting the youngsters who just aren't ready yet. Thank the football gods for the portal. Without it, Nico's debut season will be a nightmare....and this assumes Heupel will be able to operate successfully in the portal and fortify the OL among other spots. That remains to be seen.

Been that way for years...Like JG quarterbacking for Pruitt and our DBs.....I think they all had or have photos! Lol

 

[EZE]

I rewatched, painfully, every highlight play in the UF game. Our defense was worst that I imagined. Our DBs are so disconnected and so easy to pick apart. They screw our linebackers so badly. On run plays we had a safety 20 yards deep with one second of the snap and still retreating. It is mind numbing.

I noticed the DBs during the game. Ridiculously deep. Almost like a percent zone.

I don’t understand it.

 

[FranklinVFL]

That is exactly your problem. You are focusing on two games, not the length of Coach Heupel's tenure or UT's recruiting success under CJH. When Heupel has the right Jimmys and Joes, we will be successful. Fans that were expecting this team to be 9-3 or better this year were sniffing gas. It was never going to be that way - Joe Milton has never and will never be a good decision maker on the field. We still have major work to do on our secondary, but that seems to be more of a coaching problem than a talent problem. If Martinez has a job in Knoxville next year, 100% of the blame rests on CJH's shoulders.

I understand your viewpoint...however, this is year #3...His "Jimmys and Joes" should be making up at least 1/2 of not more of that roster now....and in another year, a minimum of 75% of that roster (most likely around 90% due to the initial 16 scholarships we limited ourselves) should be his players.

I agree he is not getting a boot after this year or next year....but if he does not show a strong upward trajectory in the next 12 months, he will be feeling the hot seat for the remainder of 2024.

I just do not agree that this is a "Jimmy and Joe" issue....we were not that far off from where UF is on players...and last year we did a lot with a lot less....I need to see that this was not catching lightening in a bottle with H. Hooker being the true catalyst and what last year was is repeatable with different personnel.

 

[Vfl2407]

Let's hope this is as bad as it gets for him. Something in the back of my mind tells me we've not reached bottom just yet this season.

I was hoping that the first half against APSU was rock bottom but first half in Gainesville was just as bad.

 

[Sara Clark]

I enjoyed the presser. Feeling good about a rebound this week. I love that coach and Bru's comments all insinuate that the issues are at a team level and are correctable...mainly execution/efficiency issues and have little to do with being centered on Joe. It baffles me how so many pin point Joe as the problem and Nico is the solution lol. I think the players and coaches know better than us fans.

Well, that's not exactly what he said, "execution/efficiency issues having little to do with being centered on Joe."
What he said when flat out asked about Joe was this:
Some real positives. The efficiencies, the communication and handling... all that, we have to be better, he has to be better, the guys up front got to be better."
For any of us to think the coach would trash any one player, well, it just isn't going to happen. That statement is left to interpretation, based on who's listening and what their personal biases are.

 

[lawgator1]

There is no excuse losing to a miserably bad Florida team that can't get out of their own way.

I am going to stop you right there and say that Florida played pretty well, given its limitaitons in certain areas. I'm not remotely saying that UT did, or that both teams were in top form as that was not the case. But it would be inaccurate to say that UF this past Saturday was even remotely as disheveled as they were at Utah.

 

[vols 30]

Wow, just ludicrous. If a coach has to beat Alabama to keep his job, we are going to be hiring and firing a coach every 1-2 years.

Consider who you responded too

 

[Tnphil]

This is just an observation, but Heupel's teams have underperformed in hostile environments at away games. We have two notable away wins: Kentucky and LSU. Other than that, we have been underwhelming, to say the least, on the road. Saturday, we looked like a team that had two cupcakes at home and took a step up in competition in a really hostile environment. I don't think our schedule did us any favors as far as getting us ready for UF at the cesspool.

Florida '23 Team looked visibly shocked in the first half
Georgia '22 Team looked visibly shocked in the first half
SC '22 Team looked visibly shocked in the first half and then kept falling apart
Pitt '22 (we had a lot of luck to win this game) Team looked visibly off-schedule in the first half
Florida '21 Team looked visibly shocked in the first half
Bama '21 (maybe not that bad as we were competitive for a while)

Maybe our schedule needs to include at least somewhat of a challenge before playing UF away. Just a thought.

Agree somewhat.....But for many years UT would play a pretty tough OOC team...like a Cal...UCLA...Oregon...West Virginia etc etc.... before playing UF.....Florida would play a couple of cupcakes and UT boards would say....They haven't played anybody....Only to have UF cornhole us home or away.

 

[TennesseeTarheel]

Hadden should have been benched after that long run. I have never seen anything quite like that. Zero effort to tackle the ball carrier.

What are you talking about? He threw his shoulder at the guy!

(Blue font)

 

[LWSVOL]

He knows he has to beat Bama, now. And absolutely cannot drop any home game. Pressure is on.

or what happens?

 

[VolCalls]

I am going to stop you right there and say that Florida played pretty well, given its limitaitons in certain areas. I'm not remotely saying that UT did, or that both teams were in top form as that was not the case. But it would be inaccurate to say that UF this past Saturday was even remotely as disheveled as they were at Utah.

I’ll say our first offensive drive was damn near perfect. After that we were hot garbage. I don’t know if Florida made defensive adjustments we weren’t ready for or we had a bunch of guys who got cocky after seeing how easy it was to score the first time we got the ball, but something’s not adding up.

 

[JGS III]

Why would he have any pressure whatsoever, he is the best coach we have had in years. We aren’t what we think we are yet, but I believe he has a better chance of getting us there than anyone in the past.

 

[LWSVOL]

I’ll wager any amount of money that a loss to Alabama this season will not cost CJH his job. Or any other loss for that matter.

And nor should it.

you can wager money, if they are so inclined to bet with you, that they could go 5-7 and it will not cost him his job...

 

[OrangeTsar]

I don’t understand why we didn’t do the very same thing to Florida instead of playing on our heels. We let them dictate and we played softy soft. Just head scratching D game plan. Florida is pretty one dimensional, they run and throw to one primary receiver 90 percent of the time. Our D plan and effort in the first half was inexcusable,

You mean we actually HAD a plan on Defense? Could have fooled me

 

[TN1111]

I don’t understand why we didn’t do the very same thing to Florida instead of playing on our heels. We let them dictate and we played softy soft. Just head scratching D game plan. Florida is pretty one dimensional, they run and throw to one primary receiver 90 percent of the time. Our D plan and effort in the first half was inexcusable,

Tim Banks loves to sit in a zone on 3rd and long… it’s what he does and has since he arrived. That’s why you saw just as many long conversions in Neyland last year from Florida. Up until that game, Richardson had yet to throw for a TD in a game.

 

[sjt18]

So Sampson was available, but he didn't play because he was banged up? That doesn't make any sense.

Available if a situation arose where he was needed. Since it didn't... it was better to rest him.

 

[a vol n tears]

This fanbase so desperately needs Heup to be the answer and I do believe the first two years showed that he can be. Buttt, the South Carolina game last year (which I still don't understand) and then a lackluster start this year certainly raises questions. And yes, not going to be surprised to see Haden benched.

If You can bet on it, it can be rigged.
So much money in sports these days. I loved college sports, but now am questioning every game. “ They“ are taking the SEC down. They are propping up the PAC 10 of all things. Colorado has 80 new players and are 3-0 on the season.
I saw an interview with a mafia guy who described how they manipulated college basketball players to shave points. So many people can be bought in any game that can change the outcome. I predict Ga will not be NC this season, and not a Big 10 team either. Bet on it.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

He knows he has to beat Bama, now. And absolutely cannot drop any home game. Pressure is on.

or what happens?

I'm assuming he will send a very strongly worded letter to Danny White and Donde Plowman and also to the Knoxville News Sentinel.

That will show Josh Heupel we mean business!

 

[JGS III]

I live in Georgia and proudly wear my Tennessee hat everyday, I live in a neighborhood full of Georgia fans and not one of them said a word about the game to me when I was out talking to them yesterday. That’s what I mean when I say we are not who we think we are, no one was suprised or made any comment. We had one good year in 20 years and we are all the sudden supposed to be contenders every year. We are expected to lose any big game by most fan bases outside of our own delusion.

 

[a vol n tears]

Tim Banks loves to sit in a zone on 3rd and long… it’s what he does and has since he arrived. That’s why you saw just as many long conversions in Neyland last year from Florida. Up until that game, Richardson had yet to throw for a TD in a game.

Kinda reminds me of a certain DC Fulmer had who gave up plenty of long 3rd downs and easy scores (trying to protect a lead) playing the mustang package