How do you play so bad after a bye week?

#26
#26
BigOrangePhoenix said:
Second time this season. The dropped passes were aggravating. We also need a new kicker.
Click to expand...
BigOrangePhoenix said:
Second time this season. The dropped passes were aggravating. We also need a new kicker.
Click to expand...
Kicker started missing missed against Bama before the bye. So, that isn’t the reason he is missing. I did question Heupel sending the kids home after the Oklahoma win being that it was so early in the season.

That said we have been dropping passes all year. Even though the OL is still killing opening drives, we have started fumbling early, and we are allowing too many QB hurries and sacks (mostly the left side) throughout the games, the OL seems to have improved—beginning with the second half of the FLA game.

As the OL has improved, Nico has seen more passing plays and more time to throw the ball. So, his timing and accuracy are better. So, incomplete balls that people were blaming Nico for because they weren’t perfectly placed are now more obviously the receivers’ faults, because they are in the right place at the right time more often than not.

If Nico had the WR/OL cast this year that Hooker had in 2022, he would have thrown multiple 300+ yard games and we would be the best team in college football. IMO, Nico has taken way too much heat for the lackluster veteran group around him throughout the year.

If our receivers can bring in half the catches they drop, our OL can allow half the sacks/hurries they allow, and our kicker make half the kicks he misses—and Sampson holds onto the football like he has throughout his career, we stomp these teams.

Can we shore all this up before Georgia and Vandy? We had better.

But for now, we are 7-1 folks!!!! That’s a lot to sit back and enjoy for the week.
 
  • Like
Reactions: WeeohdeeWood, BleedinOrangeinPA, Proud Army Wife and 1 other person
#27
#27
vegasvolfan said:
Kicker started missing missed against Bama before the bye. So, that isn’t the reason he is missing. I did question Heupel sending the kids home after the Oklahoma win being that it was so early in the season.

That said we have been dropping passes all year. Even though the OL is still killing opening drives, we have started fumbling early, and we are allowing too many QB hurries and sacks (mostly the left side) throughout the games, the OL seems to have improved—beginning with the second half of the FLA game.

As the OL has improved, Nico has seen more passing plays and more time to throw the ball. So, his timing and accuracy are better. So, incomplete balls that people were blaming Nico for because they weren’t perfectly placed are now more obviously the receivers’ faults, because they are in the right place at the right time more often than not.

If Nico had the WR/OL cast this year that Hooker had in 2022, he would have thrown multiple 300+ yard games and we would be the best team in college football. IMO, Nico has taken way too much heat for the lackluster veteran group around him throughout the year.

If our receivers can bring in half the catches they drop, our OL can allow half the sacks/hurries they allow, and our kicker make half the kicks he misses—and Sampson holds onto the football like he has throughout his career, we stomp these teams.

Can we shore all this up before Georgia and Vandy? We had better.

But for now, we are 7-1 folks!!!! That’s a lot to sit back and enjoy for the week.
Click to expand...
And we gave Arkansas the go ahead TD. We could have sacked them made them fumble or intercepted it or blocked the field goal.
 
#28
#28
We really need a cupcake team to get a rhythm again on offense. Hopefully MSU can be that cupcake.
 
#29
#29
Volfan2012 said:
Nico played really well three dropped passes that were right there relate to 18 points. Three missed field goals 9 points. We scored enough to win total execution by WR's and Kicker would've made it a blowout.
Click to expand...
This team is on the cusp - another tune-up with MS St and we roll into Athens - GBO!
 
#30
#30
loservol said:
No more bye weeks for this team. For now on, they will have to at least play and FCS school on what would normally be a bye week to just keep their focus. Seriously, who on here thought the 2 bye weeks would be their biggest foes this season?
Click to expand...
If I am not mistaken Heuple is like 15-1 after a bye
 
  • Like
Reactions: feathersax
#36
#36
etsuvol13 said:
Y’all do realize we should have won by like 20 right?
Click to expand...
20? We should hung almost 60 on them. Instead we were lucky to beat them by 10. Shoulda, coulda, woulda but didn’t. Sorry but this is a little bit of a red flag for me. Coming off a bye week there is ZERO excuses to look as bad as we did against a depleted UK team that is one of the worst offensive teams in the SEC.
 
#39
#39
Have you ever gone back to work after being off for a long weekend or vacation and you’re rusty? Like you forgot everything and have to re learn your job even though you’re actually pretty good at it? Not playing for a couple weeks and losing that momentum is the same thing. It takes a minute to warm back up because you’ve cooled off.
 
#40
#40
American_PitVol said:
Georgia only beat them 13-12…do they suck, too? Score could have easily been 51-17. And should have been. But I’ll take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day
Click to expand...
Kentucky beat Ole Miss on the road. They're not a good team, but they have played well at times this season.
 
  • Like
Reactions: OllVol
#41
#41
BigOrangeTrain said:
20? We should hung almost 60 on them. Instead we were lucky to beat them by 10. Shoulda, coulda, woulda but didn’t. Sorry but this is a little bit of a red flag for me. Coming off a bye week there is ZERO excuses to look as bad as we did against a depleted UK team that is one of the worst offensive teams in the SEC.
Click to expand...
Oh my goodness we gotta be the most cry baby fan base in America… you would think we were 1-7 and not the opposite… oh how we forget the past so quickly this is still a program that is building… how many years in the 20 before heup have we been 7-1 with wins over Florida and Alabama? Have they been pretty absolutely not but oh well the object is to win no matter how we do it… you can’t say shoulda coulda woulda about us then in the same sentence turn around and say we were lucky to win by 10… I personally am glad we are struggling and going through adversity but still winning in October… I much rather play my best ball late than peak too soon… our team is better overall due to the adversity and will have the confidence and belief to win no matter what… just embrace and enjoy the ride and continue to watch the Vols improve.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rocytop2624 and McMannis
#42
#42
KnoxToTheBoro93 said:
Oh my goodness we gotta be the most cry baby fan base in America… you would think we were 1-7 and not the opposite… oh how we forget the past so quickly this is still a program that is building… how many years in the 20 before heup have we been 7-1 with wins over Florida and Alabama? Have they been pretty absolutely not but oh well the object is to win no matter how we do it… you can’t say shoulda coulda woulda about us then in the same sentence turn around and say we were lucky to win by 10… I personally am glad we are struggling and going through adversity but still winning in October… I much rather play my best ball late than peak too soon… our team is better overall due to the adversity and will have the confidence and belief to win no matter what… just embrace and enjoy the ride and continue to watch the Vols improve.
Click to expand...
I love the wins. But that fact alone just doesn’t excuse all the crappy play we have seen. For some reason that’s lost on you. There is no excuse for how bad this team looks after a bye week. There is no excuse as to why our WRs are this bad. There is NO EXCUSE for our anemic first half scoring woes.

You are fine with us struggling. Fine. I am not. We shouldn’t be struggling like this imo. Especially not this late in the season. I hope we still continue winning. We will improve. But when was the last time we put a complete game on offense?

We barely beat a depleted UK team. Yes I can say we should have hung 60 on them. If our team was not struggling, we would have. But offensively we just aren’t there yet. And sorry I don’t like it. But that doesn’t mean I don’t live this team and love it that we have only lost 1 game.
 
#43
#43
UTBuff37 said:
Have you ever gone back to work after being off for a long weekend or vacation and you’re rusty? Like you forgot everything and have to re learn your job even though you’re actually pretty good at it? Not playing for a couple weeks and losing that momentum is the same thing. It takes a minute to warm back up because you’ve cooled off.
Click to expand...
Exactly, 2 schools of thought on off weeks. If you are playing well and on a roll (and I consider beating Alabama to be on a roll) you want to keep it going.

OTOH if you are in a funk with a lot of banged up people an open date can be a real bonus.
 
#44
#44
shawnb82 said:
Perceived weak opponents coming out of bye weeks make for focus issues.
Click to expand...
This^
Everybody accentuates the losses by Arkansas & Kentucky, forgetting the tight games they've lost or the win over Ole Miss at Ole Miss. The guys making the lines don't look as close either ergo the 14 point favorites, over a team that did what few teams in the SEC could do, beat a loaded Ole Miss at Oxford. IMO the players and fans read the lines and think its going to be a walk in the park until its not.
 
#46
#46
American_PitVol said:
Georgia only beat them 13-12…do they suck, too? Score could have easily been 51-17. And should have been. But I’ll take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day
Click to expand...
KY wasn't as depleted when they played GA as they are now. They were missing 5 starters on defense going into the game and several on offense. GA would've boat raced the team we faced on Saturday.
 
#47
#47
We need to win out and Alabama needs to beat LSU and then we play either Texas or Texas A&M in the SEC Championship game.
 
#48
#48
BigOrangeTrain said:
20? We should hung almost 60 on them. Instead we were lucky to beat them by 10. Shoulda, coulda, woulda but didn’t. Sorry but this is a little bit of a red flag for me. Coming off a bye week there is ZERO excuses to look as bad as we did against a depleted UK team that is one of the worst offensive teams in the SEC.
Click to expand...
Maybe you coulda, woulda, shoulda adjust your expectations to simply winning. Poor take from a “fan”
 
  • Like
Reactions: BernardKingGOAT
#50
#50
BigOrangeTrain said:
How did we make them look like fools? By barely beating them by 10?
Click to expand...
Well, that, and making Mark Stoops bench his starting quarterback, making Kentucky fans ramp up their calls for their winningest coach since Bear Bryant to be fired, and demonstrating that their whole damned team couldn't keep Dylan Sampson out of the end zone. But you do you, snowflake.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top