McElroy questioning UT offense

#1
J

J C Higgins

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#4
#4
Um....he is in a minority thinking OU defense is not good. I have heard literally no one else say this, and a great majority of talking heads say the exact opposite. Not that I put huge stock in talking heads, but when pretty much every one of them agree on something, chances are its true. 🤣
 
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#5
#5
I actually read the article...he is saying that we are in the top five in most offensive categories, and maybe our offense is not that elite. I would tend to agree our numbers were inflated against Kent State and Chattanooga, but we are a legit top 10, or at worst, top 20 offense. Or will be by seasons' end.

Arkansas will in fact be a good test for us.
 
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#6
#6
BanditVol said:
I actually read the article...he is saying that we are in the top five in most offensive categories, and maybe our offense is not that elite. I would tend to agree our numbers were inflated against Kent State and Chattanooga, but we are a legit top 10, or at worst, top 20 offense. Or will be by seasons' end.

Arkansas will in fact be a good test for us.
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Yep. Fortunately the lowest...lowest our defense is ranked nationally in ANY stat that matters is 6th. Top 5 in yards, points allowed, yards per play, against the run, against the pass....you name it. Defense travels. Defense rarely has off games unlike offenses, and defense wins championships. Top 10 offense AND top ten defense can win it all for sure. Shoot ...top 20 offense and top 20 defense can win it all when we play likely the 2 best teams in the nation in the regular season.

Literally EVERY opportunity is in front of this 24 team. Thats all we can ask for. Nationally televised games on Saturday nights over and over again as well to boost exposure and recruiting. We are in GREAT SHAPE. We could honestly lose to both Bama and pups and STILL be a 5 or 6 seed in the playoffs. This is where many services project us being as of right now. Amazing coaches, amazing team...at the best university in America. GO VOLS
 
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#17
#17
Oklahoma is 12th in defensive efficiency and their HC is known for putting together some of the best defenses of the past decade or so. Also, their D basically won that Auburn game. So this seems like a pretty bad take.

McElroy is doing the usual 'look at totals' fallacy. Defensive efficiency is a much better measure. Also, Auburn has put up yards against everyone; they just make a lot of mistakes.

That said, I do agree that our offense needs a lot of work still, but silly to claim Oklahoma's D is not good.
 
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#18
#18
J C Higgins said:
Greg McElroy has been and continues to be high on the Vols this year but he's not as sure the offense is as good as he thought at one time because he isn't sure Oklahoma's defense is anything special.

https://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/former_alabama_qb_explains_why_hes_questioning_if_the_tennessee_vols_offense_is_actually_good_in_2024/s1_17313_40995063#:~:text=The%20reason%20behind%20McElroy's%20sudden,15%20last%20month%20in%20Norman).&text=%22How%20good%20is%20the%20Tennessee%20offense%3F
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Anyone without orange colored glasses on has been questioning it here also, but we get called crazy. O line, even when 100% has looked questionable. Receivers can't get open. Nico has made some questionable throws, that have been labeled as pro level, but against better competition would have been picked off. Heupel didn't slow down against Oklahoma out of respect or because the defense was so good, he did it because our "throw game" is not up to standards and didn't want it "exposed on tape".

Defense has done what it's supposed to do, but we haven't played anyone capable of scoring. Our number 1 draft pick has been neutralized all season and continues to watch his draft stock fall and that's been against horrible team's.

Truth is, we don't know what we have until we play the elites. Arkansas should be a decent test for our defense. When Bama comes to town in a couple of weeks, we will truly know. And hopefully we are improved and a true complete team

If we were gauging any of our opponents, we'd point out and say the same thing. They haven't played anyone, pass game looks sus, defense is inflated, etc.
 
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#20
#20
VolForLife83 said:
Anyone without orange colored glasses on has been questioning it here also, but we get called crazy. O line, even when 100% has looked questionable. Receivers can't get open. Nico has made some questionable throws, that have been labeled as pro level, but against better competition would have been picked off. Heupel didn't slow down against Oklahoma out of respect or because the defense was so good, he did it because our "throw game" is not up to standards and didn't want it "exposed on tape".

Defense has done what it's supposed to do, but we haven't played anyone capable of scoring. Our number 1 draft pick has been neutralized all season and continues to watch his draft stock fall and that's been against horrible team's.

Truth is, we don't know what we have until we play the elites. Arkansas should be a decent test for our defense. When Bama comes to town in a couple of weeks, we will truly know. And hopefully we are improved and a true complete team

If we were gauging any of our opponents, we'd point out and say the same thing. They haven't played anyone, pass game looks sus, defense is inflated, etc.
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Man, it must be exhausting going through life this pessimistic all the time.

Heupel literally said himself ON THE FIELD after the OK game that he pulled back because the defense was playing so well so where does that fit in your narrative? I’ll wait..
 
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#22
#22
If the Vols are rushing for 150-300 yards per game and the passing game is at least solid and limits turnovers, they will be hard to stop. If they continue to run the ball like they have, it crushes the will of the opponent's defense.

If the Vols pass for 300-400 yards and rush for under 100 yards, it's not always the same thing. I'd personally rather not be in games that are continuous shootouts back and forth.

So far, the Vols have a suffocating defense and get you with the ground game. At the end of the day, MOST of the time, year in and year out, defense and the ability to run, wins championships.

I am concerned about the OL with the injuries and pretty thin at some positions with the major drop off in talent when someone goes out. Playing musical chairs along the OL is usually not a good thing.....
 
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#23
#23
Our offensive line is probably average to a little above average when healthy. We had one OT out the entire Oklahoma game and the other missed at least half the game. So as others have pointed out, it’s no surprise we had trouble protecting the QB and run blocking. But Oklahoma would have been difficult for our O even if fully healthy. Despite what McEroy says, they are a top defensive team and they were designed/aligned to stop the Heupel offense. Venables is great defensive coach and very familiar with Heupel‘s offense.

Oklahoma ran the same basic defensive set as NC State but Oklahoma has the talent to run it right. We only had two downfield completions and the touchdown came when we shifted into a different formation to give them a new look. Josh won that battle but they adjusted and I don’t believe we ever again got a WR deep without a safety helping the corner.

Is the Georgia offense overrated because Kentucky held them well below their normal yards and points? Look at the last three times Georgia has played in Lexington - their offense just has problems against the defense Kentucky plays. Matchups are always important.
 
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#24
#24
DiderotsGhost said:
Oklahoma is 12th in defensive efficiency and their HC is known for putting together some of the best defenses of the past decade or so. Also, their D basically won that Auburn game. So this seems like a pretty bad take.

McElroy is doing the usual 'look a totals' fallacy. Defensive efficiency is a much better measure. Also, Auburn has put up yards against everyone; they just make a lot of mistakes.

That said, I do agree that our offense needs a lot of work still, but silly to claim Oklahoma's D is not good.
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they dont' have the talent
 
#25
#25
madbamahater said:
If the Vols are rushing for 150-300 yards per game and the passing game is at least solid and limits turnovers, they will be hard to stop. If they continue to run the ball like they have, it crushes the will of the opponent's defense.

If the Vols pass for 300-400 yards and rush for under 100 yards, it's not always the same thing. I'd personally rather not be in games that are continuous shootouts back and forth.

So far, the Vols have a suffocating defense and get you with the ground game. At the end of the day, MOST of the time, year in and year out, defense and the ability to run, wins championships.

I am concerned about the OL with the injuries and pretty thin at some positions with the major drop off in talent when someone goes out. Playing musical chairs along the OL is usually not a good thing.....
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A thousand times yes! The ability to run - especially when playing on the road - allows you to control the game. With a strong D and strong running game, a 10 point lead is very comfortable.
 
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