Mid-Season Analysis (add your thoughts!)

#26
#26
volbound1700 said:
We are not a contender like people made Tennessee out to be the first 4 weeks but we have won at Oklahoma and beat Florida. Probably not a bad year.

Interesting year around the country with up and down performances each week. No one outside of may Texas has looked elite.
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We’re a contender until we’re not. At this point it just is what it is. We’re gonna have to continue to rely on the run game and play elite defense. If Nico takes care of the football and can move the chains a few times on 3rd down or throw it away when he has nothing there, we’re gonna be alright. Nico shouldn’t surpass 20 passing attempts with this defense and run game.
 
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#28
#28
Orange931 said:
We’re a contender until we’re not. At this point it just is what it is. We’re gonna have to continue to rely on the run game and play elite defense. If Nico takes care of the football and can move the chains a few times on 3rd down or throw it away when he has nothing there, we’re gonna be alright. Nico shouldn’t surpass 20 passing attempts with this defense and run game.
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True, our schedule isn't that tough (SEC isn't very good outside of Texas). That is our saving grace. If we were playing 2022 Alabama, we wouldn't stand a chance this upcoming Saturday. I think Tennessee has a good chance to beat this Alabama team.
 
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#31
#31
We are 5-1 and about where I thought we would be. The posters who thought Nico would win heisman have been brought back to reality it is just so hard on a freshman QB in this league. I think we must win 2 of the next 4 which isn’t going to be easy but need to keep grinding.

The good thing out of the poor offensive performance is maybe I won’t have to see “Vols by fiddy” anymore 😊
 
#32
#32
volfan411 said:
We are 5-1 and about where I thought we would be. The posters who thought Nico would win heisman have been brought back to reality it is just so hard on a freshman QB in this league. I think we must win 2 of the next 4 which isn’t going to be easy but need to keep grinding.

The good thing out of the poor offensive performance is maybe I won’t have to see “Vols by fiddy” anymore 😊
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We need to win 3 of the next 4. Just 2 wins and we’re out of the playoff, we can’t drop 2 more games.
 
#33
#33
volbound1700 said:
Our schedule has Kentucky (offense maybe worse than TN), Miss State (couldn't have winning record in the MAC), and UTEP.

Alabama and Vandy are winnable as well.

SEC isn't some world beater league. Auburn lost to Cal, Vandy to Georgia State, etc.

Georgia is the only team that is scary left on the schedule.
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Um...most objective pundits consider the SEC to be atop the mountain of college football.

Next, if you don't think we are at-risk of losing to KY then I suggest you talk to Ole Miss and GA. And, while I agree we should beat Miss State, they just scored 31 against GA...remind the last time we scored more than 25 pts against an SEC team (hint: you have to go back to Vandy last season).

Bottom line is we are struggling mightily to score against middle of the road SEC teams...4 of our 5 OL grade out as replaceable and our QB is struggling to hit open guys so what's going to happen when we play better teams who are physical on both sides of the ball (hello GA, AL and KY)?

(Hint: We lose at least 2 out of those 3 games if our offense doesn't start scoring TD's)
 
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#35
#35
5-1 is where I expected us to be at the 6 game mark. Only difference is I thought the one loss would be to Oklahoma, not Arkansas. But that's the way most seasons go. You win one you don't expect and lose one you don't expect.
 
#36
#36
Orange931 said:
We need to win 3 of the next 4. Just 2 wins and we’re out of the playoff, we can’t drop 2 more ga
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Agree we have to win 3 of 4 to make play-offs but at this point this team doesn’t look like a play-off team. At this point I am hoping to salvage a 9-3 season.
 
#37
#37
volfan411 said:
Agree we have to win 3 of 4 to make play-offs but at this point this team doesn’t look like a play-off team. At this point I am hoping to salvage a 9-3 season.
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We’re a playoff team until we’re not. Unless we’re completely out of it, then there is hope. That’s any team every year.
 
#38
#38
TAF said:
those line drive punts and 2-3 shanks say otherwise...
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He has only had 1 shank this year and he is averaging over 45 yards per punt. The coverage was right in the face of the returner last night. Elusive returner made them miss. Those two "line drive punts" you were referring to were with his heels on the back of the endzone. That does effect the punt a lot of times.
 
#39
#39
INCLUDING the patsy games we're currently the 61st ranked team in passing ypg. If that doesn't get better it's not going to get it done through the rest of the SEC schedule.
 
#41
#41
Pride85 said:
He has only had 1 shank this year and he is averaging over 45 yards per punt. The coverage was right in the face of the returner last night. Elusive returner made them miss. Those two "line drive punts" you were referring to were with his heels on the back of the endzone. That does effect the punt a lot of times.
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Ross is WEAK, apologize for him ALL you want. Opponent punters have been better,
 
#43
#43
volbound1700 said:
We are not a contender like people made Tennessee out to be the first 4 weeks but we have won at Oklahoma and beat Florida. Probably not a bad year.

Interesting year around the country with up and down performances each week. No one outside of may Texas has looked elite.
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It is starting to look like CFB again.

2022 was a crazy year with all of those old qbs and Covid holdovers. That may have been one of the best seasons in all of CFB. The wackiness we have now is just a sign of a return to normal parody.

I could be wrong, but there hasn’t been a huge innovation offensively lately either. So, there isn’t some team with a huge advantage schematically that is taking people by surprise or something.
 
#45
#45
Nationdom said:
I am more worried about Vandy this year than Georgia. The QB for Vandy is a problem. I think we beat both but Vandy will be more of a challenge
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I wish I shared your optimism as I have little expectations to best bama or Georgia and Vandy sure looks to be a problem. Definitely going to require a huge step forward on offense to win these.

JMO, but I think our OL is very comparable to 2022 except we don’t have a Wright at tackle. Hooker regularly had a collapsing pocket and took too many sacks. He also would often squirt out of broken protection for nice gains. To me, if Nico was operating at 75% of 2022 Hooker then the offense and OL would appear completely different. If Nico is truly getting $2 million a year then it might be time to sell that investment and spend the money elsewhere.
 
#46
#46
Orange931 said:
We’re a contender until we’re not. At this point it just is what it is. We’re gonna have to continue to rely on the run game and play elite defense. If Nico takes care of the football and can move the chains a few times on 3rd down or throw it away when he has nothing there, we’re gonna be alright. Nico shouldn’t surpass 20 passing attempts with this defense and run game.
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So you think we should have a $8 million game manager?
 
#48
#48
RB- A
OL- D
QB- C
DL- B
LB- B
DB- B
ST- B
Coaching - C
Fans - A (losing A+ for falling for the hype)
 
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#49
#49
Orangeslice13 said:
Don’t be coy.
The one I’ve beaten you over the head with for 6 months.
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7 - 5.

Would you have me celebrate because I have an opportunity to be right or celebrate because the team has an opportunity to be better than my "way too early" prediction?
 
#50
#50
If Florida had been able to close the deal on those four drives into the red zone, this game would have been an embarrassment, big time.
 
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