Mid-Season Analysis (add your thoughts!)

#51
#51
McDad said:
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?
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I think you should celebrate your victories.
You woke up this morning. That’s really good.
Sometimes I wonder if you’re going to be able to do that.
The Victories of people we never met going to our university should be entertaining but ultimately not that important in our lives.
 
#52
#52
5-1 and we’ve played three solid (not great), physical SEC teams.

Offense obviously needs to improve, but might not get much better this season. We will go as far as the offense can take us.

I’m still 100% behind Coach Heupel.
 
#53
#53
arkyvol said:
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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If coulda shoulda woulda applies to the loser in any reasonably close game.

But Vols defense was huge and Florida didn’t. That’s what counts.
 
#54
#54
Majors said:
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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Pretty fair ratings IMO although I’d give coaching at least a B for understanding his players shortcomings and adjusting the game plan accordingly to give his team the best chance to win. Also I’d give qb a C- or D+.
 
#55
#55
volbound1700 said:
They are about where I expected them to be on 2023. A mediocre team that can etch out 9-10 wins. We look a lot like Penn State the last 5 years or so. Great defense and no offense.
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9-10 wins would be top 15-20. That’s not mediocre. Mediocre is more like 7-8.
 
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#56
#56
volbound1700 said:
They had a superbowl game against Alabama. They are, in the end, the same team that lost to Georgia State. They are playing well now but would you bet on Vandy beating Tennessee? I wouldn't.
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They are also the same team that won at UK, pushed MO to 2OT and beat VA Tech. Maybe GA State was the aberration.
 
#57
#57
I think I agree with what Coach Doug Matthews said this morning on his Sunday show: if the Vols can just clean up two things, we will be capable of beating anyone on our schedule, including Bama and Georgia. Not a guarantee we will win, but we certainly can. Those two things are:

1. Penalties.
2. Turnovers.

And if you think about it, those two things really boil down to one thing: Discipline.

We are not playing with discipline these last couple of weeks. But it's not just all, "get your head out of your butt, be disciplined!" The problem comes in at least two different forms.

Before we hit those, gotta say up front: a LOT of our players are showing discipline. Very good discipline. Our running backs. Our tight ends. Our receivers. Practically our entire defense. Our kicker and punter.

Unfortunately, penalties and turnovers are both of the nature that one bad apple does spoil the whole bunch.

You could run down the 6 games we've played thus far, list every penalty and turnover, and come up with a "discipline" grade on each member of the team. Without having done that yet, I have to go with gut feel: I suspect most of the errors come in two position groups: QB and OL.

Nico's lack of discipline comes mainly from inexperience. He is bright and talented, but his inexperience leads him to make bone-headed faults, like being less than clear with his intent when meshing for an RPO handoff/keeper. Like failing to recognize when his pocket is collapsing until he has no options left but to eat a sack or get hit while trying to throw and fumbling the ball.

And that collapsing pocket leads us to the OLine. Unlike Nico, their lack of discipline isn't from inexperience. These are all upperclassmen with multiple years in the college game. Their lack of discipline has another source, whether laziness or lack of focus or something else. Unlike Nico, they DO need to pull their heads out of their 4th point of contact.

So. To win next Saturday, to win most or all of the games the rest of the way, we need discipline. In the form of fewer stupid penalties and no more turning the ball over.

Coach got this right, I think.

Go Vols!
 
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#58
#58
It's always good to get a W no matter how you get it. Having said that we still have a lot to work on to get to where we want to be. I think there's a lot of little things that add up to the poor performances we are seeing on offense.

The OL has not played well, but there have been plenty of times when they've held up just fine and Nico couldn't hit the open receiver. So both QB and OL have to get synced up for us hit the big plays. Can't hit them all but have to be more consistent. Would have been intersting to see how the game would have changed if we hit some of the deep shots that should have been TDs.

The run game suffers when we get predictable and the defense Ts off when they know we're in obvious run plays.

The penalties on offense at the most inopportune times have to stop.

Turnovers have to stop too at the most inopportune times. The opening drive fumble killed our start to the game.
 
#59
#59
TAF said:
Below takes ALL 6 Games into Account, with "heavier scrutiny" on "Non-Cupcake" Games:

In My Not-So-Humble Opinion

Offense is Anemic
Defense is ELITE
Special Teams are
Punting average to below average
Kicking Good to Borderline Better Than Good
Play Calling is Sophomoric
Defensive Coaching* BEST in College Football (*including DB Development)
FYI 6 games In and every team Tennessee has faced has been forced to go to the backup QB. That’s an interesting stat!
Offensive Coaching Below Average to Poor
Fan Participation & Experience UNMATCHED

giphy.gif
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I think we have a lot of good signs. Don’t forget not many seasons ago people were calling for Tim Banks head wanting him gone.

The issues we’ve had is Heupel needs to heavily rely on the QB for the offensive success. Even the early games Nico hasn’t and wasn’t able to stretch the ball. That being said I think we saw great strives last night despite the non-scoring.

Nico started 5-5 playing the script perfectly. Nico looked very good, yes very good, rolling out of the pocket limiting his field of required decision making. If he hits that deep pass on his 6th throw I think we are having an entirely different conversation. But he fumbled before hand and I think his confidence was rattled.

It’s funny how the script has flipped among fans. Tim Banks went from the coach everyone wanted tired to now it being our OC. I think we just give it time and be patient. We will know Nico’s make up by the end of season, win or lose.
 
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#60
#60
Midpoint evaluation: And yes, this is TL/DR...but this looked like a decent place to put some thoughts.

This team will go as far as the defense will take them. The Defense is elite and Sampson carries this team.

The OL is horrific...I mean, an absolute nightmare. They are worse than when we had the two twin walk-ons starting on the OL...I mean, geez, there was a series yesterday that had UF sacks on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd downs...I mean....we do not have many wins left on our schedule if we continue to play like that.

QB play needs development....yeah, he does not have time in the pocket a lot, but every go route was there for a completion and he overthrew all of them...didn't even give the WR a chance to make a play on the ball. We will face a full box until he proves he can be more like Hooker and less like Milton on the long throws to successfully stretch the defenses.

RB is the bright spot on that side of the ball...Sampson is ELITE and potentially the best RB in CFB right now considering the line he is working behind.

WRs are a mixed bag...they can make an incredible catch, but then let one go that they should have had. They are not being helped right now by somewhat erratic Nico and if he keeps locked in on the WR he wants to throw to, he will get some WRs killed.

Offense: I do not know what happened in Oklahoma, but it feels like that was our superbowl, and we are walking through the rest of the year now...did we put too much focus on that game and are still in a fog????

Defense...bend, don't break. they really are the best part of this team. they will give up a few big plays (what defense doesn't), but they make it really hard on the opposing offense. I am also pleasantly surprised so far with the defensive back play (a majority of the time).

Coaching: much like above, I wonder if Huepel really focused so much on the Oklahoma game that he now is like trying to pull himself out of that win to the rest of the year? Is he limiting the playbook because he sees the deficiencies of the offense/OL/Nico and knows he cannot put more on them at this time?

Path forward is not going to be easy....Alabama and Georgia....yeah, depends upon which team over there shows up...Vandy is playing some good football right now...so do not knock them. We should outclass MSST and UTEP. KY is an enigma as well that I would tend to put in the W column....so right now I would have us at 8-3 with a tossup for Vandy....Alabama could also be a tossup if the team that they have fielded the last 2 weeks come out against us....so anywhere between 2 - 4 losses for this team.

Bottom line, if we had a Hooker-level offense with this defense, we would be unstoppable....unfortunately, it seems the Vols can never get aligned to be strong on both sides of the ball at the same time.
 
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#61
#61
volbound1700 said:
They had a superbowl game against Alabama. They are, in the end, the same team that lost to Georgia State. They are playing well now but would you bet on Vandy beating Tennessee? I wouldn't.
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I would have gone with that vs. Alabama and a strike of lightening...however, I am not so quick to put that one in the W column...Clark Lea is a good coach, and one I can respect a bit more than Franklin. And he has them playing solid ball right now.
 
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#62
#62
VFL-82-JP said:
I think I agree with what Coach Doug Matthews said this morning on his Sunday show: if the Vols can just clean up two things, we will be capable of beating anyone on our schedule, including Bama and Georgia. Not a guarantee we will win, but we certainly can. Those two things are:

1. Penalties.
2. Turnovers.

And if you think about it, those two things really boil down to one thing: Discipline.

We are not playing with discipline these last couple of weeks. But it's not just all, "get your head out of your butt, be disciplined!" The problem comes in at least two different forms.

Before we hit those, gotta say up front: a LOT of our players are showing discipline. Very good discipline. Our running backs. Our tight ends. Our receivers. Practically our entire defense. Our kicker and punter.

Unfortunately, penalties and turnovers are both of the nature that one bad apple does spoil the whole bunch.

You could run down the 6 games we've played thus far, list every penalty and turnover, and come up with a "discipline" grade on each member of the team. Without having done that yet, I have to go with gut feel: I suspect most of the errors come in two position groups: QB and OL.

Nico's lack of discipline comes mainly from inexperience. He is bright and talented, but his inexperience leads him to make bone-headed faults, like being less than clear with his intent when meshing for an RPO handoff/keeper. Like failing to recognize when his pocket is collapsing until he has no options left but to eat a sack or get hit while trying to throw and fumbling the ball.

And that collapsing pocket leads us to the OLine. Unlike Nico, their lack of discipline isn't from inexperience. These are all upperclassmen with multiple years in the college game. Their lack of discipline has another source, whether laziness or lack of focus or something else. Unlike Nico, they DO need to pull their heads out of their 4th point of contact.

So. To win next Saturday, to win most or all of the games the rest of the way, we need discipline. In the form of fewer stupid penalties and no more turning the ball over.

Coach got this right, I think.

Go Vols!
Click to expand...
1. Penalties
2. Turnovers
3. Offensive Line

The OL is something that is causing #1 and #2. So maybe we need to clean up two position groups:
1. Offensive Line
2. QB decision making
 
#63
#63
VFL-82-JP said:
I think I agree with what Coach Doug Matthews said this morning on his Sunday show: if the Vols can just clean up two things, we will be capable of beating anyone on our schedule, including Bama and Georgia. Not a guarantee we will win, but we certainly can. Those two things are:

1. Penalties.
2. Turnovers.

And if you think about it, those two things really boil down to one thing: Discipline.

We are not playing with discipline these last couple of weeks. But it's not just all, "get your head out of your butt, be disciplined!" The problem comes in at least two different forms.

Before we hit those, gotta say up front: a LOT of our players are showing discipline. Very good discipline. Our running backs. Our tight ends. Our receivers. Practically our entire defense. Our kicker and punter.

Unfortunately, penalties and turnovers are both of the nature that one bad apple does spoil the whole bunch.

You could run down the 6 games we've played thus far, list every penalty and turnover, and come up with a "discipline" grade on each member of the team. Without having done that yet, I have to go with gut feel: I suspect most of the errors come in two position groups: QB and OL.

Nico's lack of discipline comes mainly from inexperience. He is bright and talented, but his inexperience leads him to make bone-headed faults, like being less than clear with his intent when meshing for an RPO handoff/keeper. Like failing to recognize when his pocket is collapsing until he has no options left but to eat a sack or get hit while trying to throw and fumbling the ball.

And that collapsing pocket leads us to the OLine. Unlike Nico, their lack of discipline isn't from inexperience. These are all upperclassmen with multiple years in the college game. Their lack of discipline has another source, whether laziness or lack of focus or something else. Unlike Nico, they DO need to pull their heads out of their 4th point of contact.

So. To win next Saturday, to win most or all of the games the rest of the way, we need discipline. In the form of fewer stupid penalties and no more turning the ball over.

Coach got this right, I think.

Go Vols!
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This is a GREAT POST
 
#65
#65
We have two problems- offensive tackles.

If they were playing better Nico would be playing better.
 
#67
#67
WoodsmanVol said:
1. The SEC as a whole is different, and I mean different.
2. Tennessee just might, might, be an against all odds team. One that wins when it shouldn't, yet wins anyway.
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The scheduling for all the teams and coming out of divisions with parity is one where we beat ourselves up. The SEC is still strong,
 
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#68
#68
Outside of the DL and RB with Sampson, I don't think we're elite at any other position. I think our WR's are very average and our OL is a train wreck at tackle. That would lead to a miserable season even with a veteran qb. The kid at SCjr comes to mind when he was getting blown up every single game. For a RS freshman like Nico, it's been a huge influence in his undoing. To be in year 4 and in such bad shape on the OL is hard to imagine. Heupel and Elarbee have to own this.
 
#69
#69
CAVPUT said:
Outside of the DL and RB with Sampson, I don't think we're elite at any other position. I think our WR's are very average and our OL is a train wreck at tackle. That would lead to a miserable season even with a veteran qb. The kid at SCjr comes to mind when he was getting blown up every single game. For a RS freshman like Nico, it's been a huge influence in his undoing. To be in year 4 and in such bad shape on the OL is hard to imagine. Heupel and Elarbee have to own this.
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I'm not ready to blame the coaches. They did try to get portal and other linemen here. For whatever reason, we couldn't get them to commit to us. This was remarked upon during the spring and summer. I don't know what it is, but they aren't coming here. Recent recruiting SEEMS to be correcting this, or will if the trend continues. But we still seem to struggle getting them here. If the coaches are smart, each guy that says NO, they should request a private meeting to find out why they said NO. Use the input to modify their recruiting approach.
 
#70
#70
CAVPUT said:
Outside of the DL and RB with Sampson, I don't think we're elite at any other position. I think our WR's are very average and our OL is a train wreck at tackle. That would lead to a miserable season even with a veteran qb. The kid at SCjr comes to mind when he was getting blown up every single game. For a RS freshman like Nico, it's been a huge influence in his undoing. To be in year 4 and in such bad shape on the OL is hard to imagine. Heupel and Elarbee have to own this.
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Linebackers& Defensive Backs are playing RIGHT WITH the Elite Defensive Line.
 
#71
#71
arkyvol said:
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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I agree we should have been down 21-0 at the half but luckily we weren’t. It is a long season and you gotta get lucky sometimes.
 
#72
#72
The question to ask at this point in the season is: Are we getting better each game?

The answer is no.

We should be if we're going anywhere this year, even if we do make the playoffs.

So, yeah, we're 5-1 but I don't think anyone (outside of people like UTEP) looking at UT as an opponent is saying...... Dang, those guys are elite. I hope we don't draw them in the playoffs.
 
#73
#73
WoodsmanVol said:
I'm not ready to blame the coaches. They did try to get portal and other linemen here. For whatever reason, we couldn't get them to commit to us. This was remarked upon during the spring and summer. I don't know what it is, but they aren't coming here. Recent recruiting SEEMS to be correcting this, or will if the trend continues. But we still seem to struggle getting them here. If the coaches are smart, each guy that says NO, they should request a private meeting to find out why they said NO. Use the input to modify their recruiting approach.
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I see your point, but in my mind, this system challenges players at almost every position but especially the OL. I think it's going to take any portal guy a year to really get up to speed so to speak. It's why I think the OL of all the positions needs to be built through recruiting. That's my concern with Elarbee and by extension, the head coach who keeps him employed. We shouldn't be this inept and thin in year #4. I'm quickly becoming jaded with portal kids much the way I did with juco guys. It's a crap shoot. Folks will disagree, but I think Dabo might be onto something with his NIL approach.
 
#74
#74
CAVPUT said:
I see your point, but in my mind, this system challenges players at almost every position but especially the OL. I think it's going to take any portal guy a year to really get up to speed so to speak. It's why I think the OL of all the positions needs to be built through recruiting. That's my concern with Elarbee and by extension, the head coach who keeps him employed. We shouldn't be this inept and thin in year #4. I'm quickly becoming jaded with portal kids much the way I did with juco guys. It's a crap shoot. Folks will disagree, but I think Dabo might be onto something with his NIL approach.
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Dabo's lack of success since the portal is due to a few things but not hitting the portal for talent is part of it.

Heupel's success after the massive exodus of players post-Pruitt suggest the portal helps.

The portal is a tool, not the only tool, but a tool for success.

Recruiting out of high school is great ====IF==== you have coaching talent to develop those kids. Someone mentioned that few OL high school recruits at UT have taken significant first team snaps since Heupel got to UT. I'll leave it right there.
 
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