Mid-Season Analysis (add your thoughts!)

[WoodsmanVol]

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.

Getting quality Ol isn't just the protal thing, same with recruiting HS'ers. We don't seem to be able to get them here. I'm not sure why.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

Speaking of mediocre coaching. Here's the discussion on an Ohio State board concerning Ryan Day. It's about having elite resources being wasted on a coach who doesn't win games he should.

 

[Vol in Buckeye Land]

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.

We don’t know if we’re a contender. To say definitively that we are or aren’t at this point is silly.

 

[Vol in Buckeye Land]

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.

Disagree that Dabo’s approach is at all preferable, but wholeheartedly agree that the lines need to be built through HS recruiting, with occasional portal fill-ins on defense, since it’s more rotational.

 

[chattaboogie]

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.

Except when it’s Arkansas

 

[farmdogvol]

Punting is well above average, you’re just giving into recency bias

He averaged 46yd per punt last night.

 

[Vol8188]

He averaged 46yd per punt last night.

Yeah, that’s really good. That includes multiple kicks he didn’t hit as hard as possible so we could down them inside the 20

 

[farmdogvol]

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.

There will be plenty of tape on Vandy come the end of the year.UT has the defense to contain Vandy.

 

[Big Al Orange]

My mid season analysis is this:
BORING!

Half of the 6 games were painful to watch.

In over time to keep running the ball while in easy FG range was too risky to suit me. Yes I’m very happy we won but dang let’s take the points and get out of there next time.

 

[farmdogvol]

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.

Those were the only 3 sacks of the game. The first sack was on Nico, Brazzell was open and Nico missed him. He hits that pass for 1st down the other 2 don't happen.

 

[Volfan1000]

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

Offense C Plus.
Defense A Plus.
Special Teams B Plus.
Coaching C.
Fans A.

 

[WoodsmanVol]

Except when it’s Arkansas

We aren't alone in being upset.