NighthawkVol
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2007
- Messages
- 11,618
- Likes
- 41,177
Well that was about as good of a 1st game as we could ask for, given the opponent. Speaking of the opponent, even though we know Chattanooga should never be the type of program that gives Tennessee a close game, I thought I'd offer a little perspective re: FCS teams. Our next opponent, NC State, beat Western Carolina 38-21 and had to overcome a double digit deficit in the 2nd half to do so. Western Carolina is the #19 ranked team in the FCS poll. Oregon beat Idaho 24-14 last night. Idaho is the #7 ranked team in the FCS poll. Chattanooga, who UT beat 69-3, is the #8 ranked team in the FCS poll. Bottom line...don't take for granted that a top tier FBS school should beat a top tier FCS school by 66 points, which is exactly what Tennessee did.
Observations on the game:
1) My biggest concern on the offensive line going into this season was the left side of Karic and Heard, mostly Karic. Mays, Spraggins, and Campbell should be stellar on the right side. So when I watched the replay (thanks, @Freak) last night, I focused on the left side. I was really pleased, especially with Karic. He looks bigger and stronger. He got great push and moves well. Heard looks like he's supposed to look.
2) Obviously, when judging all of these guys, we have to consider the opponent, but man, Nico is accurate. On every level. Even on one of his misses, Brazzell pulled up his route a little. He throws with great accuracy and touch, while also having a very strong arm. I also liked what I saw from Merklinger. He throws with nice zip and touch. The more I hear/see of him, the more I think he's the successor to Nico and we may not miss a beat in 2026.
3) I like our RB room a lot. Bishop and Seldon look really good behind Sampson. Sampson looks like Jahmyr Gibbs, circa 2022, in terms of body size/type, slipperyness, quickness, and ability to catch out of the backfield. The extra weight is good on him and hasn't slowed him down a bit. He's tough to tackle and gets through small creases. The guy I was most surprised by was Khalifa Keith. He's improved tremendously. He's got more burst and quicker feet. He punishes tacklers.
4) The WR room is loaded. Thornton finally looks like the guy he was supposed to be and Bru looks even better. Has he gotten quicker/faster? Not a big day for Squirrel, but I assume that will change.
5) I was surprised at how little the TEs were targeted. Davis had 2 catches....a TD and a long sideline throw. His other target was the one that there seemed to be a communication on. But Staes was only targeted once (nearly made a spectacular grab), and Kitselman none, that I recall. I did notice Kitselman blocking well.
6) The Dline looks strong and deep. No sacks is a little disappointing, but it's not for lack of pressure. Chattanooga was just getting the ball out quick. Pearce barely played, but Josephs, Herring, and Ross all got penetration.
7) Good to see Gilbert look good on both FG attempts. Both right down the middle.
8) Hard to tell much from the secondary in a game like that. Obviously the stats were good. They completed just over 50% for about 150 yards. Came close to a couple of INTs. Brooks seemed to play fine, but Jakobe Thomas looked better. I thought he was the best Safety on the field, both in run support and pass coverage. Jordan Matthews was shaky on a couple of plays, but he also made some nice plays. I REALLY hope Rickey Gibson is back and 100% soon. Having him on the other side from McCoy gives us a really good set of CBs.
9) The depth of this team is different than past Heupel teams. The 2nd and 3rd groups along both lines played well. Obviously, Jesse Perry is going to be a player for Tennessee. Satterwhite played well at Center. I noticed Bennett Warren and Larry Johnson (who LOOKS like a pro OT) both get nice blocks pulling around on run plays. And we know what the DLine depth is.
10) I was pleased that the staff rotated guys early...before it got well out of hand. That's been a problem in years past. The WRs rotated (played 5 guys significantly in the 1st half), the DBs rotated, the DL always rotates. The Oline didn't rotate a lot until the 2nd half, but I did see Lampley and Davis in fairly early. The RB rotation of Sampson, Seldon, and Bishop looks as good as the rotation of Wright, Small, and Sampson.
Overall, that was a great first game, we took care of business, and all the young guys got an opportunity to show out...and did. Things get real next week. I hope we have the home field/fan advantage in Charlotte. We'll be there, loud and proud. If you haven't bought your tickets yet, I encourage you to go. I think we're going to put on a show.
Observations on the game:
1) My biggest concern on the offensive line going into this season was the left side of Karic and Heard, mostly Karic. Mays, Spraggins, and Campbell should be stellar on the right side. So when I watched the replay (thanks, @Freak) last night, I focused on the left side. I was really pleased, especially with Karic. He looks bigger and stronger. He got great push and moves well. Heard looks like he's supposed to look.
2) Obviously, when judging all of these guys, we have to consider the opponent, but man, Nico is accurate. On every level. Even on one of his misses, Brazzell pulled up his route a little. He throws with great accuracy and touch, while also having a very strong arm. I also liked what I saw from Merklinger. He throws with nice zip and touch. The more I hear/see of him, the more I think he's the successor to Nico and we may not miss a beat in 2026.
3) I like our RB room a lot. Bishop and Seldon look really good behind Sampson. Sampson looks like Jahmyr Gibbs, circa 2022, in terms of body size/type, slipperyness, quickness, and ability to catch out of the backfield. The extra weight is good on him and hasn't slowed him down a bit. He's tough to tackle and gets through small creases. The guy I was most surprised by was Khalifa Keith. He's improved tremendously. He's got more burst and quicker feet. He punishes tacklers.
4) The WR room is loaded. Thornton finally looks like the guy he was supposed to be and Bru looks even better. Has he gotten quicker/faster? Not a big day for Squirrel, but I assume that will change.
5) I was surprised at how little the TEs were targeted. Davis had 2 catches....a TD and a long sideline throw. His other target was the one that there seemed to be a communication on. But Staes was only targeted once (nearly made a spectacular grab), and Kitselman none, that I recall. I did notice Kitselman blocking well.
6) The Dline looks strong and deep. No sacks is a little disappointing, but it's not for lack of pressure. Chattanooga was just getting the ball out quick. Pearce barely played, but Josephs, Herring, and Ross all got penetration.
7) Good to see Gilbert look good on both FG attempts. Both right down the middle.
8) Hard to tell much from the secondary in a game like that. Obviously the stats were good. They completed just over 50% for about 150 yards. Came close to a couple of INTs. Brooks seemed to play fine, but Jakobe Thomas looked better. I thought he was the best Safety on the field, both in run support and pass coverage. Jordan Matthews was shaky on a couple of plays, but he also made some nice plays. I REALLY hope Rickey Gibson is back and 100% soon. Having him on the other side from McCoy gives us a really good set of CBs.
9) The depth of this team is different than past Heupel teams. The 2nd and 3rd groups along both lines played well. Obviously, Jesse Perry is going to be a player for Tennessee. Satterwhite played well at Center. I noticed Bennett Warren and Larry Johnson (who LOOKS like a pro OT) both get nice blocks pulling around on run plays. And we know what the DLine depth is.
10) I was pleased that the staff rotated guys early...before it got well out of hand. That's been a problem in years past. The WRs rotated (played 5 guys significantly in the 1st half), the DBs rotated, the DL always rotates. The Oline didn't rotate a lot until the 2nd half, but I did see Lampley and Davis in fairly early. The RB rotation of Sampson, Seldon, and Bishop looks as good as the rotation of Wright, Small, and Sampson.
Overall, that was a great first game, we took care of business, and all the young guys got an opportunity to show out...and did. Things get real next week. I hope we have the home field/fan advantage in Charlotte. We'll be there, loud and proud. If you haven't bought your tickets yet, I encourage you to go. I think we're going to put on a show.
