Next year means everything

#1
UTFranklinVol

UTFranklinVol

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#1
UT won 11 games last year which was our best showing in a very long time. Some people think that is a reason not to question the results this year because Heupel is the best coach we have had since Fulmer.

I think it's worth asking the question though... Which year was the outlier? Was Heupel really a genius coach that got us to 11 wins or did he get extremely lucky to have Hooker and Hyatt on the same team?

Because this year I saw the same coach with basically the same team as last year but with a better OL and better rushing game but minus Hooker and Hyatt and the results were much different. Like, A LOT different we didn't compete against any of the tough teams on our schedule.

So was 2023 the "norm" and 2022 the "outlier"? Or should I expect more out of this team in 2024?

Heupel now has "his guy" at QB and IMO next year will tell the story of which year was the real outlier and who was REALLY responsible for the success last year. I hope Heupel is the real deal and not "in the right place at the right time" guy.
 
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#2
#2
UTFranklinVol said:
UT won 11 games last year which was our best showing in a very long time. Some people think that is a reason not to question the results this year because Heupel is the best coach we have had since Fulmer.

I think it's worth asking the question though... Which year was the outlier? Was Heupel really a genius coach that got us to 11 wins or did he get extremely lucky to have Hooker and Hyatt on the same team?

Because this year I saw the same coach with basically the same team as last year but with a better OL and better rushing game but minus Hooker and Hyatt and the results were much different. Like, A LOT different we didn't
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Same team as last year? What planet did you come from, bub?
 
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#4
#4
UTFranklinVol said:
UT won 11 games last year which was our best showing in a very long time. Some people think that is a reason not to question the results this year because Heupel is the best coach we have had since Fulmer.

I think it's worth asking the question though... Which year was the outlier? Was Heupel really a genius coach that got us to 11 wins or did he get extremely lucky to have Hooker and Hyatt on the same team?

Because this year I saw the same coach with basically the same team as last year but with a better OL and better rushing game but minus Hooker and Hyatt and the results were much different. Like, A LOT different we didn't compete against any of the tough teams on our schedule.

So was 2023 the "norm" and 2022 the "outlier"? Or should I expect more out of this team in 2024?

Heupel now has "his guy" at QB and IMO next year will tell the story of which year was the real outlier and who was REALLY responsible for the success last year. I hope Heupel is the real deal and not "in the right place at the right time" guy.
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I don't agree that the 2023 squad was "basically the same team" as the 2022 squad. The differences were significant across the offense, defense and special teams.

And I'm not sure I agree 2024 is the litmus test. Yes, a lot of the lads will be "Heupelites" for the first time. But it's still a freshman QB, and it's still a roster that lost its "Covid fat" (all those players who got to play a 5th year thanks to the Covid exclusion). That latter is the rubber band snapping. And it's snapping for every team in college football in 2024.

So I'm waiting for 2025 to see what we really have. That will be a more "ordinary" transition from year to year. I think then we'll see what Josh Heupel and his system are fully capable of. That's the year I think we start lighting things up with our presence in championship contests (conference and national).

But still, I do hope next year is awesome, too. Of course.

Go Vols!
 
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#9
#9
I'm really not on board with this notion that Heup just "struck gold" with Hooker/Hyatt/Tillman.

All 3 of them had plenty of football under their belt, Hooker especially, and weren't anything special until Heupel got them. So much of Hyatt's success was the scheme, and Hooker finally being given the coaching to maximize his talent.

I'm comfortable saying this year is probably the outlier. Not every offense requires a QB with a very specific skill set, but ours definitely does. Joe has some really good skills, but throwing the ball to tight windows and perfectly leading someone open aren't among them. That is absolutely crucial to the success of this offense.
 
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#10
#10
Good grief - different QB, different WR, OL due to injuries very different throughout the year. Lost Bru during the season.

Defense different as well ... not the same team. And next year will be different as well.

And sometimes the team you start the year with is not the team you finish with.

Folks also have a very short memory - even with Hooker and the NFL WR's. we had trouble with UGA last year and SC whipped us.
 
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#12
#12
knox-townVOL said:
I'm really not on board with this notion that Heup just "struck gold" with Hooker/Hyatt/Tillman.
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Agreed.

A prospector strikes gold mostly by luck.

Heupel's relationship with Hooker, Hyatt et al is more like an Alchemist who turns lead* into gold. That's not being lucky. That is skillfully making something turn out the way you wish.

Go Vols!



* I'm not calling Hendon or anyone else lead. But they were significantly shinier and more valuable under Heupel's tutelage than prior to joining him.
 
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#15
#15
VFL-82-JP said:
I don't agree that the 2023 squad was "basically the same team" as the 2022 squad. The differences were significant across the offense, defense and special teams.

Go Vols!
Click to expand...

I think I can make a pretty good argument that the 2023 team was basically the same (or better) except for Hooker and Hyatt.

We had a better more experienced OL than last year which is evidenced by the fact that they have given up 10 fewer sacks than last year. There was very little that Milton was genuinely pressured this year. The second evidence was how much better our running game was. That's 100% due to a better OL. Not to rob our RB of their due credit because they have had more yards per carry and more yards per game.

And I've pointed out that in spite of all the belly aching over the defense. It has actually produced better numbers than the last 2 years. The defense had one big issue this year and that issue was named Joe Milton who went 3-and-out like it was his job. Or defense was on the field way too much this year vs last but has so far outperformed last year.

So yes I am quite confident that I can say the 2023 team as a whole was basically the same (or in cases better) than 2022 with the main difference being no Hooker or Hyatt.
 
#19
#19
UTFranklinVol said:
UT won 11 games last year which was our best showing in a very long time. Some people think that is a reason not to question the results this year because Heupel is the best coach we have had since Fulmer.

I think it's worth asking the question though... Which year was the outlier? Was Heupel really a genius coach that got us to 11 wins or did he get extremely lucky to have Hooker and Hyatt on the same team?

Because this year I saw the same coach with basically the same team as last year but with a better OL and better rushing game but minus Hooker and Hyatt and the results were much different. Like, A LOT different we didn't compete against any of the tough teams on our schedule.

So was 2023 the "norm" and 2022 the "outlier"? Or should I expect more out of this team in 2024?

Heupel now has "his guy" at QB and IMO next year will tell the story of which year was the real outlier and who was REALLY responsible for the success last year. I hope Heupel is the real deal and not "in the right place at the right time" guy.
Click to expand...
Better O line? A better O line that lost top 10 pick Darnell Wright? Yeah no. Also Hendon Hooker wasn’t Hendon Hooker before he had Josh Heupel as coach. Tillman and Hyatt were not elite prospects coming out of high school. If look at Heupel’s offenses going back to 2018 you will see that this season was the outlier, not last season.
 
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#20
#20
GAVol said:
And Cedric Tillman and Darnell Wright and a few other key factors . . . 2023 was always going to be a tougher year roster-wise.
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Cedric Tillman gets a lot of love for sure but he had only 400 yards receiving and was the #5 receiver last year compared to Hyatt having 1250 and Bru having over 600 and even Keyton had more than Tillman.

We had Bru and Keyton plus Squirrel White who has more yards this year than Tillman had last year.
 
#21
#21
UTFranklinVol said:
We had a better more experienced OL than last year which is evidenced by the fact that they have given up 10 fewer sacks than last year.
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We're also throwing it a little less and I know we're throwing quick stuff WAY more than we did last year because nobody trusts Milton to dropback, make a read and push it down the field. Yareds per Attempt has got to be down significantly.
 
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#22
#22
UTFranklinVol said:
Cedric Tillman gets a lot of love for sure but he had only 400 yards receiving and was the #5 receiver last year compared to Hyatt having 1250 and Bru having over 600 and even Keyton had more than Tillman.

We had Bru and Keyton plus Squirrel White who has more yards this year than Tillman had last year.
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It's almost like Tillman was hurt or something.
 
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#23
#23
RDU VOL#14 said:
Better O line? A better O line that lost top 10 pick Darnell Wright? Yeah no. Also Hendon Hooker wasn’t Hendon Hooker before he had Josh Heupel as coach. Tillman and Hyatt were not elite prospects coming out of high school. If look at Heupel’s offenses going back to 2018 you will see that this season was the outlier, not last season.
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Yes our OL has given up 10 fewer sacks than last year and produced a better running game. Regardless of Darnell, this year's OL has been better, sorry you got star struck and didn't look at the actual numbers
 
#25
#25
RDU VOL#14 said:
Also Hendon Hooker wasn’t Hendon Hooker before he had Josh Heupel as coach. Tillman and Hyatt were not elite prospects coming out of high school. If look at Heupel’s offenses going back to 2018 you will see that this season was the outlier, not last season.
Click to expand...

This is a bad argument though. "Hooker and Hyatt and Tillman weren't good before Heupel worked his magic on them" but wait why didn't Heupels magic wand work on Milton or Keyton or White? Since he apparently has the hand of God that turns players into NFL draft picks. Lol pass.

Hooker and Hyatt were all time good players.
 
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