Not so fast my friends.

[volfan2024]

Yeah, that's comparable to losing Gurley, Marshall, Scott-Wesley, Bennett, Mitchell (did you forget about him), Rumph, Mattews and Norman.

Georgia barely won and I got that. But they won on their third and fourth RBs and with 4 of their top 6 WRs out. Also had two members of the defensive secondary out prior to the game as well. Sure, it's part of football but that's a lot to overcome and any team without an Aaron Murray wouldn't have.

Give me a break. You guys were lucky to win. Very lucky. If you did not have an NFL first round qb you would have lost.

 

[utvolpj]

On the QB front, I am personally surprised that one of the UT freshman hasn't been started to get the future at the position some real snaps. Just my observation.

and you've spent how much time observing the UT freshman QB's?

From my seat it looked like Worley did ok against the UGA D

 

[TDawg]

The one thing that didn't happen to the Tennessee defense is a bust in the secondary giving one up over the top. I have no doubt they'd have tried that late with Scott-Wesley.

Great point, not sure why the Dawgs still didn't with Reggie Davis .. might be one of the fastest in the SEC and we hardly used him. Guess we were satisfied throwing to the hands of stone Rhett McGowan and "I'm still on the team?" Rantavious Wooten.

 

[OrangeBalls]

Great point, not sure why the Dawgs still didn't with Reggie Davis .. might be one of the fastest in the SEC and we hardly used him. Guess we were satisfied throwing to the hands of stone Rhett McGowan and "I'm still on the team?" Rantavious Wooten.

I wouldn't be knocking Wooten. He's a 5th year Sr that saved your asses. Without him, you might not win. I'd be glad he decided to stick around.

 

[TDawg]

Give me a break. You guys were lucky to win. Very lucky. If you did not have an NFL first round qb you would have lost.

And if half the offense isn't wearing ice packs, the score isn't close. IMHO .. it is what it is and the game is over and time for the next .. any more games like that and I might have to see if I have any eligibility left.

 

[GAVol]

Yeah, that's comparable to losing Gurley, Marshall, Scott-Wesley, Bennett, Mitchell (did you forget about him), Rumph, Mattews and Norman.

Georgia barely won and I got that. But they won on their third and fourth RBs and with 4 of their top 6 WRs out. Also had two members of the defensive secondary out prior to the game as well. Sure, it's part of football but that's a lot to overcome and any team without an Aaron Murray wouldn't have.

Again.... You're ignoring the fact that coaching changes and attrition have us playing with about 70% of an actual SEC quality roster. Y'all have dealt with it for a couple of games. It's been this way for us all year ... and we've got injuries on top of that.
I think the RB injuries did hurt y'all though in that it closed the playbook a lot due to pass protections.

 

[TDawg]

I wouldn't be knocking Wooten. He's a 5th year Sr that saved your asses. Without him, you might not win. I'd be glad he decided to stick around.

Where was he going to go? Certainly not the draft. Yes, I am glad he is on the team but he has done some serious disappearing acts in the past.

 

[BIG BOI 23]

with the injuries its very hard to imagine their still the same team basically all their skill guys are hurt #20 georgia bulldogs could be about right

 

[TDawg]

Again.... You're ignoring the fact that coaching changes and attrition have us playing with about 70% of an actual SEC quality roster. Y'all have dealt with it for a couple of games. It's been this way for us all year ... and we've got injuries on top of that.
I think the RB injuries did hurt y'all though in that it closed the playbook a lot due to pass protections.

Pass pro is tough on the new kids at RB but there were three dropped passes on third down that would have changed drives on each one. Two by a walk on WR and one by the fourth RB. Like I said, it is what it is. Knoxville is tough to play in but definitely tougher when you have more kids on the team medical bus than you do on the charter plane home.

 

[Sudden Impact]

Dooley's team would have thrown in the towel after the USA loss.

 

[OrangeBalls]

Where was he going to go? Certainly not the draft. Yes, I am glad he is on the team but he has done some serious disappearing acts in the past.

To another school or a lower division school to get more playing time. Are you that dense? He wasn't playing a lot of snaps for a reason. There was better talent in front of him. When he got his chance to play, I'd say he played pretty good. That's why you have depth. UT has very little of that after four coaches in the last six years.

 

[CardsNVols]

So many semantics. So many people reading too much into one game. I choose to see it for exactly what it was-- A game in which we played extremely hard but ultimately lost. That's all that happened. Comparing it to past games is pointless. College football is not an exact science and every situation is different.

All we can do now is get ready for the next opponent.

 

[TDawg]

and you've spent how much time observing the UT freshman QB's?

From my seat it looked like Worley did ok against the UGA D

He did, but is that the future of your team. All the praise for Murray, rightfully so, is cool but remember this kid as a freshman led the Dawgs to their first losing season in decades as a freshman. Since then they have won 10 games, 12 games and off to a great start this year. I am just saying, I think Dobbs is a guy I would have loved to see at UGA and I think he should get ALL the chances in the world to develop the same way. By year two or three he would be an all purpose machine .. again, JMHO

 

[TDawg]

To another school or a lower division school to get more playing time. Are you that dense? He wasn't playing a lot of snaps for a reason. There was better talent in front of him. When he got his chance to play, I'd say he played pretty good. That's why you have depth. UT has very little of that after four coaches in the last six years.

Two years ago when it would have made sense for him to leave if he wanted, there wasn't much at all in front of him. He couldn't beat out Marlon Brown and a freshman named Malcolm Mitchell so no I am not that dense but i don't think you know the year to year WR situation at UGA either.

 

[Jake]

The one thing that didn't happen to the Tennessee defense is a bust in the secondary giving one up over the top. I have no doubt they'd have tried that late with Scott-Wesley.

Yep, great point, and that was being discussed by Verne and Gary during the game...no so much regarding a deep pass, but that Tennesse's secondary was covering downfield so well.

That tying TD pass by Murray had NFL written all over it. Low, tight, bullet...indefensible.

 

[Sudden Impact]

Again.... You're ignoring the fact that coaching changes and attrition have us playing with about 70% of an actual SEC quality roster. Y'all have dealt with it for a couple of games. It's been this way for us all year ... and we've got injuries on top of that.
I think the RB injuries did hurt y'all though in that it closed the playbook a lot due to pass protections.

70 % is a little too high.

 

[Crazy Ivan]

I want to believe we have turned the proverbial corner, but two things irk me. For your consideration:

1. Richt after a big win (LSU). I actually had a feeling this was going to happen so much so that I took the Vols plus the points and won. Look at Richt's track record. The Dawgs have a history of laying eggs when they have just beaten a big opponent. It has happened on multiple occasions. Couple that with the 14 point lead they jumped off to and they were absolutely primed for an upset.

2. The injuries. We did not outplay the number 6 Georgia Bulldawgs. We outplayed the number 20 (or some such) Georgia Bulldawgs (due to talent loss) who were reeling from injuries and hence shell-shocked.

For these two reasons, I am not willing to say we've turned a corner.

Butch's gutsiness on 4th down, the raucous environment, the play of the freshmen and Pig, and the effort given in the second half, though, are all tangible things that have me hoping. I think it is a bit too early to annoint Butch as savior of Volunteer Football. My confidence meter just ticked up though.

My counterpoint was that much of the improvement we saw had nothing to do with the injuries UGA sustained on offense, or how UGA plays following a big win.

Worley threw the ball a lot crisper overall. He was accurate and he hit his receivers in stride. He also threw some very nice timing throws where the ball was in the air before the receiver had made his cut. Other than not getting the team set at the LOS at the 2:53 mark of the 4th qtr, which caused Butch to call a TO and stop the clock, his game mgmt was excellent. If he continues to develop like that he will be a solid McCarron-type QB.

The young receivers continue to develop and made some big plays in crunch time.

Despite the fumble in OT, Pig continues to show he is a playmaker.

Neal was again impressive. His legs never stopped churning and he was aggressive against the 2nd and 3rd lines of the defense. Credit to him and to Gillespie.

We seem to have a legitimate playmaker in the making on D with Vereen. And Corey Miller and Jacques Smith both seemed to have stepped up their game with Vereen in the rotation.

Butch's and his staff's philosophy and blue collar work ethic finally appears to be showing up as the team looked mentally tough.

The staff had the team ready to play.

Butch showed he has some riverboat gambler in him.

Obviously the talent level is the same with the team and we are not suddenly an SEC contender, but nevertheless, if the players continue to buy in and the staff can continue to get the most out of what they have, this can still be a very entertaining season and a building block to the future.

 

[VolGee4]

You can't compare having some guys get nicked up in practice to seeing three of your top players leave the field with what all looked to be season enders on the road. That and already having two guys in the secondary not playing, the actual top WR already out for the year, the best player in football (Gurley) already out for the game, a 6'6" WR out with a ham string and you have a recipe for a fight no matter who you are playing. But for Murray to put the team on his back and still put out a win with the third and fourth string RBs, 3 of his original top 4 WRs out and the left side of the OLine not getting it done is impressive to say the least.

I understand being shocked, and Murray certainly played great with the back-ups. But, I have no sympathy when it comes to injuries or depth. We have a starting LB out (probably for the year), two contributors at DT out, a RB, a starting WR, and we play two walk-ons in our nickel package on top of a true freshman at corner. We had true freshmen all over that field. This won't be the same team that you will play from here out because we are having to reload. But, otherwise, I was there, and it was a great college football game.

 

[RiseToTheTop]

I want to believe we have turned the proverbial corner, but two things irk me. For your consideration:

1. Richt after a big win (LSU). I actually had a feeling this was going to happen so much so that I took the Vols plus the points and won. Look at Richt's track record. The Dawgs have a history of laying eggs when they have just beaten a big opponent. It has happened on multiple occasions. Couple that with the 14 point lead they jumped off to and they were absolutely primed for an upset.

2. The injuries. We did not outplay the number 6 Georgia Bulldawgs. We outplayed the number 20 (or some such) Georgia Bulldawgs (due to talent loss) who were reeling from injuries and hence shell-shocked.

For these two reasons, I am not willing to say we've turned a corner.

Butch's gutsiness on 4th down, the raucous environment, the play of the freshmen and Pig, and the effort given in the second half, though, are all tangible things that have me hoping. I think it is a bit too early to annoint Butch as savior of Volunteer Football. My confidence meter just ticked up though.

both teams had alot of injuries. why do people keep saying this? i know of almost 10 guys the Vols could have used in that game. they could have had a few more injuries and still been deeper than UT. we had many guys out and we were still out manned anyway

 

[OrangeBalls]

Two years ago when it would have made sense for him to leave if he wanted, there wasn't much at all in front of him. He couldn't beat out Marlon Brown and a freshman named Malcolm Mitchell so no I am not that dense but i don't think you know the year to year WR situation at UGA either.

And I'd say Mitchell and Brown both had more talent than him. Again, he waited his turn and bailed your ass out on Sat. I wouldn't be ripping on a guy that decided to stick around for 5 years and waited his turn, but that seems what you are wanting to do.

 

[Dragon18]

I want to believe we have turned the proverbial corner, but two things irk me. For your consideration:

1. Richt after a big win (LSU). I actually had a feeling this was going to happen so much so that I took the Vols plus the points and won. Look at Richt's track record. The Dawgs have a history of laying eggs when they have just beaten a big opponent. It has happened on multiple occasions. Couple that with the 14 point lead they jumped off to and they were absolutely primed for an upset.

2. The injuries. We did not outplay the number 6 Georgia Bulldawgs. We outplayed the number 20 (or some such) Georgia Bulldawgs (due to talent loss) who were reeling from injuries and hence shell-shocked.

For these two reasons, I am not willing to say we've turned a corner.

Butch's gutsiness on 4th down, the raucous environment, the play of the freshmen and Pig, and the effort given in the second half, though, are all tangible things that have me hoping. I think it is a bit too early to annoint Butch as savior of Volunteer Football. My confidence meter just ticked up though.

So here's the thing... and this is actually a pretty good post IMO. The thing that stands out to me in this post and in others is that UT is in search of some kind of savior for the program. I get that and the program has definitely needed a savior lol. The problem with hoping for a savior is it creates a situation that IMMEDIATE correction is the only thing that will qualify as satisfactory. UT played great Saturday! Did they turn the corner? They turned A corner. But there will be more trials ahead. I have seen improvement in certain areas in EVERY game this year and the team is getting closer to being complete with what they have available. There will still be teams more talented. USCe and Alabama in particular. I think what I'm trying to say is that this is, and will be, a process. It is clearly working, but I'm not ready to say we have turned "THE" corner. We will continue to get better and I truly believe we go 6-6 at a minimum. I'm picking 7-5 but I will not be disappointed if we don't hit that mark. I'm all in for team 117 and I'm all in for CBJ and this staff.eace2:

 

[tm3]

OP is making a good, however unpopular, point.

no doubt GA top to bottom has better players than UT. no doubt UT has good players out for injuries. but one need look no further than hunter/bray/patterson to see the difference losing top playmakers can make. narrow it down even more to one playmaker and look at what a difference Pig was saturday.

one also need look no further than UT vs USA and UT vs GA to see the difference in intensity and focus that can happen in one week. i'm pretty sure that GA was not as up for UT as they were for LSWho.

there were a lot of positives last saturday, but a disturbing negative is that when crunch time came and GA needed to go 75 yards in 1:55 while down 4-5 of their top playmakers, UT did not stop them.

 

[OrangeBalls]

OP is making a good, however unpopular, point.

no doubt GA top to bottom has better players than UT. no doubt UT has good players out for injuries. but one need look no further than hunter/bray/patterson to see the difference losing top playmakers can make. narrow it down even more to one playmaker and look at what a difference Pig was saturday.

one also need look no further than UT vs USA and UT vs GA to see the difference in intensity and focus that can happen in one week. i'm pretty sure that GA was not as up for UT as they were for LSWho.

there were a lot of positives last saturday, but a disturbing negative is that when crunch time came and GA needed to go 75 yards in 1:55 while down 4-5 of their top playmakers, UT did not stop them.

And that's because UT has had their own roster problems now for the last 5 years because they've had three different coaches in that time.

 

[volatil]

TDAWG quit whining about injuries. At least your coach has stocked up on talent for depth.

Two words to end this debate.........


Derek Dooley

 

[volsfansince4387]

Injuries are a part of football....All we showed Saturday is Georgia is SOFT.