Overconfidence - We are 3 last second plays away from being 3-3

[BenGrimm]

Good teams find a way to win the close ones. SoS speaks for itself.

This… all day long.

 

[LouderVol]

In years past those were 3 plays we werent making.

As mentioned Bama is in the same boat. Georgia is in a similar boat with Mizzou.

Our record is perfect, the team doesnt have to be. Our talent isnt to the point where we should expect to win every game comfortably. Bama has better talent than us, and the best coach in the nation, I will take a one play victory. Florida has similar talent, and we are quadruple jinxed vs them, I will take a one play victory. Pitt we played before they fell apart, this is the only one I really feel like we should have won by more, but I wont complain about the results.

 

[utvolpj]

Clint Stoerner says hello!

And Syracuse PI, UF missed chip shot, etc. Take the wins when you get them, especially against Bama or UF

 

[snarcks]

We are also 3 missed plays away from beating Florida and Bama both by double digits. It's okay.

This is true and a great point!

 

[IndianaVol]

I disagree about the "overconfidence" part. I think most fans are euphoric about the completely unexpected 6-0 start. The style, play, improvement and attitude of this entire football team has awakened an entire fan base. I would call it "renewed hope", "excitement", "euphoria", or whatever. Fill in the blank. I would not call it "overconfidence."

Football is a game of inches, a game of close calls and last-minute plays. You can take almost any national championship team, or "almost" national championship team and pick a few plays here and there during the season that made a huge difference.

Let's not forget the 1998 Vols were a couple of plays from starting 0-2, not to mention the Arkansas game.

YES - as much as I relish and cherish that 1998 season...I have never, ever seen a penalty flag thrown for "Equipment Violation" and haven't seen one since that Syracuse game where there were two.

 

[NO SIR EEE]

It's been soooooo long since I have been able to feel like this. I will do as I please OP. Big Orange All The Way until someone stops us!

 

[tim]

So is Alabama

 

[KoachKrab127]

this


the difference in this team vs some in the past is we don't quit until the game ends

most coaches we've had would have taken a knee and went into overtime with Bama saturday, but not this one... we had 20 seconds... plenty of time to score

Another difference is, I have seen this team improve over the course of the season. In 2016, I never felt confident, even when we were 5-0, because the team was not improving. In fact, they fell apart. Of course this season is only half over, but this year, IMO, we have taken huge strides since the Florida game. My confidence in them jumped quite a few notches after the LSU game.

I hope we continue to get better. That’s what we did in 1998. The ‘98 team looked very shaky after Auburn (4-0 at that time), but the next game, we dominated UGA, who was favored to beat us. After that victory, I felt our team was special. After we dominated LSU this year, I began to feel that this team could be special too. I hope I’m right.

 

[N.ohio vol]

I get what your saying but dear God we were a few plays away from running Bama out of stadium in first half. If we completely execute its worse than 52 points. This vol team is good sure we've had bounces go our way Pitt and Florida. I believe we have to stay grounded a little. CJH will make sure he keeps these guys focused. I believe it when CJH says we aren't where we want to be. I see so much more potential coming! When our defense is completely stacked look out!

 

[DynaLo]

Since you’re a younger fan and you weren’t around in the years before the dumpster fire got lit it makes sense that you don’t really understand.

Smack talk to the point of obnoxious is what the fans are supposed to be doing. It’s our reputation, our history and other fans fully expect it to occur. Enjoy this ride.

 

[WillisWG]

The Legion keeps marching on....they look for dark clouds everywhere.

 

[DaddyChad]

Why do some of our “fans” insist on being Fing miserable?

 

[Flipdaddy]

We are all admittedly on cloud 9 right now. For many of us younger fans, this is the best time to be a Vol fan in our lifetime. Saturday was no doubt euphoric. That said, I’ve read a lot and listened to some fans on social media and radio and many are acting as if we are now invincible. This is only a segment of fans but it seems to be a big portion. Too many of us are partaking of the RAT POISON!

Crash and burn is the worst feeling. While I don’t believe that is going to happen, we have to remember that we have literally won 3 games on the last play of the game. While UGA is the biggest game left and will be our final real obstacle before the SECCG, we gotta take KY seriously as well. Why are so many overlooking them? They have a bunch of dudes that will play on Sundays, 2 weeks to rest, a stout D, and have the best RB in the league. We only beat them by 3 last year (and we likely would have lost if the refs had caught the Levis face mask). There’s a reason the line is only -5.5. We all saw Missouri almost pulled an upset on UGA.

Perspective is important. We are one QB injury away from disaster. So for those who believe they should just go ahead and hand us the title, I simply suggest to enjoy this time but slow your roll so we all don’t look like fools to the world if we slip up. Other SEC fan bases would love nothing more than to see us crash and burn now. That said, I believe we are the best team in the country and this ride is amazing! I will talk so much smack come December if we get to and win in Atlanta. But for now, one week at a time is the way to get to the promised land.

GBO!

Normally I’m on board with this type logic but I’m changing. In the past Tennessee would’ve given the games up…those days are over. Could Hendon get hurt? Sure, we know that but right now he’s healthy and I am very optimistic. These wins are building unbelievable competitive confidence that we desperately need to keep pulling these out.

 

[KnoxRealtorVOL]

We are all admittedly on cloud 9 right now. For many of us younger fans, this is the best time to be a Vol fan in our lifetime. Saturday was no doubt euphoric. That said, I’ve read a lot and listened to some fans on social media and radio and many are acting as if we are now invincible. This is only a segment of fans but it seems to be a big portion. Too many of us are partaking of the RAT POISON!

Crash and burn is the worst feeling. While I don’t believe that is going to happen, we have to remember that we have literally won 3 games on the last play of the game. While UGA is the biggest game left and will be our final real obstacle before the SECCG, we gotta take KY seriously as well. Why are so many overlooking them? They have a bunch of dudes that will play on Sundays, 2 weeks to rest, a stout D, and have the best RB in the league. We only beat them by 3 last year (and we likely would have lost if the refs had caught the Levis face mask). There’s a reason the line is only -5.5. We all saw Missouri almost pulled an upset on UGA.

Perspective is important. We are one QB injury away from disaster. So for those who believe they should just go ahead and hand us the title, I simply suggest to enjoy this time but slow your roll so we all don’t look like fools to the world if we slip up. Other SEC fan bases would love nothing more than to see us crash and burn now. That said, I believe we are the best team in the country and this ride is amazing! I will talk so much smack come December if we get to and win in Atlanta. But for now, one week at a time is the way to get to the promised land.

GBO!

Do you understand the amount of “what if’s” that could go into any college game that would totally change the landscape? Let’s look at the Bama game:

What if we don’t gift them a free TD

What if they didn’t get the bogus PI call in the end zone?

What if Keyton doesn’t quit on the route and takes it to the house?

What if Hooker just takes the slightest bit off the deep pass to Keyton in the end zone?

There’s 4. If those 4 go differently, we literally stomp a mud hole in Bama.

 

[rocketskates]

There have been seasons recently where we were a few plays away from having a better record. The same could be said for any team that plays a tough schedule. That’s how the game goes and the fact is we are 6-0 and playing some of the best football that we have since the 90s. Enjoy the ride. I think Heupel is pretty good at keeping the players focused and humble.

You know the last time that we beat Florida and Bama in the same season? 2004. As Chris Jericho would say…drink it in maaannnn

 

[Herman Hickman]

https://bigorangefootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/1985-tennessee-volunteers-03.png

You are what your record says you are.

In all my years watching Tennessee play since the 1970s, the 1985 team is my favorite. And they could have easily started the season 1-5.

They overcame adversity. They improved. They got stronger. They became the strongest team in the country by the end of that season.

This team is a lot like that one. I see things getting a whole lot better for us all.

Relax...and enjoy this beautiful ride. Lord knows when we're down, we hit the bottom hard.

Seasons like this, where Tennessee demonstrates what it is capable of doing, make those hard times much easier to digest.

 

[aaronvol]

Yep...but we were also 3 away from being 9-3 last season. We have simply gotten better and are finishing well. Look, Florida won 38-14 last year. Bama won 52-24. Will we lose a game this year? Probably. But, overconfidence is not something we have right now. We know that we can lose 2-3 games with our schedule left. We could lay an egg against Kentucky or USC. But, right now we are 6-0 with wins against Pitt, Florida, LSU, and Bama. Just read that last line one more time...I'll wait.


Good. So, let's enjoy the ride and remember from where we have come.

 

[Jeff Clark]

We are all admittedly on cloud 9 right now. For many of us younger fans, this is the best time to be a Vol fan in our lifetime. Saturday was no doubt euphoric. That said, I’ve read a lot and listened to some fans on social media and radio and many are acting as if we are now invincible. This is only a segment of fans but it seems to be a big portion. Too many of us are partaking of the RAT POISON!

Crash and burn is the worst feeling. While I don’t believe that is going to happen, we have to remember that we have literally won 3 games on the last play of the game. While UGA is the biggest game left and will be our final real obstacle before the SECCG, we gotta take KY seriously as well. Why are so many overlooking them? They have a bunch of dudes that will play on Sundays, 2 weeks to rest, a stout D, and have the best RB in the league. We only beat them by 3 last year (and we likely would have lost if the refs had caught the Levis face mask). There’s a reason the line is only -5.5. We all saw Missouri almost pulled an upset on UGA.

Perspective is important. We are one QB injury away from disaster. So for those who believe they should just go ahead and hand us the title, I simply suggest to enjoy this time but slow your roll so we all don’t look like fools to the world if we slip up. Other SEC fan bases would love nothing more than to see us crash and burn now. That said, I believe we are the best team in the country and this ride is amazing! I will talk so much smack come December if we get to and win in Atlanta. But for now, one week at a time is the way to get to the promised land.

GBO!

Stupid............................................just stupid

 

[zydane47]

We are all admittedly on cloud 9 right now. For many of us younger fans, this is the best time to be a Vol fan in our lifetime. Saturday was no doubt euphoric. That said, I’ve read a lot and listened to some fans on social media and radio and many are acting as if we are now invincible. This is only a segment of fans but it seems to be a big portion. Too many of us are partaking of the RAT POISON!

Crash and burn is the worst feeling. While I don’t believe that is going to happen, we have to remember that we have literally won 3 games on the last play of the game. While UGA is the biggest game left and will be our final real obstacle before the SECCG, we gotta take KY seriously as well. Why are so many overlooking them? They have a bunch of dudes that will play on Sundays, 2 weeks to rest, a stout D, and have the best RB in the league. We only beat them by 3 last year (and we likely would have lost if the refs had caught the Levis face mask). There’s a reason the line is only -5.5. We all saw Missouri almost pulled an upset on UGA.

Perspective is important. We are one QB injury away from disaster. So for those who believe they should just go ahead and hand us the title, I simply suggest to enjoy this time but slow your roll so we all don’t look like fools to the world if we slip up. Other SEC fan bases would love nothing more than to see us crash and burn now. That said, I believe we are the best team in the country and this ride is amazing! I will talk so much smack come December if we get to and win in Atlanta. But for now, one week at a time is the way to get to the promised land.

GBO!

 

[Jeff Clark]

It's a good idea to put every poster who says we shouldn't be happy and excited about this season on ignore

 

[GetYouSomeofThat]

We are all admittedly on cloud 9 right now. For many of us younger fans, this is the best time to be a Vol fan in our lifetime. Saturday was no doubt euphoric. That said, I’ve read a lot and listened to some fans on social media and radio and many are acting as if we are now invincible. This is only a segment of fans but it seems to be a big portion. Too many of us are partaking of the RAT POISON!

Crash and burn is the worst feeling. While I don’t believe that is going to happen, we have to remember that we have literally won 3 games on the last play of the game. While UGA is the biggest game left and will be our final real obstacle before the SECCG, we gotta take KY seriously as well. Why are so many overlooking them? They have a bunch of dudes that will play on Sundays, 2 weeks to rest, a stout D, and have the best RB in the league. We only beat them by 3 last year (and we likely would have lost if the refs had caught the Levis face mask). There’s a reason the line is only -5.5. We all saw Missouri almost pulled an upset on UGA.

Perspective is important. We are one QB injury away from disaster. So for those who believe they should just go ahead and hand us the title, I simply suggest to enjoy this time but slow your roll so we all don’t look like fools to the world if we slip up. Other SEC fan bases would love nothing more than to see us crash and burn now. That said, I believe we are the best team in the country and this ride is amazing! I will talk so much smack come December if we get to and win in Atlanta. But for now, one week at a time is the way to get to the promised land.

GBO!

And Bama could easily be 4-3.

A win is a win especially when theyre against Power 5 opponents.

 

['Boro-vol]

The 98 Championship team was one of the luckiest groups in college football. From Syracuse to Arkansas, it took the ball rolling our way multiple times to pull that dream season off. Sometimes when your good, the breaks just go your way. I’m beginning to believe this is one of those teams.

As an aside, I don’t understand what people think they are insulating themselves from by not embracing the fact that this is a good football team. How is that enjoyable, and why do you bother?

 

[sjt18]

We are all admittedly on cloud 9 right now. For many of us younger fans, this is the best time to be a Vol fan in our lifetime. Saturday was no doubt euphoric. That said, I’ve read a lot and listened to some fans on social media and radio and many are acting as if we are now invincible. This is only a segment of fans but it seems to be a big portion. Too many of us are partaking of the RAT POISON!

Maybe you are just so used to having NO confidence that confidence makes you uncomfortable? Who specifically is saying that UT is invincible? Expecting to win... isn't the same of assumptions of invincibility.

Crash and burn is the worst feeling.

Disagree. I think the hopelessness many of us have felt by this point of the season for the past 15 years is a million times worse. Yeah, it hurts to have high expectations disappointed... but it is like cancer when you come to accept low ones as your expectation.

While I don’t believe that is going to happen, we have to remember that we have literally won 3 games on the last play of the game. While UGA is the biggest game left and will be our final real obstacle before the SECCG, we gotta take KY seriously as well. Why are so many overlooking them?

And why are so many of you determined to inflate them?

They have a bunch of dudes that will play on Sundays, 2 weeks to rest, a stout D, and have the best RB in the league. We only beat them by 3 last year (and we likely would have lost if the refs had caught the Levis face mask). There’s a reason the line is only -5.5.

Did you bet the line in the LSU game? Yes they have some good players... and some fatal flaws. Their OL has been nothing short of awful Their DL is mediocre and thin. Their secondary is a significantly less athletic version of Bama's. Can they beat UT? Yes. Should they? No. And it shouldn't be all that close.

We all saw Missouri almost pulled an upset on UGA.

So how do you project that on to UT? Heupel has done a GREAT, not good, GREAT job of keeping his team focused on improvement from their own baselines and the next opponent only. Yet they're also playing with a high level of confidence... almost a belief in "invincibility" which though seemingly offensive to you is a trait ALL great teams play with. They believe they WILL win. They no longer "hope" to win or wish they could win. I'm not sure why you miss that attitude.

Perspective is important. We are one QB injury away from disaster.

No. Not really. UT has one of the better QB situations in the whole SEC. We don't know exactly what losing Hooker would do... but neither does any other SEC team including Bama and UGA. But we do know that Milton has shown improvement and is extremely talented. He also has the respect of the team as a leader.

So for those who believe they should just go ahead and hand us the title,

Literally no one said that. I suspect you've tried to poison the well with this hyperbole because deep down... you kind of know this whole argument is hollow. You are just trying to deal with your own issues by projecting them onto others.

I simply suggest to enjoy this time but slow your roll so we all don’t look like fools to the world if we slip up.

So you get to determine how much others should "enjoy this time"? You've gotten ahead of the Christmas rush and already look like a fool.

Other SEC fan bases would love nothing more than to see us crash and burn now.

So? That's the nature of playing at a championship level. The same is true for Bama, UGA, tOSU, and anyone else. The only way to avoid that is to be what UT has been for the better part of the last 15 years.

That said, I believe we are the best team in the country and this ride is amazing!

So in other words, everything you wrote before is pretty much your own emotional BS that you should have shared with your shrink or pastor rather than here?

I will talk so much smack come December if we get to and win in Atlanta. But for now, one week at a time is the way to get to the promised land.

GBO!

I don't know if I seem to talk smack... but I try to approach this stuff as objectively as I can. UGA is extremely talented. They toyed with a couple of opponents but their talent was still just too overwhelming. That's a concern. A fairly big concern. The caveat is that their wins consist of a questionable Oregon team (their wins are against bad teams), a couple of weaklings, and the 4 worst teams in the SEC. UT will be by far the best they have played when that game kicks off.

All I can tell you on UK is go back and watch them play. Watch their line play in particular. Look at the competition they've beaten and especially apart from MSU. They're not a great team... not by a long stretch. They have more flaws than LSU and Bama... and even UF. And their flaws... align very nicely with UT's strengths.

 

[Jeff Clark]

The 98 Championship team was one of the luckiest groups in college football. From Syracuse to Arkansas, it took the ball rolling our way multiple times to pull that dream season off. Sometimes when your good, the breaks just go your way. I’m beginning to believe this is one of those teams.

As an aside, I don’t understand what people think they are insulating themselves from by not embracing the fact that this is a good football team. How is that enjoyable, and why do you bother?

Negavols probably don't like this offense and defense and don't like how they're winning so they make themselves miserable on purpose.

 

[N.ohio vol]

Maybe you are just so used to having NO confidence that confidence makes you uncomfortable? Who specifically is saying that UT is invincible? Expecting to win... isn't the same of assumptions of invincibility.

Disagree. I think the hopelessness many of us have felt by this point of the season for the past 15 years is a million times worse. Yeah, it hurts to have high expectations disappointed... but it is like cancer when you come to accept low ones as your expectation.

And why are so many of you determined to inflate them?
Did you bet the line in the LSU game? Yes they have some good players... and some fatal flaws. Their OL has been nothing short of awful Their DL is mediocre and thin. Their secondary is a significantly less athletic version of Bama's. Can they beat UT? Yes. Should they? No. And it shouldn't be all that close.

So how do you project that on to UT? Heupel has done a GREAT, not good, GREAT job of keeping his team focused on improvement from their own baselines and the next opponent only. Yet they're also playing with a high level of confidence... almost a belief in "invincibility" which though seemingly offensive to you is a trait ALL great teams play with. They believe they WILL win. They no longer "hope" to win or wish they could win. I'm not sure why you miss that attitude.

No. Not really. UT has one of the better QB situations in the whole SEC. We don't know exactly what losing Hooker would do... but neither does any other SEC team including Bama and UGA. But we do know that Milton has shown improvement and is extremely talented. He also has the respect of the team as a leader.

Literally no one said that. I suspect you've tried to poison the well with this hyperbole because deep down... you kind of know this whole argument is hollow. You are just trying to deal with your own issues by projecting them onto others.

So you get to determine how much others should "enjoy this time"? You've gotten ahead of the Christmas rush and already look like a fool.

So? That's the nature of playing at a championship level. The same is true for Bama, UGA, tOSU, and anyone else. The only way to avoid that is to be what UT has been for the better part of the last 15 years.

So in other words, everything you wrote before is pretty much your own emotional BS that you should have shared with your shrink or pastor rather than here?


I don't know if I seem to talk smack... but I try to approach this stuff as objectively as I can. UGA is extremely talented. They toyed with a couple of opponents but their talent was still just too overwhelming. That's a concern. A fairly big concern. The caveat is that their wins consist of a questionable Oregon team (their wins are against bad teams), a couple of weaklings, and the 4 worst teams in the SEC. UT will be by far the best they have played when that game kicks off.

All I can tell you on UK is go back and watch them play. Watch their line play in particular. Look at the competition they've beaten and especially apart from MSU. They're not a great team... not by a long stretch. They have more flaws than LSU and Bama... and even UF. And their flaws... align very nicely with UT's strengths.

BVS is real my friend. My doctor said I may never recover completely. But I'm taking it day by day.