Post game thoughts from a rival.

[YankeeVol]

Well perhaps not as loud as Neyland. You guys have approximately 10,000 more fans and part of Sanford is open so I assume it lets some sound escape. It’s still loud enough to have a major impact, so I’d say all things considered it’s a pretty tough atmosphere for a visiting team.

I will say, Athens is a cool little town. I also quite enjoy Creature Comforts beer

 

[Visidog]

Watching some replays, I think the pressure narrative is spot on. UT actually brought extra rushers a fair amount, but they just didn’t get home. Beck is one of those QBs that struggles against pressure but thrives against the blitz—as long as he has time.

OM wrecked us by getting pressure with 4 guys, which left a lot of defenders available in coverage and forced UGA to leave more guys in protection. That math was reversed on Saturday, with UT needing to bring an extra guy to get pressure, leaving potential receivers more open.

It’s a game of inches.

 

[DirtyDawg]

If you told me before the game that we would score 17 points in the first half I would’ve thought we had it. Did not expect Georgia and Beck to rebound so quickly after Ole Miss dominated them. Offensive playcalling from Georgia was near perfect, Beck didn’t make a single turnover. This may seem a bit biased, but it seemed like UGA had to play nearly perfect on offense or we would’ve had this one. That’s what good teams do though. They get it done when it matters the most. Tennessee has got to start winning some of these games. We can’t let this come down to the committee putting us in, we have to remove all doubt

Yeah, it’s a tough loss, especially considering everything that impacted this game. The play calling for us was exceptional, much better than I expected. Also, somehow our line played ridiculously better than against Ole Miss.

All things considered, I know it sucks to lose, but playing this GA team that played very well at home to such a close game is not really cause for great concern aside from making it harder to make the playoff. This game was in the air until late 4th quarter.

 

[StickMan]

I thought the Georgia oline play was the difference. I was hoping that may be an area that the Vols might have an advantage, but it was just the opposite. I continue to believe that a mad Georgia is the best team in the country, so I was proud of the Vols for making it a competitive game. No, I'm not for moral victories, but I try to be realistic.

 

[DirtyDawg]

There is something else I’d like to say. We (GA) played as well as we have all season and we were at home and almost all of the bounces of the ball and officiating went our way. With all of this, you guys still made it a game until late 4th quarter. It sucks to lose, but there are much worse losses than this game! I think you guys deserve to make the Playoff so long as you beat Vandy. I wish you guys good luck, and I hope you make the Playoff. Not sure I want to face TN again instead of easier opponents, but I honestly think you guys deserve a spot if you beat Vandy.

 

[mrmax86]

This game went much better for us (GA) than it could have. We were on the better side of the bounce and the calls in this one most of the time, and that combined with playing at Sanford made it very tough for the Vols. Two things that made great impact on this game were the home field advantage and in-game adjustments.

The home field advantage was especially important the way this game played out. Beck’s play really made an impact in this one. Those few tough scrambles he made were huge for intensity, and the players and the crowd responded greatly bc no one expected to see that fire in Beck.

This was a very competitive game though. I’d very much like to see us play again on a neutral field. There are many more aspect of this game to discuss, so I started this thread to broadly give an opinion and to create a place for you guys to discuss with, ridicule, or ask questions about this game to a rival.

There were 3 plays I saw as "fortunate" for you guys that if they went very slightly differently, it's a different game. You guys hold onto the ball for a split second longer on 2 plays before letting the ball go, we have 2 fumble recoveries instead of 2 incompletions (not intending to debate ref calls, they were indeed borderline and could have went either way). And, you also had a bad fumble you ended up recovering.

I think our teams are even, and would love to see you on a neutral field in the postseason.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

This game went much better for us (GA) than it could have. We were on the better side of the bounce and the calls in this one most of the time, and that combined with playing at Sanford made it very tough for the Vols. Two things that made great impact on this game were the home field advantage and in-game adjustments.

The home field advantage was especially important the way this game played out. Beck’s play really made an impact in this one. Those few tough scrambles he made were huge for intensity, and the players and the crowd responded greatly bc no one expected to see that fire in Beck.

This was a very competitive game though. I’d very much like to see us play again on a neutral field. There are many more aspect of this game to discuss, so I started this thread to broadly give an opinion and to create a place for you guys to discuss with, ridicule, or ask questions about this game to a rival.

As much as Bobo is beaten up by your fans, i thought he called an excellent game. He singled out our (loyal but un-athletic) walk on safety and our (highly inexperienced but very athletic) freshman safety as the weak spots. Then he used pre-snap shifts to get TEs RBs and WRs in favorable matchups. Almost 75% of completions were to single coverage on a safety or LB. Secondly, he smartly identified the fact that we’d rush four and left an RB or TE in to pick up any rusher who got loose. Beck played a great game. He had great protection and lots of time. Our coaches were afraid to blitz an LB from the middle give all of your TE slants etc, and wouldn’t blitz a safety given the RB releases on RPO’s. Your OL played a great game and handled our DL well. Our offense walked into all of Kirby’s calls, and we couldn’t get our receivers into open space beyond fifteen yards. It was a game where bounces and calls went your way, but it was also a hallmark Kirby performance of gaming weaknesses and matchups. We’re catching up in talent, but still don’t have anything approaching the three deep talent GA has. Ultimately we were both out-coached and outplayed, but it was closer than the score indicated.

 

[VolInNW]

Watching some replays, I think the pressure narrative is spot on. UT actually brought extra rushers a fair amount, but they just didn’t get home. Beck is one of those QBs that struggles against pressure but thrives against the blitz—as long as he has time.

OM wrecked us by getting pressure with 4 guys, which left a lot of defenders available in coverage and forced UGA to leave more guys in protection. That math was reversed on Saturday, with UT needing to bring an extra guy to get pressure, leaving potential receivers more open.

It’s a game of inches.

Actually, we blitzed VERY little, which made ZERO sense. I thought I was seeing things, until I listened a bit to Basilio after the game and that crew confirmed what I saw - we weren't getting pressure with 4 and for some reason refused to blitz. Even dropping seven, if you give an experienced QB 5-6 seconds to throw from a clean pocket, he will pick you apart, regardless of the particular QB.

Maddening.

 

[LittleVol]

This is the worst UGA team since 2017 and Heupel never gave us a chance to win.

Ga Tech should be much closer game even though UT would beat Ga Tech.

Until Heupel hires a guy that will stretch his view point on offense this will always be the result of UGA-UT on any field any night.

 

[onevol74]

This game went much better for us (GA) than it could have. We were on the better side of the bounce and the calls in this one most of the time, and that combined with playing at Sanford made it very tough for the Vols. Two things that made great impact on this game were the home field advantage and in-game adjustments.

The home field advantage was especially important the way this game played out. Beck’s play really made an impact in this one. Those few tough scrambles he made were huge for intensity, and the players and the crowd responded greatly bc no one expected to see that fire in Beck.

This was a very competitive game though. I’d very much like to see us play again on a neutral field. There are many more aspect of this game to discuss, so I started this thread to broadly give an opinion and to create a place for you guys to discuss with, ridicule, or ask questions about this game to a rival.

I agree with you on the home field advantage. Heupel needs to put to bed the fact that he has a problem with night games on the road in the SEC. People bring up OU but that is not a competitive team at the SEC level this year. Heupel is still growing and is doing a great job at equalizing the talent for our program but play calling and strategy are areas for improvement.

 

[DirtyDawg]

There were 3 plays I saw as "fortunate" for you guys that if they went very slightly differently, it's a different game. You guys hold onto the ball for a split second longer on 2 plays before letting the ball go, we have 2 fumble recoveries instead of 2 incompletions (not intending to debate ref calls, they were indeed borderline and could have went either way). And, you also had a bad fumble you ended up recovering.

I think our teams are even, and would love to see you on a neutral field in the postseason.

I agree those plays could have played out differently and it would have changed the game flow for sure. I think if we play again it will be a hell of a game!

 

[DirtyDawg]

As much as Bobo is beaten up by your fans, i thought he called an excellent game. He singled out our (loyal but un-athletic) walk on safety and our (highly inexperienced but very athletic) freshman safety as the weak spots. Then he used pre-snap shifts to get TEs RBs and WRs in favorable matchups. Almost 75% of completions were to single coverage on a safety or LB. Secondly, he smartly identified the fact that we’d rush four and left an RB or TE in to pick up any rusher who got loose. Beck played a great game. He had great protection and lots of time. Our coaches were afraid to blitz an LB from the middle give all of your TE slats etc, and wouldn’t blitz a safety given the RB releases on RPO’s. Your OL played a great game and handled our DL well. Our offense walked into all of Kirby’s calls, and we couldn’t get our receivers into open space beyond fifteen yards. It was a game where bounces and calls went your way, but it was also a hallmark Kirby performance of gaming weaknesses and matchups. We’re catching up in talent, but still don’t have anything approaching the three deep talent GA has. Ultimately we were both out-coached and outplayed, but it was closer than the score indicated.

I completely agree.

 

[DirtyDawg]

I thought the Georgia oline play was the difference. I was hoping that may be an area that the Vols might have an advantage, but it was just the opposite. I continue to believe that a mad Georgia is the best team in the country, so I was proud of the Vols for making it a competitive game. No, I'm not for moral victories, but I try to be realistic.

I was thinking the same. I was worried that our O-line would struggle, but they played well. I too think that was the difference ultimately, but it was a competitive game even considering the advantages we had. If we play again in the Playoff I’ll be excited and nervous as heck. I don’t even want to think yet about next season in Neyland!

 

[Daddy pants]

Sanford isn’t loud? Lol, have you been there post-90s? Kidding, but seriously, it’s pretty freaking loud man. Very much loud enough to make it difficult on opposition offenses and/or impact momentum and intensity from the home team.

I was there. It was loud. The Vols huddled regularly. When have we seen that during the Heupel tenure? The crowd noise from 2022 left an imprint on Heup and he changed the game plan to accommodate for it. Pace is one of our great strategic advantages and that was completely taken off the table by that modification. So while there weren't as many dead ball penalties as 22, it 100% affected the game because we changed our game plan.

 

[DirtyDawg]

I was there. It was loud. The Vols huddled regularly. When have we seen that during the Heupel tenure? The crowd noise from 2022 left an imprint on Heup and he changed the game plan to accommodate for it. Pace is one of our great strategic advantages and that was completely taken off the table by that modification. So while there weren't as many dead ball penalties as 22, it 100% affected the game because we changed our game plan.

I agree, and I think we were counting on that helping us in that area (tempo). I’ve never been at field level when a big crowd is riled up, but I’ve heard you can’t even hear yourself yelling. It can be a big advantage on defense for the home team obviously, but in this game I think it also helped our offense very much. After Beck made that run every GA player was amped up and stayed that way. The crowd being motivated helped our guys stay amped up.

But absolutely, you guys not being able to play tempo had much effect. It eliminates the potential for creating easy mismatches bc it allows the defense to easily substitute and play fresh and react to offensive changes. It makes it harder for an offense to put the defense on their heels.

 

[Daddy pants]

As much as Bobo is beaten up by your fans, i thought he called an excellent game. He singled out our (loyal but un-athletic) walk on safety and our (highly inexperienced but very athletic) freshman safety as the weak spots. Then he used pre-snap shifts to get TEs RBs and WRs in favorable matchups. Almost 75% of completions were to single coverage on a safety or LB. Secondly, he smartly identified the fact that we’d rush four and left an RB or TE in to pick up any rusher who got loose. Beck played a great game. He had great protection and lots of time. Our coaches were afraid to blitz an LB from the middle give all of your TE slats etc, and wouldn’t blitz a safety given the RB releases on RPO’s. Your OL played a great game and handled our DL well. Our offense walked into all of Kirby’s calls, and we couldn’t get our receivers into open space beyond fifteen yards. It was a game where bounces and calls went your way, but it was also a hallmark Kirby performance of gaming weaknesses and matchups. We’re catching up in talent, but still don’t have anything approaching the three deep talent GA has. Ultimately we were both out-coached and outplayed, but it was closer than the score indicated.

Spot on summary. I am a Heup fan, so don't think I am calling for a change. But there are some flaws with our system that will always make hostile road games tough (particularly uga).
1. Pace is difficult because of the crowd noise and communication challenges.
2. If the other team has long, sustained drives, then the pace can bite us due to defensive fatigue. I don't care if we are three-deep as they claim, we were worn down in the 4th quarter.
3. Kirby knows our route tree is limited somewhat by the sideline-based on our wide splits-and he has his guys play to that.
Agree we are gaining on them athletically but still have a way to go. Their O-line domination of our heralded D-line was a reality check.

 

[Hank Bukowski]

This game went much better for us (GA) than it could have. We were on the better side of the bounce and the calls in this one most of the time, and that combined with playing at Sanford made it very tough for the Vols. Two things that made great impact on this game were the home field advantage and in-game adjustments.

The home field advantage was especially important the way this game played out. Beck’s play really made an impact in this one. Those few tough scrambles he made were huge for intensity, and the players and the crowd responded greatly bc no one expected to see that fire in Beck.

This was a very competitive game though. I’d very much like to see us play again on a neutral field. There are many more aspect of this game to discuss, so I started this thread to broadly give an opinion and to create a place for you guys to discuss with, ridicule, or ask questions about this game to a rival.

You guys are still kings. Congrats. Hope you win it all. FWIW, you have a much better coaching staff than we do, in my opinion. We can be a good football team most of the time, and sometimes a very good football team, but we are nowhere near being a championship contender consistently. We are are probably a few recruiting classes away, and maybe a few staff changes away from competing with GA and a few others for SEC championships every year. Ten or 11 wins looks to be our ceiling if things stay the same.

 

[marcusluvsvols]

Tech is a concern for sure. This isn’t the usual GT. Key has made vast improvements. They are a good and very well coached team. They are not an easy win anymore for anyone.

Honestly neither is Vandy this year...they beat Bama and have played other good SEC teams down to the last posession.

If either of our teams lose focus and dont come prepared, we can and will get beat.

 

[DaddyChad]

This game went much better for us (GA) than it could have. We were on the better side of the bounce and the calls in this one most of the time, and that combined with playing at Sanford made it very tough for the Vols. Two things that made great impact on this game were the home field advantage and in-game adjustments.

The home field advantage was especially important the way this game played out. Beck’s play really made an impact in this one. Those few tough scrambles he made were huge for intensity, and the players and the crowd responded greatly bc no one expected to see that fire in Beck.

This was a very competitive game though. I’d very much like to see us play again on a neutral field. There are many more aspect of this game to discuss, so I started this thread to broadly give an opinion and to create a place for you guys to discuss with, ridicule, or ask questions about this game to a rival.

Damn dirty dawg!! No lies detected in this post though.

 

[Vol4ever]

I agree with all of OP's comments. However, the reason that Beck played so well is because our DC decided not to blitz him the whole night for reasons unbeknownst to every vol fan. Banks has put out one of the top D's in the country this year and our strength has been dominating the LOS and putting pressure on the qb. Everyone and their mother knew that Beck had 12 picks on the season coming into the game and that most all of them were caused by him being pressured. I am dumbfounded at why Banks would not bring the house early and often to preclude Beck from ever getting into a rhythm. Or at least bring it later in the game to try to throw him off after he ate our lunch.

This ^^^^

 

[EastTNVol6240]

Thank you for acknowledging that the game was competitive. A lot on here and in the national media are acting like it was total domination in all phases and the outcome was never in doubt.

Aside from the first quarter, it wasn’t that competitive.

 

[Vol in Buckeye Land]

Aside from the first quarter, it wasn’t that competitive.

They scored 14 unanswered and then we took the lead back. It was tied at half. That’s competitive. And in the second half it isn’t like we went 3 and out 5 times. We drove the ball and then stalled out due to drops or penalties.

 

[Vol in Buckeye Land]

Tech is a concern for sure. This isn’t the usual GT. Key has made vast improvements. They are a good and very well coached team. They are not an easy win anymore for anyone.

Honestly neither is Vandy this year...they beat Bama and have played other good SEC teams down to the last posession.

If either of our teams lose focus and dont come prepared, we can and will get beat.

Ugh, imagine if UGA lost to Tech and then we also lost to Vandy.

We may be Vols and Dawgs, but at that point, we’d all be Ducks.

 

[Gandalf]

The refs were definitely an issue but the much bigger problem is that we did not get pressure on Beck and he got his confidence back and picked us apart in the second half. On the other side, GA was able to get penetration on Nico and that made the difference. Yes, there were a lot of missed holding calls but end of the day, you have to get it done and we didnt. Credit to your fans for the home game advantage. The refs skewed the game but I think even if they had been straight up, our utter failure to send the house on top of Beck early on, especially when we were up 10, is what doomed us. Had we done that, it could have been a lopsided win in our direction.

We are both pretty good teams this year but both have some holes that can be exploited by other top 10 teams. TN is def a top 10 team, GA is probably a top 5 team and maybe they win 3 of 5 on a neutral field with us.

 

[VOLywood]

To me it comes down to the fact that Georgia has the second rated roster in the college football talent composite, and Tennessee has the 17th rated roster. There is still a significant gap in raw talent.

14 five stars for Georgia versus 4 for Tennessee.

55 four stars for Georgia versus 37 for Tennessee.

When you have the talent advantage, the home field advantage, and then you also get the advantage of penalty flags and no-calls that could have gone either way, the odds are greatly in your favor.

Realistically, I think the result we all saw was what should have been expected. And the fact that there is a debate that this game could have gone the other way on a neutral field with better officiating shows that Tennessee is not far behind anyone in college football right now. If we can haul in a couple of classes with the talent level that we have committed for next year, watch out.