Tennessees Most Feared Opponent in 2005

[TBALLVOL]

I'm not sure on this one, but something tell's me it's better to face a devil you do know than one you don't know.

 

[orange+white=heaven]

To me, its not one opponent but two in a row! Florida and then LSU back to back... on the road. That is one tough row to hoe for any team, even one as talented as this years version of the BIG ORANGE!

 

[redneckdave]

yeah thats gonna be a rough time but we will get through it

 

[TBALLVOL]

I've got the heebejebes aboutb the Georgia game. Iv'e only been to two Ga. games in Knoxville and both times they were losses. The Vol nation should pay me not to go to that game. Everybody is being too quiet on GA this year. I know they lost alot to graduation but something tell's me we better not overlook the dawgs.

 

[milohimself]

Well something tells me that if our boys are coached right, Georgia simply won't have the talent to keep up.

The game I believe we are overlooking the most is Alabama. Our boys go without the help of the nation, And Bama is actually strong enough that they have a legit shot of winning their division.

Two other games we are overlooking are UAB, a very strong team led by a mammoth of a QB, and moreso Memphis. DeAngelo Williams is one of the best runners in the country. Our whole defense will have to be on its a-game to handle him.

 

[holdemvol]

I think it has got to be LSU, even more so after we beat FL. We will no doubt be drained after that game, and it always seems hard to bounce back right after a big game like that.

 

[U-T]

Originally posted by milohimself@Jun 14, 2005 9:14 AM
Well something tells me that if our boys are coached right, Georgia simply won't have the talent to keep up.

That goes with any game against UGA, UF, or LSU.

Last year, I thought UGA was much more talented then UGA yet UT was better prepared and of course a very talented team.

In 2005, I think the roles are reversed as UT is much more talented. If UT is better prepared, we win easily. If not (as shown in 2003), we will get beaten.

 

[Give him SIX!]

I don't think that there is a single game this year that we won't have the best team on the field. I know road games are allways harder, but I think that our most feared opponent has to be the injury bug. Just look at last year. First it was Notre Dame, and then Vandy and Kentucky were too close for comfort for my taste. I agree with Milo, Georgia lost the ability to stay competive with TN the day Greene graduated. The same with LSU, lets see how they play without a proven leader at QB, because I don't think that anybody has any faith in Jamarcus Russell or whoever thay plan on starting at QB. Flordia has a good one in Leak but honsetly if he couldn't get it against us last year when we had a true freshman starting at QB it isn't going to happen this year. I think all of the close games we played last year added with all the young players we played progressed us as a team more than anybody thinks. Know look at the roster we have this year after we lost in my opinion only 3 real starters and I honsetly think that if we stay healthy that we run the table.

 

[U-T]

Originally posted by Give him SIX!@Jun 14, 2005 10:03 AM
Georgia lost the ability to stay competive with TN the day Greene graduated. 

People said the same thing about UT last year.

To think UGA won't compete because Greene is gone is totally and utterly absurd.

 

[Give him SIX!]

Originally posted by U-T@Jun 14, 2005 10:19 AM
People said the same thing about UT last year.

To think UGA won't compete because Greene is gone is totally and utterly absurd.

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It's a free country so you can think what you want, but if you think that losing a QB who had the highest winning % of any QB to ever play Coll Football won't hurt them more than just a little bit I think you are absurd.

 

[LadyinOrange]

I worry about every, single, game. Not because my team isn't good. I EXPECT them to win every match. But injuries can occur in the blink of an eye, one unbelievable play can change the whole face of a game (remember the fumble Georgia ran back for a touchdown or the Hail Mary against Florida?) and a team's sheer determination and will to win
( think Billy Ratliffe) are factors that cannot be ignored. So every Saturday, no matter which team we play, I am a bundle of nerves.

 

[TBALLVOL]

The truth be known, everyone we play this year has weapons that can beat us or cause us to beat ourselves. Milo could be right about Bama, they are certainly due, but it's those Kentucky and Vandy games that drive me crazy. If you don't squash the little bugs early, they stick around and can bite you in the butt and they can be fatal.

 

[U-T]

Originally posted by Give him SIX!@Jun 14, 2005 10:23 AM
but if you think that losing a QB who had the highest winning % of any QB to ever play Coll Football won't hurt them more than just a little bit I think you are absurd.

Who said they wouldn't hurt?

You said "UGA won't compete" which is ridiculous.

So...with that logic...you were one of the ones who thought UT had no chance of competing last year.....interesting

 

[Give him SIX!]

Me too Lady in Orange. And to make it worse I live in New Mexico right now and can't get a lot of the TN games that are on TV. CBS will air Air Force vs New Mexico St here when they got Tennessee vs Georgia on the east coast. So I listen to alot of the games over the internet and not being able to see what is going on puts me on pins and needles.

 

[Give him SIX!]

Originally posted by U-T@Jun 14, 2005 10:31 AM
Who said they wouldn't hurt?

You said "UGA won't compete" which is ridiculous.

So...with that logic...you were one of the ones who thought UT had no chance of competing last year.....interesting

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That was never my logic at all. Let me check some stats here because they don't show any bias at all and will show that before Greene arrived at Georgia that they weren't very competive. We enter 2000 with a 9 game win streak against Georgia. Enter David Greene in 2001 added with the loss in 2000 and 3 years later we had a 4 game losing streak to Georgia. Now that Greene is gone I am saying UGA won't compete in the sense that they they have the ability to stay with us for 4 quarters. And on top of Greene leaving they lose All-World DE Pollack, plus Gibson and Brown. So yes I am saying that Georgia will sturggle and won't be competive with us for another 9 years or so (hopefully). And to answer your alligation that I was one of the people that thought we weren't going to compete last year. As a diehard TN fan I always have concerns about our team every year but I kept faith that we would work out the problem of Casey leaving and somehow we plugged in Ainge who played out of his mind as a true freshman. Now lets see how Georgia responds to losing a butt load of leadership at the most important position on the field. I am sure that the diehard Georgia fans are keeping fatih that Shockley or the 4star freshman they recruited last year will bring them through it, just as TN fans held there breath last year depending on a true freshman, but I think another long TN winning streak in on the horizon.

 

[Fadeproof]

Enter David Greene in 2001 added with the loss in 2000 and 3 years later we had a 4 game losing streak to Georgia

What you fail to mention is that this was also Coach Mark Richts first year. I think our success is due more to CMR running our program and his successfull recruiting than to one or two players on our team(although the two Davids where fantastic for the DAWGS). We have finally started to pull in top tier recruiting classes and its starting to show on the field and that is why we will be able to compete for a long time to come.

 

[TBALLVOL]

Ill give you another reason to be SKEERED of Ga. Look what TN did the year after Peyton Manning left....sometimes teams get alot better when they stop depending on one person to make the big play. Maybe shockley will follow the same path as T. Martin...don't tell me that don't put a lump in your throat!

 

[U-T]

Originally posted by Give him SIX!@Jun 14, 2005 11:56 AM
and will show that before Greene arrived at Georgia that they weren't very competive. 

That whole Mark Richt thing didnt do much either lol:

To say they wont be "competitive" is flatly a joke.

Multiple Top 10 Recruiting classes, a coach that has beaten us 3 of the last 4 years, and a big-time rival that has won 10+ games 3 of the last 4 years.

Even with Donnan they were a bowl team that won 7-8-9 games yearly.

Huh?

 

[Give him SIX!]

Originally posted by U-T@Jun 14, 2005 12:52 PM
That whole Mark Richt thing didnt do much either  lol:

Your logic is quite bad.

To say they wont be "competitive" is flatly a joke.

Even with Donnan they were a bowl team that won 7-8-9 games yearly.

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You just won't admit your wrong will you U-T? And what does winning 7-8-9 games a year have to do with them being competive with us. I will break it down barney style for you. I was never talking about Georgia being competive as a team with everyboday else just against TENNESSEE and TENNESSEE only. Even in down years programs like Tennessee, Georgia, and Flordia are going to win 7 or 8 games like Tennessee in 00 going 8-4 and not being very competive against the top tier teams but still beating Kent, Vandy, Memphis, SC, LA-Monroe, Southern Miss and whoever else we played that year. So I don't care how many games they won a year we beat them 9 straight times without much trouble. So they wern't very competive with us (US BEING TENNESSEE). Then they got a good coach and a talanted QB and started beating us. Now with half of that winning puzzle gone its not too risky to say there probley is going to be a good dropoff. Now those good years they had got them some good recruiting classes so they will have alot of overall talent, but QB is by far the most important and valuable position on the field. So let me in closing just clairify what I said so U-T understands. Georgia will in my opinion still win 8 or 9 games but struggle against the top teams like Tennessee and Flordia. Translated to U-T language, they won't be very competive against US (US BEING TENNESSEE), and will lose again like every year to Florida.

 

[VOLracerx]

UMMMM...Give hime Six ...You need to check you facts a little better before you go spouting off about who we beat aznd when - in 97 we lost to Memphis, I know because I had to sit at the liberty bowl and watch the goal posts get destroyed.

What U-T is saying is that UGA is still loaded with talent. just b/c Greene is gone doesn't mean they will disappear - look at T-balls comment too - whoe would hav thought that Tee would come in after Peyton and win a NC - no one - but he did. Shockely is a great QB and will be tough to defend. I think if you go back to last years game the big sparks from the UGA offense came when shockley entered the game...I want to say it was a 30+ yard touchdown that brought them back into the game, and it wasn't Greene who threw that pass.


UGA scares me and unfortunately Bama scares me - they have been close lately and this might just be their year.

 

[allvol]

Fear no one!

The rest of the SEC and NCAA should fear the Vols!

Be confident but not overconfident in the abilities of the Vols. They certainly have the ability to win the National Championship.

 

[Give him SIX!]

Yeah I got my years mixed up, was just going off the top of my head. I think it was 99 no 97 when we went 8-4. My bad.

 

[U-T]

If you want to continue backtracking, so be it.

The facts are against you in everyway.

Losing senior QB's does not mean a team loses their competitive nature.

Gee, what year was Greene when he beat us? How many years of experience did he have?

How many years of experience did Ainge have beating UT?

Come on, get a clue.

 

[U-T]

Originally posted by VOLracerx@Jun 14, 2005 1:29 PM
UMMMM...Give hime Six ...You need to check you facts a little better before you go spouting off about who we beat aznd when - in 97 we lost to Memphis, I know because I had to sit at the liberty bowl and watch the goal posts get destroyed.

Good call.

What U-T is saying is that UGA is still loaded with talent. just b/c  Greene is gone doesn't mean they will disappear - look at T-balls comment too - whoe would hav thought that Tee would come in after Peyton and win a NC - no one - but he did. Shockely is a great QB and will be tough to defend. I think if you go back to last years game the big sparks from the UGA offense came when shockley entered the game...I want to say it was a 30+ yard touchdown that brought them back into the game, and it wasn't Greene who threw that pass.
UGA scares me and unfortunately

Amen. UGA losses their ability to stay competitive with us? That is the reason UGA lost to us last year....we had "lost our ability to compete with them" :lolup:

 

[cookeville_vol]

The game I'm most afraid of is the game in Tuscaloosa. Brodie Croyle will be back and they will be very determined to hand us a loss. The past two years we have beaten them, but haven't really outplayed them the way we should. They also have one of the SEC's, and nation's top defenses, as well as a solid running game.