The Official #9 Tennessee @ #8 Ohio State Game Thread, 8:00 PM ET, ABC/ESPN

[cgrish]

I'm not even sure Ohio State beats Oregon on NYD.

We just did not belong in these playoffs.

They may not, but I think they will.

 

[Anti-shunshinepumper]

Nico with some fight despite being off on some of his throws.

Definitely liked he showed fight. Having said that, he's going to have to improve on his passing. Bad decision making, staring down receivers, poorly thrown balls.....basically everything but his running.
Next year I hope the OL help pans out and they use his legs to open things up for him.

 

[orange_glory]

After the abysmal play calling this year I believe we need to re-think calling Heupel some kind of an offensive coaching savant.

Yeah, he's not

 

[DD4ME]

Don't even like Rucker...

 

[MemphisVolFan1978]

We need to start coming out playing hard

I agree, but in all fairness we came out playing hard against Georgia and still lost. We need to play hard for an entire game.

 

[C-south]

When you can’t block or hold the D-line it’s tough to win. Fans always look at the simplest ****. Oh know we lost, our coach sucks

You can’t mask an average qb forever either.

 

[Vawlk Tuah]

We probably can't get the same level of talent out of high school, but with the right assistants, Heupel could build a consistently competitive team with NIL money and the portal.

He's not going to with the likes of Martinez, Elarbee, and Halzle being kept on staff year in and year out.

If you are trying to get to the NFL you are not going to go to a school where you are getting coached by guys like that.

Don't believe that at all. Texas A&M spent the money for a top class and Ohio State just did it with 20 million in the portal and their last class. Tennessee absolutely can do it, we just won't do it. Ohio State is spending money to win every year and we're spending money for a shot to win every 4 or 5 years.

 

[jcvol87]

We've got thee absolute most bipolar emotional fanbase in the country. We lost. The sun will rise tomorrow. I wl kiss my wife and hug my kids. I am a proud VOL. I support the coach and team

It hurts to lose but yes still love the Vols and will be pumping that sunshine pre season next year!

 

[BreatheUT]

Yep or else just except 3-6th best team in conference every year. We’re getting absolutely embarrassed. If I hear CH say we didn’t play well I’ll puke. No you got out coached in every facet of the game. Against elite defenses this offense is trash unless you have 3-4 elite recievers which we don’t.

Just not up to par anywhere or any facet.

 

[BeardedVol]

After the abysmal play calling this year I believe we need to re-think calling Heupel a some kind of offensive coaching savant.

I think if you give Heupel a talented QB and some good receivers, who don't need to be developed, then he can win some games with them.

I don't think he's very good at consistently developing raw talent, and neither is this staff as a whole.

 

[loggervol]

Don’t say anything about Nico, he’s the only one that actually came to play. He has to have some f’n help. Guys blocking, getting open and catching the damn ball would’ve helped.

 

[cdb88]

I don't care about next year unless we are in a national title game I could care less about going to another Tennessee football game. This is depressing. Gonna let our season tickets go as well nothing to gain from them.

 

[DooleyOrangePants]

Hooker, Hyatt, and Tillman weren't just your average guys and with elite talent you can run the fastest tempo imaginable and get the best separation and make the good reads consistently.

When you don't have guys like that, you can't use the same playbook and expect those kinds of results.

Fair point, but to completely throw it in the garbage for this? I don’t buy that. A little bit of adjustment or a new wrinkle would have helped immensely (especially against Arky and this game) but we kept doing the same, tired, predictable stuff. You have to adjust and innovate around what you have to work with, so to accept that this is as good as it gets with this roster doesn’t fly for me.

 

[FSUgothosed]

Somebody said hamstring, but he didn’t look like he was hampered.
Somebody said flu, but he’s out there among everybody and playing.
Heupel completely avoided the question when asked at halftime why he wasn’t playing more.
We may never know.

He was on the bike multiple times and tried running up & down the field multiple times. It was definitely a leg tweak of some kind.

 

[Vol737]

Our boys got their eyes beat shut tonight…

 

[87&91ALUM]

42-17...I blame the SEC, NCAA, and specifically UT athletics program for this catastrophe. A bowl game would have been huge. Instead, we are suckers. Bama and Vandy actually got a better deal.

 

[hound dog hillbil]

Portal be full soon.

 

[DD4ME]

Vols fans travelling back from Columbus

 

[tnvols72]

I'd leave Banks and Martinez there..

They would still find their way back

 

[orange_glory]

Herbstreet got a smile from ear to ear

 

[adam.vol]

We looked like a group of 5 team against these guys.

This OSU team went to Happy Valley and did the same thing to Penn State. The CFP committee knew what they were doing when they assigned TN to travel to OSU instead of PSU or ND.

 

[Mid Tenn Vol]

I agree, but in all fairness we came out playing hard against Georgia and still lost. We need to play hard for an entire game.

We havnt played a full 60 mins all year. That is coaching, bad preparation and undisciplined

 

[Dergibvol]

Don't believe that at all. Texas A&M spent the money for a top class and Ohio State just did it with 20 million in the portal and their last class. Tennessee absolutely can do it, we just won't do it. Ohio State is spending money to win every year and we're spending money for a shot to win every 4 or 5 years.

Ohio state is an oiled machine. Kids in high school have no idea Tennessee was good. Most don't even know who Peyton Manning was

 

[NCFisher]

Plz someone answer this

Probably something very complimentary of UT?
Who cares.

 

[Volhoops]

No one outside of TN fans are thinking about this past tomorrow

Really? University of Miami fans will say different or any other 2-loss team that did not get in.