Very upsetting performance & lack of execution. Out matched all over the field.

[LibertyVol]

Heupel needs to upgrade his coaching staff now if he wants to keep his job. Remember Phil Fulmer would not upgrade his staff and you see how that ended.

That game was a wake up call for sure.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

Michigan gave us the blueprint and we didn’t do any of it.

In this year's UM v tOSU game, MI ran really well on Ohio State, particularly Mullings. We were missing Dylan Sampson. It's not going to be easy when a big piece of who got you there isn't there and isn't easily replaceable.

In previous years, Harbaugh cheated, though one could argue in 2023 he also out-muscled tOSU also, which we did not do.

 

[orangerush]

Clearly outmatched from a coaching perspective.

 

[utkk82]

I don't get it either. It's as if Heupel turned into Fulmer these last two years.

OC Alex Golesh leaving is the major difference and by the way Hepel's first 2 years they were using Pruitt's recruits. Very similar when Fulmer had Cutcliffe they were good and when Cutcliffe left UT was average.

 

[Cartervol]

OC Alex Golesh leaving is the major difference and by the way Hepel's first 2 years they were using Pruitt's recruits. Very similar when Fulmer had Cutcliffe they were good and when Cutcliffe left UT was average.

Pruitt recruited a good oline that Josh inherited. Hooker had time to throw downfield. Still the OC's job is to mask your deficiencies.. Maybe go to more underneath stuff to help a bad pass blocking Oline out. I just don't see anything that changed over the course of the year. It was mostly square peg round hole deal.. Stubborn..

 

[delvol]

Talentwise, OSU is a top 3-5 team in the country, and it showed last night. TN is probably a 10-13 team talentwise and there's the difference.

 

[kiddiedoc]

Talentwise, OSU is a top 3-5 team in the country, and it showed last night. TN is probably a 10-13 team talentwise and there's the difference.

If you use NFL talent as your metric, Ohio State is actually higher than that.

 

[delvol]

If you use NFL talent as your metric, Ohio State is actually higher than that.

I didn't factor that in, but you have a point.

 

[Lankykong]

Talentwise, OSU is a top 3-5 team in the country, and it showed last night. TN is probably a 10-13 team talentwise and there's the difference.

Yeah, OSU is more like 1-3

 

[MinisterofDef#92]

Our lack of team speed was on full display last night on both sides of the ball. Gonna have to fix that in order to really compete for a natty.

 

[Go47]

Yes - they had more talent. A significant advantage. But Vegas had it at a 7.5 point game. We lost by 25 and that’s with a garbage time TD at the end. We were out talented and outcoached.

Chip Kelly handed Tim Banks his rear end. As others have said . . . He took the UGA plan / added to it . . . And embarrassed Banks.

 

[utkk82]

Pruitt recruited a good oline that Josh inherited. Hooker had time to throw downfield. Still the OC's job is to mask your deficiencies.. Maybe go to more underneath stuff to help a bad pass blocking Oline out. I just don't see anything that changed over the course of the year. It was mostly square peg round hole deal.. Stubborn..

if Josh does not hit the transfer portal hard to upgrade big time across the board next year is going to very disappointing to Vol fans. Most likely a 6-6 season.

 

[delvol]

Yeah, OSU is more like 1-3

Could be, yes.

 

[CDB]

If you mean it’s the coaching at Ohio State I agree. They finally got their much more talented players to try after a whole year

This is what I was afraid of. It was them against the world. They were going to come out hyperfocused.

 

[TGVol]

Bring back Pruitt for recruiting offense? Heupel did much better job with the players left over from the previous staff than anyone he has recruited himself. Seems to be a pattern with Heupel where he peaks in year 2 - at least that's what they said at UCF after he left and appears to be true again. Perhaps the same thing back then that he inherited better players - maybe he is just terrible at recruiting and/or developing players (other than QB's)?

 

[delvol]

Bring back Pruitt for recruiting offense? Heupel did much better job with the players left over from the previous staff than anyone he has recruited himself. Seems to be a pattern with Heupel where he peaks in year 2 - at least that's what they said at UCF after he left and appears to be true again. Perhaps the same thing back then that he inherited better players - maybe he is just terrible at recruiting and/or developing players (other than QB's)?

Isn't he teaching PE at a middle or high school somewhere in AL or AR?

 

[TGVol]

Isn't he teaching PE at a middle or high school somewhere in AL or AR?

I think you are right so he is probably available (although we are probalby still paying him after getting rid of him)?

 

[mpfvol]

Michigan gave us the blueprint and we didn’t do any of it.

CJH plays his game now matter what or who the opponent is . Come hell or high water . That's who he is not knocking him he is better than the 4 previous coaches

 

[hUTch2002]

I am not upset. I knew we would lose. I didn’t expect to get blown out like this. But this is what happens when you have a team that has VASTLY more talent than the other. It is what it is.

That and a lot of our best talent couldn’t play due to injuries. That made the gap even wider.

 

[hUTch2002]

Jim Harbaugh had a lot of talent. Michigan was more talented relative to competition than we are this year. Where you have talent matters a lot as well, and he had experience at QB too

And they were lucky the committee left Georgia out.

 

[hUTch2002]

I already agreed talent does come into play its just not the biggest issue right now, for example why did we lose to Arkansas who we have significantly more talent than? The whole point I'm trying to make is why are we playing worse every year with more talent than in 2022. Maybe its because Josh was playing with other peoples players who they developed, but now with his players who are rated higher, they are playing worse.

You sure did take the long way around to get to the point you wanted to make the whole time, which is your last sentence. Yes we looked bad and need to improve in a lot of ways but Heupel has done a good job here.

 

[hUTch2002]

As much as I like Heup, I don’t see any reason to believe that he is a championship coach. We’ve had some great wins under him, no doubt. And Tennessee football is the best it has been since Fulmer. Keep things the way they are, don’t make any staff changes, don’t change your approach to player development, don’t change your approach to recruiting, just keep doing the same thing over and over every season, and we’re looking at a ceiling of 10 wins and two losses every season. We will remain a second-tier college football program.

And yes, we most certainly are a second-tier program right now, in my opinion. Good but not great and certainly not a championship contender.

How is the ceiling 10 when he already won 11 in a year?

 

[easttnbuck]

I will make this prediction for 2025. If UT DOES NOT hit the transfer portal hard by December 28th and bring in elite transfers at OL, WR, RB, LB and DB UT will drop to the lower level in the conference and finish around 8th-10th place. Apparently, we CAN'T RECRUIT quality OL, WR, LB and DB. Name one OL or WR that this staff has recruited out of high school in the last 4 years that has started or is a game changer that has produced on the field. It's funny that OLE MISS, LSU, A&M, GEORGIA and other SEC teams are upgrading their rosters with elite players and we have 1 3 star transfer OL so far.

Isn't David Sanders coming here ?

 

[Hank Bukowski]

How is the ceiling 10 when he already won 11 in a year?

Looking forward, of course.

 

[deatojl]

if Josh does not hit the transfer portal hard to upgrade big time across the board next year is going to very disappointing to Vol fans. Most likely a 6-6 season.

Most likely a 6-6 season with the same schedule, only home/away flipped? You think the team will be 4 games worse than this year?