GreyWolf1129
Get off my planet.
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Observations from the Far Side of Nowhere...
UGA 34, UT 31 (OT).
And UT should have won it, 38 to 31. Or 31-24.
Who saw that one coming?
Those of us who thought this was an 8-4 team, and those of us who thought this was a 4-8 team (yours truly included), got a lesson Saturday evening in Knoxville.
Don't count the Vols out, and don't count them in. With this team, anything is possible, or impossible. The 2013 UT Vols football mug is half-full, or half-empty, depending on how you choose to look at it.
After an unimpressive first half that saw Georgia play the way we thought they would, and UT play the way we feared they would, the heavens parted...Justin Worley found his right arm (and more importantly, his receivers)...and the Tennessee Volunteers suddenly looked like a no-**** SEC football team.
You can, and maybe should, talk about how utterly lost Worley looked in the first half; the missed field goal by UGA; UT going 3 for 3 on 4th down on the last drive in regulation; the late TD by UGA; Pig Howard's fumble into the end zone; or whatever. In a game of over 100 plays, you can find 10 or 20 that could have, might have, and maybe did, alter the outcome. I'll leave that for the internet football experts, who are in no short supply here.
So let's do this: Let's focus on the El Grande Mosaic, and step back and take an honest look at where UT Football currently is.
For starters, I'm not willing to back off of my 4-8 forecast. Just yet. Yes, Worley impressed me with his play late in the game. As did Neal, and the defense, and the play-calling. But one drive, or one half, does not translate into success in the SEC. If it did, UT would have beaten UGA. So, I'm gonna need to see a four-quarter effort by this offense...Worley especially...to pronounce that we have an offense that can win tough games. Especially on the road.
The defense is better. Much better. Way better. Yes, they still give up big plays at inopportune moments, but they also make plays at an equal amount of "opportune" moments. Yes, they have a ways to go to be an SEC-caliber defense, but they have come so far, in such a short time, that it's unfair to blame a defense that is clearly playing it's heart out.
Special teams, is once again special. This is a hallmark of championship caliber teams, and UT is already there, with the notable absence being a TD threat at returner. Look for there to be one next year, and every year thereafter. The General would be proud.
The Vols are lacking depth, and it shows. In some areas, they are lacking talent, and it shows. Same for speed in critical spots, and it shows. Lack of a consistent pass rush...trouble covering the flats...lack of speed in the secondary...Worley...young WR's...check, check, check. This is a Rubiks Cube of a team where we just can't seem to get the colors to line up before the clock runs out.
Oregon is a loss no matter what we do. We would have beaten UF with the same effort we showed against UGA. We should have beaten UGA. We were lucky to beat South Alabama. Keep twisting the cube, keep turning the colors, and see when...or if...it all lines up.
In the end, it comes down to wins and losses. There is no "Gee, You Went 4-8, But You Played Your Ass Off Bowl". If there were, it would be played in Nashville.
(Hmm, come to think of it, they DO have a bowl game there for teams that should have been 4-8, but somehow managed 6 wins, so...)
So, where is Team 117, and where will it end up? If I knew for sure, I would be laying serious money in Vegas, and offshore. But, just like you, I'm speculating based on what I've seen thus far, so...
The linchpin is Worley. I think we've seen what we're going to get out of the defense, special teams, running game, offensive line, and coaching. Were it not for what Worley did late in the UGA game, I'd bet my dog (and I love my dog...beautiful black and tan female German Sheperd...Casey) that this is a 4-8 team. No way we win in October with a guy who thinks the receiver catches with his feet. I'm thinking we win against UK or Vandy, but that's it.
Then again...
Maybe this was the game where Justin Worley took a step up, turned the corner, and suddenly becomes a functional QB for Team 117. Maybe...all of a sudden...he gets it. Things have slowed down for him...he can find the guy running wide open down the middle in the face of a 3rd & 9 blitz...he knows that the ball has to be gone in 3 seconds...he finds that "go to" receiver that all QB's need...he finds his inner Peyton, and starts making "Ahhh" plays, instead of "Ahh ****" plays.
It all comes down to Justin Worley. We're all in with him at this point, because if we have to go to one of the freshman QB's, it means Worley is a bust, and now the hopes of Team 117, and the 2013 season, hinge on a kid who can't buy a can of Skoal. It's been done before, but true freshman QB's historically don't do well in the SEC.
Let's hope Worley gets it, and Team 117 ends up being the beginning of a very good thing.
We'll know in a week. The Book of Worley has yet to be written. It's up to him whether it ends up being a tale of triumph, or a tragic comedy.
Go Vols.
UGA 34, UT 31 (OT).
And UT should have won it, 38 to 31. Or 31-24.
Who saw that one coming?
Those of us who thought this was an 8-4 team, and those of us who thought this was a 4-8 team (yours truly included), got a lesson Saturday evening in Knoxville.
Don't count the Vols out, and don't count them in. With this team, anything is possible, or impossible. The 2013 UT Vols football mug is half-full, or half-empty, depending on how you choose to look at it.
After an unimpressive first half that saw Georgia play the way we thought they would, and UT play the way we feared they would, the heavens parted...Justin Worley found his right arm (and more importantly, his receivers)...and the Tennessee Volunteers suddenly looked like a no-**** SEC football team.
You can, and maybe should, talk about how utterly lost Worley looked in the first half; the missed field goal by UGA; UT going 3 for 3 on 4th down on the last drive in regulation; the late TD by UGA; Pig Howard's fumble into the end zone; or whatever. In a game of over 100 plays, you can find 10 or 20 that could have, might have, and maybe did, alter the outcome. I'll leave that for the internet football experts, who are in no short supply here.
So let's do this: Let's focus on the El Grande Mosaic, and step back and take an honest look at where UT Football currently is.
For starters, I'm not willing to back off of my 4-8 forecast. Just yet. Yes, Worley impressed me with his play late in the game. As did Neal, and the defense, and the play-calling. But one drive, or one half, does not translate into success in the SEC. If it did, UT would have beaten UGA. So, I'm gonna need to see a four-quarter effort by this offense...Worley especially...to pronounce that we have an offense that can win tough games. Especially on the road.
The defense is better. Much better. Way better. Yes, they still give up big plays at inopportune moments, but they also make plays at an equal amount of "opportune" moments. Yes, they have a ways to go to be an SEC-caliber defense, but they have come so far, in such a short time, that it's unfair to blame a defense that is clearly playing it's heart out.
Special teams, is once again special. This is a hallmark of championship caliber teams, and UT is already there, with the notable absence being a TD threat at returner. Look for there to be one next year, and every year thereafter. The General would be proud.
The Vols are lacking depth, and it shows. In some areas, they are lacking talent, and it shows. Same for speed in critical spots, and it shows. Lack of a consistent pass rush...trouble covering the flats...lack of speed in the secondary...Worley...young WR's...check, check, check. This is a Rubiks Cube of a team where we just can't seem to get the colors to line up before the clock runs out.
Oregon is a loss no matter what we do. We would have beaten UF with the same effort we showed against UGA. We should have beaten UGA. We were lucky to beat South Alabama. Keep twisting the cube, keep turning the colors, and see when...or if...it all lines up.
In the end, it comes down to wins and losses. There is no "Gee, You Went 4-8, But You Played Your Ass Off Bowl". If there were, it would be played in Nashville.
(Hmm, come to think of it, they DO have a bowl game there for teams that should have been 4-8, but somehow managed 6 wins, so...)
So, where is Team 117, and where will it end up? If I knew for sure, I would be laying serious money in Vegas, and offshore. But, just like you, I'm speculating based on what I've seen thus far, so...
The linchpin is Worley. I think we've seen what we're going to get out of the defense, special teams, running game, offensive line, and coaching. Were it not for what Worley did late in the UGA game, I'd bet my dog (and I love my dog...beautiful black and tan female German Sheperd...Casey) that this is a 4-8 team. No way we win in October with a guy who thinks the receiver catches with his feet. I'm thinking we win against UK or Vandy, but that's it.
Then again...
Maybe this was the game where Justin Worley took a step up, turned the corner, and suddenly becomes a functional QB for Team 117. Maybe...all of a sudden...he gets it. Things have slowed down for him...he can find the guy running wide open down the middle in the face of a 3rd & 9 blitz...he knows that the ball has to be gone in 3 seconds...he finds that "go to" receiver that all QB's need...he finds his inner Peyton, and starts making "Ahhh" plays, instead of "Ahh ****" plays.
It all comes down to Justin Worley. We're all in with him at this point, because if we have to go to one of the freshman QB's, it means Worley is a bust, and now the hopes of Team 117, and the 2013 season, hinge on a kid who can't buy a can of Skoal. It's been done before, but true freshman QB's historically don't do well in the SEC.
Let's hope Worley gets it, and Team 117 ends up being the beginning of a very good thing.
We'll know in a week. The Book of Worley has yet to be written. It's up to him whether it ends up being a tale of triumph, or a tragic comedy.
Go Vols.
