Vols progress

[billcox0625]

We beat 12 of the last 16 national champions

You are correct, still the same 3 teams plus Florida. I was too lazy to count back that far.

I was smiling ear to ear with the top of your post then you bought me back to reality with the last 2! I teared up some. Anyways!

Gbo!

Haha, sorry about that. I was looking at it more of we are 2 years removed from 3 wins and even with the issues on defense we managed a great season. With improvement on defense we will be in the mix again next year.

 

[NighthawkVol]

Fulmer's record was a reflection of the overwhelming player talent advantage from which he benefited, not his coaching ability.

And he inherited a program that was already built.

 

[KTrain]

And, according to reports, we almost hired their OC that year. Had we done so, I expect we'd be celebrating bowl eligibility this year.

We meet U VA. and Tony Elliot first game next year in Nash Vegas. Think we dodged one IMO.

 

[Skippy95]

lol I think that coaching hires are crapshoots. Tony Elliott didn’t find success in year one at UVA. It doesn’t mean that he’s going to be a failure. We could have easily hired sonny dykes. I don’t know that Tennessee would have found themselves in the playoffs with him or not. I liked the heupel hire because it raised the floor of the program. It remains to be seen if he can consistently get passed Saban and he still has to take out the king in Kirby.

 

[Noni]

This year we:

beat both last year's ACC Champion (Pitt) and this year's ACC Champ (Clemson)
beat 3 of the last 4 National Champions
won 11 games (first time since 2001)
beat 6 top 25 opponents (at the time we played them)
beat 2 teams in top 10 (both still in top 10 AL and Clemson)
laid an egg at SoCar or we would have been in playoffs

and all of this with the 127th ranked for passing yards allowed defense.

Wow. So impressive. The team of misfit toys sure did show out!! Really looking forward to next season.

 

[dovervolz]

Fulmer had 152 wins in his career

Fulmer also lost to a terrible Wyoming team at home.i liked him until that game

 

[orangebloodgmc]

This year we:

beat both last year's ACC Champion (Pitt) and this year's ACC Champ (Clemson)
beat 3 of the last 4 National Champions
won 11 games (first time since 2001)
beat 6 top 25 opponents (at the time we played them)
beat 2 teams in top 10 (both still in top 10 AL and Clemson)
laid an egg at SoCar or we would have been in playoffs

and all of this with the 127th ranked for passing yards allowed defense.

Great post.

 

[posivol]

Fulmer's record was a reflection of the overwhelming player talent advantage from which he benefited, not his coaching ability.

and who acquired that talent...say what you want he was a great recruiter.

 

[vols 30]

Fulmer was a great coach who probably stayed around 3 years too many.

 

[Redleg68]

Fulmer was a great coach who probably stayed around 3 years too many.

Fulmer was a great recruiter with good assistants. His decline is directly related to the decline in his assistants.

 

[wtmvol]

Fulmer also lost to a terrible Wyoming team at home.i liked him until that game

You liked him right up until the game the week after he was canned? I feel like most people who were still on the Fulmer train at that point never got off.

 

[J C Higgins]

and who acquired that talent...say what you want he was a great recruiter.

Definitely a great recruiter but not a great coach. IMO great coaches get the most from the player talent with which they have to work. Fulmer didn't.

 

[Dadof2Vols]

While agree with what you are trying to say, Ohio State proved last night they can play with UGA, Probably Bama too. Their conference sucks but when you have good athletes you can play with anyone. Coaching cost them the game, you cant go stupid and Day did just that defensively and Offensively to lost the game.

Agree but in my opinion tOSU played their best and UGA was mediocre. tOSU controlled both LOS most of the game.

UGA was outplayed and out coached most of the game but won due to talent.

 

[BigALWiLson]

They can play with anyone in our conference, but to do it against our schedule week in and week out, I truly believe it is a different outcome at the end of the season. Day is a great Coach, but if he had to face SEC competition weekly it would be different.

Talent level is on par with this conference right now. I see them being able to compete here week in and week out. Sure they would have growing pains like anyone else.... Some people are scared of Texas ffs... Ohio State is way more of problem in this conference than say Texas or Oklahoma. And they probably wouldn't win this conference every other year, however you would be crazy to think they wouldn't be a top team. GEORGIA damn lucky last night with Harrison. Period. Michigan doesn't have the defensive speed to win here regularly. Ohio State does

 

[BigALWiLson]

Agree but in my opinion tOSU played their best and UGA was mediocre. tOSU controlled both LOS most of the game.

UGA was outplayed and out coached most of the game but won due to talent.

They won due to a bs targeting and trying to take a kid out. Had Harrison ginished the game and Day didn't go stupid and conservative UGA loses by two possessions

 

[OrangeTsar]

Tony turned us down for a better program and opportunity.... Virginia.... thanks coach

A LOT of Coaches kicking themselves for turning us down right now. Then there is Lane Kiffin wishing like heck he would have stayed

 

[Brave Volunteer]

Fulmer also lost to a terrible Wyoming team at home.i liked him until that game

Oh come on now! You cant pin that one on him. That was the game after he was fired and the team just sat that one out in protest.

Imo the worst loss in Fulmer's career besides the 2001 SEC CG was Memphis in 96. That was completely inexplicable and inexcusable!

 

[vols40]

He actually stayed at Clemson, then left for Virginia the next year. That was an example of a guy who didn't strike while the iron was hot. His star was highest after 2020 and he should have taken the best offer available then. He came back, the Clemson offense sputtered with DJU and his options became far more limited, so he had to settle for UVA. Glad he didn't take the UT job.

Can't blame someone for not making a life changing decision in 2020. Still wish him strength and courage for no coach should have to go through what he's going through.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Tony turned us down for a better program and opportunity.... Virginia.... thanks coach

Tony didn't turn us down. He was never offered the job.

Huge dump truck-sized difference between assessing whether someone might be interested, and offering someone the job. Huge difference.

 

[AthensVol2007]

While agree with what you are trying to say, Ohio State proved last night they can play with UGA, Probably Bama too. Their conference sucks but when you have good athletes you can play with anyone. Coaching cost them the game, you cant go stupid and Day did just that defensively and Offensively to lost the game.

They can play with anyone in our conference, but to do it against our schedule week in and week out, I truly believe it is a different outcome at the end of the season. Day is a great Coach, but if he had to face SEC competition weekly it would be different.

The week in and week out is the difference in the leagues. You get 4 days to scheme/prepare between games not a month. I would venture to say, there are some minimal prep weeks in the Big 10 and ACC if you’re OSU or Clemson and going up against the likes of Rutgers or BC with a big game on the horizon. Pruitt admitted to prepping for UF prior to the GA State game and it got him. Kirby admitted after our game to spending 2 weeks working on us and UF gave them a game the week before. In most instances you can’t afford to overlook anyone in the SEC like you can in the Big 10 or ACC and still squeak out a win.

 

[BigALWiLson]

The week in and week out is the difference in the leagues. You get 4 days to scheme/prepare between games not a month. I would venture to say, there are some minimal prep weeks in the Big 10 and ACC if you’re OSU or Clemson and going up against the likes of Rutgers or BC with a big game on the horizon. Pruitt admitted to prepping for UF prior to the GA State game and it got him. Kirby admitted after our game to spending 2 weeks working on us and UF gave them a game the week before. In most instances you can’t afford to overlook anyone in the SEC like you can in the Big 10 or ACC and still squeak out a win.

Ohio State has more talent than about 3/4 of the SEC and maybe mire than all but 2 teams. Talent still wins games in any conference. Would there be an adjustment ? Sure. Half the reason they do so horrible in vowls against the SEC is because they don't see the same physicality week end and out. Make no mistake they can play here. They might be the one team with enough talent and depth to play and SEC schedule currently.

 

[AthensVol2007]

Ohio State has more talent than about 3/4 of the SEC and maybe mire than all but 2 teams. Talent still wins games in any conference. Would there be an adjustment ? Sure. Half the reason they do so horrible in vowls against the SEC is because they don't see the same physicality week end and out. Make no mistake they can play here. They might be the one team with enough talent and depth to play and SEC schedule currently.

I agree that them and Clemson would hold their own because both recruit at a top 5-7 level which is good enough to win this league. What they wouldn’t experience is the runs they’ve had, especially Clemson, where they’ve made 6 of the 8 playoffs or whatever. Both can afford to slip up once and still get in, in the SEC, if you slip up once it may cost you a chance at the playoffs. We were on the verge of going 11-1 yet missing ATL and potentially missing the playoffs. Clemson has lost 1 game 4 of their 6 playoff appearances and would’ve likely made the playoffs this year with only 1 loss because there’s nobody else remotely close to challenging them in their league.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Ohio State has more talent than about 3/4 of the SEC and maybe mire than all but 2 teams. Talent still wins games in any conference. Would there be an adjustment ? Sure. Half the reason they do so horrible in vowls against the SEC is because they don't see the same physicality week end and out. Make no mistake they can play here. They might be the one team with enough talent and depth to play and SEC schedule currently.

I think if they were to play in the SEC, they'd consistently end the season 9-3 or 10-2.

In other words, if they had to consistently play Bama, UGa, and now us, they would not consistently win the conference, nor consistently get to the playoffs. They might not EVER win the conference or get to the playoffs (until the playoffs expand, of course).

Just using this season and our schedule as an example, what do you think Ohio State's record would be if they had to play Pitt, Florida, LSU, Bama, Georgia, Clemson, Kentucky, and South Carolina? I included those last two not because they're barn burners, but because you at least have to focus on them, prepare for them...which means you're not preparing for the team that comes a week later.

I'm thinking OSU would have at least three losses. We know they'd lose to Michigan (a Bama-Tennessee equivalent), because they did. We know they'd lose to UGa (because they did lose to UGa). I'm betting they'd have one other loss somewhere in there, too.

The SEC schedule is brutal. They're not used to that. They're not ready for that.

There's a difference between being almost as good as UGa one or two games a year, and having to be that good 5, 6, or 7 times a season.

 

[Butch s]

Fulmer's record was a reflection of the overwhelming player talent advantage from which he benefited, not his coaching ability.

So who’s responsible for that ?

 

[Butch s]

And he inherited a program that was already built.

He won a national championship with his players, not Johnny’s