Guitar Shots to the Head: Tale of the Tape

Guitar Shots to the Head: Tale of the Tape

I am quite positive that some of you have video libraries of old UT games.  My DVD collection consists of Seinfeld and about three other movies.  I have never been one to collect things.  In fact if it wasn’t for my wife, I probably wouldn’t even take photographs.   Sure, I would have a few pictures of my kids, but I wouldn’t have albums of pictures.   For the most part, I like to live in the here and now.

As a father of three, the advent of DVR has opened worlds of opportunity for me. Aside from being able to watch every episode of Deadliest Catch, it has done wonders for filling the need when I am jonesing for a little college football.  Just last week I was able to record and watch two Tennessee football games.  The first was the 1996 game against Bama.  The second was the UK game from last year.

I will readily admit that I was thrilled to have those particular games to watch.  In ways the viewing became a grand experiment.  Though the games were played 11 years apart, UT had the same head coach, and thanks to Ole Miss, they also had the same offensive coordinator.  They were also meaningful contests.  When Bama met UT in 1996 they were undefeated and looking to prove themselves.  Last year, UT was playing UK for their spot in the SEC title game.  This was my opportunity to watch two important football games back to back, take a few notes, and review my opinions about the state of the football program at the University of Tennessee.

The glaringly obvious problem is that our talent level has not remained consistent.  For some of you this is no real revelation.  For others you will argue the case that it hasn’t until you are blue in the face.  The tape doesn’t lie.   Here are some quick shots to the head:

• Even at there best, UT’s offensive line didn’t always get “push”.  However, late in games when the chips were down, the 1996 team was able to wear down a very good Alabama defense.  For the last few years, the exact opposite seems to happen.
• Ryan Karl was blocked or taken out of a play by a Kentucky receiver on seven different occasions.  Al Wilson was rarely touched.
• The 1996 team was faster up front on both sides of the ball.
• The sack total from last year is an overrated statistic.  Yes, it is great that Ainge didn’t get sacked.  Peyton was sacked at least three times in the 1996 Bama game.  The 1996 offensive line was better than the line UT fielded last year.
• The 1996 run defense made the current Vols look like they were standing still.  I do realize that Kitchens was not a legitimate threat.  Truthfully, Kentucky’s 2007 offense was actually better than Bama’s.  Kentucky should never be able to run the ball on a Tennessee defense like they did.
• I have officially concluded that Robert Ayers was in fact our best defensive end last year.  He is nowhere close in talent to Leonard Little.
• UT’s receivers really didn’t get much separation last year.  Yes, I am stating the obvious.  I had forgotten how much YAC that receivers had logged back in the late 1990s.  In the 2007 UK game, Cottam was the only receiver or tight end to collect any YAC to speak of.
• The physicality of the 1996 football team was amazing.  It made me realize how much I missed watching consistent, instinctive defense.  There was an intangible attitude that UT played with in 1996 that did not seem present in the 2007 contest.

This is not meant to be a doom and gloom forecast; it is just a shot of reality.   Yes, it is a little depressing that when it comes to pure talent we have seen quite a slide over the last decade. The fact that last year’s team matches up poorly with the 1996 version of the Vols is not the end of the world.  Only a handful of Tennessee football teams would match up well with that bunch.

It is possible that the 2008 version of the Vols may be the most talented and complete team that UT has fielded in quite a while.   I can say that they will have to have marked improvement on both sides of the ball to become championship material.  The tape doesn’t lie.  Until next time, go Vols.