Gameday on Rocky Top Podcast – Episode 155 – Florida Week

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Joel:
Hey, look, it’s the Gameday on Rocky Top podcast episode one fifty five. We are back from an undisclosed remote location where we were undergoing therapy and rehab after drinking too much whiskey and smoking too much crack. All of which was understandable because of the Vols two consecutive losses to open the season and because my wife and kids and pastor are all probably listening. I’m kidding. I didn’t smoke any crack anyway. I’m Will Shelton. Kidding again. I’m Joel Hollingsworth. I’m joined by Will Shelton. Will, did you spend any time in rehab over the past couple of weeks?

Will:
No. You know, we did one of these after the Georgia state game, and then a number of circumstances prevented us from doing what, after BYU? Was it like I was at the BYU game? I wasn’t at the Georgia state game. So I’m 100 percent convinced. If I was at both, I would definitely think Georgia State was worse than BYU. That obviously not a great way to go there at the end of regulation and a weird day we read about this weird not only for the unlikelihood of that last play, but also just man Tennessee control that game the whole time. I mean, you never once you saw they showed up to play. Never really thought they’d lose. And so I eat our nature of podcasting or not podcasting and suggests that we like felt worse after BYU. I still felt a little better. Was that year. Was that your take, too?

Joel:
I did feel better. Yes, I thought. I think Georgia State was a fluke. I think what happened there was that they their mistake was not taking them seriously and thinking it was a pre-season game and thinking, hey, we need to we need to use this as a scrimmage and figure out about ourselves and oh, no, it’s the fourth quarter and we’re about to lose and it’s too late. I think that’s what happened there. And I think who are we? We’re not we’re not the team that played Georgia State. We’re not the team that played UTC. But I think we might just be the team that played BYU, which is sort of a cusp B. Top 25 or have a chance against the top 20 to top 25 teams. I’m thinking that’s kind of where we’re at right now.

Will:
Yeah, they were you. I watched a lot of that USC game, like a lot of people hopefully hoping that they looked great and they did win. They offensively they had a lot more purpose against the Trojans than they did against Tennessee. And I’m hopeful that Tennessee’s defense was part of taking them out of that purpose, because like we said, I mean, they just Tennessee control that game from start to finish. And nothing that BYU use offense did in regulation was particularly frightening. They should get credit for a couple of great calls. They dialed up those reverse and around calls at the at the perfect time in regulation and in overtime. And kudos to those guys for that. But then is USC, they really looked like their offense had some purpose. So if you are if you want to lean optimistic about this thing, then maybe, Joel, what you’re saying is exactly right. Tennessee just didn’t show up at all against Georgia State. Certainly some of that was alignment. That’s what we were hoping two weeks ago. Turns out that was some of that, at least was the case when they get lined up. Right. They don’t have to give up four yards a carry to everybody. And you know that Tennessee’s defense looks better when Bertucci is on the field. We might get to find out if they look better. Bryce Thompson is on the field. No one’s exactly sure what’s going to happen there still. But yeah, I I feel better about the whole of of things. And I’m not sure if Tennessee beat Georgia State, you know, thirty eight to thirty seven and then they beat BYU 16 to 13 or whatever that was. I’m not sure. Like week to week in terms of Tennessee’s chances against the Gators on Saturday, I’m not sure I’d feel a whole lot different than where we are with Tennessee losing both of those games.

Joel:
I think that’s right. Yeah. And just to clarify, I was not, you know, wallowing in addiction or anything like that or I will also wasn’t just you know, it wasn’t we didn’t we didn’t have the we didn’t forego the podcast just because we were upset about football, that we had stuff going on. I got sick

Will:
Brett?

Joel:
For like always nasty sick. It was it was I don’t hope anybody ever gets that sick. It was nasty. Anyway, moving on. So the real season actually, I think begins now. The Vols head into the thicket of the SCC schedule. They get the gators this Saturday at noon on ESPN and then they get a week off before a gauntlet of get out my trusty magazine here. I did a smart thing this time. I actually put the schedule on the first page, so I didn’t have to look for it every time now. So, yeah. So we got Georgia in Knoxville and then Mississippi State and Knoxville. They go to Alabama, then they get South Carolina in Knoxville. A little bit of a breather, maybe hopefully against UAB for homecoming in Knoxville. And then they finish the gauntlet with a trip to Lexington to play Kentucky. So that’s that’s the gauntlet. But first up is, is Florida. And, you know, here’s the thing. They don’t look great, you know, but here’s the other thing. We always think that and then and then they gang up with the weirdness and they put a whopping on us. You know, I know we have 2016. Right. And, you know, I’m happy for that. I’m glad we have it. But it’s like one twelfth of our memories of, you know, of our recent memories. It’s like a it’s like a Boston cream, a single Boston cream and a box of like maple cake donuts. You know, no offense to maple cake doughnut lovers, but those things are terrible. You know, I do. Do you like maple cake? Doughnuts? You’re what? They’re probably your wife’s,

Will:
No.

Joel:
Like, specialty or something

Will:
No.

Joel:
That said

Will:
My

Joel:
That.

Will:
Wife does not do donuts, so you’re safe on that. No.

Joel:
Okay.

Will:
But I also am not a fan at all. Boston Cream. So I really wasn’t sure where you were going with that.

Joel:
Boston cream is like the best what? So. Okay, well, what is your what’s your favorite? What’s your Florida 2016 donut? And then what’s your. I hate Florida. Don’t it fills up the rest of the box.

Will:
Well, see, the Florida 2016 donut is the donut that you eat and you enjoy it so much and then you hate yourself the next day because of the rest of the donuts that were in the 2016 box after that, what the Hail Mary donut the next week. So

Joel:
Okay.

Will:
That’s that’s a good. So I feel like I can’t use my my my favorite favorite doughnut is a Krispy Kreme seasonally sometimes puts out a key lime donut,

Joel:
Oh,

Will:
Which

Joel:
Yeah.

Will:
Is one of the things that I’ve ever put in my mouth.

Joel:
You know,

Will:
So

Joel:
I’m sorry,

Will:
That’s

Joel:
But now

Will:
A.

Joel:
That now that I versus I think if we had this same conversation, my so stuck on doughnuts that I’ve asked you this question before.

Will:
Well, it could just be that I’m increasingly excited to talk about key lime, because

Joel:
Okay.

Will:
It’s also my wife who is a professional cake decorator, like she makes a key lime cupcake. That is also one of the best things I’ve ever put my mouth. So it’s probably just me talking, talking about key lime a lot. So

Joel:
Ok.

Will:
It would it would not be that it would be the like where you sometimes I feel like when you’re getting doughnuts that you can get to Krispy Kreme and places of that nature. You get to exotic and you get to doughnuts that have too many things going on and they’re too rich and filling in, like, say, you eat one. As was the case in 2016, you get the big battle of Bristol Donut like the big donut that you had before. And then you eat two other really good doughnuts and then you should stop right there and don’t eat anything else out of that box. But then you do you hate yourself for the next roughly three hundred and sixty five days. So that’s that’s that’s my take on that.

Joel:
So do you not have like a doughnut, you just will not eat because they’re so nasty?

Will:
I mean, they would have to be really weird. Krispy Kreme also made a. Oh, what’s the E? The peeps made a peeps doughnuts.

Joel:
Oh, okay. That’s.

Will:
So I won’t eat peeps, period. So that’s just that’s just by nature and proximity to a peep.

Joel:
So don’t tell me that you like cake donuts, because to me like cake donuts, they’re not really donuts. They’re not really cake. They’re like bagels. That, you know, a month before the high school reunion are trying to be doughnuts, you know. But they’re not quite getting there. So,

Will:
It’s a good analogy, too,

Joel:
Yeah.

Will:
I enjoy. If it is Sunday morning before church or after worship in the little coffee and doughnuts section that all good Jesus loving churches have. I do enjoy like a cake doughnut hole in that situation

Joel:
Ok. All right.

Will:
Where it’s something light and all that. But I know, but the place that I eat, Krispy Kreme is when I’m on vacation at the beach. If I’m at the beach, I’m not purchasing any cake donuts. I’m going for the shit. You should eat two or three and then stop situation. There is no cake donuts in that box.

Joel:
I got an image of you sitting on the beach. Your pale white skin getting sunburned with a box full of donut holes.

Will:
Yet you and also the other rule about that is don’t eat donuts on the beach. Man, eat him. Eat him on the on the balcony of your hotel room. That’s just that’s a that’s a private moment with you and the donuts.

Joel:
All right. So let’s talk about Florida. So did you watch the Kentucky game?

Will:
I did. I watched it in full.

Joel:
Ok, first first thoughts when Philippe Franks went down.

Will:
Well, first thought was, man. That is a terrible. And, you know, it’s bad when they don’t go back and show it again. So my first thought was, I feel really bad for that kid even. And especially I mean, he’s done terrible things to Tennessee in 2017 and it certainly was an accomplice to Tennessee doing terrible things to itself last year in this game. But yeah, I felt terrible for him. My next thought was Emory Jones, and then we didn’t see him at all. So this this Trask kid was. I had heard that story, you know, about him being a backup in high school or whatever. But I I had never seen him or not paid any attention to the little bit that he had played before. So when they didn’t play Emory Jones at all. And then this kid comes out and. Those guys did a great job play calling for him, because with Franks, regardless of the ways that we talk ourselves into things in this Tennessee Florida game, the week leading up to it, it’s not just his fans that put forth a defense around Franks that is basically described as weird. I mean, we talked about this on the podcast before the Georgia state game. We’re going to encourage you to do something dumb, right? Like

Joel:
Yep.

Will:
We’ll give you a 12:00 play drive. We bet you’ll do something dumb on plays 1 through 11:00. So that defense didn’t work with with Trask. You’re going to need to blitz that kid more often and make him uncomfortable. I thought he had some happy feet, but he certainly is also 6 5 with a rocket arm. So my bigger takeaway now is when Mullin comes out and says, well, we got game plans for both and we’re going to play both of them, you know, it’s working. I genuinely don’t know. Is he just making Tennessee prepare for two guys, one of which was much more highly rated than the other? Or is this just you know, is it actually going to be. Yeah, we’re going to come out and roll two quarterbacks against Tennessee. So I think everybody is a little curious about whether or not it’s going to be just Trask or if they really do have the 6 5 rocket arm kit or the more athletic option. That’s that’s also going to play against Tennessee.

Joel:
I wonder if it really matters that much with more, and it seems like Mullen’s going to do his thing regardless of who’s under center or in the shotgun.

Will:
It’s a good one. Yeah, good point.

Joel:
So it’s just a matter of, you know, which guy you’ve got to you’ve got to calibrate based on, you know, which guy can run faster or or whatever. I don’t know. We’ll find out. But here’s the thing. As you said, the defense or. Well, let me say this first. It seemed to me like Kentucky started playing different for some reason. I don’t know whether that was really the case or whether Trask was just more efficient or something. But regardless, he he’s seen he played better. You know, the team was better under him. And I don’t know why that that is. Sometimes I don’t know whether because I ask you this question. And just second. But we were well acquainted with the plague of backup quarterbacks. Right. We’ve got rotten memories of backup quarterbacks. And I don’t know what happens, whether whether the defense is like, oh, good, their best guy is out. We can coast from here, you know, or whether the teammates of the guy who just went out are like, oh, no, we better step it up and they start playing better. Or, you know, whether the I don’t know, whatever it might be. Something happens when a new guy comes in. Maybe it’s because your whole game plan goes out the window now because you’ve got somebody new back there. But what do you think it is working? Do you have any explanation for why it is that that sometimes when backup quarterbacks come in, you don’t get the result that you think you should get? Because what you should get is that, hey, the best guy is out. The second best guy is in. We should be able to make something of that.

Will:
I think the simplest answer for all the ways we want to dress it up is when it happens in the middle of the game. The defense didn’t prepare for it and an offense almost by default simplifies because you haven’t been giving the backup as much of the playbook and enough reps in practice and all that stuff. And sometimes if a team is struggling on offense, as the Gators were at that point in the game and struggling, you know, they missed the chip shop field goal at the end of the first half. They had some other things that were. They were part of that, I think. But simplifying the offense. They did lots of quick throws with Trask taking advantage maybe of a defense that by default wants to be more aggressive against the backup. That sort of thing. I think some of it is just that. And then you see the next week. Hopefully this case that when you’re getting a full 60 minutes with this guy and it’s not asking a defense to change on the fly, then they don’t look quite so hot. But intimacy has seen both sides of that historically against backup quarterbacks. But again, I think Florida can negate some of that if they’re going to play both guys, because then you would have the same situation with Emyr Jones where you’re dealing with having to change it up on defense and adapt if Mullin is going to design kind of two different things for these guys. I think, again, you have to hope that now that you’ve seen a quarter and some change against this guy in a live fire situation and you’re ready for it as opposed to trying to be ready for what Franks does then in Tennessee, hopefully won’t have as much of a problem as Kentucky at.

Joel:
So I alluded to this earlier, but Tennessee’s had some bad experiences with this before. So what are your worst memories of backup quarterbacks as a Tennessee fan? Go.

Will:
Well, Matt, Mark is right is number one.

Joel:
That’s

Will:
I mean,

Joel:
Got

Will:
That’s

Joel:
To be number one. Yeah.

Will:
That’s at the top of everybody’s list. I was at that game and I probably said on this podcast and I know in writing that I was I was 20 years old then and a student at USC and all that stuff in 2001. And my three friends that I went to that game that we’re talking about, how can we rent an RV that drive that drive to Pasadena? None of us is old enough to legally rent a car, all that stuff at halftime. I think we said forwards to each other on the drive back to Knoxville on a car. So

Joel:
All

Will:
That

Joel:
Profanities.

Will:
That one and. Yes. And just more coughing than

Joel:
Yeah.

Will:
Talking. And that that went to it happened in Tennessee at a time when Tennessee’s defense was so elite that it was it was just chugging in there. I always try to make a point to say when we’re talking about that game, sometimes you just fumble. There’s lots of little things you can pick apart. And certainly Tennessee wasn’t prepared. They they were ready for a road hand debut. They weren’t prepared for Mark being more elusive. But also their two best offensive skill players, Travis Stevens

Joel:
Yep.

Will:
And Donte Stallworth, fumble in the fourth quarter. It happens. It sucks. But sometimes it happens and it’s you in battle dropped an interception. You know, we don’t need to relive that game or that. So, Mark, as one. I think the Kentucky won the Dooley, Kentucky one is too. Just because that’s the other end of the spectrum where you’ve had a bad year. Kentucky is worse. And trotting out the let’s try a wide receiver at quarterback today and it works for the first time in three plus decades. So that one is is certainly on the list in terms of what cost Tennessee, Jake Bentley at South Carolina a couple of years ago where, you know, that wasn’t an endgame switch and neither was Kentucky with what was that kid’s name? Rourke. That was the the wide receiver starting quarterback.

Joel:
I’ve I’ve repressed all that.

Will:
Yeah. I don’t want to remember.

Joel:
Yeah.

Will:
So no need to notify us if we got that wrong. But you know, Bentley in South Carolina, who’s you know. Oh, he is he’s supposed to be at his prom and all this other stuff.

Joel:
Yeah.

Will:
And here in South Carolina and Tennessee, off the bye week just with everything in front of him, that that game. I know that I didn’t ever write this. My grandmother died the day before that game. And, you know, I often joke like that would have killed her if she lived another day. Because I mean, that that thing I just remember being in a hotel in Covington, Tennessee, where my son was named after for my grandmother’s funeral and watching the end of that game and just thinking, what are you doing to me to say it like this? This is to stop eating the doughnuts. Right. That that game, by the way, again, not to dwell on the bad, but but doing those historic lines with Tennessee lost to Georgia State. That’s that’s like the fifth worst upset that Tennessee has suffered in the last 30 years. So we probably didn’t give that. There was no overreacting to that. Let me say that any any reaction to that loss and I was like, say, my grandmother died. I was kind of out of the immediacy of responding to it in blog form. But yeah, those weren’t over reactions. That was those are appropriate reactions for 14 and a half point underdog. So those are the three that stand out to me. Let me say this, like some of this angst we’re fans are of, we have fans of ages now that don’t weren’t alive when we were great.

Will:
It’s not their fault they weren’t alive. But there is this this is turning a little too jinxed for my taste because we mentioned the good tasting donut of the 2016 Florida game. That was a backup quarterback. That was Austin Appleby in that game who threw a delicious interception in the midst of that. That that fourth quarter run by Tennessee, where I’m telling my wife I’ve been waiting all day for him to make that throw. And sure enough, you know, he added anything. So you have to hope for things like that with Trask, too, that if you get into that kind of situation, like just he’s he’s going to have something, he’s gonna have a bad decision in him. And hopefully that is what shows up there. So not it doesn’t always go bad against the gators. And there’s a one from 2014 as well where the you know, you’re up nine to nothing and then you give him the short field and they put in the backup and he runs one play and gets a touchdown. I’ve forgotten that guy’s name, too, but yeah. Those those Mark and then the Kentucky one. And I think Nick Bentley would be three on on my list.

Joel:
All right, speaking of quarterbacks, no. Had kind of a rough start, like the team for the first couple of games and then really bad first throw on on his first throw and against UTC, but then went what was seven of eight. He finished, looked really good, like he found a groove. It was Chattanooga. So we’ll see. But how are you feeling about Karen Tano at this point?

Will:
I feel like I would take the 2018 version of him in a heartbeat. Right now.

Joel:
Yeah.

Will:
The version that we all attached ourselves to in the offseason, the will be better because he’s a year older and we’ll be better because working with Jim Chaney version at this point, I’m willing to let that go. And I would just take last year’s version because I’m unsure what’s going on here other than to say that again. And good grief. We should know better.

Joel:
Yep,

Will:
I should know better.

Joel:
I know what you’re gonna say.

Will:
Don’t assume that new offensive coordinator is gonna mean smooth sailing right away. Like we should know that by now. But yeah, that is clearly not the case. So I hope again, for his sake. Can we simplify? Can we do something different? But if you give me the guy where you say, you know, your job is don’t make mistakes and give us a chance and give our excellent wide receivers who Pruitt said this week or last week, I feel like I know what I got at wide receiver and I’m not sure about anywhere else. He’s right. I feel like I know what we’ve got a wide receiver, too. Let’s give those guys a chance. You can’t expect the Auburn game from last year is so strange in terms of what Tennessee did on third down. You can’t expect that every time, especially against good defenses like the Gators in theory have. But the quarterback, that is not. I don’t know if he’s pressing. I don’t know if he’s just not. If he’s overwhelmed with with the scheme or whatever the case may be. But I mean, his interceptions are bad interceptions. You know, they are they are bad, bad interceptions. So I would I will go back to the 2018 version of him if that was offered to me right now.

Joel:
Do you watch the the sports source TV show? I know. I know you don’t want to live. But

Will:
Yeah,

Joel:
Yeah.

Will:
I’d watch it on YouTube. I usually click through and watch the highlights. That depends on what game it was and what happened. But yeah, I click through the segments where the descriptions are of interest to me.

Joel:
So did you see the one where they talked about David Evans story in the athletic about the UTC staff identifying some tells the offense and the defense?

Will:
I did not. Because I. Because it was Chattanooga. I have not. I have not taken the time to watch any of it this week.

Joel:
Ok. Did you read the article?

Will:
I think it’s.

Joel:
Ok. So just if anybody is listening, hasn’t seen it. The gist of it is that David Alvin of the Athletic, who is fantastic. If you are not subscribed to that site, you should.

Will:
Yes, whole, whole we agree. We don’t know that dude. I don’t get a dime from them. You should subscribe to that. Absolutely.

Joel:
Yep,

Will:
And it

Joel:
Yep.

Will:
Just it supports a model of writing about sports on the Internet that you will not be surprised to know that Joel and I are fans of and believe them. So, yes, subscribe to them.

Joel:
Yeah. So he was embedded with the UTC staff the week before the Tennessee game and was privy then to their scouting of Tennessee. And they identified some tells, which I guess is what you do when your game plan, right. I mean, this is this is unique to guys who’ve never been in a locker room, but maybe is not so surprising to people who have. But it was really interesting in some of the things were like that, like the one they talked about on the sports source show was that if you follow Austin Pope, you will find the ball because Austin Pope, they run behind him every single time.

Will:
As

Joel:
And.

Will:
Opposed to running behind Dominick Wood-Anderson. Yeah.

Joel:
Yeah. So follow. Number 81. And you will find the ball. So I mean, it’s pretty interesting if you’d if you watch against see that’s that’s what happened. But the whole time that they’re talking about this. Sterling Hinton, is it. No, they’re smiling. Right. And when pendants and finally gives the floor to him, he’s like, you know what? They if if if it’s working, you don’t change it. Right. So you just keep doing it as long as it’s not working. And then you go do your counters. It’s all a game theory, man. Right. Of course, I should have said it like sterling hidden, which is, you know, 20 decibels more in a higher pitch in a lot more interesting and inspirational, which I love that dude. But anyway. So anyway, the reason I bring that up is just. Are you worried about a team in FC s team figuring out what Jim Chaney is going to do before he does it? Or do you side with Sterling Hinton, which is saying don’t worry about it, man, because when it stops working, he’s got a wrinkle.

Will:
I would need to see more data

Joel:
Dr..

Will:
In general. I’m not worried about Jim Chaney. It would take a lot here. A lot going wrong. I think for four. Reasonable Tennessee fans just get off the Cheney bandwagon, given over who’s been and what he’s done. And just look at the personnel and some of the talent deficiency. He’s working with here. I think it falls in line with what we’ve already talked about, which is the lack of seriousness with which they took Georgia State, which absolutely falls on Pruitt. But, you know, some of that stuff is the bit in there about and Jesse Simonton and I think it’s pointed on Volk West has pointed this out, too, that, hey, when Tennessee’s receivers are not Marquez Callaway, Jauan Jennings or Palmer on the field, they’re gonna run. I figured that out. You know, just just watching, being at the game and seeing, OK, there’s Ramel Keyton and there’s Cedric Tillman. This is gonna be a run. And and more often than not, that’s been the case. The backup wide receivers are in. It’s gonna be a run again. That’s the sort of stuff that was BYU. That’s the sort of stuff that you can get away with against some of these other teams that you will get away with way less against a team like Florida.

Will:
But I’m hoping that those are that’s why I say any more data. I’m obviously I’m not pleased that they overlooked Georgia State to the degree that they did. But I’m also hopeful that they’ve got a different bag of tricks in store here for for what they’re gonna get against the gators and falls in line with. What they did last year. I mean, they. They they beat YouTube. They really dominated YouTube statistically, but only scored, whatever, 24 points last year. I mean, they were very vanilla and all they had because they didn’t want to show. And then they came out. It didn’t work, but they came out so hyper aggressive against the gators with a very different set of things. And then they went to even more different and newer things, some of which worked a little against Georgia and worked better against Auburn. So, yeah, I need I need more data. If we’re still talking about running behind Austin Pope in October, then we got a problem. But I’m not ready

Joel:
I

Will:
To go there yet.

Joel:
Don’t know if we’re running 300 yards a game behind Austin Pope,

Will:
You.

Joel:
I’d be OK

Will:
Yeah, sure.

Joel:
With that.

Will:
But

Joel:
Yeah,

Will:
A.

Joel:
Yeah, yeah. I just think that tendencies that are actually good things. I mean, how do you how do you spring a really, really good play? You set it up with tendencies and then you break the tendency when they’re not expecting it. So anyway, I just I just think it’s if that’s all you can do, that’s a problem. But if you’ve got other things that you can go to after you said set up the other team, then that’s fine. So against Florida, what what do you think is the what’s the number one thing that you think Tennessee needs to do to get the upset against gators Saturday?

Will:
I don’t know. I have been trying to figure that out. Other than. So there is an answer here. That’s the magical Garen Tanto plays better. Sure. That would be helpful. But besides that and the magical when the turnovers by three or more. Yeah. Also would be helpful. I’m curious about. They beat BYU to death with outside runs because Tennessee has way better athletes than BYU. On the edge. Not true. On Saturday. So can they? No. When in doubt is the first truth of Tennessee, Florida is a team that runs the ball best since to win. So is there a version of this running attack that does work when you’re not dealing with a speed advantage on the outside? I hope so. I think that would be interesting and I’m curious to see that. But I mean, honestly, we’re recording this here on Wednesday nights and I’m trying to figure out what to write about this game on Friday, because all of the angles I just don’t know with with backup quarterback at Florida. I don’t know. They looks better. Tennessee’s defense look better. Like I say with Bertucci in there, I get Bryce Thompson back. Is that going to make a big difference? I don’t know. There’s just a lot that I’m really unsure of. And and we talked about this a little in the Tennessee Florida history piece earlier this week. We had that stretch there of basically 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 of those cities. You really have the better team. They were favored in that stretch. They should have won 14, 15, 16, 17. And then last year. Now the gators go on to have a great season because of the time when that happened. They were just a team that lost to Kentucky and then waxed Tennessee. And that was obviously not a good feeling for anybody. But as it turned out, Florida ten win team top 10. Great job. Mullins, a good coach.

Joel:
Kentucky

Will:
All that stuff.

Joel:
Is also

Will:
But.

Joel:
Good.

Will:
Kentucky also good, as it turns

Joel:
Yeah.

Will:
Out. But the game itself. What am I supposed to take from I living in southwest Virginia? I have this conversation about the battle at Bristol all the time where Virginia Tech fans are kind of like, well, you know, and I say, hey, if you fumble it to a six times we’re supposed to beat, you look like that’s what’s supposed to happen and we’re supposed to beat you by multiple possessions, which is what happened. So, like, I’m I’m not talking trash or anything. I’m telling you, if you put it on the ground six times. Thank you. And we will probably anyone will probably take advantage of that situation. So I really what I said at the time to my if there are any of my hockey friends that are listening to this, I would like to see that game again. Tech, as it turns out, was pretty good that you’re two. And it was not a if you fumble it six times, it’s not a fair representation of who you are. Not a fair representation. Tennessee wasn’t a good football team last year, but the Florida game wasn’t a fair representation of who they were. If you I mean, again, the first 10 drives ended in something other than a punt or a touchdown. That’s so weird. So I don’t know. I just I’m not going back to this mode of Tennessee. Actually have a better team. No, of course they don’t. But how much better really was Florida than Tennessee last year? How much better is Florida with a backup quarterback right now than a Tennessee that lost Georgia state? I’ve got no idea. So I honestly. Do you have one Joe Doyle? Do you have a. Here’s what I think is most important other than the pixie dust for Garen Santo.

Joel:
I just think it’s turnovers.

Will:
Yeah. Which is I mean, that’s the underdog playbook, right?

Joel:
It’s the underdog playbook, and it’s just I again, I would like to see last year’s game again without the turnovers. What happens? You know, I think I heard Pruitt say in some presser earlier this season that he thought turnovers basically were four points. So that’s 24 points right there. You know, I just I I think if they play clean and force turnovers instead of giving them away, then then they’ve got a shot. And the problem is that the weirdness has never been wearing our colors in this thing. So I don’t know if we could figure out how to send him to the medical tent. Let’s do that.

Will:
Yeah. It’s so funny because even the it’s weird statistically, the 30 minutes of glory there in 2016, but that wasn’t weird. I mean, Tennessee just whipped him for about real time and I mean, nothing Joanne’s catch on the sideline. Obviously, the juggling was that was weird. But, you know, Taber, as we all know, was quite beat on that play. So, you know, the other times that Tennessee has has one in this series there, 2004, there’s weirdness obviously at the end with the the missed extra point and rightfully so. Some complain about the personal foul call that went against the gators and wasn’t offsetting. That was that was a big deal. Two thousand three tests. They just whipped them up front and won that game. Hail Mary was helpful, but it wasn’t the margin. Tennessee just really dominated them up front and won that game. A one anybody. I mean, classic game. I play that game ten times. Each side wins five great game 98 as he wins cause they get five turnovers. So yeah, I mean sometimes you’ve got to have you’ve got to have that stuff.

Joel:
That

Will:
But a

Joel:
I’m sorry,

Will:
Good.

Joel:
That those those I don’t I can’t remember all five turnovers in that 98 game, but I’m not sure those weren’t unforced errors. Those were Al Wilson.

Will:
Yeah. Yeah. I would say the only one. Deon Grant, the incredible individual play, the one the first one where Florida is going in to take a 7 and nothing lead. And that thing gets punched out at the goal line. Not not weird for the play. Just for what a huge I mean, you got to remember at that point in time, Tennessee hadn’t had a lead. Tennessee being a top 5 team for three or four years in a row and had a lead on Florida since halftime of three years earlier. So when those guys are getting ready to go up 7 or nothing and punch it in and Tennessee instead punches that out, that that felt like a that and then a long Sean Brown and run. I remember thinking this is not how this usually goes, you know? And we could use. There was one of those in the 15 game in the swamp that Jauan Jennings passed back to Josh Dobbs had

Joel:
Yeah.

Will:
A feeling of this isn’t how this usually goes. So, yeah, we need one of those that

Joel:
Yeah,

Will:
Would that would be helpful.

Joel:
Well, not when I say the weirdness, it’s it’s like I have never seen that before and it really hurts.

Will:
Yep, yep.

Joel:
Yeah.

Will:
And Florida does to Tennessee what Tennessee used to do to Kentucky, which is why you think you’ve run out of ways to have your heart broken. But surprise. We’re going to block this kick in overtime and those turn it back for a touchdown and then beat you two overtimes later. So, yeah, I mean, that’s that’s that. That tends to be how that goes.

Joel:
Yeah. All right. So a freestyle, anything that I haven’t asked that you want to talk about. And if you can give it a rhythm and make it rhyme. Extra points.

Will:
Right. No, I think this it maybe I’ll read about this like the lost to BYU. It was freeing in a way that I think now there is no choice left but to embrace the reality of the situation, which you can do. We can argue about what rock bottom is. But the first step in recovery is admit that you have a problem that’s beyond your control. So I think there was a level of admit that’s. Whatever Georgia state actually revealed to BYU, the end of that game made you swallow it whole. So I just. All that to say this if Tennessee. The last time we beat these guys in 2016, it was almost a relief. Not the way the game itself played out. It was a thrilling surprise being down when we were down and then coming back in that game. But at kickoff, it’s like beating them would have been a relief. More than anything else. And it was a statement on whether or not Butch Jones can get it done and whether or not he’s back. And then obviously that was incorrect. After winning that game. But now, because of Tennessee being 1 and 2, because we’re not doing bowl math here yet, because we have no illusions about winning the east or anything like that. This really feels like a standalone. If Tizzy somehow finds a way to win this game, there’s kind of a freedom in being able to celebrate and appreciate it just for what it is and not having to tie it into.

Will:
What it was for former in terms of literally and figuratively, the game that made the difference between being a national champion and not being in that conversation and not in 2001. And for Butch Jones where it was. Is this going to. Is just going to work for you or not? There are duly in 2012 is just going to work for you or not. There’s there’s just a freedom in it to say, hey, look, if Tennessee wins this game, we still got lots of problems and we’re still probably going to be more likely to get to five wins than six. But man, it would be great. And there’s a bye week after that. It would be really great. And so I think it’s it would just kind of be a stand alone when where the larger than the largest narrative at play here is Tennessee is in bad shape. And we got a ways to go and we need to measure progress from the bottom and not to the top butts. So I don’t know. That strikes me as being different this week. The feel of it is it’s kind of untethered from everything else that’s happening in Tennessee is so big. This isn’t a prove anything. Game 4 Jeremy Pruitt. It’s it’s just an opportunity to go out there and beat your rival and we can celebrate it appropriately if that’s

Joel:
And

Will:
What happens.

Joel:
That’ll do it for this edition of the Gameday on Rocky Top podcast. We appreciate you tuning in. And hey, if you feel so inclined, we’d love for you to give us a rating and maybe leave us a review. Bonus points if you include the secret phrase maple cake donuts, we might even send you a box. It’ll be the same one we got back in 2012. But trust us, they taste exactly the same now as they did back then. So for Will Shelton Joel Hollingsworth. And this has been the Gameday on Rocky Top podcast.

Will:
I think back to my the like 2010 and 11, where I was traveling back and forth to seminary in the fall as well, like I did, I did many of these in my car in a parking lot somewhere because my roommate was not like it just wasn’t worth trying to explain to these people that I was only seeing a couple days a week what was going on. I was like, I’m just gonna go to the car for like an hour. So.

Joel:
He spoke.

Will:
Yep, this is breaking the covenant of the seminary.

Joel:
So what do you think about the game? My machine says 10.

Will:
You know, how would we feel about 10? That’s that’s the thing of. That would cover the spread. You’d be like, OK.