Author Archives: Joel Hollingsworth

Vols beat High Point by 31 points and make their coach mad

In almost a carbon copy (woo for anachronistic sports metaphors!) of its game last week against the Presbyterian Blue Hose, the Tennessee Volunteers raced out to a huge lead in the first half against the High Point Panthers. If you watched the broadcast, you’ll know that the Panthers have ice cream. And a Ruth’s Chris. Plus, swimming!

They also had a whale of a hole to climb out of after falling behind 52-13 at the half. They spent a huge portion of the first half stuck on seven points. But they have ice cream, so you should go there.

They finished the game 84-53, and leading the way for the Vols was Jordan Bone, with 16 points and 4 rebounds in 22 minutes. He was 6-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from the arc. Lamonte Turner added 16 points himself and was an excellent 4-of-7 on three-pointers. Admiral Schofield added another 14 points and 6 rebounds. Six different Vols hit a three-pointer.

The team apparently went to sleep in the second half, although that fact sort of escaped my attention as I apparently went to sleep myself. But I woke up to Rick Barnes complaining to the sideline reporter about his team’s two-game streak of playing poorly in the second half.

I love that and everything, but that first half lead was, in fact, insurmountable, and the team won by 31 points despite disappointing their coach. Woo, Vols.

So, Tennessee moves to 2-0 on the season despite the apparent ice cream disadvantage vis-a-vis its opponent. Next up is Purdue in the Bahamas for the opener in the Battle 4 Atlantis, and for that one, I hope that both the team and I can stay awake.

 

Basketball Vols host High Point Panthers tonight at 7:00 p.m.

We interrupt this coaching search to bring you . . . Tennessee hoops, which welcomes the High Point Panthers to Thompson-Boling Arena tonight. The game tips at 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on SEC Network +, which means you have to watch it in person or online with WatchESPN, Sling TV, or something like that.

The Vols are coming off an 88-53 win over the Presbyterian Blue Hose last week, and both the Vols and the Panthers are 1-0. As both Brad and I said after Tennessee’s season-opener last week, you really should start watching this team now because they are fun to watch.

Tip’s at 7:00.

 

Tennessee Vols coaching candidate Mike Norvell

As Tennessee embarks on its fourth coaching search in ten years, here’s a quick look at Vols coaching candidate Mike Norvell.

Mike Norvell coaching experience (36 years old)

15-6 record in two seasons as Memphis’ head coach. Was Todd Graham’s offensive coordinator at Pittsburgh and Arizona State prior to that. Was an assistant at Tulsa and Central Arkansas before that.

GRT taxonomy of college football coaches: Up and Comer

Why the Tennessee Vols might want Mike Norvell

With ties in Memphis, he’d be able to recruit in the Bluff City. But the biggest draw for Norvell is that he’s led the Tigers to being ranked in each of the past two years. He took Justin Fuente’s program and didn’t miss a beat. He’s one of the youngest, most innovative offensive head coaches in all of college football, and he’s going to be a hot name as jobs come open. This one may be gaining steam and would not be a bad fallback option at all. He also may get a long look from nearby Ole Miss, who’ll be looking for a coach, too.

Why the Tennessee Vols might not want Mike Norvell

His age and experience are worries, sure, and is this really a time when the Vols can take a risk? Norvell has a big upside, but can he hire a defensive coordinator to be good enough in the SEC? Also, he hasn’t proven he can recruit well enough to play with the big boys in the SEC. Finally, this is only Year 2. He’s winning with Fuente’s recruits. Can he build a program and develop his own players? That’s a major question mark, and UT doesn’t need to be a training ground.

Tennessee Vols coaching candidate Gary Patterson

As Tennessee embarks on its fourth coaching search in ten years, here’s a quick look at Vols coaching candidate Gary Patterson.

Gary Patterson’s coaching experience (57 years old)

Patteron has been TCU’s head coach since 2000, has a statue outside the stadium and currently has the Horned Frogs at 5-2. Prior to his time at TCU, he was the defensive coordinator at the school and was New Mexico’s before that. Also was an assistant at Kansas State, Tennessee Tech, UC Davis, Cal Lutheran, Pittsburgh State, Sonoma State, Utah State and Navy prior to that.

GRT taxonomy of college football coaches: The Proven Winner, Level Two – Major Conference Champion; Guru (defense)

Why the Tennessee Vols might want Gary Patterson

He’s one of the best standing coaches in all of college football and has proven his prowess building powerhouses on both sides of the ball and turning them into national contenders. He’s only making $5.1 million, and while that’s a good bit of money, the Vols could sweeten that pot. Patterson would be an instant-impact hire with ties to Texas, and he’d be a perfect fit.

Why the Tennessee Vols might not want Gary Patterson

Tennessee shouldn’t have any. But, much like the Mike Gundy situation in 2012, if Patterson was “interested” would it only be to get a raise? TCU has deep pockets and likely could match a price to keep him. Patterson is 57, so does he really want to start over somewhere else, especially at a place that snubbed him back in 2009 when Mike Hamilton reportedly told Patterson he believed he wasn’t ready for the big stage? Would he publicly turn the Vols down? Based on what happened in 2009, you’d probably want a sure sign of interest before you went that direction.

The Gameday on Rocky Top Podcast: A New Hope

Will, Brad, and I recorded a podcast this afternoon to discuss the firing of Butch Jones and a handful of the most promising candidates. We went longer than usual, and so we had to upload the recording into two different episodes. So, pretend you’re binge-watching Netflix or something.

Start with Episode 140, a New Hope, and then continue on with Episode 141. You can listen using the magic orange widget below or by downloading it here or via iTunes and listening in the car on the way to and from work tomorrow.

Taxonomy of college football coaches: Gurus, Champions, Contenders, and Up-and-Comers

So, it’s official. Butch Jones is fired, and the Tennessee Volunteers are looking for a new head football coach. We’ve already talked about what a good coaching resume looks like, and we’ll be publishing our list of candidates and their profiles in the next couple of hours. Before that, though, I thought it would be worthwhile to develop a taxonomy of college football coaches, a sort of food chain, if you will, as it should help us in evaluating candidates.

There are a lot of ways to do this, but what we’ve ended up with a four levels of “Proven Winners,” Up and Comers, Great Coordinators, Gurus, and On Hiatus. The categories are not mutually exclusive; for instance, a Guru is probably also in one of the Proven Winner categories. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be much of a guru, would he? And coaches in all categories except those that are On Hiatus would need to be headhunted from their current job. Note, too, that listing someone as an example in a category isn’t meant to imply that they’re available, desired, or obtainable by Tennessee.

The Proven Winner, Level One – National Champion

This is a head coach who’s regularly winning at the highest level and has recently won a national championship (or a bunch of them).

Examples: Nick Saban, Dabo Swinney, Urban Meyer. Maybe Jimbo Fisher and Les Miles, although they each have a recency problem.

The Proven Winner, Level Two – Major Conference Champion

This is a head coach who’s regularly winning at the highest level, but hasn’t quite gotten to the pinnacle with a national championship yet. He’s regularly winning Power 5 conference championships. “Regularly” might be a bit strong; “recently” might be enough.

Examples: Bob Stoops, Gary Patterson, James Franklin, Mark Dantonio, Chris Petersen, David Shaw, Chip Kelly.

The Proven Winner, Level Three – Major Conference Contender

This is a head coach who’s regularly competing for championships in a Power 5 conference, but not regularly (or recently) winning them.

Examples: Justin Fuente, Mike Gundy, Gus Malzahn, Jim Harbaugh, Bobby Petrino, Charlie Strong, Paul Chryst, and Jim McElwain (maybe?). Also, Bret Bielema, who won championships in the Big 10, but he has a Peter Principle issue to overcome, not having duplicated his Big 10 success in the SEC.

The Proven Winner, Level Four – Mid-Major Champion

This is a head coach with a track record of winning non-Power 5 conferences.

Examples: Tom Herman, Scott Satterfield, Matt Campbell, Jeff Brohm, Willie Taggart, Lane Kiffin, Matt Rhule, P.J. Fleck, Brian Harsin, Blake Anderson, Butch Jones.

Up and comer

This is a head coach who is beginning to make a name for himself but doesn’t yet have a record of sustained success.

Examples: Kirby Smart, Lincoln Riley, Scott Frost, Mike Norvell, Phillip Montgomery, Jason Candle.

Great coordinators

This is a coach who is currently serving as an offensive or defensive coordinator for a proven winner at a major program.

Examples: John Chavis, Jeremy Pruitt, Brent Venables, Lane Kiffin, Jim Moorhead, Mike Bobo, Chad Morris, Dave Aranda, Todd Grantham.

Gurus

These are guys who are known as innovators in their respective areas. They are likely also in one of the higher-level Proven Winner categories, but also may not have had the opportunity at a major program yet.

Examples: Steve Spurrier, Urban Meyer, Chip Kelly, Mike Leach, Gary Patterson, Nick Saban, David Cutcliffe, Bobby Petrino, Lane Kiffin.

Pros

These are guys whose primary experience has been in the NFL ranks. Translation to college is iffy.

Examples: Jon Gruden, Jim Bob Cooter, Lovie Smith, Bobby Petrino.

On Hiatus

These are guys who are either between coaching jobs or presumably out to pasture. They probably don’t have buyouts.

Examples: Chip Kelly, Les Miles, Bob Stoops, Phillip Fulmer, Jon Gruden.

Bulldog 85 wins Week 11 of the Gameday on Rocky Top Pick ‘Em Contest

Congratulations to Bulldog 85, who went finished first with a record of 18-2 and 194 confidence points in this week’s Gameday on Rocky Top Pick ‘Em Pool. He wins a Gameday on Rocky Top t-shirt from our custom tee store, Web Community Tees.

Gameday on Rocky Top Logo Tee

Bulldog 85, watch for a message from me on how to get your tee.

Birdjam remains in the lead in the overall standings.

Here are the full results for this week:.

Rank Selection Name W-L Pts Tie Breaker Game (17-50)
1 Bulldog 85 18-2 194 23-38
2 Anaconda 17-3 192 20-36
3 ThePowerT 16-4 190 30-41
4 PrideofTheSouthlandFan 17-3 187 24-35
5 birdjam 15-5 185 23-31
6 LuckyGuess 15-5 182 24-27**
6 Knottfair 16-4 182 21-24
8 HUTCH 16-4 181 23-48**
8 GeorgeMonkey 14-6 181 27-31
8 mmb61 16-4 181 17-35
8 jfarrar90 15-5 181 17-30
8 jeremy.waldroop 13-7 181 13-31
13 Jahiegel 14-6 180 25-33**
13 spartans100 15-5 180 17-38
13 ChuckieTVol 16-4 180 20-31
13 RandyH112 15-5 180 14-35
17 Phonies 15-5 179 30-42
18 daetilus 15-5 178 23-30
19 edgarmsmith 16-4 177 12-42**
19 PAVolFan 15-5 177 21-28
19 rsbrooks25 14-6 177 27-25
22 Joel @ GRT 15-5 174 24-33**
22 Harley 17-3 174 27-24
22 BZACHARY 16-4 174 0-0
25 joeb_1 14-6 173 27-30**
25 Raven17 15-5 173 28-24
27 C_hawkfan 14-6 172 30-36
28 mmmjtx 15-5 169 10-21**
28 Drew 17-3 169 0-0
30 boro wvvol 15-5 168 10-35**
30 mariettavol 15-5 168 35-34
30 Displaced_Vol_Fan 13-7 168 31-29
30 crafdog 15-5 168 31-27
34 UNDirish60 14-6 167 27-31
35 Jaywine 16-4 165 20-34**
35 TNann 16-4 165 24-28
37 ctull 15-5 164 13-34**
37 CajunVol 15-5 164 0-0
39 Volfan2002 8-Dec 163 21-31**
39 DinnerJacket 15-5 163 32-24
39 tpi 15-5 163 0-0
42 tdrb42 15-5 158 0-0
43 patmd 16-4 157 13-31**
43 Dylan pickle 14-6 157 14-28
45 Gman15 13-7 153 16-35
46 ed75 16-4 152 17-52**
46 vols95 13-7 152 30-28
46 Techboy 16-4 152 0-0
49 ddayvolsfan 15-5 150 24-35**
49 alanmar 15-5 150 24-34
51 bking 14-6 149 27-17
52 PensacolaVolFan 15-5 148 35-24
53 ga26engr 8-Dec 138 24-32
54 Timbuktu126 14-6 134 18-15
55 rollervol 8-Dec 132 17-16
56 the-albatross 9-Nov 128 27-26
57 ltvol99 9-Nov 121 29-28
58 Jrstep 8-Dec 120 11-24
59 1hoss2 0-20 0 0-0**

 

And here are the current overall standings after Week 8:

Rank Selection Name W-L Pts
1 birdjam 174-46 1986
2 joeb_1 167-53 1965
3 Phonies 173-47 1959
4 Knottfair 168-52 1950
5 UNDirish60 170-50 1948
5 PAVolFan 168-52 1948
7 GeorgeMonkey 163-57 1945
8 Volfan2002 166-54 1943
9 jfarrar90 169-51 1939
10 C_hawkfan 168-52 1934
10 spartans100 174-46 1934
12 ChuckieTVol 167-53 1933
13 Jahiegel 167-53 1932
14 PrideofTheSouthlandFan 173-47 1931
15 Displaced_Vol_Fan 160-60 1922
16 Anaconda 156-64 1916
17 mariettavol 167-53 1897
18 rsbrooks25 169-51 1890
19 mmmjtx 170-50 1889
20 BZACHARY 163-57 1887
21 ThePowerT 155-65 1877
22 Joel @ GRT 170-50 1869
23 Raven17 159-61 1866
24 mmb61 162-58 1847
25 edgarmsmith 165-55 1840
26 CajunVol 165-55 1798
27 LuckyGuess 151-69 1796
28 vols95 154-66 1792
29 DinnerJacket 160-60 1785
30 alanmar 169-51 1781
31 tpi 167-53 1778
32 ctull 158-62 1764
33 Gman15 156-64 1748
34 boro wvvol 147-73 1728
35 jeremy.waldroop 150-70 1698
36 daetilus 141-79 1662
37 TNann 158-62 1637
38 ltvol99 135-85 1613
39 ga26engr 149-71 1607
40 tdrb42 141-79 1603
41 crafdog 153-67 1594
42 HUTCH 148-72 1590
43 Bulldog 85 142-78 1581
44 waltsspac 141-79 1568
44 chuckiepoo 125-95 1568
46 ddayvolsfan 145-75 1564
47 bking 137-83 1560
48 Drew 133-87 1539
49 patmd 149-71 1522
50 Sam 128-92 1482
51 Jrstep 137-83 1476
52 Rossboro 115-105 1473
53 1hoss2 131-89 1440
54 rollervol 133-87 1427
55 OriginalVol1814 107-113 1422
56 rockhopper78 107-113 1413
57 ed75 114-106 1398
58 Techboy 131-89 1380
59 BlountVols 106-114 1377
60 Timbuktu126 127-93 1348
61 IBleedVolOrange 116-104 1305
62 RandyH112 125-95 1302
63 Jaywine 108-112 1299
64 VillaVol 89-131 1295
65 Harley 125-95 1293
66 PensacolaVolFan 125-95 1275
67 the-albatross 104-116 1222
68 Dylan pickle 116-104 1209
69 dgibbs 77-143 1182
70 VandyVol 88-132 1176
71 RichVols 80-140 1175
72 utkjmitch 76-144 1151
72 mobilevol 86-134 1151
74 Volboy 73-147 1124
75 jstorie1 72-148 1107
76 TennVol95 in 3D! 71-149 1074
77 waitwhereami 61-159 1069
78 wreckvol 60-160 1061
79 KeepsCornInAJar 61-159 1059
80 aquasox 72-148 1027
81 Will Shelton 52-168 1024
82 biologydropout 47-173 1018
83 SouthernDCist 57-163 1002
84 EVOL 42-178 998
85 MeytonPanning 55-165 997
86 rudydog 56-164 992
87 kmchugh 31-189 935
88 BritishVol 39-181 934
89 CNMcCreary 50-170 920
90 rockytopinky 56-164 900
91 jobliner 38-182 895
92 sncdaisy 40-180 886
93 over754ut 29-191 864
94 DCVFL 21-199 809
95 memphispete 18-202 800
96 901Vol 18-202 797
97 T dog 0-220 731
97 wedflatrock 0-220 731
99 The Alyas Greys 15-205 678
100 PaVol 5-215 609

Gameday on Rocky Top W11 Guessing Game Results: the rich get richer

Sam extends his lead in the Gameday on Rocky Top Guessing Game this week, thanks in part to stealing all of the mushrooms. Play by play below.

Top 10 as of the end of last week

Sam 74
Marietta Vol 69
Josh Farrar 66
Raven17 66
Fatso 64
Dave Strunk 60
Daetilus 59
Joel Hollingsworth 57
Evan 54
RandyH 54

 

Round 1

Q: Tennessee’s pass defense has been good so far this season, but they’re going up against the best passing offense they’ve seen so far this year. How many passing yards do they give up this week? (10-20 points)

A: 200-299 (10 points) (226)

Only one poor soul gets this wrong. Everybody else gets 5 points.

Mushrooms: Evan and RandyH (the aforementioned poor soul)

Bananas: TennVol95 and Harley

Blue shells and bolts: Bulldog 85 draws a thunderbolt and claims the next question all to himself.

Top 10 after Round 1:

Sam 84
Marietta Vol 79
Raven17 76
Fatso 74
Dave Strunk 70
Daetilus 69
Evan 69
Joel Hollingsworth 67
Josh Farrar 66
cscott95 62

 

Round 2

Q: Tennessee’s offense is struggling, but they’re going up against the worst scoring defense they’ve seen all season. How many points do the Vols score against Missouri? (10-20 points)

A: Under 20 (20 points) (17)

Three players would have raced ahead with 20 points for this answer, including Mr. Poor Soul for Week 11, except that they, along with everyone else, are tiny and slow due to Bulldog 85’s thunderbolt. And he didn’t get the question right, so everybody loses.

Mushrooms: Sam (who’s in first and keeps getting richer) and Displaced_Vol_Fan.

Bananas: Harley and me

Blue shells and bolts: None

Top 10 after Round 2:

Sam 89
Marietta Vol 79
Raven17 76
Fatso 74
Dave Strunk 70
Daetilus 69
Evan 69
Josh Farrar 66
Joel Hollingsworth 62
cscott95 62

 

Round 3

Q: Missouri has a havoc-wreaking defense, and Tennessee’s offensive line is working with backups of backups. How many sacks does Tennessee give up? (10-20 points)

A: 5 – 6 (10 points) (5)

Four players get this right and get five points for it.

Mushrooms: Sam (!) and Displaced_Vol_Fan

Bananas: Evan and Displaced_Vol_Fan

Blue shells and bolts: LTVol99 draws a thunderbolt and claims the next question all to himself.

Top 10 after Round 3:

Sam 94
Fatso 84
Marietta Vol 79
Raven17 76
cscott95 72
Dave Strunk 70
Daetilus 69
Josh Farrar 66
MitchellK 66
Evan 64

 

Full table

Player Prior Prior Specials R1 R1 Sub R1 Specials R1 Total R2 R2 Sub R2 Specials R2 Total R3 R3 Sub R3 Specials R3 Total
Sam 74 10 84 84 84 5 89 89 5 94
Fatso 64 10 74 74 74 74 10 84 84
Marietta Vol 69 10 79 79 79 79 79 79
Raven17 66 10 76 76 76 76 76 76
cscott95 52 10 62 62 62 62 10 72 72
Dave Strunk 60 10 70 70 70 70 70 70
Daetilus 59 10 69 69 69 69 69 69
Josh Farrar 66 66 66 66
MitchellK 46 10 56 56 56 56 10 66 66
Evan 54 10 64 5 69 69 69 69 -5 64
Joel Hollingsworth 57 10 67 67 67 -5 62 62 62
LTVol99 41 10 51 51 51 51 10 61 BOLT 61
RandyH 54 54 5 59 59 59 59 59
TennVol95 53 10 63 -5 58 58 58 58 58
Harley 47 10 57 -5 52 52 -5 47 47 47
Jayyyy 44 44 44 44
PaVol 32 32 32 32
Will Shelton 31 31 31 31
Oleg Zeltser 28 28 28 28
Phil 28 28 28 28
Displaced_Vol_Fan 12 10 22 22 22 5 27 27 0 27
Alyas Grey 26 26 26 26
RockyTopinKY 26 26 26 26
WHODEYVOLS 25 25 25 25
vfl_mks 22 22 22 22
Bulldog 85 10 10 20 BOLT 20 20 20 20 20
Packtar 13 13 13 13
PaVolFan 10 10 10 10
hoosiervol 9 9 9 9
NJ Vol 8 8 8 8
RockyTop5 8 8 8 8
charles matthews 7 7 7 7
GoVols365 6 6 6 6
nelsona350 6 6 6 6
Gr82baTNVol 5 5 5 5
Rockytop01 5 5 5 5
Jason 5 5 5 5
driskigm 5 5 5 5
btpenley 4 4 4 4
wreckvol 4 4 4 4
Drew 3 3 3 3
BibleVol 1 1 1 1
Craig 1 1 1 1
Larry Hildebrand 1 1 1 1
utkjmitch 1 1 1 1
benvol 0 0 0 0
GTZW 0 0 0 0
Volfaninsc 0 0 0 0
MediocreVOL 0 0 0 0
Donald Trump 0 0 0 0