Read: The Georgia good and bad

If you read only one thing about the Vols today . . .

. . . make it this, from The Athletic:

Other Vols stuff worth reading today

  1. Kick time, TV set for Tennessee’s game at Alabama, via 247Sports. It’s 9:00 on ESPN. Wait, what? 9:00?!
  2. Report of skirmish on Tennessee sideline had Pruitt ‘fired up’, via 247Sports
  3. Pruitt updates Tennessee’s injuries coming out of Georgia game, via 247Sports
  4. Pruitt searching for ways to fix Vols’ second-half woes, via 247Sports
  5. Two Men’s Basketball Games Already Sellouts – University of Tennessee Athletics, via UTSports. Auburn and Kentucky already gone.

Tennessee-Mississippi State: Head-to-head statistical rankings

Below is a look at Tennessee’s national stat rankings side-by-side with the corollary rankings for Mississippi State. If the numbers hold, Maurer shouldn’t be too pressed for time, the Vols defense will have its hands full against the Bulldogs’ run game but shouldn’t have to worry too much about the passing game, and Tennessee could have some opportunities in the game’s third phase.

Vols on offense

If there’s anything happy for the Vols here, it’s that Mississippi State doesn’t appear to be a threat behind our own line of scrimmage, so Maurer should have time to throw and the running backs should have some opportunity to get headed in the right direction before meeting up with the defense.

The Bulldogs are good on both third and fourth downs, though, and they’re stingy in the red zone, and none of these are things Tennessee’s well equipped to do anything about.

Other than that, Mississippi State appears to have advantages in most of the defensive categories, but they are only slight.

Vols on defense

The Bulldogs do not appear to be much of a threat on offense, and they are particularly bad in the passing game. Their numbers make them look like a one-dimensional running team, so the winning strategy would seem to be selling out to stop the run.

Special teams

The bad news is that Tennessee’s special teams regressed last week against Georgia. The good news is that they have a long way to fall to be as bad as Mississippi State, whose numbers suggest that they’ve been struggling on special teams for most of the 2019 season. There are some serious opportunities for the Vols on kickoff and punt returns.

Turnovers and penalties

Both teams look about equal in the penalty department, but the Bulldogs look much better at protecting the ball and taking it from their opponents.

Tennessee Vols statistical ranking trends – after Georgia


After playing one of the best teams in the country, the Tennessee defense dropped a bit in the NCAA’s official stat categories, but the offense actually had some positive movement.

Offense

Climbed out of the Bottom 30: Nothing.

Climbed into the Top 30: Nothing.

Fell into the Bottom 30: Completion Percentage

Fell out of the Top 30: Nothing.

Honestly, these trends are not bad after playing one of the nation’s best defenses. Need a better run game and more points.

Defense

Climbed out of the Bottom 30: Nothing.

Climbed into the Top 30: Nothing.

Fell into the Bottom 30: Nothing.

Fell out of the Top 30: Team Passing Efficiency Defense, Passing Yards Allowed.

Kind of what you’d expect against an elite offense.

Special Teams

Punting has been a strength of the team most of the season, but punting was bad enough in just this one game to drop it from No. 2 in the nation two games ago all the way to No. 50 now.

Turnovers and Penalties

Not a lot of movement on penalties this week, but the team lost some ground on turnovers.

Gameday on Rocky Top Podcast – Episode 158 – Brian Maurer, Jack Bauer edition

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GRT Podcast 10.6.19 transcript powered by Sonix—the best audio to text transcription service

GRT Podcast 10.6.19 was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the latest audio-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors. Sonix is the best way to convert your audio to text in 2019.

Joel:
This is the Gameday on Rocky Top podcast episode one fifty eight. I'm Joel Hollingsworth and I'm with Will Shelton, will we? Okay. So the Florida game after right after the Florida game, I had said I think it was on this podcast that Tennessee had done the impossible, that they'd gone into a game with low expectations and failed to meet them, sort of making a joke, you know, but it was kind of kind of true. And then last night against the number three Georgia Bulldogs were recording this Sunday night. So I'm talking about Saturday night. Of course, they kind of did the impossible. Again, they they they were huge underdogs. I think it was at kickoff. It was like a twenty five and a half point spread. They failed to cover it. And yet we kind of came out of the game kind of feeling that everything was a little bit better. And that seems to be not just me, but sort of the theme among the media and some of the fans. So what do you think? Do you feel that same way? Or are. Am I just in my own little bubble here?

Will:
Oh, no, I don't think you're in the bubble at all. I a piece I'm working on for tomorrow. I said that. You know, the answer still needs to be after every game. We need more data that needs that needs to still be the answer. Like we go into these games knowing, OK, whatever happens here, there's gonna be another one that's going to tell us a little more about what's going on and a better one, too, than playing number three, Georgia. So we need to remember eyes by we I mean, I I need to remember after Florida. Yes, we need more data. We know we don't have enough. It's only been 16 games, whatever. And after a performance that I think does make all of us feel better about things, we need more data. Let's let's see where this goes and all that. So I don't think I liked what you wrote. I don't think we have to define it as a turning point. Capital T. Capital P. It feels a little bit to me like the Oklahoma game in 2014. So when you have a game like that Oklahoma game in 2014, where I don't know, on the front end, we'd have to get in a time machine and go back five years. If on the front end you said Oklahoma is gonna beat you by twenty four. Well, I don't know that we're gonna feel great about that. And certainly on the front end of this thing, if you said, hey, there's gonna be another four plus possession loss, you know, even if you gave us the same weirdnesses having against Georgia two years in a row where the score gets inflated by a fumble, ran back for a touchdown it at the end of the game, you know, that makes three possession of the into a four possession of air.

Will:
But I think that's. There is now some excitement just because of the nature of the quarterback position itself. Bauer did a thing that I don't even think Garen Tanno could have done this year because he's a redshirt junior that could be a graduate transfer. He could could've gone early to the NFL, that sort of thing. I've been saying for months and months and months, even before the loss of Georgia State, that Jeremy Pruitt s fate isn't going to be decided by Jarrett Guarantano, good or bad. But I just think we all assumed that Harrison Bailey or some other recruit would be the one that helped decide that fate and not Brian Mauer. But once you see Mauer, you enter into this this new realm of possibility opens up that this guy could possibly possibly be an answer for you at quarterback in future years when Pruitt really needs to come through. When when the rent's going to come due on this guy, maybe maybe you've got a guy that possibly could be the quarterback in that situation.

Will:
And that just makes you feel a whole lot different there. At least it does for me about a lot of the other young guys, because if we can, at least in pencil, write in Brian Bauer, question mark at quarterback. Now I'm starting to feel better about some of the other pieces where before it was like, hey, Eric Gray is great and Toto is great. And all these guys like, is it gonna matter if we can't find a quarterback? It's not going to matter if Tennessee can't find guys to get to the defensive linemen, to get to the passer and I going to matter. So there's still plenty work to be done. We need more data, but just the nature of what some semblance of hope for present and future. Most importantly for Tennessee right now, some semblance of hope at the quarterback position makes a lot of this feel very different to me. Did you I mean, you know, you talked about last week, you thought, let's keep playing Garen's Hannah. Let's let's get the crumbs and turn around. Cheney's done that before. How how did you experience all this with with Mauer? Because I was I was more. OK, well, let's at least, you know, it'll spark some interest, that kind of stuff. What was your take on? That's the emotion of that whole seeing the backup come in and play well.

Joel:
Ok. So it's like you're reading my notes here because that's actually

Will:
Ok.

Joel:
My next question

Will:
This

Joel:
Here.

Will:
Is a long term relationship, you and I,

Joel:
They

Will:
You

Joel:
Can't

Will:
Know.

Joel:
Finish each other's sentences here. So I don't have this actually all the way planned out. So you're going to have to bear with me and just listen to me, try to formulate it on the fly. OK. But there's a lot of optimism coming from that change. And I am all for that. I was glad to see the guy play well. I'd rather be wrong and have the team play well than be right and have haven't be bad. Right. But here's the thing. What? After Florida, after they lost Franks, we were having this conversation about Tennessee and backup quarterbacks. Right.

Will:
It's.

Joel:
You know, I'm going,

Will:
No.

Joel:
But.

Will:
I'm intrigued.

Joel:
Ok. So we're having this conversation. We're like, oh, no. You know, Tennessee's got to play a backup quarterback and ask the question, what is it about backup quarterbacks that sort of do a team in in? It's kind

Will:
Yeah.

Joel:
Of it's kind of like one or two things. It's it's either the juice because the guy comes in and he's you know, he's still got all these hopes and dreams, none of which have been dashed. Right. And he's excited. He comes in with this huge level of enthusiasm and inspiration and motivation. He's he's juiced. Right. And then the rest of the team is like, oh, no, we got we get this brand new guy and we we better play well to to make up for any mistakes he might make. Right. So it's the extra juice, not just the quarterback, but the rest of the team. And then also the other thing is that the defensive game plan basically goes out the window, at least when the guy comes in in the middle of the game or before you know that he's going to play. Right. You've never seen the guy, especially if he's brand new. You haven't seen the guy play. You don't know what he does. Well, even if they're going to play the same system, he might be faster. He might be shift year. He might make different decisions and different scenarios and things like that. So you got the juice and you got the the destruction of the defensive game plan.

Joel:
And then I think you brought up that. Oh, don't worry, because a lot of times these guys don't generally play that well the next game. And the rationale behind that is you lose a little bit of juice if they've lost. But mostly the defense now has something to look at, something the game plan for. And now it's the new quarterback who has to adjust on the fly. OK. So so here's what I'm thinking. Did that happen to Mauer in the second half? And is it going to happen the next game or for a couple of more games? So I think that Cheney and Pruitt in the in the coaching staff, they have this dilemma. They've got two quarterbacks that are sort of at this plateau and you don't know whether or not they can get any higher. So you got Garen Tanno. And I still think the guarantee antenna's only problem is that he's still getting used to Cheney. And I think that it would just take another couple of games for him to get there. But what's the you know, what's the benefit of that? Maybe we get to a bowl game and maybe next year we go in thinking that we can get eight wins and then he's gone.

Will:
Right.

Joel:
Or do you go with Mauer? And his challenge is that he's got to learn how to play well when the other team isn't surprised anymore. They know what you're going to do. And that's that's a that's a big leap for a guy to make. And I think he can do it. But how many games is going to take? I don't know. But he does have more time. All right. So, anyway, I was wondering what you thought about all of that in which you would choose. Although I also have to say in my notes as I was abbreviate and all the stuff I was using, j.g, you know, because they call tanno j.g. Right. And I made a mental note to not call Brian Maurer B.M..

Will:
Right. Yes.

Joel:
I don't think

Will:
That's.

Joel:
That's a good idea.

Will:
No, that's that's not a good idea. I've been trying to find a way to tie him into Jack Bauer. Brian Bauer

Joel:
Oh,

Will:
And Jack

Joel:
Okay.

Will:
Bauer, but

Joel:
That it work.

Will:
Not have nots. I just really loved that show

Joel:
Added to.

Will:
And I anyway, that has not come to me, but. OK. So

Joel:
But not B.M..

Will:
I've I've I would write I was trying to make some joke about Jack Bauer saying there's no time. But even that is not. It's late. I've been traveling this. We can go braves. But anyway, I think a couple things about that. One, after we talked on the podcast, I did pull those numbers and we wrote this on Friday of here's what Tennessee quarterbacks have done as mid-season replacements in their first starts. And if you didn't read that,

Joel:
I read

Will:
It was

Joel:
It.

Will:
Terrible like the last four guys. Tanno against South Carolina in in 2017 at a point when Tennessee was still you know, it was three and two, they had just gotten whacked by Georgia. But three in two. It was not everything was lost. And Tennessee didn't score a touchdown. Lost fifteen to nine. And most of his whole stat line was on the last drive where they came down and almost scored, but they didn't. So Guantanmo, no touchdowns lost. Fifteen to nine. DOBs at Missouri, when we spent a lot of time, we saw DOBs in the second half against Alabama. And Missouri, that's the first year that they the first of their two back to back division titles. So even though they were ranked ninth, we weren't buying Missouri. That's the infamous five to 30 percent chance of winning a game for long time readers of the site.

Joel:
I love that game.

Will:
And we spent all week I remember going on Sports 180 on that Friday and being like, I feel like people are coming up to me and saying things like, he doesn't have to be Michael Vick. But I'm like, dude, it's don't don't even put him in that same strategy. It's one freshman guy against a top ten defense in his first start on a team that's been kind of bad all year. So I think we talked ourselves into a lot of the idea of DOBs, which came true eventually, but not against Missouri. They lost thirty one to 3, didn't score a touchdown. Peterman, no need to go into that again against Florida. Certainly Worley came in and led touchdown drives, but Peterson did not. And then Worley at a real at a crucial juncture for their dooly when breh is hurt. You've just gotten waxed. Back to back by LSU and Alabama. Here's South Carolina, who is a top 15 team, and they burned Worley's red shirt. So now let's go ahead and start him. And Tennessee lost 14 to 3. They had a they were had an interception at the five yard line and had a chance to take the lead. And Worley threw it right back to them. And then South Carolina went on a 20 play drives it. Folks who remember I was there. It was awful. And South Carolina won 40 to three. So all that to say, the standard for what Tennessee quarterbacks have done in their first start as a midseason replacement was excruciatingly low. So when Mauer came in and threw a touchdown on the sixth snap, it it changed that.

Will:
And then when it wasn't a fluke, I thought, OK. You know, Cheney found himself in coverage. Good double move by Callaway. Good job. By now, I put it on the money. Maybe we snuck one over on him then. The rest of it, you know, really validated the idea that just in comparison to other Tennessee quarterbacks in a similar situation, some of whom went on to be Nathan Peterman, one of them went on to become Josh Dobbs. Mauer did much, much better. The next question which I'll research and write for this week is what do those guys do in their second start? I know Dobbs was Auburn in that death streak of playing a bunch of top 10 teams. Tennessee scored twenty three points of that game. They did give up fifty five, but there was at least some life there. Peterman never got a second shot. I think Worley played like CSU or some like that. What's it got to go back and look at all that? But anyway, there is there's yeah, there's a part of me that is concerned that what we saw in the second half was Georgia figuring him out. And that juice and that surprise element won't be there against Mississippi State. One of my biggest hopes is that everything that we thought about this team at the start of the year, not not we know every one picked Tennessee to go to a ballgame. Everyone was thinking this is a six win team. At least not many folks thought they were a, you know, six or seven. That was everybody's thought. So is there a school of thought here where if you just get adequate quarterback play doesn't need to be spectacular? Because Mauer I mean, he was spectacular in the first half.

Will:
That was spectacular. And then the second half was below average. So if you just get adequate, if you get the mixture of those two things, you just get adequate the rest of the way against South Carolina. Alabama's only opportunity slash don't get hurt. And then the rest of that schedule depending on what's going on with Kelly Bryan at Missouri. Then is Tennessee the rest of the team going to look like a six or seven win football team with adequate quarterback play? I'm hopeful for that. The problem with that is one of those six or seven wins is always going to be Georgia State. I still think, you know, I think if they got to five and seven, that would be an accomplishment. It wouldn't feel that way. But I think if they if they get from one and four to five and seven, knowing that one of those losses is going to be Alabama, I think I think that would be a good job at this point. So I don't know to downplay five and seven or pooh-poohed or anything like that, but I'm just hopeful that that not just for the future expectations of what Tennessee might have, but just for the present that the rest of those pieces, enough pieces to be a six or seven win football team if you beat Georgia State and ah, have been there all along. We'll see again. We need more data.

Joel:
I have missed what's going on with Kelly Bryant. What can you fill me in on that?

Will:
Got hurt in the Missouri game and I don't know the status of that injury, so I have not I've that that may be out by the time people notice or listen to this on Monday. But at the time you are talking, I don't know what its statuses.

Joel:
That's that's a big deal. I mean, that's you know, they're there. Do they have any backup? How did the backup do once he got hurt? Any idea?

Will:
I don't know. I read about it when Bill did the S.P. ratings this morning. He was talking about Missouri's defense, how well Missouri had played after the Wyoming game, but that everything was kind of riding on if Bryant's could go and what that would be like. So I don't know.

Joel:
I did see that they snuck into the top 10 and SB Plus.

Will:
Yeah. Yeah. Not I mean. So the conversation we we're going to want to have here is. If we need to take this in small doses, Tennessee needs to see if they can beat Mississippi State, if they can beat Mississippi State, then we'll play Alabama. Bad things will happen. But after that, then we can have the larger conversation, which is going to be if they beat Mississippi State, you get one freebie. After the Alabama game of Tennessee, Mississippi say there would be two and five, which means you got one loss left if you want to be bowl eligible. Missouri is just operating on a different level than the rest of those teams on Tennessee's schedule. There is the scheduling component itself where Tennessee is on a bye week and Missouri is coming off plan. Georgia and Florida back to back. So that helps. But I know we just talked about it. I know we're not used to giving Missouri as much credit because they're Missouri and they're new to the conference. And I know that they're Dooley is there. And that makes us also want to give them less credit than they deserve. But Missouri's pretty good. And that's so when we say if they beat Mississippi State and they lose Alabama and we say, all right, well, you know, they need to. They've got one freebie that's probably going to be the freebie. So now you're asking them, can they run the table against South Carolina, UAB at Kentucky and Vanderbilt to get the six? Maybe. But in a week that that conversation, we don't need to talk about bowl eligibility this week. I think we need to talk about Mississippi State and let's start there and just see this is still a team that lost the Georgia state. Let's see. Let's let's see what they can do. Mississippi State's coming off the by men. Those guys looked awful against Auburn. So we'll see if this was a big fat data point already before Mauer gave you the possibility that he might be an answer not just for this fall. So.

Joel:
Yeah, they I I haven't looked actually at the spread yet. My. I did run my machine quick this morning and it it liked the Bulldogs by like 15, which I think is high, but it's probably seven would be my guess. I'll look that up in a minute. So what do you think the danger is of of getting Mauer put through the wringer a little too early, you know? I don't know whether I just feel bad for Garran Tanno. And I think this old juice thing. I think it's hard to keep your juice when you have three seasons worth of disappointment. You know, nothing like that can sap your juice any better than that, right? So what what happens with Mauer if he says he's going to lose to Alabama? Probably look terrible, but you know, everybody's survived that. But if he does get through this season and loses all of them, but UAB or all of them, but UAB and one other, does that do any lasting damage to him that we'd have to work to overcome next year? Do you think?

Will:
Good question. And there's really no. We're in uncharted water with with Tennessee in terms of that kind of losing, because the only quarterbacks that have done it are half of Quint Dormandy and half of Jarrett Guarantano. So we don't have anything to compare it to at Tennessee historically, if you're talking about like a 3 and 9. Obviously, that's never happened before. So and even DOBs, you know, DOBs didn't win much when he came in there. But Dobbs's is losing to the second half of Alabama. Number nine, Missouri, the Auburn team that almost won the national championship. You know, Dobsons losing that game and he regressed. We talked about before he game against Vanderbilt at the end of the year. I thought he would never, ever be the answer quarterback for Tennessee. So I think some of it is that I just also the messaging we talk about feeling bad for and tanno the messaging between the seniors on this team and the freshmen just has to be so different. I mean, Garran Tanno is a redshirt junior. He signed and was present here. In 2016? Yeah. Like he was on the team in 16 as a red shirt, so he was around for all of that stuff, same as a Jauan Jennings was around. So he knows what it's like to be at Tennessee when you at least for the first half of the season are chasing a national championship. Or at the very least, and s._e._c East Championship. And now here at the end, you know, there's a bunch of guys on this team who their whole they were recruited to and are now playing through the sense of we're building it, we're building it, it's come in, we're working hard.

Will:
We know we just lost by 20 whatever for the X number of times in a row or whatever. But it's come in. We're building we're we're going to lot of these guys. Joe, I know you're not on Twitter, but a lot of these guys are tweeting today as if I'm sure someone told them to thank you to the fans. We're working hard to get players are tweeting. Thank you to the fans. We're working hard. Don't give up on us, that sort of thing. So in that sense, I feel bad for Tanno because he's you can't sell that to him. You know that literally it's not just what he signed up for. It's not what he experienced his first year at Tennessee. And it's not what he experienced when Dormandy got picked to start over him against Georgia. Georgia Tech in 2017. And so, you know, he's he's from that mindset and it just hasn't paid off. So can Mauer take some lumps and then come out of it on the other side knowing, well, this was just the basement and now we're going to build on it? I don't know if this is a 3 and 9 or worse situation three and that which would be three a night or two in 10 or one and eleven, then whatever warm fuzzies we have about now are going to go away. If he if he can't get a couple of those wins along the way.

Joel:
Yeah.

Will:
Otherwise, you know, even even if there look, even if they're four and eight but competitive after Alabama, then I think you can still say, look, we you know, we lost two games at the start of the year that we never should've lost that aren't on his rap sheet. And and we lost to Florida. That won't be the Gators if he played, but, you know, that's that's not on him either. And we're building it. I think that that can be OK, because that's still the message they're selling to everybody else on the team and in high schools that we're just building from here.

Joel:
Yeah, it's not just if the team goes three and nine, how does Mauer feel about it? It's what happens during the 3 and nine. Like you say, the warm fuzzies are gonna go away. It's gonna be worse than that. It's gonna be you suck. And we never should have recruited you, you know, and that's not fair. You know how he handles it. And you know, it's gonna it's gonna be key. Mississippi State is, by the way, a six and a half point favorite. So, again, my machine says we won't cover. But I kind of want to look closer at the underlying assumptions on that to see whether it makes sense. But how are you? I know it's it's only Sunday night right now. How are you feeling about Mississippi State? We can talk about it more later in the week. But how are you feeling right now about him?

Will:
What I want to say, and I'm afraid this is me believing something I want to be true instead of something that's actually true. I want to say it's a toss up. I would love to say that, you know, on the winning, I think I put 40 percent of the expected win total thing. But you know that it is closer to 50 that we just don't know. Mississippi State lost at home to Kansas State and then looked as bad. I mean, as bad as Tennessee looked against Florida. I thought Mississippi State was worse against Auburn.

Joel:
I think Cockburn's good, though, man.

Will:
Yeah, I get, but I mean, Florida, you know, I know it was close and close and close and a body blow to him and then Piron had a long run and so they went by eleven or whatever. But, you know, I think Florida's good

Joel:
Yeah, I think they're both

Will:
With

Joel:
Good.

Will:
This, which is not some consolation on Tennessee. Like that's a problem for us in the welcome, Arun. Hey, Dan Mullen is a good coach and these guys are good. And we have to play every year. So, yeah, I think they're both good. I think you're right. But what what. Auburn isn't is. Auburn is the best version of themselves that everyone thought they were the playoffs all burnt like that. That ain't it. But they I mean, that was a hot knife through butter against Mississippi State. So, yeah. Part of me wants to say this is a toss up crowd is fans are interested and invested. He hasn't been anybody but Chattanooga this year. And so you know this. We need a win of consequence. And this would be one at this point of the story. So there's lots of lots of folks are looking for reasons to believe on that. Also, it may be the sort of game where Tennessee does something dumb early. And Mississippi State jumps ahead. And now Tennessee thinks, oh, we're we just suck. We're bad. And we get into some of that. So I don't know. But there's nothing we need more data on. Mauer and Mississippi State has not done anything to inspire me to pick them on the road so that I don't know. Yeah. I mean, that's what my gut wants to say is this is a 50 50 toss-up situation.

Joel:
All right, so pop quiz, what was worse Tennessee's loss to Georgia state or the officiating crew in the third quarter last night?

Will:
At least I appreciated the officiating crews honesty. I appreciate that they didn't try to. The guy was like ever further discussion, we changed our mind. This

Joel:
Like 2 2

Will:
Just.

Joel:
Times in a row.

Will:
Yeah,

Joel:
Yeah.

Will:
It's just what happened. They need to make a face mask, needs to be a reviewable penalty. That's not hard. If we can review targeting and we can review passenger fares in the NFL, which is a terrible idea, but facemask is not a judgment call. I mean, I know officials are making it as a judgment call, but en route on review. There should be evidence, your honor, Like it, we should be able to figure that out so that that needs to be reviewable, but. Yeah. You know, I've. It felt like the substitute teacher coming into the classroom and being like, we're going to cross all the T's and dot all the I's baby and everything. That is a penalty. All of it's getting called tonight. So.

Joel:
Yeah. All in like 10 minutes. It was like every play there was a flag thrown.

Will:
Yeah. What haven't we called it? Yeah. Yeah. I

Joel:
And

Will:
Don't

Joel:
Then

Will:
Know

Joel:
There was.

Will:
The Blore, the root. The ref on the fumble, return for a touchdown, call some people some money. Tennessee covers the spread of that refs slip away. So,

Joel:
I have

Will:
You know,

Joel:
To I

Will:
That's

Joel:
Have to.

Will:
That's another friend. Like not not to go back and beat on Garen Tanno any more than we have in the past. But first and goal to 5 at the end of the game and you can't get in the endzone on four tries against Georgia's backups. It is a microcosm of what has been happening with him all season. And you know that that's just. I don't know when you say if we leave him and he'll eventually get it. I just I know he's playing with some backup wide receivers too. But man like that, there is just so little confidence with him in those situations compared to the throw Mauer made. I mean, that was bananas that throw and for for a freshman gets a number three team in the country. So, yeah, I just think confidence is worth a lot more than we're giving it credit for. And Bauers, I would think, still has to be high coming out of that and getting Santo just less so.

Joel:
That is probably true, although wasn't there a series of events that happened before that where we had three of our key guys go out on consecutive plays?

Will:
Offensive lineman, yes.

Joel:
Yeah, there were two two offensive linemen and then there was somebody else who was I don't remember, need to go back and look at that. But yeah, I mean, just then then they cut the Pruitt and he's like, you know, this faces like he can't even believe this is happening because losing all his guys on top of everything else.

Will:
Yeah, and that I mean, that matters. Bauer needs those guys to keep him up right here again, not against Alabama, but against teams like the one we're getting ready to play on Saturday.

Joel:
All right. Anything I missed freestyle freestyle will. I need a rap name for you.

Will:
I think that's. Sometimes on this pike, as we've talked about. Like here's the real worst case scenario. One teeny tiny I mean, not teeny tiny, but one kind of background best case scenario. Consider that all of your really great memories of Marquez Callaway other than catching a Hail Mary against Kentucky last year. All of your really great Marquez Callaway memories are either a punt return or they are associated with Quintin Dermody. Gehrt Tanno and Callaway. Like we never saw the Callaway that we saw against Georgia Tech. With Garran Tanno ever. And so I wonder if there's just something about that dynamic between the two of them or just something great about Mauer and Calloway. But that was refreshing to not have it just be the Jauan Jennings show and be like, oh yeah, this guy's really good. That kid's hemade on third down on the drive. That's the Jenning score. The touchdown on was an unbelievable catch to me. So I am hopeful that maybe Mauer brings out something in Marquez Callaway that for whatever reason, just Garen's and I wasn't bringing out. I would love for that. Calloway from the Georgia Tech game to show up here in the last half of his senior season.

Joel:
Yeah, I will say this, too. Mauer just seems faster, quicker twitch here. You know, the game is is going faster when he's in there. It's the juice. I

Will:
Yeah.

Joel:
Think it's the juice. Yeah. All right. Well, that'll do it for this episode of the Gameday on Rocky Top podcast. Thanks for tuning in. Do us a favor. Subscribe, give us a rating, leave a review. Bonus points tonight if you include in your review. The secret word B.M.. I think we're just gonna go with that. So.

Will:
I'm working on the Jack Bauer stuff. It's been a long time, but I've got a lot of I got a lot of that stored in my memory banks up there. So I'll have to see what I can what I can come up with.

Joel:
I love that show. I would watch. I think I've watched every single episode. It's great. I don't know why it went off, but it needs to come back on. It was great. I watched even it wasn't there. One without Kiefer Sutherland.

Will:
Yeah, I watched the one episode of that, then I was out, but it hit

Joel:
Oh, it was pretty

Will:
My

Joel:
Good.

Will:
Wife. My wife never watched the show. And then the one where he came back, we watched it together. And it was so much fun to watch that show with someone who had never seen 24 before because she was so nervous for Jack Bauer would be like, oh, he's gonna be fine. Like everyone else is in danger every episode and could die at any moment. But

Joel:
Yeah,

Will:
He's going to just fine. So

Joel:
It is.

Will:
That

Joel:
But

Will:
Season and she goes, what did you make me watch this?

Joel:
My wife is the same way. She can't stand all that anxiety is like it's a TV show, you know, it's gonna work, you

Will:
Yeah,

Joel:
Know?

Will:
That

Joel:
I mean.

Will:
Was that was the one. It wasn't the anxiety, it was the spoiler alert. You should turn this off and you've never seen any. 24. That's the one where Audrey dies.

Joel:
Ok.

Will:
That's Alex is like. Like, why? Why? Like, I got invested in these people and then they died. I was like, yes, this is the show. Welcome.

Joel:
Yeah, my my daughter was mad at me for recommending Odd Thomas to her, have you read those?

Will:
I have not.

Joel:
Ok. Dinard Koonce books. Whole series on Odd. Thomas Read. Really good stuff. But yeah, in the very first book is The Love of His Life Dies and she's so mad at me. And then she has to read like 15 more books in order to get the answer on that. But

Will:
I

Joel:
She she thanked

Will:
Do

Joel:
Me later.

Will:
A. I used to when 24 was on the air back in like this would have been like 0 3 0 4. Early on I was going to a worship service on Monday nights at Fellowship Church in Knoxville, Shoutouts of Fellowship Church in Knoxville, and Greg

Joel:
We

Will:
Pinkner, who was

Joel:
Wish

Will:
The pastor

Joel:
To go

Will:
There.

Joel:
There.

Will:
Did you really?

Joel:
Yeah, we did.

Will:
Greg pinkner employed there at the time.

Joel:
No, it was Doug Bannister.

Will:
He may still be on the step of the pinger was leading the college worship services hillarious is. I am a United Methodist pastor. His theology and mine are probably not going to get along all the time these days, but he used to like the worship service would end. It was on Monday nights and it would end at like 8:30. And he would always say some form of like, listen, don't hang out here. Like I'm trying to get home and watch 24 like don't's.

Joel:
Yeah.

Will:
Don't hang out here too long. Dude, you need to do and then leave because people tried to get out of here and watch Jack Bauer and I was one of those people. And so I always

Joel:
Yeah.

Will:
I always appreciate that.

Joel:
Yeah.

Will:
So.

Joel:
Love you. Get out.

Will:
Shout out. That's. Yeah. Shout out Fellowship Church.

Joel:
All right. So we're gonna change the bonus points phrase to Jack Bauer instead of being

Will:
Yeah, well,

Joel:
Jack

Will:
We'll find a way

Joel:
Bauer.

Will:
To work.

Joel:
Yeah. All right. So for Will Shelton, I'm Joel Hollingsworth. This has been the Gameday on Rocky Top podcast. All right, well. Oh, I was the one more thing I was going to say while we were actually still before the close. But yeah, that whole anxiety thing that you feel on 24 only feels that in a little house is like, is it going to be all right? So.

Will:
That's right.

Joel:
Yeah.

Will:
Yeah, I. I love. I never went back and watched because they were just they were always on. I did shut down when I was a youth director this season when the one that starts with. Everybody getting killed. President Palmer and Season 5, I think where the first episode everybody does. You know, and love. I was leading a youth retreat weekend and me and other chevre and we're like, we're watching this. Don't come. Bother's is the last night of the retreat. Everybody's tired. We're like, you talk to these other people from 8:00 tonight. Don't come, bother's. Then everybody dies. The first 50 minutes, you'll be like, hey, man, sharp, leave, leave, leave. No doubt. That was that was an events like maybe it's just the age you are at a certain time. But that stretch of years when twenty four and lost.

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The GRT Expected Win Total Machine: After Georgia

Use the form below to calculate your expected win total for the rest of the season.

The GRT Expected Win Total Machine


My assessment

The Vols appear to have improved despite failing to cover a huge spread against the Bulldogs at home. For that reason, I’m giving them a slight bump.

Meanwhile, Missouri’s looking better, Vanderbilt’s looking worse, and Mississippi State, Alabama, South Carolina, and Kentucky were all resting comfortably.

With this week’s adjustments, I now have an expected win total of . . . 3.85. Continuing to inch up.

  • Preseason: 6.55
  • After Week 0: 6.6
  • After Week 1: 2.87
  • After Week 2: 2.37
  • After Week 3: 3.65
  • After Week 4: 2.9
  • After Week 5: 3.25
  • After Week 6: 3.85

Details: Alabama remains at 5% and Missouri stays at 25%. South Carolina and Mississippi State both move to 40%, Kentucky and Vanderbilt move to 50%, and UAB moves to 75%.

Here’s a table with my expectations this week:

Tennessee Volunteers currently

Current record: 1-4 (0-2), 5th in the SEC East

The Vols’ past opponents

Georgia State Panthers

Current record: 3-2 (1-1), 2nd in the Sun Belt East

The Panthers had 722 yards of offense! It’s not that this loss wasn’t bad, but maybe not quite so horrendous as maybe we thought? Maybe?

BYU Cougars

Current record: 2-3 (0-0)

Off this week.

Chattanooga Mocs

Current record: 3-3 (2-0), 2nd in the Southern Conference

Florida Gators

Current record: 6-0 (3-0), 1st in the SEC East

Raise your hand if you hate the Gators! Will and I disagree a bit about how good Auburn is, but the Gators are looking good, so I’m giving the Vols a bit of a bump because this loss is looking (but not feeling) better.

Georgia Bulldogs

Current record: 5-0 (2-0), 2nd in the SEC East

Again, my thoughts on this one are here.

The Vols’ future opponents

The Bulldogs were also off this week.

Mississippi State Bulldogs

Current record: 3-2 (1-1), 5th in the SEC West

The Bulldogs were off last week, so getting stomped by Auburn the prior week is the last thing we have to go on. If this game moves on my list, it’s because of the Vols.

Alabama Crimson Tide

Current record: 5-0 (2-0), 1st in the SEC West

Alabama was also off.

South Carolina Gamecocks

Current record: 2-3 (1-2), 4th in the SEC East

Did anybody play this week besides us?

UAB Blazers

Current record: 4-1 (1-1), 4th in C-USA West

Rice has lost 17 of its last 18 games, so . . . .

Kentucky Wildcats

Current record: 2-3 (0-3), 6th in the SEC East

Off.

Missouri Tigers

Current record: 4-1 (1-0), 3rd in the SEC East

Missouri looking really good. QB Kelly Bryant left with an injury, but the reports are that he’s going to be ready to roll again this week. Linebacker Cale Garrett, who’s scored three defensive touchdowns this year alone, is out indefinitely, though.

Vanderbilt Commodores

Current record: 1-4 (0-3), 6th in the SEC East

Commodores not looking good. They gave up 413 rushing yards to Ole Miss in this game.

What about you? Where are your expectations for the Vols now?

Read: Who’s afraid of moral victories?

If you read only one thing about the Vols today . . .

. . . make it this, from Wes Rucker at 247Sports:

Other Vols stuff worth reading today

  1. Everything Jeremy Pruitt said after loss to No. 3 Georgia, via 247Sports
  2. Why the Vols had to pick their poison against Georgia’s Fromm, via 247Sports
  3. Rucker: No winners in Jeremy Banks dismissal, via 247Sports

Behind the paywalls

  • How Brian Maurer won Tennessee’s QB job and gave fans a…, via The Athletic
  • Staples: It’s time to fix SEC scheduling, and one solution…, via The Athletic

Timbuktu126 wins Week 6 of the 2019 GRT Pick ‘Em Contest

Congratulations to Timbuktu126, who finished first this week in the Gameday on Rocky Top Pick ‘Em contest with a record of 14-6 and 170 confidence points.

Here are the full results for this week:

Rank Player W-L Points Tiebreaker
1 Timbuktu126 14-6 170 23-12
2 ga26engr 14-6 165 52-13
3 Jayyyy 15-5 161 40-10**
3 Neil Neisner 13-7 161 42-6
5 ddayvolsfan 13-7 159 52-0
6 Orange Swarm 15-5 158 57-3
7 vols95 13-7 155 42-17**
7 Rossboro 13-7 155 100-0
9 Crusher 14-6 151 42-13
10 Wilk21 13-7 150 42-14**
10 TennRebel 11-9 150 35-10
12 ctull 11-9 149 35-13
13 GeorgeMonkey 13-7 147 38-14
14 claireb7tx 12-8 146 21-14
15 Anaconda 11-9 145 47-11**
15 RockyPopPicks 12-8 145 45-7
15 Raven17 12-8 145 49-3
15 LuckyGuess 12-8 145 34-17
15 wedflatrock 11-9 145 35-10
15 Hjohn 11-9 145 31-14
21 PAVolFan 12-8 144 45-10**
21 joeb_1 13-7 144 41-20
21 Knottfair 11-9 144 45-17
21 mariettavol 11-9 144 61-14
21 ltvol99 13-7 144 38-0
26 birdjam 12-8 143 38-10
27 dgibbs 11-9 142 41-10**
27 Displaced_Vol_Fan 12-8 142 42-6
29 alanmar 11-9 141 34-23**
29 rsbrooks25 12-8 141 51-9
31 trdlgmsr 11-9 140 55-3**
31 cnyvol 13-7 140 42-20
33 waitwhereami 11-9 139 34-10**
33 Hixson Vol1 10-10 139 38-3
35 VillaVol 13-7 138 56-0**
35 hounddog3 10-10 138 42-17
37 memphispete 11-9 137 0-0
38 jfarrar90 11-9 136 38-17**
38 DinnerJacket 12-8 136 42-10
38 rockytopinKy 12-8 136 24-21
41 corn from a jar 11-9 135 56-6**
41 UTSeven 10-10 135 55-56
43 keepontruckin 10-10 134 37-13**
43 boro wvvol 10-10 134 38-6
45 Bulldog 85 12-8 133 42-17**
45 Phonies 10-10 133 41-10
47 daetilus 9-11 132 43-17**
47 Orange On Orange 10-10 132 31-21
49 Harley 10-10 131 45-17
50 Jahiegel 10-10 130 37-14
51 jeremy.waldroop 10-10 129 38-10
52 ChuckieTVol 10-10 128 38-13
53 Joel @ GRT 10-10 127 42-13
54 HUTCH 11-9 125 55-0**
54 PensacolaVolFan 11-9 125 30-0
56 mmmjtx 11-9 124 38-14
57 TennVol95 in 3D! 10-10 122 24-28
58 C_hawkfan 10-10 120 35-14**
58 rollervol 9-11 120 23-24
60 patmd 10-10 116 62-17**
60 bluelite 9-11 116 0-2
60 Sam 8-12 116 0-0
63 tbone 10-10 113 31-17
64 doritoscowboy 10-10 108 0-0
65 Will Shelton 0-20 0 0-0**
65 Aaron Birkholz 0-20 0 -
65 mmb61 0-20 0 -
65 UTVols18 0-20 0 -
65 Salty Seth 0-20 0 -
65 Teri28 0-20 0 -
65 tpi 0-20 0 -
65 aaron217 0-20 0 -
65 If you ain’t first you’re 0-20 0 -
65 tallahasseevol 0-20 0 -
65 waltsspac 0-20 0 -
65 Willewillm 0-20 0 -
65 Dmorton 0-20 0 -
65 Jrstep 0-20 0 -
65 ed75 0-20 0 -
65 OriginalVol1814 0-20 0 -
65 BristVol 0-20 0 -
65 orange_devil87 0-20 0 -
65 VFL49er 0-20 0 -
65 ddutcher 0-20 0 -
65 BZACHARY 0-20 0 -
65 Caban Greys 0-20 0 -
65 cactusvol 0-20 0 -
65 Techboy 0-20 0 -
65 JLPasour 0-20 0 -

For the season, former leader C_hawkfan falls to fourth, and birdjam takes the lead with a record of 83-37 and 984 confidence points.

Rank Player W-L % Points
1 birdjam 83-37 69.17 984
2 wedflatrock 82-38 68.33 980
3 GeorgeMonkey 82-38 68.33 972
4 C_hawkfan 84-36 70.00 970
5 PAVolFan 83-37 69.17 965
6 LuckyGuess 79-41 65.83 959
7 Raven17 81-39 67.50 958
8 joeb_1 78-42 65.00 956
9 corn from a jar 81-39 67.50 955
10 jeremy.waldroop 79-41 65.83 952
11 Hixson Vol1 83-37 69.17 951
12 keepontruckin 76-44 63.33 948
13 Displaced_Vol_Fan 80-40 66.67 947
13 memphispete 80-40 66.67 947
15 Knottfair 78-42 65.00 945
16 hounddog3 77-43 64.17 942
17 TennRebel 76-44 63.33 940
18 ChuckieTVol 79-41 65.83 939
19 jfarrar90 77-43 64.17 936
20 alanmar 79-41 65.83 935
21 mmmjtx 81-39 67.50 929
22 DinnerJacket 80-40 66.67 928
23 cnyvol 79-41 65.83 926
24 daetilus 74-46 61.67 925
25 Phonies 78-42 65.00 924
25 ga26engr 82-38 68.33 924
27 Joel @ GRT 77-43 64.17 921
28 dgibbs 74-46 61.67 912
29 ddayvolsfan 81-39 67.50 908
30 mariettavol 75-45 62.50 905
31 waitwhereami 80-40 66.67 904
32 Bulldog 85 78-42 65.00 903
33 Orange On Orange 74-46 61.67 899
34 HUTCH 74-46 61.67 895
35 Anaconda 65-55 54.17 892
36 UTSeven 65-55 54.17 890
37 boro wvvol 73-47 60.83 888
38 Harley 76-44 63.33 886
39 Sam 77-43 64.17 881
40 trdlgmsr 72-48 60.00 879
41 ltvol99 81-39 67.50 874
42 VillaVol 79-41 65.83 871
43 Rossboro 68-52 56.67 865
44 Crusher 73-47 60.83 862
44 doritoscowboy 73-47 60.83 862
46 Timbuktu126 70-50 58.33 861
47 Neil Neisner 69-51 57.50 860
48 Jayyyy 63-57 52.50 852
49 Orange Swarm 73-47 60.83 851
50 Wilk21 72-48 60.00 849
51 rsbrooks25 76-44 63.33 848
51 ctull 64-56 53.33 848
53 claireb7tx 70-50 58.33 840
54 tbone 67-53 55.83 834
55 TennVol95 in 3D! 68-52 56.67 831
56 bluelite 70-50 58.33 823
57 PensacolaVolFan 75-45 62.50 821
58 Jahiegel 67-53 55.83 819
59 rollervol 70-50 58.33 800
60 patmd 73-47 60.83 795
61 rockytopinKy 68-52 56.67 779
62 Will Shelton 52-68 43.33 764
63 OriginalVol1814 56-64 46.67 762
64 aaron217 63-57 52.50 757
65 BZACHARY 63-57 52.50 721
66 vols95 34-86 28.33 718
67 tpi 54-66 45.00 699
68 RockyPopPicks 33-87 27.50 692
69 Hjohn 57-63 47.50 673
70 Willewillm 25-95 20.83 605
71 Jrstep 34-86 28.33 599
72 BristVol 26-94 21.67 580
73 Dmorton 27-93 22.50 577
74 Caban Greys 13-107 10.83 567
75 tallahasseevol 14-106 11.67 557
76 orange_devil87 15-105 12.50 555
76 If you ain�t first you�re 13-107 10.83 555
76 JLPasour 14-106 11.67 555
79 Aaron Birkholz 13-107 10.83 546
80 ed75 13-107 10.83 542
81 Salty Seth 12-108 10.00 532
82 Techboy 11-109 9.17 531
83 waltsspac 11-109 9.17 528
84 cactusvol 12-108 10.00 522
85 VFL49er 4-116 3.33 471
86 Teri28 5-115 4.17 424
87 mmb61 0-120 0.00 423
87 ddutcher 0-120 0.00 423
87 UTVols18 0-120 0.00 423

Will hits the trifecta in the GRT Guessing Game, scores 110 points

Here’s the play-by-play for this week.

Week 6 – Georgia

Round 1

Q: How many total first downs do the Vols get? (30 points available)

A: 11 or more (30 points) (they got 20)

These people got this one right: Mitchell K, daetilus , Isaac Bishop, Will Shelton, HixsonVol fka MariettaVol, jfarrar90, Sam Hensley, Harley.

Mushrooms (10 points): Sam Hensley and cscott95

Bananas (-10 points): Will Shelton and PaulS

Blue shells and bolts: 

  • No new bolts or blue shells

Top 10 after Round 1:

  1. Mitchell K
  2. daetilus
  3. Isaac Bishop
  4. Jayyyy
  5. Sam Hensley
  6. HixsonVol fka MariettaVol
  7. jfarrar90
  8. Harley
  9. cscott95
  10. Brenna Russell

Round 2

Q: Who takes the first snap at quarterback for the Vols? (30-75 points available)

A: Brian Maurer (30 points)

As I said in the Gameday Gameplan post, it’s always the second mouse that gets the cheese. These are those second mice: daetilus (although he may have submitted before the announcement), Sam Hensley, and Will Shelton.

Mushrooms (10 points): LTVol99 and Joel

Bananas (-10 points): Brenna Russell and Joel (argh!)

Blue shells and bolts: 

  • PaulS throws a bolt and gets 30 points
  • No new blue shells

Top 10 after Round 2:

  1. daetilus
  2. Sam Hensley
  3. Mitchell K
  4. Will Shelton
  5. Isaac Bishop
  6. Jayyyy
  7. HixsonVol fka MariettaVol
  8. jfarrar90
  9. LTVol99
  10. Harley

Round 3

Q: The Vols are averaging 355.3 yards per game on offense. Georgia is allowing 262.5. How many yards (NCAA’s Total Offense) do the Vols get? (30-50 points available)

A: Over 300 50 points (they got 343 yards)

Only Will got this right. Like playing Kentucky in Rupp Arena, it’s hard to beat both skill and procrastination.

Mushrooms (10 points): Isaac Bishop and Jayyyy

Bananas (-10 points): LTVol99 and Brenna Russell

Blue shells and bolts: 

  • PaulS launches Blue Shell #5 Counter: 3
  • PaulS also throws a bolt and gets 30 points

Final Standings After Week 6:

Rank Player Points
1 Will Shelton 144
2 daetilus 115
3 Sam Hensley 110
4 Mitchell K 95
5 Isaac Bishop 94
6 Jayyyy 91
7 HixsonVol fka MariettaVol 74
8 jfarrar90 73
9 Harley 68
10 cscott95 68
11 LTVol99 63
12 Joel Hollingsworth 60
13 Brenna Russell 45
14 PaulS 45
15 Hounddog3 35
16 Alyas Grey 33
17 Greenback42c 30
18 Gavin Driskill 25
19 Power TBP 15
20 StiflerUncut -3