Author Archives: Joel Hollingsworth

Tennessee Football hires Tee Martin

Tee Martin’s coming home.

Martin’s return to Rocky Top is yet another wave of refreshing news for Vols fans. As with the Chaney news a few days ago, there are a lot of reasons to like this hire: He brings even more championship experience and reminds us of better days, he’s an up-and-coming offensive mind and superb recruiter, and his addition to the staff further fuels the momentum gathering in Knoxville.

All the feels

Of course, Tee Martin is associated with many of our most fond memories.

Those were the days, huh?

Coaching acumen

But there is no way in Hades that Jeremy Pruitt is making any hire for the sake of nostalgia. No-sir-eee. (Sorry — had to do it.)

Since his time at Tennessee, Tee Martin has made a name for himself in the coaching ranks as an up-and-comer. After his playing days were over, Martin started coaching in 2006 at Morehouse. If you can tell me where Morehouse is without asking Google, Alexa, or some other computer infiltrating our homes so they can destroy humanity ten years from now, then you’re doing better than me.

After Morehouse, Martin coached high school ball for a couple of years and then started climbing the college ladder, starting with a gig coaching quarterbacks at New Mexico in 2009 and then a two-year stint at Kentucky coaching wide receivers. He was also passing game coordinator for the Wildcats in 2011.

Martin then went out west to coach wide receivers for the USC Trojans. In 2014, he was promoted to passing game coordinator and then served as offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach from 2016 to 2018. USC struggled this past season, and Martin was relieved of his play-calling duties midway through the season. Not sure what happened there, but failure is practically inevitable somewhere along the way for football coaches.

Martin’s name has been batted around the past few weeks as a viable candidate for some high-level positions, including offensive coordinator at Miami, but the Vols, Jeremy Pruitt, and Phillip Fulmer have lured him back to Rocky Top, presumably with a pitch that they are building something special and need another special person like Martin to make it happen.

Recruiting acumen

Much of Martin’s quick rise through the coaching ranks is largely attributable to his reputation as an elite recruiter. He finished second in 247Sports’ coach recruiting rankings in 2014 and 2015, and he finished first in 2016. During those three years, Martin signed 22 4-star players and 11 5-stars. Only three of those 5-star guys were wide receivers, too, so it’s not a position thing with Martin. He just knows how to talk to elite athletes and get them to commit.

For more on Martin’s impact on Tennessee recruiting, check out this post from DylanVol.

The rush of momentum

It’s almost as easy to get us Tennessee football fans to believe in the next season as it is to get small children to believe in Santa Claus. Wanting to believe makes it easy to believe.

On the other hand, ten consecutive years of disappointment has a way of reducing your want-to. Today, it’s almost as difficult to get Tennessee fans to continue to believe as it is to get 18-year-olds to believe the fat man’s coming down the chimney. Too much disappointment can petrify the softest of hearts.

But you know what? The recent tide of good news has been relentless in chipping away at this old man’s hard heart. Alabama’s defense looked lost in the national championship game without Jeremy Pruitt. Georgia’s football team sulked its way to an embarrassing loss in its bowl game and then lost both of its coordinators, one of them to us. The Vols now have on their sideline the defensive coordinator and the offensive coordinator that went head-to-head in last year’s national championship game. Woo.

The basketball team is rolling, beating Georgia by nearly 50 points and Missouri by nearly 25, and turning a one-possession slugfest against hated rival Florida into an entry on the resume that the new NET rankings will view as a blowout due to the 10-point cap on margin of victory. Woo again.

Football hired Jim Chaney. Woo. Jauan Jennings is foregoing an NFL opportunity to return for his final season. Yee-haw. And now, we’ve hired Tee Martin, who’s not only beloved on Rocky Top but also respected by high school coaches and players all over the south — including the all-important states of Alabama and Georgia — and the west coast to boot. Ahem. Woo.

We fans have become gradually more jaded over the past ten years, and with everything’s that gone wrong, that’s understandable.

But good people just keep coming back to Rocky Top. They must believe in what’s happening here.

And that is a trend genuinely worthy of renewed hope.

Worth reading 1.14.19: 2018 football’s encouraging leap in S&P+

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

. . . make it this, from Will:

Other Vols stuff worth reading today

  1. Rucker: Special Vols fight back, outlast feisty Florida, via 247Sports
  2. Williams one step ahead of Florida for late-game kill shot, via 247Sports
  3. What Rick Barnes said after No. 3 Vols beat Florida, via 247Sports
  4. Jordan Bowden stays hot with 12 straight points at Florida, via 247Sports
  5. No. 3 Tennessee Grabs 78-67 Road Win over Florida – University of Tennessee Athletics, via UTSports
  6. Why Jeremy Pruitt hired Jim Chaney, via VolQuest
  7. Vols waiting on NFL Draft decision from Jauan Jennings, via 247Sports
  8. FL Vols: How former Tennessee stars fared in Divisional Round, via 247Sports
  9. No. 13 Lady Vols Drop Close One At UGA, 66-62 – University of Tennessee Athletics, via UTSports

Behind the paywalls

  • MUST READ: Rocky Top Fat Camp: Inside the program that has helped shape…, via The Athletic
  • Projecting the Tennessee Vols’ 2019 offensive depth chart, via The Athletic
  • Tennessee visit ‘felt confirming’ to elite LB To’oto’o, via 247Sports
  • Tennessee’s 10 most wanted, via 247Sports

From the Archives

Worth reading 1/11/19: The return of Lamonte Turner

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

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

Other Vols stuff worth reading today

  1. Tennessee at Florida Preview, via Gameday on Rocky Top
  2. Everything Rick Barnes said before No. 3 Vols travel to Florida, via 247Sports
  3. Vols Announce Basketball Series with Wisconsin – University of Tennessee Athletics, via UTSports
  4. Schofield, Williams Named to Wooden Award Midseason Watch List – University of Tennessee Athletics, via UTSports
  5. Tennessee 39th in Directors’ Cup final fall standings, via 247Sports
  6. No. 13 Tennessee Falls To No. 16 Kentucky, 73-71 – University of Tennessee Athletics, via UTSports
  7. UT Hoops Coaches’ Shows Air Saturday – University of Tennessee Athletics, via UTSports

Behind the paywalls

Worth reading 1/10/19: If Jim Chaney can do that with Jonathan Crompton . . .

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

. . . make it this, from VolQuest:

Other Vols stuff worth reading today

  1. Jeremy Pruitt explains why he hired Jim Chaney as Vols’ OC, via 247Sports
  2. Pruitt says there was ‘no need to rush’ Vols’ OC search, via 247Sports
  3. Tennessee’s ‘capabilities,’ direction helped land Chaney, via 247Sports
  4. Kiffin: Jim Chaney is “grand slam” hire for Tennessee, via 247Sports
  5. Paul Finebaum reacts to Tennessee’s hiring of Jim Chaney, via 247Sports
  6. Jim Chaney’s Memorandum of Understanding, via UTSports
  7. Tennessee 92 Vanderbilt 84: Yep, we can win this way too., via Gameday on Rocky Top
  8. Jordan Bowden finding different ways to score, lead Vols, via 247Sports
  9. What Tennessee is getting by swiping Jim Chaney from Georgia…, via The Athletic
  10. Who is this Kyle Alexander and where did he come from?, via 247Sports
  11. Rucker: Tennessee sending statement to SEC, via 247Sports
  12. Reaction: Former Vols hail Tennessee’s hire of Jim Chaney, via 247Sports
  13. Media reaction to Jim Chaney returning to Tennessee, via 247Sports
  14. Bryce Thompson Collects FWAA Freshman All-America Honors – University of Tennessee Athletics, via UTSports
  15. Odds released on Jalen Hurts’ transfer destination, via 247Sports
  16. The process of Alabama falling apart, via SB Nation

Behind the paywalls

6 reasons Vols fans should be excited about the Jim Chaney hire

247Sports’ Patrick Brown broke the news last night that Tennessee has hired Jim Chaney as its new offensive coordinator. The school just made the news official.

After a long, drawn-out process that rivaled last year’s search for a new head coach in time if not in drama, it appears that Tennessee has once again ended up better off for having taken its time. Here are a few reasons why this hire is an absolute homerun for the Big Orange.

Offensive Productivity

This is the one you’ll read about the most today, so I won’t spend much time on it. But Chaney knows what to do with great players, and he’s able to develop good players into great ones. Sure, the Georgia Bulldogs are stocked with elite talent, but as Tennessee fans can attest, just having highly-recruited players running around out there doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going to produce up to their potential.

That shouldn’t be a problem with Chaney.

Chaney’s not only done well with a roster full of blue-chippers at Georgia, he also managed to provide one of the bright spots for a Tennessee program woefully lacking them over the past decade. As OC for the Vols in 2012 — a season otherwise so bad it got Derek Dooley fired — Chaney guided Tyler Bray, Cordarrelle Patterson, Justin Hunter, and three future NFL offensive linemen to a prolific 36 points per game. Chaney was never the problem during Dooley’s time on Rocky Top, and his productivity and offensive prowess will be an asset to Jeremy Pruitt and the Tennessee program.

A lateral move to division rival

We’ve described rebuilding in the SEC as rebuilding during the hurricane before, and, well, it’s apt. SEC coaches don’t have the luxury of waiting for sunny skies to get to work.

They’re building with the left hand and battling with the right.

It’s an especially difficult task for anyone at the helm of the Tennessee program during Alabama’s reign of terror due to the Vols’ annual rivalry with the Tide, and Georgia getting nearly as good is terrible news for a program trying to re-make something nearly from scratch.

So anything that both makes Tennessee better and weakens an annual rival is a good thing. Regardless of Georgia fans complaining about Chaney when they happen to lose to other good teams, Chaney was the guy the coaching staff wanted, and now he’s not only gone, he’s defected to Rocky Top. He’s switched sides in the middle of the battle.

It’s not just the re-balancing of power, either. It’s also the regional and national perception. The Bulldogs have had a tough month. They lost a lead over Alabama in the SEC Championship and eventually lost the game. They were left out of the playoff, and then they lost their heart and their bowl game. It’s a different sport, but because things tend to run together in college sports, I’ll also throw in that the Tennessee hoops team just absolutely thumped Georgia. Now Chaney throws in with the Vols.

Fun. I like it. I also like the whispers that some NFL teams might be considering Kirby Smart as a head coach. Nick Saban may have been-there-done-that, but Smart hasn’t. He should try it. Really. Totally unbiased opinion here.

Maybe Georgia will be fine. But it sure looked like Alabama missed Jeremy Pruitt against Clemson Monday night, didn’t it?

Fit

Jeremy Pruitt is old school. You can tell by looking at him, watching him work, and by analyzing the teams that he’s coached. So it was a bit strange to hear some of the names bandied about during the offensive coordinator search, names like Kendal Briles and Mike Yurcich. Fair or not, guys like that, whose resumes are built on spread concepts and tempo, feel like shiny new objects.

Jim Chaney is not that. Like Pruitt, he’s old school. He is flexible enough to be able to incorporate new wrinkles that work, but at heart, he’s exactly what Pruitt expects in an offensive mind.

Upgrade in experience

I refrained from writing this all last preseason and throughout the entire fall, but when Pruitt’s staff was announced, one of my biggest fears stemmed from the fact that so many of them were getting promotions into positions for which they were unproven. Pruitt himself was stepping up from coordinator to head coach, and his coordinators were primarily former position coaches. Whether Tyson Helton had any real experience as offensive coordinator calling plays was always cloudy, but if he had any, it wasn’t much. It seemed that nearly everybody had a learning curve to climb.

Not so with Chaney, whose first job as a Power 5 offensive coordinator was all the way back in 1997 for Purdue. Except for a brief period as a position coach in the NFL, he’s been one ever since.

It’s not that Pruitt’s staff doesn’t have experience, but many of the key guys last season had been learning something new. Chaney brings some much-needed experience to the staff, and the fact that he’s on the offensive side of the ball should allow Pruitt to focus even more on the defense, which, let’s be honest, also needs some work.

No apparent head-coaching aspirations

One of the oddest things about Jim Chaney is his incredibly long-tenure as a coordinator without ever having served as a head coach (the one-game as Vols interim notwithstanding.) As I said above, Chaney’s been an offensive coordinator since 1997, except for a three-year period as offensive line and tight ends coach in the NFL. He was part of Lane Kiffin’s Coaching Chimera in 2009, and when the Tennessee Rumspringa was over, the entire Chimera disappeared into the dark night with the exception of Jim Chaney. Derek Dooley was many things, but not-smart wasn’t one of them, and he persuaded Chaney to stay. Chaney didn’t leave Rocky Top until Dooley was fired and Butch Jones brought in his own guys. That didn’t work.

I can’t seem to find it, but I have a vague recollection of Chaney once telling Tennessee media while serving as Vols coordinator that he was content as a life-long coordinator and simply didn’t want to be a head coach. Maybe I made that up. Maybe that’s graciously responding to an insulting question. I don’t know. But he’s been a really good coordinator for a really long time, and in a world of ladder-climbing and self-ambition, he appears to have that rare talent of being content. The chief problem with coordinators is that they either don’t succeed or they leave when they do. If I’m reading him right, Chaney seems to be the perfect combination of excellence and stability.

Recruiting? Maybe?

I don’t know if Jim Chaney is a prolific recruiter. Heck, maybe he hates it or is terrible at it or something, and maybe that’s the main reason he has no ambition to become a head coach.

But I do know that he’s served as the offensive coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs that past few seasons and that the Bulldogs are currently neck-and-neck with Alabama for recruiting the most talent to their respective campuses. For what it’s worth, 247Sports credits Chaney with landing some of Georgia’s most impressive guys. There are a lot of stars on that list.

If the hiring of Chaney can help Tennessee to lure more and better talent to Knoxville than Athens, that will be a very good thing. At the very least, you’d have to think that losing a coordinator would introduce some uncertainty into the mix for guys on the fence.

Tennessee’s search for an offensive coordinator to replace Tyson Helton may have taken forever, but it seems clear that the Vols have once again stuck the landing and somehow ended up with an upgrade at an incredibly important staff position.

Tennessee 102, Memphis 92: Admiral Schofield dominates in the renewed rivalry

Tennessee and Memphis haven’t met on the basketball court since 2013, but it didn’t take long for the rivalry to re-heat. The Vols seized control early, didn’t falter when the Tigers threatened to rally or when the refs got whistle happy, and ultimately cruised to a high-scoring 102-92 victory over the cross-state rivals Saturday afternoon. The game even featured some late drama in the form of offsetting technicals just to make sure the stage is set for next year’s meeting at Thompson-Boling.

The Vols exploded out of the gate, with Kyle Alexander winning the tip and immediately racing to the basket for a dunk on a quick assist from Grant Williams. From there, the Vols piled up the points with the Tigers stuck on 5, and by the time the clock read 15:29, Tennessee had a 19-5 lead. They kept what was essentially a 10-point cushion the rest of the way.

That’s not to say that things didn’t get interesting, as UT had to both weather a whistle storm and fend off the increasingly pesky Tigers. The first sign of trouble was Jordan Bone getting two fouls in the first two-and-a-half minutes, and the foul situation just worsened for both teams from there. It was like the officials just got new whistles for Christmas or something. In all, there were 57 fouls in the game, plus three technicals. At one point, you got the feeling that the players were as focused on selling fouls to the officials as they were executing their plays. I’ve never seen so many flops in such a short time span. Remarkably, only one player — Memphis’ Tyler Harris — actually fouled out of the game, as the refs did at least seem content to share the misery equally.

To complicate matters, Memphis really turned up the pressure as the game went on, and they were marginally successful at transforming the game into one of havoc and chaos. Tennessee committed 18 turnovers to the Tigers’ 9. And with the trigger happy officials watching for any opportunity to use their new toys, the usually-stifling Vols’ defense had real trouble keeping Memphis’ Kyvon Davenport off the scoreboard. At one point in the game, Davenport had 18 points in a row for the Tigers.

But none of that was sufficient to derail a focused Tennessee team. Once again, they rode the broad shoulders of Admiral Schofield, who netted another double-double with 29 points and 11 rebounds. He was 8-12 from the field, 4-8 from three, and a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line.

Williams and Bone played the supporting roles this afternoon, adding 19 and 17 points, respectively. Bone was 11-12 at the free throw line.

Jordan Bowden and Kyle Alexander also hit double digits in points, and at one point Alexander had an amazing stretch during which he blocked a three-point attempt, hit a three-pointer himself, and drew a charge on three consecutive possessions. He may not have ever cooled off if it weren’t for a Bone-to-Bowden alley-oop on the following possession.

In all, this was a terrific game for the Vols. They could have been complacent or otherwise lackadaisical after the big win over No. 1 Gonzaga last week, but they came out, seized control early, and never let go.

The cherry on top was that the game had that good old-fashioned rivalry feel to it when tempers flared as destiny settled in on the Tigers. This team is always fun to watch, but especially so against teams you love to beat.

Jahiegel wins the regular season pick ’em contest; bowl pick ’em now open

A belated congratulations to Jahiegel, who won this year’s regular-season-long GRT Pick ‘Em Contest (and also to PAVolFan, who won the final week of the season.) For their efforts, PAVolFan gets a Gameday on Rocky Top t-shirt, and Jahiegel gets a GRT hoodie. Watch for a message from me (it will come through the Fun Office Pools system) about how to claim your prize.

Gameday on Rocky Top Logo Tee

Here are the full results for the final week:

Rank Selection Name W-L Pts Tie Breaker Game (35-28)
1 PAVolFan 9-1 52 31-20
2 Jahiegel 8-2 51 34-28**
2 UTSeven 8-2 51 38-24
2 C_hawkfan 9-1 51 33-26
2 jfarrar90 8-2 51 38-21
2 LuckyGuess 8-2 51 34-24
7 wedflatrock 8-2 50 35-24**
7 tbone9591 8-2 50 35-24**
7 Joel @ GRT 8-2 50 31-25
7 UNDirish60 8-2 50 31-24
7 KeepsCornInAJar 9-1 50 34-17
7 Timbuktu126 9-1 50 24-21
13 GeorgeMonkey 7-3 49 38-24**
13 cnyvol 7-3 49 41-24
15 jstorie1 8-2 48 31-17**
15 birdjam 8-2 48 31-17**
17 DinnerJacket 8-2 47 35-20
18 chuckiepoo 7-3 46 38-27**
18 spartans100 7-3 46 31-21
18 rsbrooks25 8-2 46 48-27
21 alanmar 8-2 45 38-27**
21 mmmjtx 8-2 45 34-24
21 mariettavol 7-3 45 45-24
21 Phonies 6-4 45 31-17
25 chatty daddy 8-2 44 43-17**
25 tcarroll90 7-3 44 38-21
25 Gman15 8-2 44 41-31
25 TennRebel 7-3 44 24-10
29 Volfan2002 7-3 43 35-24**
29 MariettaVol1 7-3 43 45-29
31 mmb61 6-4 42 28-24
32 Bulldog 85 5-5 40 31-24**
32 Rossboro 6-4 40 0-0
34 Keep on truckin’ 5-5 37 31-24
35 Will Shelton 4-6 34 42-41
36 ChuckieTVol 0-10 33 0-0**
36 ddayvolsfan 0-10 33 -
36 VandyVol 0-10 33 -
36 Jayyyy 0-10 33 -
36 PensacolaVolFan 0-10 33 -
36 crafdog 0-10 33 -
36 ga26engr 0-10 33 -
36 Displaced_Vol_Fan 0-10 33 -
36 Raven17 0-10 33 -
36 Knottfair 0-10 33 -
36 TennVol95 in 3D! 0-10 33 -
36 Brandon88 0-10 33 -
36 War Birds 0-10 33 -
36 JohnCoctostan 0-10 33 -
36 BallerVawl 0-10 33 -
36 edgarmsmith 0-10 33 -
36 ctull 0-10 33 -
36 Pat OMalley 0-10 33 -
36 Dylan pickle 0-10 33 -
36 Willewillm 0-10 33 -
36 Anaconda 0-10 33 -
36 BZACHARY 0-10 33 -
36 RockyPopPicks 0-10 33 -
36 JLPasour 0-10 33 -
36 RockyTop5 0-10 33 -
36 Joelarbear 0-10 33 -
36 VillaVol 0-10 33 -
36 utvol2 0-10 33 -
36 Rocky4 0-10 33 -
36 tpi 0-10 33 -
36 ltvol99 0-10 33 -
36 vols95 0-10 33 -
36 aquasox 0-10 33 -
36 IndyVolFan 0-10 33 -
36 RandyH112 0-10 33 -
36 ThePowerT 0-10 33 -
36 Techboy 0-10 33 -
36 Fred4UT 0-10 33 -
36 BlountVols 0-10 33 -
36 King Nothing 0-10 33 -
36 Nick_Drake87 0-10 33 -
36 waltsspac 0-10 33 -
36 Orange Swarm 0-10 33 -
36 rockytopinky 0-10 33 -
36 BirdDawg55 0-10 33 -
36 patmd 0-10 33 -
36 tallahasseevol 0-10 33 -
36 Jrstep 0-10 33 -
36 Dmorton 0-10 33 -
36 dgibbs 0-10 33 -
36 IBleedVolOrange 0-10 33 -
36 CajunVol 0-10 33 -
36 daetilus 0-10 33 -
36 Aaron Birkholz 0-10 33 -
36 boro wvvol 0-10 33 -
36 OriginalVol1814 0-10 33 -
36 JWaldroop 0-10 33 -
36 Sam 0-10 33 -
36 Fightin Walking Horses 0-10 33 -
36 DMike 0-10 33 -
36 Smokin Turkeys 0-10 33 -
36 I guess Randy Sanders was good after all 0-10 33 -

And here are the final season standings:

Rank Player W/L Points
1 Jahiegel 191-76 2135
2 wedflatrock 189-78 2113
3 Volfan2002 186-81 2107
4 C_hawkfan 190-77 2093
5 PAVolFan 184-83 2091
5 birdjam 183-84 2091
7 GeorgeMonkey 183-84 2087
8 LuckyGuess 179-88 2075
8 spartans100 183-84 2075
10 cnyvol 172-95 2065
11 BZACHARY 178-89 2061
12 UNDirish60 185-82 2051
13 Fred4UT 174-93 2047
14 Bulldog 85 176-91 2043
15 mmb61 175-92 2033
16 UTSeven 168-99 2031
17 jfarrar90 174-93 2026
18 Displaced_Vol_Fan 168-99 2022
19 chuckiepoo 174-93 2013
20 alanmar 184-83 2008
21 mmmjtx 178-89 1999
22 TennRebel 183-84 1998
23 ChuckieTVol 159-108 1997
24 Rossboro 170-97 1982
25 Will Shelton 161-106 1981
26 boro wvvol 170-97 1980
27 JLPasour 169-98 1978
28 jstorie1 176-91 1976
28 Fightin Walking Horses 173-94 1976
30 ctull 172-95 1969
31 RockyTop5 161-106 1958
32 dgibbs 153-114 1956
33 Anaconda 171-96 1949
34 chatty daddy 175-92 1947
34 Joel @ GRT 172-95 1947
36 DinnerJacket 175-92 1942
37 Rocky4 167-100 1938
38 Phonies 162-105 1929
39 MariettaVol1 167-100 1927
40 tcarroll90 164-103 1923
41 VillaVol 147-120 1920
42 tpi 174-93 1917
43 mariettavol 156-111 1913
44 Joelarbear 160-107 1904
45 Raven17 157-110 1902
46 Dylan pickle 183-84 1899
47 tbone9591 167-100 1897
48 Jayyyy 152-115 1889
49 KeepsCornInAJar 170-97 1887
50 vols95 154-113 1876
51 crafdog 172-95 1854
52 daetilus 144-123 1843
53 Timbuktu126 176-91 1841
54 RockyPopPicks 156-111 1837
55 Willewillm 122-145 1824
56 ddayvolsfan 165-102 1821
57 Knottfair 116-151 1820
58 Gman15 158-109 1806
58 rsbrooks25 168-99 1806
60 Keep on truckin� 163-104 1802
61 BlountVols 137-130 1799
62 Sam 121-146 1796
63 ga26engr 153-114 1775
64 ThePowerT 100-167 1746
65 ltvol99 146-121 1745
66 DMike 94-173 1743
66 RandyH112 107-160 1743
68 Jrstep 136-131 1738
69 waltsspac 118-149 1716
70 edgarmsmith 102-165 1674
71 Nick_Drake87 77-190 1667
72 King Nothing 131-136 1653
73 Brandon88 72-195 1627
74 aquasox 90-177 1623
75 IndyVolFan 136-131 1615
76 TennVol95 in 3D! 114-153 1607
77 Orange Swarm 73-194 1602
77 JWaldroop 61-206 1602
79 patmd 117-150 1601
80 rockytopinky 80-187 1589
81 Dmorton 100-167 1575
82 PensacolaVolFan 120-147 1522
83 OriginalVol1814 47-220 1513
84 BallerVawl 58-209 1483
85 tallahasseevol 49-218 1472
86 VandyVol 34-233 1467
87 CajunVol 56-211 1464
88 Techboy 70-197 1451
89 War Birds 49-218 1442
90 Smokin Turkeys 22-245 1434
91 Pat OMalley 31-236 1376
92 Aaron Birkholz 10-257 1357
93 utvol2 11-256 1356
94 BirdDawg55 45-222 1351
95 IBleedVolOrange 10-257 1319
96 JohnCoctostan 0-267 1305
96 I guess Randy Sanders was good after all 0-267 1305

GRT 2018 Bowl Pick ‘Em

Yes, we’re also having a bowl pick ’em this year, and it’s now open for business. The bowl pick ’em will use the same rules used during the regular season. Because our printing equipment decided to step into tech eternity just after all of the Black Friday and Cyber Monday orders came in, the only prize this time around is bragging rights.

If you’ve played in one of our pools before, you should’ve received an email with sign-up instructions. You can also sign up using this link.

GRT Guessing Game Final Results: The dramatic finish

Another rough week and a downpour of blue shells results in a dramatic conclusion to the 2018 Gameday on Rocky Top Guessing Game.

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

Round 1

Q: Which team rushes for more net yards? (15-30 points available)

A: Tennessee (15 points) (103 for UT to 100 for Vandy)

The following players got this right: Will Shelton, Mitchell K, daetilus, Mariettavol, Joel Hollingsworth, Harley, Randy Holtzclaw, Sam Hensley, Evan, and Isaac Bishop.

Mushrooms (10 points): Displaced_Vol_Fan and Isaac Bishop

Bananas (-10 points): Joel Hollingsworth and JWheel101

Blue shells and bolts: 

  • Blue Shell #7 blows up Will Shelton, who loses 10 points.
  • Blue Shell #8 Counter: 1
  • Blue Shell #9 Counter: 2
  • Blue Shell #10 Counter: 3
  • Blue Shell #11 Counter: 4
  • No new bolts or blue shells

Top 10 after Round 1:

  1. Displaced_Vol_Fan 122
  2. Mitchell K 107
  3. Will Shelton 106.5
  4. daetilus 102
  5. cscott95 95
  6. Mariettavol 94
  7. Harley 91.5
  8. Randy Holtzclaw 89
  9. jfarrar90 84
  10. Joel Hollingsworth 78.5

In case anyone is wondering, standings are re-sorted after the points for the questions are awarded, and then all of the specials are administered at based on the standings at that point.

Round 2

Q: Who leads at the half? (15-30 points available)

A: Vanderbilt (15 points)

Four players got this right: jfarrar90, Jayyyy, JWheel101, and LTVol99.

Mushrooms (10 points): Joel Hollingsworth and Isaac Bishop

Bananas (-10 points): Mariettavol and Harley

Blue shells and bolts: 

  • Blue Shell #8 blows up Displaced_Vol_Fan, who loses 10 points.
  • Blue Shell #9 Counter: 1
  • Blue Shell #10 Counter: 2
  • Blue Shell #11 Counter: 3
  • No new bolts or blue shells

Top 10 after Round 2:

  1. Displaced_Vol_Fan 112
  2. Mitchell K 107
  3. Will Shelton 106.5
  4. daetilus 102
  5. jfarrar90 99
  6. cscott95 95
  7. Randy Holtzclaw 89
  8. Jayyyy 88.5
  9. Joel Hollingsworth 88.5
  10. Mariettavol 84

Round 3

Q: Which team scores 20 points or more? (15 – 20 points available)

A: Only Vanderbilt (20 points)

Only JWheel101 got this right.

Mushrooms (10 points): daetilus and Sam Hensley

Bananas (-10 points): Displaced_Vol_Fan and daetilus

Blue shells and bolts: 

  • Blue Shell #9 blows up Displaced_Vol_Fan, who loses another 10 points.
  • Blue Shell #10 Counter: 1
  • Blue Shell #11 Counter: 2
  • No new bolts or blue shells

So, Mitchell K squeaks across the finish line just a nose ahead of Will Shelton to take the cup in the 2018 Gameday on Rocky Top Guessing Game.

Thanks to everyone for playing.

Final Standings

Rank Player Points
1 Mitchell K 107
2 Will Shelton 106.5
3 daetilus 102
4 jfarrar90 99
5 cscott95 95
6 Displaced_Vol_Fan 92
7 Randy Holtzclaw 89
8 Joel Hollingsworth 88.5
9 Jayyyy 88.5
10 JWheel101 88.5
11 Mariettavol 84
12 Isaac Bishop 83.5
13 Sam Hensley 83
14 Harley 81.5
15 Evan 64
16 Raven17 62.5
17 LTVol99 51.5
18 Gavin Driskill 46
19 Jrstep 45
20 HT 38
21 chadvolfan 25
22 Richard 15
23 Scott Jackson 5
24 Bulldog85 4
25 Andrew Cooper 0
26 brandon galford 0
27 Pete -5
28 rdbulet96 -5
29 Rtbrwb66 -5