“We all hurt. We’re angry. We’re pissed. All the above, but now it’s what you make of it. How do you become better because of this. Sometimes there are situations like this that you suffer the adversities of a long football season, it can also galvanize you. It can bring you closer together as a football team. And again, we have to get back to work. UMass is not going to feel sorry for us. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. So again, we have to get back and we have to go to work. That’s part of being a mature football team. It’s a long football season. Maybe people don’t want to hear it, but it is what it is. We have to get ready to play the next snap, the next play of the game, the next game. We have to move forward. Again I’ll tell you, the details will not be ignored. I can promise you that.”
Category Archives: Football
Butch Jones press conference thread
Butch Jones is scheduled to have his weekly press conference at noon. You can watch it here, and we’ll keep notes in the comment section as he goes.
Updated win probabilities for the Vols after Week 3
Just when you’re reeling and out of air from the gut-punch of the Florida game, Mississippi State makes things interesting in the SEC East. Here’s our weekly update of expectations for the season based both on how the Vols did and how their past and future opponents did this weekend.
Explanations are below, but here’s the updated chart for this week:
The Vols after Florida
Here’s the thing: saying anything positive about Tennessee after a loss like the one they just suffered to Florida is perilous for your credibility and mental health. And yet, there is, in fact, some good to be said about the Vols after that game. What’s a guy to do?
There are a lot of negative things to say about various things and people after that game. Some of it is absolutely legitimate, most notably the head-scratching decision to use John Kelly to wear out the defense late in the game and then, just when it begins to really work and the game is on the line, decide not to use the advantage you just created.
Some of it, though, is nothing more than normally smart people blinded by rage falling prey to stupidity. For instance, no matter how many people say it and no matter the volume and confidence with which they say it, that last play was not a Hail Mary. It was not “just like Georgia last year,” but was actually a situation calling for the defense to defend not only against a game-winning touchdown but also against a play to set up a game-winning field goal. That particular outcome still should not have happened, obviously, but you’re just plain wrong if you really think the only possible play there is to put everybody in the end zone. That play was plenty terrible enough without spasming off a ledge.
The real shame of that ending (including the red zone play-calling and execution) is that it will completely overwhelm and obscure another truth, namely that Tennessee may actually be better off the rest of the way than we originally thought. Tennessee had 23 first downs to Florida’s 14. They outgained them 442-380. John Kelly had 141 rushing yards and another 96 receiving yards. The team should have won despite three interceptions and three missed field goals. None of that matters in a game they actually lost despite all of it, but it can be really good news for future games if the debilitating mistakes can be corrected.
Bottom line, do you think more or less of Tennessee after the Florida game? There are some weighty items on both sides of the scale, but to me, the negatives are more likely to be corrected than the positives are to disappear. So, on balance, I actually believe in the team a little more this week than I did last week. Not a lot more, but a little. But the team absolutely has to get stuff fixed.
The Vols’ past opponents
Georgia Tech (1-1, 0-0 ACC, NR)
- W1: Lost to Tennessee 42-41 in double overtime.
- W2: Beat Jacksonville State, 37-10.
- W3: At UCF (canceled)
- W4: Pitt
- W5: North Carolina
- W6: Bye
- W7: At #17 Miami
- W8: Wake Forest
- W9: At #3 Clemson
- W10: At Virginia
- W11: #16 Virginia Tech
- W12: At Duke
- W13: #13 Georgia
Indiana State (0-1, 0-0 MVFC, NR)
- W1: Lost to E Illinois, 22-20.
- W2: Lost to Tennessee, 42-7.
- W3: Lost to Liberty, 42-41 on a blocked 23-yard field goal attempt as time expired.
- W4: Bye
- W5: At Illinois State
- W6: North Dakota State
- W7: At South Dakota
- W8: S Illinois
- W9: At Missouri State
- W10: Youngstown State
- W11: W Illinois
- W12: At Northern Iowa
Florida (1-1, 1-0 SEC, #24)
- W1: Lost to #11 Michigan, 33-17.
- W2: Canceled game with N Colorado.
- W3: Beat #25 Tennessee, 26-20.
- W4: At Kentucky
- W5: Vanderbilt
- W6: #12 LSU
- W7: Texas A&M
- W8: Bye
- W9: vs #15 Georgia
- W10: At Missouri
- W11: At South Carolina
- W12: UAB
- W13: #10 Florida State
Terrible.
The Vols’ future opponents
In addition to the Vols doing some good things to offset the bad, there were some interesting developments among the Vols future opponents this weekend. Most notably, Mississippi State made LSU look more beatable and increased the odds that Georgia could get another SEC loss.
Here’s the rest of the Vols’ schedule and how those opponents fared this weekend.
9/23/17: UMass (0-4, 0-0 IND, NR)
- W1: Lost to Hawaii, 38-35.
- W2: Lost to C. Carolina, 38-28.
- W3: Lost to Old Dominion, 17-7.
- W4: Lost to Temple, 29-21.
- W5: At #25 Tennessee
- W6: Ohio
- W7: Bye
- W8: At #21 USF
- W9: Ga Southern
- W10: Appalachian State
- W11: At Mississippi State
- W12: Maine
- W13: At BYU
Expectations for a Vols win: These guys are not doing well. I had this game at 96% since the beginning of the season, but I’m bumping it up to 99% now.
PREDICTIONS – UMASS | ||||||||||||
W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 | W12 | W13 |
96 | 96 | 96 | 99 |
9/30/17: Georgia (3-0, 0-0 SEC, #11)
- W1: Beat Appalachian State, 31-10. QB Jacob Eason went down, but freshman Jake Fromm looked good and took care of business.
- W2: Beat #24 Notre Dame, 20-19.
- W3: Beat Samford, 42-14.
- W4: Mississippi State
- W5: At #25 Tennessee
- W6: At Vanderbilt
- W7: Missouri
- W8: Bye
- W9: vs. #22 Florida
- W10: South Carolina
- W11: At #13 Auburn
- W12: Kentucky
- W13: At Georgia Tech
Expectations for a Vols win: There’s not much to learn about the Bulldogs this week. I changed this game from 45% to 40% last week, and I’m going to keep it there. The interesting thing here is that Mississippi State just manhandled LSU, so while we’ve been thinking so far that Georgia’s schedule would be a breeze, there’s real hope that they lose an additional SEC game to Mississippi State, which would make things extremely interesting in the SEC East. Root hard for the Clangas this weekend.
PREDICTIONS – GEORGIA | ||||||||||||
W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 | W12 | W13 |
45 | 45 | 40 | 40 |
10/14/17: South Carolina (2-1, 1-1 SEC, NR)
- W1: Beat NC State, 35-28.
- W2: Beat Missouri, 31-13.
- W3: Lost to Kentucky, 23-13.
- W4: LA Tech
- W5: At Texas A&M
- W6: Arkansas
- W7: At #25 Tennessee
- W8: Bye
- W9: Vanderbilt
- W10: At #15 Georgia
- W11: #22 Florida
- W12: Wofford
- W13: #3 Clemson
Expectations for a Vols win: The Gamecocks not only lost to Kentucky this weekend, they also lost Deebo Samuel, probably for the remainder of the season. Prior to this weekend, they looked like they were poised to compete for the East, but without Samuel, they’re likely going to struggle. I moved this game from 69% to 60% last week, but this week I’m moving it to 75%.
PREDICTIONS – SOUTH CAROLINA | ||||||||||||
W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 | W12 | W13 |
69 | 69 | 60 | 75 |
10/21/17: Alabama (3-0, 0-0 SEC, #1)
- W1: Beat #3 Florida State, 24-7.
- W2: Beat Fresno State, 41-10.
- W3: Beat Colorado State, 41-23.
- W4: At Vanderbilt
- W5: Ole Miss
- W6: At Texas A&M
- W7: Arkansas
- W8: #25 Tennessee
- W9: Bye
- W10: #12 LSU
- W11: At Mississippi State
- W12: Mercer
- W13: At #13 Auburn
Expectations for a Vols win: No new information here. Keeping them at 10%.
PREDICTIONS – ALABAMA | ||||||||||||
W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 | W12 | W13 |
10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
10/28/17: Kentucky (3-0, 1-0 SEC, NR)
- W1: Beat Southern Miss, 24-17.
- W2: Best E Kentucky, 27-16.
- W3: Beat South Carolina, 23-13.
- W4: #22 Florida
- W5: E Michigan
- W6: Missouri
- W7: Bye
- W8: At Mississippi State
- W9: #25 Tennessee
- W10: Ole Miss
- W11: At Vanderbilt
- W12: At #15 Georgia
- W13: #17 Lousiville
Expectations for a Vols win: Okay, so Kentucky looked good against South Carolina. You definitely don’t want to overlook them, but I’m not sure we should overreact to one game in which the opponent lost its primary playmaker, either. I moved this game from 65% to 70% last week, and I’m going to move it back to 65% this week.
PREDICTIONS – KENTUCKY | ||||||||||||
W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 | W12 | W13 |
65 | 65 | 70 | 65 |
11/4/17: Southern Miss (2-1, 0-0 C-USA, NR)
- W1: Lost to Kentucky, 24-17.
- W2: Beat Southern, 45-0.
- W3: Beat UL Monroe, 28-17.
- W4: Bye
- W5: North Texas
- W6: UTSA
- W7: UTEP
- W8: At LA Tech
- W9: UAB
- W10: At #25 Tennessee
- W11: At Rice
- W12: Charlotte
- W13: At Marshall
Expectations for a Vols win: Ito Smith ran for 219 yards, and Kwadra Griggs threw for three touchdowns for Southern Miss this week. They might be good, but it’s going to be hard to know for sure with that schedule. The seven-point loss to Kentucky is going to look better if Kentucky continues to look good. I moved this game from 85% to 80% last week, and I’m going to keep it there this week.
PREDICTIONS – SOUTHERN MISS | ||||||||||||
W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 | W12 | W13 |
90 | 85 | 80 | 80 |
11/11/17: Missouri (1-2, 0-1 SEC, NR)
- W1: Beat Missouri State 72-43.
- W2: Lost to South Carolina, 31-13.
- W3: Lost to Purdue, 35-3.
- W4: #13 Auburn
- W5: Bye
- W6: At Kentucky
- W7: At #15 Georgia
- W8: Idaho
- W9: At UConn
- W10: #22 Florida
- W11: #25 Tennessee
- W12: At Vanderbilt
- W13: At Arkansas
Expectations for a Vols win: Missouri’s offense scored 72 points in the first game and 16 points in the next two. At the rate of the last two games, the Tigers will score as many points in the remaining games of the season as they did in that first game. I moved this game back to 70% last week and am tempted to move it even further to 75%, but I am going to keep it here and keep a wary eye on these guys.
PREDICTIONS – MISSOURI | ||||||||||||
W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 | W12 | W13 |
70 | 65 | 70 | 70 |
11/18/17: LSU (2-1, 0-1 SEC, #25)
- W1: Beat BYU, 27-0.
- W2: Beat Chattanooga, 45-10.
- W3: Lost to Mississippi State, 37-7.
- W4: Syracuse
- W5: Troy
- W6: At #22 Florida
- W7: #13 Auburn
- W8: At Ole Miss
- W9: Bye
- W10: At #1 Alabama
- W11: Arkansas
- W12: At #25 Tennessee
- W13: Texas A&M
Expectations for a Vols win: Mississippi State made LSU look bad. I’ve had this game at 25% since the beginning of the season, but I’m making a major move with it this week to 45%. I still think they’re talented and deep and probably have a slight advantage late in a season.
PREDICTIONS – LSU | ||||||||||||
W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 | W12 | W13 |
25 | 25 | 25 | 45 |
11/25/17: Vanderbilt (3-0, 0-0 SEC, NR)
- W1: Beat MTSU, 28-6.
- W2: Beat Alabama A&M, 42-0.
- W3: Beat #19 Kansas State, 14-7.
- W4: #1 Alabama
- W5: At #22 Florida
- W6: #15 Georgia
- W7: At Ole Miss
- W8: Bye
- W9: At South Carolina
- W10: W Kentucky
- W11: Kentucky
- W12: Missouri
- W13: At #25 Tennessee
Expectations for a Vols win: I don’t really know what to think about Kansas State, so I don’t really know what to think about Vanderbilt beating them. We’ll have much more data on the Dores after their Alabama-Florida-Georgia run, but for now, I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt. I’m moving this game from 65% to 55%.
PREDICTIONS – VANDERBILT | ||||||||||||
W1 | W2 | W3 | W4 | W5 | W6 | W7 | W8 | W9 | W10 | W11 | W12 | W13 |
72 | 72 | 65 | 55 |
All of that puts me at 7.39 wins, but with 8 if the coin comes up the right way every time.
I’m going to post the community expectations later today or tomorrow. If you haven’t submitted your own information yet, you can do that here.
UNDirish60 wins Week 3 of the Gameday on Rocky Top Pick ‘Em Contest
Congratulations to UNDirish60, who finished first in this week’s Gameday on Rocky Top Pick ‘Em Pool. UNDirish60 went 15-5 with 185 confidence points and wins a free Gameday on Rocky Top t-shirt from our custom tee store, Web Community Tees:
UNDirish60, watch for a message from me on how to get your tee.
BlountVols remains first in the overall standings, but only barely.
Here are the full results for this week:
Rank | Participant | W-L | Points | Tie Breaker |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | UNDirish60 | 15-5 | 185 | 0-0 |
2 | C_hawkfan | 16-4 | 184 | 23-31 |
3 | edgarmsmith | 15-5 | 179 | 17-10 |
4 | utkjmitch | 14-6 | 178 | 31-28 |
5 | tpi | 14-6 | 175 | 0-0 |
6 | Volfan2002 | 14-6 | 174 | 24-31 |
7 | Raven17 | 17-3 | 173 | 31-20** |
7 | Rossboro | 14-6 | 173 | 24-0 |
9 | Jahiegel | 13-7 | 172 | 22-26** |
9 | VandyVol | 15-5 | 172 | 17-21 |
9 | OriginalVol1814 | 14-6 | 172 | 21-20 |
9 | waitwhereami | 14-6 | 172 | 28-24 |
13 | birdjam | 13-7 | 171 | 20-23** |
13 | RichVols | 13-7 | 171 | 24-31 |
15 | Displaced_Vol_Fan | 13-7 | 170 | 19-17** |
15 | kmchugh | 13-7 | 170 | 0-0 |
17 | joeb_1 | 13-7 | 169 | 23-27** |
17 | waltsspac | 14-6 | 169 | 24-17 |
17 | Knottfair | 14-6 | 169 | 28-24 |
17 | Anaconda | 13-7 | 169 | 21-14 |
17 | Techboy | 13-7 | 169 | 0-0 |
22 | GeorgeMonkey | 13-7 | 168 | 24-28** |
22 | biologydropout | 13-7 | 168 | 0-0 |
24 | LuckyGuess | 13-7 | 167 | 24-31** |
24 | Volboy | 13-7 | 167 | 24-21 |
24 | mmmjtx | 15-5 | 167 | 23-21 |
24 | Sam | 14-6 | 167 | 22-10 |
28 | Phonies | 13-7 | 166 | 24-30** |
28 | PAVolFan | 8-Dec | 166 | 27-21 |
28 | ChuckieTVol | 8-Dec | 166 | 24-13 |
31 | rockhopper78 | 9-Nov | 165 | 20-24** |
31 | KeepsCornInAJar | 13-7 | 165 | 14-17 |
31 | BlountVols | 13-7 | 165 | 21-17 |
31 | chuckiepoo | 13-7 | 165 | 31-27 |
35 | boro wvvol | 13-7 | 164 | 28-21** |
35 | jfarrar90 | 14-6 | 164 | 0-0 |
37 | HUTCH | 14-6 | 163 | 31-34** |
37 | ga26engr | 13-7 | 163 | 32-27 |
37 | BritishVol | 8-Dec | 163 | 18-15 |
40 | jeremy.waldroop | 14-6 | 162 | 17-26** |
40 | patmd | 15-5 | 162 | 20-31 |
40 | ThePowerT | 14-6 | 162 | 24-20 |
43 | Dylan pickle | 13-7 | 161 | 24-35** |
43 | DinnerJacket | 13-7 | 161 | 24-21 |
45 | mmb61 | 13-7 | 160 | 14-31** |
45 | VillaVol | 13-7 | 160 | 13-28 |
45 | vols95 | 13-7 | 160 | 28-21 |
45 | dgibbs | 8-Dec | 160 | 21-17 |
45 | EVOL | 13-7 | 160 | 13-6 |
50 | ed75 | 14-6 | 159 | 31-28 |
51 | jstorie1 | 15-5 | 158 | 28-31** |
51 | spartans100 | 8-Dec | 158 | 24-21 |
51 | TNann | 13-7 | 158 | 25-24 |
54 | tdrb42 | 15-5 | 157 | 17-20 |
55 | 1hoss2 | 13-7 | 155 | 0-0 |
56 | CajunVol | 8-Dec | 154 | 24-10 |
57 | mariettavol | 8-Dec | 153 | 27-13 |
58 | ddayvolsfan | 13-7 | 152 | 24-27** |
58 | PrideofTheSouthlandFan | 13-7 | 152 | 24-20 |
58 | Jaywine | 13-7 | 152 | 21-17 |
58 | RandyH112 | 13-7 | 152 | 24-13 |
62 | Drew | 13-7 | 151 | 21-23** |
62 | aquasox | 14-6 | 151 | 24-20 |
62 | MeytonPanning | 9-Nov | 151 | 20-17 |
65 | ltvol99 | 8-Dec | 150 | 27-24** |
65 | Joel @ GRT | 13-7 | 150 | 24-17 |
65 | Jrstep | 13-7 | 150 | 24-15 |
68 | crafdog | 14-6 | 149 | 27-30** |
68 | Will Shelton | 8-Dec | 149 | 27-20 |
68 | rsbrooks25 | 13-7 | 149 | 24-18 |
68 | BZACHARY | 14-6 | 149 | 0-0 |
72 | ctull | 8-Dec | 148 | 28-14** |
72 | Gman15 | 13-7 | 148 | 35-23 |
72 | CNMcCreary | 10-Oct | 148 | 0-0 |
75 | Bulldog 85 | 13-7 | 146 | 20-17 |
76 | bking | 8-Dec | 145 | 27-18** |
76 | rudydog | 8-Dec | 145 | 35-21 |
76 | alanmar | 8-Dec | 145 | 38-31 |
79 | Harley | 8-Dec | 143 | 31-17** |
79 | wreckvol | 9-Nov | 143 | 24-16 |
81 | SouthernDCist | 14-6 | 142 | 24-13 |
82 | TennVol95 in 3D! | 8-Dec | 136 | 31-17 |
83 | mobilevol | 10-Oct | 132 | 30-17 |
84 | PensacolaVolFan | 8-Dec | 129 | 31-24 |
85 | rollervol | 8-Dec | 127 | 24-17** |
85 | Timbuktu126 | 9-Nov | 127 | 0-0 |
87 | IBleedVolOrange | 8-Dec | 120 | 23-21 |
88 | sncdaisy | 10-Oct | 97 | 24-21 |
89 | rockytopinky | 18-Feb | 37 | 0-0 |
90 | 901Vol | 0-20 | 36 | - |
90 | The Alyas Greys | 0-20 | 36 | - |
90 | PaVol | 0-20 | 36 | - |
90 | T dog | 0-20 | 36 | - |
90 | daetilus | 0-20 | 36 | - |
90 | over754ut | 0-20 | 36 | - |
90 | wedflatrock | 0-20 | 36 | - |
90 | DCVFL | 0-20 | 36 | - |
90 | jobliner | 0-20 | 36 | - |
90 | memphispete | 0-20 | 36 | - |
And here are the current overall standings after Week 3:
Rank | Participant | W-L | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | BlountVols | 48-11 | 542 |
2 | Knottfair | 46-13 | 541 |
3 | OriginalVol1814 | 46-13 | 535 |
4 | Displaced_Vol_Fan | 46-13 | 533 |
5 | biologydropout | 47-12 | 530 |
6 | LuckyGuess | 46-13 | 529 |
6 | jfarrar90 | 46-13 | 529 |
8 | C_hawkfan | 47-12 | 528 |
9 | Raven17 | 48-11 | 526 |
9 | dgibbs | 45-14 | 526 |
9 | UNDirish60 | 46-13 | 526 |
12 | rockhopper78 | 43-16 | 525 |
12 | birdjam | 46-13 | 525 |
14 | spartans100 | 47-12 | 524 |
15 | joeb_1 | 45-14 | 523 |
15 | Volfan2002 | 46-13 | 523 |
17 | waltsspac | 47-12 | 522 |
17 | ChuckieTVol | 45-14 | 522 |
19 | jeremy.waldroop | 47-12 | 521 |
19 | CajunVol | 46-13 | 521 |
21 | Phonies | 45-14 | 520 |
21 | boro wvvol | 44-15 | 520 |
21 | waitwhereami | 46-13 | 520 |
24 | RichVols | 44-15 | 518 |
25 | GeorgeMonkey | 42-17 | 517 |
25 | utkjmitch | 47-12 | 517 |
27 | VillaVol | 44-15 | 515 |
27 | mariettavol | 46-13 | 515 |
27 | chuckiepoo | 44-15 | 515 |
30 | tdrb42 | 46-13 | 513 |
31 | Volboy | 44-15 | 512 |
31 | PAVolFan | 43-16 | 512 |
31 | PrideofTheSouthlandFan | 45-14 | 512 |
34 | wreckvol | 43-16 | 511 |
35 | EVOL | 42-17 | 510 |
36 | alanmar | 45-14 | 509 |
37 | Drew | 45-14 | 508 |
37 | Sam | 45-14 | 508 |
39 | ThePowerT | 44-15 | 507 |
40 | vols95 | 43-16 | 506 |
41 | mmmjtx | 44-15 | 505 |
41 | TennVol95 in 3D! | 44-15 | 505 |
41 | TNann | 44-15 | 505 |
41 | rsbrooks25 | 45-14 | 505 |
45 | edgarmsmith | 44-15 | 502 |
46 | KeepsCornInAJar | 43-16 | 501 |
46 | ltvol99 | 43-16 | 501 |
48 | mmb61 | 42-17 | 500 |
48 | tpi | 44-15 | 500 |
50 | patmd | 43-16 | 497 |
51 | Jahiegel | 43-16 | 495 |
52 | Joel @ GRT | 44-15 | 494 |
53 | Will Shelton | 40-19 | 488 |
53 | MeytonPanning | 42-17 | 488 |
55 | 1hoss2 | 44-15 | 483 |
56 | bking | 43-16 | 481 |
56 | aquasox | 45-14 | 481 |
56 | rollervol | 44-15 | 481 |
59 | jstorie1 | 43-16 | 479 |
59 | ctull | 42-17 | 479 |
61 | DinnerJacket | 41-18 | 478 |
62 | rudydog | 43-16 | 475 |
62 | BZACHARY | 41-18 | 475 |
64 | ddayvolsfan | 42-17 | 473 |
64 | crafdog | 44-15 | 473 |
66 | Jrstep | 42-17 | 472 |
67 | Gman15 | 42-17 | 469 |
68 | ed75 | 41-18 | 465 |
69 | mobilevol | 41-18 | 454 |
70 | kmchugh | 31-28 | 447 |
71 | BritishVol | 39-20 | 446 |
72 | Anaconda | 26-33 | 444 |
73 | ga26engr | 40-19 | 439 |
74 | Rossboro | 30-29 | 437 |
75 | Techboy | 35-24 | 433 |
76 | CNMcCreary | 39-20 | 431 |
77 | IBleedVolOrange | 39-20 | 429 |
78 | PensacolaVolFan | 39-20 | 415 |
79 | SouthernDCist | 30-29 | 407 |
80 | Timbuktu126 | 36-23 | 400 |
81 | sncdaisy | 40-19 | 398 |
82 | daetilus | 31-28 | 385 |
83 | over754ut | 29-30 | 376 |
84 | rockytopinky | 33-26 | 371 |
85 | DCVFL | 21-38 | 321 |
86 | VandyVol | 28-31 | 313 |
87 | memphispete | 18-41 | 312 |
88 | 901Vol | 18-41 | 309 |
89 | HUTCH | 28-31 | 304 |
90 | jobliner | 12-47 | 274 |
91 | Harley | 24-35 | 268 |
92 | Dylan pickle | 22-37 | 259 |
93 | wedflatrock | 0-59 | 243 |
93 | T dog | 0-59 | 243 |
95 | The Alyas Greys | 15-44 | 190 |
96 | Jaywine | 13-46 | 152 |
96 | RandyH112 | 13-46 | 152 |
98 | Bulldog 85 | 13-46 | 146 |
99 | PaVol | 5-54 | 121 |
Gameday on Rocky Top Guessing Game Results: Florida Gators
In this week’s Guessing Game, nothing happens in the first round thanks to a fumbled thunderbolt, and Sam takes sole possession of the lead by a nose.
The full play-by-play is below. This week’s questions will go up sometime Friday.
Top 10 as of the end of last week
Fatso | 12 |
Dave Strunk | 11 |
Sam | 10 |
Harley | 10 |
Will Shelton | 10 |
Marietta Vol | 10 |
Daetilus | 9 |
Jayyyy | 8 |
Joel Hollingsworth | 8 |
RockyTopinKY | 8 |
Round 1
Q: Which team gets the ball first? (5 points)
A: Florida (5 points)
Alyas Grey drew a thunderbolt in Round 3 last week, which means that everyone else in the field was debilitated and the first question this week was only for him. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t play this week, so he didn’t get any points, either. I hate thunderbolts.
Mushrooms: cscott95 and NJ Vol
Bananas: PaVol and nelsona350
Blue shells and bolts: None
Top 10 after Round 1:
Fatso | 12 |
Dave Strunk | 11 |
Sam | 10 |
Marietta Vol | 10 |
Will Shelton | 10 |
Harley | 10 |
Daetilus | 9 |
Jayyyy | 8 |
Joel Hollingsworth | 8 |
charles matthews | 7 |
Round 2
Q: Which team’s quarterback throws the first interception? (5-20 points)
A: Tennessee’s QB (5 points)
A total of 13 players get this right and get five points for it.
Mushrooms: Fatso and BibleVol
Bananas: Will Shelton and nelsona350 (sorry, dude)
Blue shells and bolts: None!
Top 10 after Round 2:
Sam | 15 |
Marietta Vol | 15 |
Daetilus | 14 |
Fatso | 13 |
Jayyyy | 13 |
Dave Strunk | 11 |
Josh Farrar | 11 |
Harley | 10 |
Will Shelton | 9 |
Joel Hollingsworth | 8 |
Round 3
Q: Which is greater, yards gained by UT’s offense or yards given up by UT’s defense? (8-20 points)
A: Yards gained by UT’s offense (8 points)
A total of 16 players get this right and get eight points for it.
Mushrooms: NJ Vol and RandyH
Bananas: Josh Farrar and Joel Hollingsworth (See? I’m not cheating.)
Blue shells and bolts: None. Again. This has to be a record for length of time gone by with no blue shells.
Top 10 after Round 3:
Sam | 23 |
Daetilus | 22 |
Fatso | 21 |
Jayyyy | 21 |
Dave Strunk | 19 |
Harley | 18 |
Will Shelton | 17 |
Marietta Vol | 15 |
Joel Hollingsworth | 15 |
TennVol95 | 13 |
Packtar | 13 |
MitchellK | 13 |
Full table
Player | W2T | W2S | R1 | R1 Sub | R1 Specials | R1 Total | R2 | R2 Sub | R2 Specials | R2 Total | R3 | R3 Sub | R3 Specials | R3 Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sam | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 15 | 8 | 23 | 23 | |||||
Daetilus | 9 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 22 | 22 | |||||
Fatso | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 1 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 21 | |||||
Jayyyy | 8 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 21 | 21 | |||||
Dave Strunk | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 19 | ||||||
Harley | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 18 | ||||||
Will Shelton | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | -1 | 9 | 8 | 17 | 17 | |||||
Marietta Vol | 10 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | ||||||
Joel Hollingsworth | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 16 | -1 | 15 | |||||
TennVol95 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 13 | ||||||
Packtar | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 13 | ||||||
MitchellK | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 13 | ||||||
Evan | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 12 | ||||||
PaVol | 5 | 5 | -1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 12 | |||||
LTVol99 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 11 | ||||||
Josh Farrar | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 11 | 11 | -1 | 10 | |||||
Raven17 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 9 | ||||||
NJ Vol | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 8 | ||||
RockyTopinKY | 8 | 8 | ||||||||||||
charles matthews | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | |||||||
cscott95 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | |||||
RandyH | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 6 | ||||||
nelsona350 | 0 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -1 | -2 | 8 | 6 | 6 | |||||
GoVols365 | 6 | 6 | ||||||||||||
driskigm | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |||||||
Jason | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |||||||
Bulldog 85 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |||||||
Alyas Grey | 5 | THUNDERBOLT | 5 | |||||||||||
Gr82baTNVol | 5 | 5 | ||||||||||||
Rockytop01 | 5 | 5 | ||||||||||||
vfl_mks | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |||||||
wreckvol | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||
btpenley | 4 | 4 | ||||||||||||
Drew | 3 | 3 | ||||||||||||
Displaced_Vol_Fan | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||
Oleg Zeltser | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
BibleVol | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
Craig | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
Larry Hildebrand | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
GTZW | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
Volfaninsc | 0 | 0 |
Why is Tennessee’s offense so much better in the fourth quarter?
There are plenty of numbers to support the growing narrative of Tennessee’s offense: the Vols again fell behind by two possessions, again rallied, and again should have won. Had they pulled it off in Gainesville it would have been the eighth time in the last 34 games Tennessee came back to win from down two possessions. That’s exciting, but the argument here is, “Is it necessary?”
In 2016 and the first three games of 2017, the Vols have been incredibly productive when they had the ball in the fourth quarter. And there are a plethora of statistics to back it up (the data comes from Sports Source Analytics):
Rushing Offense
- In 2016, Tennessee averaged 6.69 yards per carry in the fourth quarter with 11 touchdowns and 29 runs of 10+ yards. All three of those numbers were the best for any quarter of the game last fall. Through three games this year the Vols average 6.22 yards per carry in the fourth quarter, bested only by a 7.35 average in the second quarter.
- John Kelly in the fourth quarter this fall: 11 carries for 104 yards (9.45 ypc) with two touchdowns. He is one of only 16 players in college football to have run for 100+ yards in the fourth quarter this year, and is tied with nine other running backs atop the national leaderboard with four 10+ yard runs in the fourth quarter.
- Last year Josh Dobbs ran the ball 32 times for 324 yards (10.13 ypc) in the fourth quarter, seventh nationally in yards per carry.
These kind of numbers suggest an offense that wears down the defense all day and/or a team playing from behind against softer coverage. But most of Tennessee’s two-possession holes had already been erased by the fourth quarter last season (and Tennessee’s defense wasn’t good enough to make you feel safe about any lead). And the fourth quarter passing numbers are just as stout:
Passing Offense
- Last year Josh Dobbs was 49-of-73 (67.1%) for 739 yards (10.12 ypa) with nine touchdowns and three interceptions in the fourth quarter. His fourth quarter QB rating was fourth nationally.
- This year Quinten Dormady is 11-of-20 (55%) for 248 yards (12.4 ypa) with two touchdowns and an interception in the fourth quarter. His fourth quarter QB rating is currently 19th nationally.
- Dormady’s 248 fourth quarter passing yards are eighth nationally.
- John Kelly and Marquez Callaway in the fourth quarter: six catches for 187 yards and a touchdown.
- Josh Malone last year in the fourth quarter: 12 catches for 308 yards and four touchdowns. He was one of only nine players to finish the season with 300+ receiving yards in the fourth quarter.
Look at the yards per attempt per quarter over the last two years:
Dobbs 2016 | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | YPA |
1Q | 58 | 96 | 60.4% | 704 | 7.33 |
2Q | 65 | 105 | 61.9% | 785 | 7.48 |
3Q | 51 | 80 | 63.8% | 703 | 8.79 |
4Q | 49 | 73 | 67.1% | 739 | 10.12 |
Dormady 2017 | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | YPA |
1Q | 11 | 20 | 55.0% | 115 | 5.75 |
2Q | 17 | 30 | 56.7% | 143 | 4.77 |
3Q | 14 | 23 | 60.9% | 153 | 6.65 |
4Q | 11 | 20 | 55.0% | 248 | 12.40 |
Dormady doesn’t have the uptick in completion percentage Dobbs enjoyed in the fourth quarter, but the jump in yards per attempt is incredible.
All these numbers show the offense the Vols are running in the fourth quarter is incredibly potent. So what of the offense Tennessee runs in the other three quarters? What’s the difference?
I don’t have all the answers or the reasons why. As we noted yesterday, this has been an issue for Tennessee through three offensive coordinators and three starting quarterbacks under Butch Jones. The simplest explanation may be that playing from behind and in so many tight games has created have-to-have-it moments in the fourth quarter almost every week. And in those situations, Tennessee’s offense has largely excelled.
But the best way to win close games continues to be not to play them. If the team that shows up in the fourth quarter somehow manifests itself earlier and/or throughout the game – in some combination of philosophy, play-calling, and execution – the Vols would not find themselves in position to get beat by a miraculous play.
We saw Butch Jones make an adjustment in philosophy to get to this point: in 2015 the Vols were racing to early leads, then letting off the gas. That kind of loss hasn’t happened since the Arkansas game that year. But now the Vols are saving too much gas for the home stretch. A better chance of success, for the Vols and their head coach, is to treat every play like it’s the fourth quarter.
Use the Vols Win Probability Calculator to update your expectations for the season
I’ll still be posting the recap of what happened with Tennessee and its past and future opponents tomorrow as usual along with my own updated win probabilities, but I wanted to provide y’all an early opportunity to use the Vols Win Probability Calculator to see where you’re at after this weekend’s games so that I could include them in tomorrow’s post.
So, here’s the form. Go ahead and post your result in the comments section as well for discussion purposes.
No Fields Found.
How to survive a soul-crushing loss to a hated rival
Two years ago, I was in my basement watching the Vols take on the Gators in The Swamp. They were ahead by 13 late in the fourth quarter, and I turned to my wife and kids and explained to them that it would take an extraordinary lapse of unimaginable proportions for Tennessee to lose the game. Hey, I was excited, because I’d been waiting for that moment from the time my oldest daughter was nine to the time she was 19.
You know how that ended. Multiple fourth down conversions and an extraordinary lapse of unimaginable proportions in the form of a miraculous (for Florida) touchdown on fourth-and-14 to give the Gators a one point lead and the win. It was crushing.
This evening, as I was watching the team finally wear out the Gators with John Kelly in the fourth quarter, I turned to my middle daughter and explained to her that all we had to do was run Kelly until he was in the end zone, and we’d win the game. I had a serious case of deja vu the entire time, though, because I was standing in the same position looking in the same direction feeling the same way about the Vols-Gators game that I had two years prior. We were in a commercial break, so I sat down and thought about it: What in the world would I do if the unimaginable and miraculous happened again? I only got as far as planning a long, hot shower before we were back from commercial and I was consoling myself with a game-tying field goal, figuring that we would be favored to win in overtime.
You know how that ended. A long pass into the end zone with time expired and watching the Gators celebrate a win over the Vols again.
So, what do you do after a soul-crushing loss to a hated rival? A few suggestions:
What to do after a soul-crushing loss to a hated rival
Eat some ice cream. I just finished a bowl of Blue Bell Rocky Mountain Road. Chocolate ice cream with chocolate-covered peanuts, pecans, almonds, and walnuts with a marshmallow swirl. It is delicious, even if it is named after those other mountains way out in Colorado. If you eat enough of it, it also has the added benefit of inducing a sugar coma, and it’s hard to remember traumatic events in that state. Really, all you want is more ice cream, so it’s a self-perpetuating cure.
Eat some jalapeno Fritos. I first found these on a recent trip up to Iowa, and I think I ate them all the way from Indianapolis to Waterloo. They’re Fritoey but not so much that it tastes like you’re licking your dog’s paws. They’re also spicy enough to keep you eating long past the point you really would like to stop, so it keeps your mind occupied with important questions like, “Why can’t I stop eating these?”
Go sit on the porch swing with your six-year-old. This took some effort, to be honest, but it was aided by my littlest one asking me, “Are you mad?” right after the game like she was afraid I was mad at her. I don’t know, honey, are you a Gators fan? No? Okay, then.
Just kidding. I didn’t give her that litmus test. Besides, she’s small enough that we still choose her clothes, so she wears orange, darnit.
Anyway, we got some fresh air and a change of scenery out on the deck, and we were visited by the neighborhood stray cat. Omi loves that stupid cat. And she doesn’t really care about soul-crushing defeats to rival teams, so if I hadn’t already been in a sugar and Frito coma, I would have probably recognized this as a perspective or something. As it went, we stayed out there for five minutes until my cravings compelled me back into the kitchen.
Listen to the players. No joke, I am constantly amazed at the maturity college football players display in the wake of heart-wrenching losses. You can tell they’re disappointed, but they already have their minds right, pointed toward the next day, the next practice, the next opponent. Don’t let one opponent beat you twice. Unless it’s jalapeno Fritos, then it’s fine.
Watch some other games. This will make you realize that (1) you’re not the only one who’s had a rough day, and (2) there’s still a lot of season left. As I write this, Kentucky is leading South Carolina 20-13 late in the fourth quarter. LSU (#12) just got mauled by Mississippi State. Can you imagine how you’d have felt to lose by 30 to the Gators? UCLA got beat by unranked Memphis. Kansas State got beat by unranked Vanderbilt. Missouri looked terrible against Purdue.
These things remind you that we’re one game into the SEC season. Missouri doesn’t look good. South Carolina’s impressive start is in jeopardy. Maybe Kentucky and Vandy are okay. Florida won today, but their non-score and non-turnover numbers aren’t going to be better than Tennessee’s. When we recalibrate win probabilities Monday, that LSU game is going to take a hit and might even look winnable. Yes, Georgia still looks good, but that’s nothing that more ice cream and jalapeno Fritos can’t fix.
Florida Stuns Tennessee 26-20 in Another New Way To Lose
Tennessee did a noble thing on Saturday after Hurricane Irma by putting “Florida Strong” on the back of their helmets.
Unfortunately for the Vols, they were Tennessee Soft in key moments against the Florida Gators, failing to be the aggressor until too late and losing on a 63-yard missile of a Hail Mary from Feleipe Franks to Tyrie Cleveland on the final play of the game.
It was a very familiar way to lose.
After all, this is the Vols. And those were the Gators.
Even when Florida isn’t the FLORIDA of old, Tennessee can’t take advantage and move beyond them in the SEC East.
Inexplicable mistakes cost the Vols in this one, and, for that reason, the “fire Butch Jones” crowd will only grow. This Tennessee team was better than that Florida team, plain and simple. Yet, none of that mattered. Tennessee found a way to mess it up when it mattered most.
Just look at the costly mistakes that marred UT’s chances, even before the eye-covering, cringe-worthy finale.
Losing 6-3 and facing a 1st-and-goal from the 1-yard line, UT refused to give the football to savage running back John Kelly a single time. The Vols didn’t even get to attempt a game-tying field goal because Quinten Dormady threw one of his three interceptions on third down for a momentum-crushing play.
When the Vols finally scored a touchdown on a brilliant Kelly run, he gave the crowd the Gator chomp, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that led to a great return, a short field and a UF touchdown. For a great player, that was a costly, stupid mistake.
But, even then, Tennessee refused to quit. Kelly and Co. took the ball right down the field, and Dormady found Ethan Wolf for a touchdown to trim the lead to three again.
After a fantastic interception late in the game where Nigel Warrior got his hand on the football, tipping it up to allow Rashaan Gaulden to pick off the football, the Vols once again marched down to the 10-yard line. Rather than run Kelly, who’d gassed the Gators defense, the Vols threw it three more times. The worst thing about that for UT is the play was there on a second-down pass to Kelly, who dropped the would-be, game-winning touchdown. He’d have walked in. Then, Marquez Callaway couldn’t haul in a perfect fade on the next play.
After an errant throw went wide to Kelly, the Vols tied the game 20-20 with under a minute to go, thinking surely it would go into overtime, where they’d have a marked advantage with Kelly.
But that’s not what happened.
Somehow, a Bob Shoop defense that had been very good for much of the day, let Tyrie Cleveland behind the safeties. Franks showed his cannon arm with a pass that traveled 60-65 yards in the air into the outstretched arms of his receiver, and all Micah Abernathy and Warrior could do was put their heads in their hands as Florida celebrated.
It was an embarrassing finish to an embarrassing loss that saw the players bring their team all the way back with a frantic fourth quarter and then lose. It was hard to watch, and it’s going to be hard to relive over the course of the next year or more. Think about how much UT fans have let Georgia have it following the Dobbs-nail boot Hail Mary last year. This is that, except it’s Florida.
Yeah, it’s Florida.
For some reason, the Gators play with that same ol’ swagger against Tennessee every year. They aren’t good, but the Vols make them good. They make coaching blunders, wait too long to turn up the heat and then bank on everything going perfectly down the stretch to win.
They got burned on Saturday. The team that leads the nation with five comeback wins from 10-point deficits in the past two years got ready to shoot the moon again, only to find a broken arrow in the quiver.
That’s not even mentioning Dormady’s three interceptions and three missed field goals that could have swung the game in Tennessee’s favor time after time. There were just too many blunders, but there were also plenty of players who weren’t relied on to make plays until it was almost too late.
If you’re a defensive coordinator, how do you not play your safeties way back, guarding against the prayer of a pass? If you’re the offensive coordinator, how do you continue to line up in the shotgun formation in short-yardage situations and fail to give the football to Kelly when points are on the line? If you’re the head coach, how do you allow this to happen?
There was criticism right before the season from an NFL scout who anonymously told a reporter who covers the Vols that several Vols were soft. I don’t believe that’s the case. They maybe made some dumb plays on Saturday like letting Cleveland by them or drawing unneccessary unsportsmanlike penalties that wound up with devastating consequences, but they didn’t play soft.
This team coached soft. Jones coached soft. Offensive coordinator Larry Scott coached soft. And on the biggest play of the game, somehow UT’s hard-nosed defense softened just enough to do the only thing it couldn’t afford to do.
#Vols HC Butch Jones: “It’s on me, we have to do a better job on our overall discipline, our fundamentals, our details.”
— Mike Griffith (@MikeGriffith32) September 16, 2017
When you have a young but talented team, the coaching staff needs to treat you like you’re talented a lot more than treat you like you’re young. That didn’t happen on Saturday, and the wrong team was celebrating because of it if you’re a Vols fan.
Two years after Tennessee found an impossible way to lose on a 63-yard pass to Antonio Callaway on a 4th-and-14 play when it looked like it had the game won, the Vols found another way to get beat on a 63-yard pass that rained down from the heavens into the arms of Cleveland on Ben Hill Griffin Stadium’s end zone turf.
Get ready for the criticism to rain down on Jones and Co. for finding another way to lose an important game; one where the Vols made enough plays to win but also enough mistakes to lose. When that happens, it comes down to the things that happened throughout the course of the game you look back on and shake your head.
The best way to win close games is to stop playing them.
Butch Jones’ tenure in Knoxville has featured an unusual number of these kinds of games. Frantic fourth quarters, miracle finishes, games decided on the final drive or a dramatic play in the final minute or, in this case, final second. Sometimes the Vols win, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes we get Josh Dobbs at South Carolina in 2014 or Jauan Jennings last fall in Athens. Sometimes we get Antonio Callaway and Tyrie Cleveland.
But when the dramatic wins and the dramatic losses just balance out, they don’t leave you with progress. It leaves us with heart conditions and, to their credit, a “we’re never out of it” confidence in players so a play like Justin Martin’s end zone punch-out is oddly normal because we just saw Malik Foreman do it last year.
So you can say a lot of things about that final play (and one of them should be a tip of the cap to Feleipe Franks for the throw). But Tennessee’s biggest problem today was that they put themselves in position to be beaten by it.
Coming into today, when the Vols had a 1st-and-10 inside the opponent’s 40 yard line they went on to score a touchdown on every drive except the one ending in Quinten Dormady’s end zone interception against Indiana State last week. Today when the Vols had a scoring opportunity inside the 40, they did this:
- 1st Quarter: Dormady interception on 3rd-and-10
- 2nd Quarter: Cimaglia 51-yard field goal made
- 2nd Quarter: Cimaglia 47-yard field goal missed
- 3rd Quarter: Dormady end zone interception after 1st-and-Goal at the 1
- 3rd Quarter: Cimaglia 51-yard field goal missed after third down sack
- 4th Quarter: Medley 44-yard field goal missed
- 4th Quarter: Touchdown
- 4th Quarter: Touchdown
- 4th Quarter: Medley 27-yard field goal good after 1st-and-Goal at the 9
In seven first-and-goal snaps in the second half, the Vols threw seven passes. Those two sequences went like this:
- 1st-and-Goal at the 1: Should have been picked, unsportsmanlike conduct on Florida
- 1st-and-Goal at the 1: False start on Jack Jones
- 1st-and-Goal at the 5: Incomplete
- 2nd-and-Goal at the 5: Complete to John Kelly for a loss of 1
- 3rd-and-Goal at the 6: Dormady intercepted
- 1st-and-Goal at the 9: Incomplete to John Kelly, should have been a touchdown
- 2nd-and-Goal at the 9: Incomplete
- 3rd-and-Goal at the 9: Incomplete
Seven plays, and none of them gained a single yard. This is exactly what happened on Tennessee’s only seven red zone snaps against Florida in 2014. John Kelly had 19 carries for 141 yards, but the Vols never ran the ball in a goal-to-go scenario.
This was Larry Scott’s third game calling plays, and I thought he did some good things again today. But what happened in the most crucial part of the field and the game was disastrous. Scott can learn and adjust. The Vols need better field goal kicking. But the overall philosophy must evolve, as Tennessee continues to flirt with the dramatic instead of taking better advantage on every snap.
This has happened with two defensive coordinators, three offensive coordinators, and now three different quarterbacks. It starts with Butch, who to his credit didn’t seem to shy away from that in the postgame. His teams absolutely never quit. But his teams have to be better at making the other team quit.
I don’t know what the best label for it is in the play-calling: more aggression, more confidence, more competence, etc. But mismanaging crucial situations has cost Tennessee against Florida in 2014, Oklahoma and Florida in 2015, and Florida today. That covers Bajakian, DeBord, and Larry Scott. It is a common, painful theme.
Butch isn’t going anywhere. We all need to blow off a little steam, but everything else is a waste of energy right now. The Vols get UMass next week, then Georgia. If this year’s theme is DAT way, today was a reminder that Butch’s teams have been both incredibly tough and incredibly frustrating in the details. That leaves accountability, which starts with the head coach but must be more than a postgame quote. Tennessee must start coaching and playing to take more advantage on every snap, or they will continue to risk breaking hearts and having theirs broken every Saturday. And they will continue to find themselves on an incredibly entertaining treadmill.
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