Read: ESPN SEC East preview

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

. . . make it this, from ESPN:

That’s a bit long, so if you’re in a hurry, you can skip right to the Tennessee section.

Other Vols stuff worth reading today

  1. Is Josiah-Jordan James poised for a breakout sophomore season?, via 247Sports
  2. Everything Jeremy Pruitt said Monday at Knoxville QB Club, via 247Sports
  3. Missed time, other Vols’ absences have ‘hindered’ QB Bailey, via 247Sports
  4. 2020-21 Season of “Vol Calls” Debuts Wednesday, via UTSports

Behind the paywalls

  • Projecting Tennessee’s depth chart on offense ahead of game week, via 247Sports

DinnerJacket wins Week 2 of the 2020 GRT Pick ‘Em

Congratulations to DinnerJacket, who finished first in Week 2 of the 2020 GRT Pick ‘Em with a record of 7-2 and 40 confidence points.

Here are the full results for this week:

Rank Player W-L Points Tiebreaker
1 DinnerJacket 7-2 40 28-27
2 PensacolaVolFan 7-2 39 20-10**
2 BlountVols 6-3 39 10-28
2 PAVolFan 6-3 39 14-28
2 joeb_1 6-3 39 17-31
2 jfarrar90 6-3 39 20-30
2 C_hawkfan 6-3 39 20-31
2 spartans100 7-2 39 21-31
2 Hjohn 6-3 39 21-35
2 LuckyGuess 6-3 39 27-31
2 Anaconda 6-3 39 24-37
12 birdjam 6-3 38 13-24**
12 Jahiegel 6-3 38 20-31
14 Hunters Horrible Picks 7-2 37 17-15**
14 Raven17 6-3 37 10-31
16 rollervol 7-2 36 34-17**
16 ChuckieTVol 6-3 36 13-23
16 Bulldog 85 6-3 36 20-23
16 Knottfair 6-3 36 14-31
16 GeorgeMonkey 6-3 36 20-34
21 Will Shelton 6-3 35 23-16**
21 Joel @ GRT 5-4 35 19-34
23 tmfountain14 7-2 34 31-27**
23 Krusher 6-3 34 21-27
25 ddayvolsfan 6-3 33 17-27
26 Wilk21 6-3 32 16-24**
26 volfan28 5-4 32 24-31
28 ltvol99 5-4 31 17-31
29 TennRebel 6-3 30 13-31
30 patmd 6-3 29 14-31
31 ga26engr 5-4 28 10-27**
31 crafdog 6-3 28 17-34
33 Timbuktu126 5-4 25 10-12
34 rsbrooks25 0-9 24 0-0**
34 memphispete 0-9 24 -
34 Jackson Irwin 0-9 24 -
34 ctull 0-9 24 -
34 shensle6 0-9 24 -
34 OriginalVol1814 0-9 24 -
34 HOTTUB 0-9 24 -
34 GasMan 0-9 24 -
34 keeps corn in a jar 0-9 24 -
34 Jayyyy 0-9 24 -
34 HUTCH 0-9 24 -
34 boro wvvol 0-9 24 -
34 ed75 0-9 24 -
34 Neil 0-9 24 -

Season Standings

PensacolaVolFan and spartans100 are currently tied for first in the season standings after Week 2. Here’s the full list:

Rank Player W-L Points Tiebreaker
1 PensacolaVolFan 11-3 78.57 53
1 spartans100 11-3 78.57 53
3 PAVolFan 9-5 64.29 50
4 birdjam 9-5 64.29 49
4 BlountVols 10-4 71.43 49
4 jfarrar90 9-5 64.29 49
7 ChuckieTVol 9-5 64.29 48
8 Will Shelton 10-4 71.43 47
8 Knottfair 9-5 64.29 47
8 GeorgeMonkey 9-5 64.29 47
11 Hunters Horrible Picks 10-4 71.43 46
11 Raven17 9-5 64.29 46
13 rollervol 10-4 71.43 45
13 ddayvolsfan 9-5 64.29 45
13 volfan28 9-5 64.29 45
13 Hjohn 8-6 57.14 45
17 Joel @ GRT 8-6 57.14 44
18 tmfountain14 9-5 64.29 41
18 Bulldog 85 7-7 50.00 41
18 ltvol99 8-6 57.14 41
21 DinnerJacket 7-7 50.00 40
22 joeb_1 6-8 42.86 39
22 Krusher 7-7 50.00 39
22 C_hawkfan 6-8 42.86 39
22 LuckyGuess 6-8 42.86 39
22 Anaconda 6-8 42.86 39
27 Wilk21 8-6 57.14 38
27 patmd 9-5 64.29 38
27 Jahiegel 6-8 42.86 38
27 Neil 4-10 28.57 38
31 ga26engr 8-6 57.14 37
32 memphispete 4-10 28.57 36
33 crafdog 8-6 57.14 35
34 ed75 3-11 21.43 33
34 ctull 3-11 21.43 33
34 HOTTUB 3-11 21.43 33
37 Timbuktu126 7-7 50.00 30
37 TennRebel 6-8 42.86 30
39 Jayyyy 1-13 7.14 29
40 Jackson Irwin 1-13 7.14 28
41 rsbrooks25 0-14 0.00 24
41 keeps corn in a jar 0-14 0.00 24
41 boro wvvol 0-14 0.00 24
41 OriginalVol1814 0-14 0.00 24
41 HUTCH 0-14 0.00 24
41 shensle6 0-14 0.00 24
41 GasMan 0-14 0.00 24

Read: How much will Vols’ athletes earn on social media?

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

. . . make it this, from The Athletic. It’s subscription-only, but you really should subscribe if you haven’t already.

Other Vols stuff worth reading today

  1. Wiedmer: Peyton Manning steals the show on NFL’s opening Sunday without playing, via the Times Free Press
  2. Why Vols’ Cimaglia spent part of offseason kicking in a ditch, via 247Sports
  3. Victor Bailey Jr. Media Availability Quote Transcript and Video, via UTSports
  4. Look: The fastest current, future Tennessee football players, via 247Sports. My goodness, Jalin Hyatt runs a 4.3 40.
  5. Live tally: College players who have opted out of 2020 season, via 247Sports. Most notable here is two OL from South Carolina.
  6. Football Climbs In Polls; No. 15 in AP, No. 17 in Coaches, via UTSports
  7. College football SP+ rankings after Week 2, via ESPN
  8. Tennessee Vols Football: Pig Howard rips former coach Butch Jones, via Rocky Top Talk

Behind the paywalls

  • What We Learned: Takeaways from Tennessee’s two-scrimmage week, via 247Sports

Grant Williams gets thrown in the Game 7 fire & comes out alive

Grant Williams averaged 11.3 minutes per game in Boston’s first 10 playoff battles, along the way hitting a surprising 8-of-12 from three and playing solid defense. He was a nice bench piece for the Celtics, especially with Gordon Hayward out with injury.

Tonight, in Game 7, Brad Stevens elected to leave Williams on the bench in the first three quarters. But when Boston center Daniel Theis picked up his fifth foul and Toronto went small, Williams entered the game with 7:13 to play and Boston up six.

The list of Tennessee players in the regular rotation making it to the second round since Allan Houston is small already: two appearances for C.J. Watson, Josh Richardson’s rookie year, Tobias Harris last year, and Grant this season. It’s one thing to play, especially as a rookie. It’s another to get crunch time minutes in Game 7.

Toronto went right at him, to no surprise, but Williams largely held his own, coming up with a big steal and an offensive rebound. When Theis returned with 1:32 to play and the Celtics up four, he lasted 11 seconds before picking up his sixth foul. So Williams returned for the final stretch.

He drew the sixth foul on Kyle Lowry with 35.7 to play and Boston up two.

He missed both free throws, which made me think fondly of his performance at Vanderbilt.

But then, with Boston up three with 12 seconds to play and Toronto looking for one more big shot in a series full of them…

Grant Williams vs Ryan Cline in the Sweet 16:

Grant Williams vs Fred VanVleet in Game 7:

Nice shoes, by the way.

Vols playing regular minutes in the conference finals since Allan Houston: C.J. Watson, Grant Williams.

Read: Contingency coaching plans

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

. . . make it this, from 247Sports:

Other Vols stuff worth reading today

  1. Guarantano details how Vols rebuilt passing-game chemistry, via 247Sports
  2. Pruitt reviews ‘sloppy’ scrimmage, reveals what’s next for Vols, via 247Sports
  3. ‘No distraction’: Vols working hard through contact-tracing woes, via 247Sports
  4. Pruitt: Don’t expect SEC coaches to share COVID-19 advice, via 247Sports

Behind the paywalls

  • Tennessee’s Jeremy Pruitt is answering questions he never thought would arise – The Athletic, via The Athletic

Read: The Idiot Optimist Returns

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

. . . make it this, from Will:

Other Vols stuff worth reading today

  1. Recapping Tennessee basketball’s recent recruiting hot streak, via 247Sports
  2. University of Tennessee to move students out of Massey Hall for more isolation space, via KnoxNews
  3. Tennessee safeties hoping to replace Warrior as player, leader, via 247Sports
  4. Appeal filed to NCAA in Cade Mays eligibility case, via 247Sports
  5. Rick Barnes credits staff for recruiting success during pandemic, via 247Sports
  6. Making Progress: Vols in the Red Zone, via Gameday on Rocky Top