- Barnes: ‘I love this place’, via SEC Sports
- QB questions surround Tennessee, Mississippi State, via SEC Sports
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
- Kick time, TV set for Tennessee’s game at Alabama, via 247Sports. It’s 9:00 on ESPN. Wait, what? 9:00?!
- Report of skirmish on Tennessee sideline had Pruitt ‘fired up’, via 247Sports
- Pruitt updates Tennessee’s injuries coming out of Georgia game, via 247Sports
- Pruitt searching for ways to fix Vols’ second-half woes, via 247Sports
- 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.
Vols Need Playmakers. Period.
When looking at Tennessee’s current commitment list as well as the realistic targets on the board as of early October, what stands out is how heavily tilted towards the defensive side of the ball those lists in total are. Four of the top five commitments (of 14 in total) as ranked by 247Sports are defensive players, and, importantly, it is isn’t so difficult to find upwards of 8-10 realistic and high quality targets that the Vols could close with on defense, each of whom would upgrade their respective positions.
On the flip side, as deficient at Tennessee’s roster is when compared to top flight SEC teams overall, what always stands out to the naked eye is the lack of dynamic playmaker the Vols have on offense. Yes, Tennessee has a nice corps of WRs, but not only are a large portion of them seniors but also none of them are true gamebreakers. Similarly, Tennessee’s RB room includes some good talent, but only Eric Gray is a) young, and b) realistically has gamebreaking potential. One could argue Ty Chandler does too, but in the end he’s just not the kind of RB who is going to take over a game, and he’s also set to enter his final season in 2020. When it comes to Tennessee’s 2020 recruiting class, there is some good news and some bad news when it comes to addressing this dearth of playmakers. The good news starts with UT’s commitment from one of the top QBs in the country in Harrison Bailey, who projects as the kind of triggerman that just makes an entire offense run and look better. Further, the Vols also have commitments from three really good looking WR/ATH prospects. Jalin Hyatt is a track star whose senior film is so strong that Alabama has started sniffing around. Similarly, Jimmy Calloway’s performance has drawn an offer from Oklahoma. And while Darion Williamson – the most likely of the trio to be cataloged as an “Athlete” due to his large size at 6’3 and over 200 lbs – hasn’t received that kind of recruiting attention, he’s nevertheless clearly a top-shelf athlete with outstanding potential as a big WR with good-to-great speed. At the same time, Tennessee is firmly in the mix for two 5-star WRs in Rakim Jarrett (an LSU commitment who is taking an Alabama OV this month) and Arik Gilbert (for whom the Vols could be fading but won’t give up on until someone else sees a fax come through). dpriority4
However, it must be said that the Vols will definitely have to fight to hold onto Hyatt and perhaps to a larger extent Calloway – noted as such because Hyatt’s parents have been public about him being a firm commitment while Calloway has made public comments that he’s less than 100% committed and is interested in taking other visits, to OU and even UK, although his presence at the UGA was a good sign. At the same time, not only are the Vols potentially fighting an uphill battle for the aforementioned Jarrett and Gilbert, who are elite talents for sure, but both of them are on the bigger side and could potentially end up a more similar than not to a guy like Josh Palmer that’s already on the roster – big and physical with some real speed but maybe not a true threat to turn a 5-yard out and make it into an 80-yard TD. Hyatt and Calloway do look like those kinds of players, but put simply the Vols need more of them, both at the WR spot as well as at RB, where their one commitment Tee Hodge is much more of a bruiser (and a potentially very good one, at that, which is why Wisconsin still isn’t giving up on him). Unfortunately Tennessee’s board just doesn’t have a ton of that kind of player on there right now.
That said, there are some players who the Vols have been recruiting throughout the process but as of yet haven’t pressed for that they could and perhaps should circle back on. Each of them are the kind of player described above, and although some of them are committed elsewhere the Vols could potentially reinsert themselves into the respective recruitments should they turn up the heat: 0
ATH Jimmy Holiday, from Madison Central HS in Mississippi, is a TCU commitment who the Tennessee staff circled back on during its bye week. Holiday, who the Horn Frogs are recruiting as a QB, is ~6’0, 180 pounds who put up the 7th best overall SPARQ score at a Nike Regional event over the summer that included over 300 other prospects, running a sub-4.4 40-yard dash. What do you think of when you think about a TCU offense? Smaller, shifty WRs who are borderline unguardable and very difficult to get down when they have the ball in space – Holiday fits that bill. With the Vols theoretically in the market for a 2nd QB in this class anyway, a multi-purpose player who could have a package as a freshman QB and also help as a WR could be what Tennessee is looking for. Expect the Vols to try and get Holiday, who has expressed a willingness to take some trips, to Knoxville for an official visit before the December signing period
WR Khi Mathieu is a Memphis commitment from New Orleans who received a relatively early Vol offer but ultimately chose the Tigers over fellow AAC schools like local Tulane, etc, who were truly pushing at the time. Matheiu, the cousin of the famous Honey Badger, is a very good athlete who’s less known for elite speed and more known for his leaping ability and balls skills both in the air and after the catch. While Memphis may be a Group of Five program just a few years removed from being alternatively a complete afterthought and also a laughingstock, under Coach Mike Norvell they have produced some explosive offenses built around this kind of playmaker. Notably, he hails from St Augustine HS, where current Vols RB Coach David Johnson was the head coach in the not-too-distant past – this connection is what drew the two parties together initially and what could, should the Vols choose, get them back in it.
RB Michael Drennen II is a 4-star All-Purpose Back from Ohio who right now has Kentucky and Ohio State as his top two choices. The 5’11, 200 pound prospect has played multiple positions during his high school career and is an explosive playmaker all over the field. The Vols were in a smallish top group he named not too long ago but so far haven’t gotten much traction. From this vantage point Tennessee’s best bet is to have the Buckeyes be unwilling to take him due to space constraints and then turn up the heat in order to beat out a perennial doormat in Kentucky.
Other dynamic offensive prospects the Vols could still get (more) involved with include WR Dazalin Worsham, a former Alabama commitment; WR Kris Abrams-Draine, an Ole Miss commitment who at one time had the Vols as his leader before they slowed things down a bit; and RB Jahmry Gibbs from Dalton, GA who’s in the middle of a ridiculous senior season that has drawn attention from college football’s biggest players but who to-date hasn’t seen much interest from Tennessee. Tennessee could also look to the JUCO ranks later in the cycle, and of course could also dip into the grad transfer market later on. However they go about it, the Tennessee staff simply must upgrade its roster from a playmaker perspective, and enlarging its board of prospects is the first step towards making that happen. lsdpriority50
Does It Spark Joy?
One of my favorite things about New Testament Greek is the way joy (chara) acts as a function of grace (charis). Happiness is circumstantial, etc., but joy is rooted in the idea and presence of grace: the one gives cause for the other.
I like this idea because sharing in joy together – to rejoice (chairo) – comes with the notion that you’ve been through some stuff together. A shared awareness of one’s need for grace helps create the opportunity to celebrate when you have it.
Plenty of hearts have been blessed around here this fall, the latest of a dozen that’s made us all queasy. We’ve been doing this long enough now to know hope always comes back at the start of each season; that’s what it does, and what we do. But it died in record time this year, with immediate resurrections denied by our Mormon friends at the last minute and all the old familiar places in Gainesville.
Capital-H Hope is what Phillip Fulmer hired Jeremy Pruitt for, eschewing the safety of Les Miles and the familiarity of Tee Martin for a guy who might win championships or might just be a really good defensive coordinator. The answer will continue to be, “We need more data,” for a while. That’s the message on the answering machine this season when you lose at Florida by 31 and feel bad about everything, and it’s still the message when you lose to Georgia by 29 and feel better about almost everything.
But along the way, we found a little more joy than we anticipated.
That’s one of the best things about joy, the surprise of it. We wrote on Friday that Jarrett Guarantano, Josh Dobbs, Nathan Peterman, and Justin Worley failed to produce a single touchdown drive in their first career starts as mid-season replacements. Brian Maurer, on play number six:
Then, on the 10th play of the next drive, Maurer wasn’t even kind enough to let people get back in their seats after the end of the first quarter before throwing a dart between coverage in the end zone.
One of the biggest issues for this team has been red zone efficiency. Take out Chattanooga, and the Vols had 10 trips inside the 20 but only four touchdowns coming into the Georgia game: 2-for-4 against Georgia State, 2-for-4 against BYU, 0-for-2 against Florida. After failing to punch it in at the very end of the game against the Bulldogs, Tennessee is still 105th nationally in red zone touchdown percentage. But Maurer made an A+ throw in a crucial situation.
The kind of hope we really want may not bloom in full until the off-season, not as long as this year is yoked to the failures of September. Tennessee will want to get to six wins, though the fullness of that conversation needs to wait until we see what this team does against Mississippi State. But if the Vols do beat this week’s Bulldogs, then after whatever happens at 9:00 PM ET against Alabama, we’ll be talking about if this team can make a run to the postseason by winning four of its last five games. It would be a tall order for a young team; I said on our podcast last night that 5-7, at this point, would be a genuine accomplishment.
But along the way, we might have some fun.
Brian Maurer had some fun against #3 Georgia, now 17th in SP+ defense. The Tide are 11th in those ratings. The rest of the remaining schedule:
- Mississippi State 48th
- South Carolina 26th
- UAB 47th
- Kentucky 64th
- Missouri 7th
- Vanderbilt 109th
When Tyler Bray caught fire at the end of his freshman season, we talked about having to wait to see him get to Level 2: there was only so much you could believe when the opponents were Memphis, Ole Miss, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt. Those three SEC teams had defensive SP+ ratings between 71-75, and Memphis was 113th.
That won’t be the case with Maurer. He’ll get a heavy dose of the kind of competition Tennessee needs to rise to in the second tier of the SEC East. He’ll get Alabama, of course. And he’ll also get a Missouri team that is rolling on that side of the ball at the moment.
If enough pieces around him stay healthy, we’ll be able to draw at least slightly more reasonable conclusions about his play. When hope eventually blossoms for Tennessee, whether through an unlikely bowl run this year or more tangible progress in 2020, its first fruits are likely to come in games like these. Credit Pruitt, Maurer, and everyone involved for taking a situation that felt mighty hopeless and injecting some genuine joy along the way.
We’re unlikely to forget Tennessee’s need for grace this year, and in particular Maurer’s. He’ll still have plenty of freshman moments in him, I’m sure. Hope, even if beneath the surface, is present. But the Vols now approach this Saturday with a little more than a bad combination of nerves, desperation, and idiot optimism.
Now, we might get to have a little more fun.
Gameday on Rocky Top Podcast – Episode 158 – Brian Maurer, Jack Bauer edition
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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
| Sat, Aug 31 | Lost to Georgia State, 30-38 |
| Sat, Sep 7 | Lost to BYU, 29-26 2OT |
| Sat, Sep 14 | Beat Chattanooga, 45-0 |
| Sat, Sep 21 | Lost @ No. 9 Florida, 34-3 |
| Sat, Oct 5 | Lost to No. 3 Georgia, 43-14 |
| Sat, Oct 12 | Beat Mississippi State, 20-10 |
| Sat, Oct 19 | Lost @ 1 Alabama, 35-13 |
| Sat, Oct 26 | Beat South Carolina, 41-21 |
| Sat, Nov 2 | Beat UAB, 30-7 |
| Sat, Nov 9 | Beat Kentucky, 17-13 |
| Sat, Nov 23 | Beat Missouri, 24-20 |
| Sat, Nov 30 | vs Vanderbilt |
The Vols’ past opponents
Georgia State Panthers
Current record: 3-2 (1-1), 2nd in the Sun Belt East
| Sat, Aug 31 | Beat Tennessee, 38-30 |
| Sat, Sep 7 | Beat Furman, 48-42 |
| Sat, Sep 14 | Lost to Western Michigan, 57-10 |
| Sat, Sep 21 | Lost @ Texas State, 37-34 3OT |
| Sat, Oct 5 | Beat Arkansas State, 52-38 |
| Sat, Oct 12 | Beat Coastal Carolina, 31-21 |
| Sat, Oct 19 | Beat Army, 28-21 |
| Sat, Oct 26 | Beat Troy, 52-33 |
| Sat, Nov 9 | Lost @ UL Monroe, 45-31 |
| Sat, Nov 16 | Lost to No. 25 Appalachian State, 56-27 |
| Sat, Nov 23 | Beat South Alabama, 28-15 |
| Sat, Nov 30 | @ Georgia Southern |
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)
| Thu, Aug 29 | Lost to No. 14 Utah, 12-30 |
| Sat, Sep 7 | Beat Tennessee, 29-26 2OT |
| Sat, Sep 14 | Beat No. 24 USC, 30-27 OT |
| Sat, Sep 21 | Lost to No. 22 Washington, 45-19 |
| Sat, Sep 28 | Lost @ Toledo, 28-21 |
| Sat, Oct 12 | Lost @ South Florida, 27-23 |
| Sat, Oct 19 | Beat No. 14 Boise State, 28-25 |
| Sat, Nov 2 | Beat Utah State, 42-14 |
| Sat, Nov 9 | Beat Liberty, 31-24 |
| Sat, Nov 16 | Beat Idaho State, 42-10 |
| Sat, Nov 23 | Beat UMass, 56-24 |
| Sat, Nov 30 | @ San Diego State |
Off this week.
Chattanooga Mocs
Current record: 3-3 (2-0), 2nd in the Southern Conference
| Thu, Aug 29 | Beat Eastern Illinois, 24-10 |
| Sat, Sep 7 | Lost to Jacksonville State, 41-20 |
| Sat, Sep 14 | Lost at Tennessee, 45-0 |
| Sat, Sep 21 | Lost to James Madison, 37-14 |
| Sat, Sep 28 | Beat Western Carolina, 60-36 |
| Sat, Oct 5 | Beat Mercer, 34-17 |
| Thu, Oct 17 | Beat East Tennessee State, 16-13 |
| Sat, Oct 26 | Lost @ Wofford, 35-34 OT |
| Sat, Nov 2 | Lost to Furman, 35-20 |
| Sat, Nov 9 | Beat Samford, 35-27 |
| Sat, Nov 16 | Beat The Citadel, 34-33 |
| Sat, Nov 23 | Lost to VMI, 31-24 |
Florida Gators
Current record: 6-0 (3-0), 1st in the SEC East
| Sat, Aug 24 | Beat Miami, 24-20 |
| Sat, Sep 7 | Beat UT Martin, 45-0 |
| Sat, Sep 14 | Beat Kentucky, 29-21 |
| Sat, Sep 21 | Beat Tennessee, 34-3 |
| Sat, Sep 28 | Beat Towson, 38-0 |
| Sat, Oct 5 | Beat No. 7 Auburn, 24-13 |
| Sat, Oct 12 | Lost @ No. 5 LSU, 42-28 |
| Sat, Oct 19 | Beat South Carolina, 38-27 |
| Sat, Nov 2 | Lost to No. 8 Georgia, 24-17 |
| Sat, Nov 9 | Beat Vanderbilt, 56-0 |
| Sat, Nov 16 | Beat Missouri, 23-6 |
| Sat, Nov 30 | vs Florida State |
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
| Sat, Aug 31 | Beat Vanderbilt, 30-6 |
| Sat, Sep 7 | Beat Murray State, 63-17 |
| Sat, Sep 14 | Beat Arkansas State, 55-0 |
| Sat, Sep 21 | Beat No. 7 Notre Dame, 23-17 |
| Sat, Oct 5 | Beat Tennessee, 43-14 |
| Sat, Oct 12 | Lost to South Carolina, 20-17 2OT |
| Sat, Oct 19 | Beat Kentucky, 21-0 |
| Sat, Nov 2 | Beat No. 6 Florida, 24-17 |
| Sat, Nov 9 | Beat Missouri, 27-0 |
| Sat, Nov 16 | Beat No. 12 Auburn, 21-14 |
| Sat, Nov 23 | Beat Texas A&M, 19-13 |
| Sat, Nov 30 | @ Georgia Tech |
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
| Sat, Aug 31 | Beat Louisiana, 38-28 |
| Sat, Sep 7 | Beat Southern Mississippi, 38-15 |
| Sat, Sep 14 | Lost to Kansas State, 31-24 |
| Sat, Sep 21 | Beat Kentucky, 28-13 |
| Sat, Sep 28 | Lost @ No. 7 Auburn, 56-23 |
| Sat, Oct 12 | Lost @ Tennessee, 20-10 |
| Sat, Oct 19 | Lost to No. 2 LSU |
| Sat, Oct 26 | Lost @ Texas A&M, 49-30 |
| Sat, Nov 2 | Beat Arkansas, 54-24 |
| Sat, Nov 16 | Lost to No. 5 Alabama, 38-7 |
| Sat, Nov 23 | Beat Abilene Christian, 45-7 |
| Thu, Nov 28 | vs Ole Miss |
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
| Sat, Aug 31 | Beat Duke, 42-3 |
| Sat, Sep 7 | Beat New Mexico State, 62-10 |
| Sat, Sep 14 | Beat South Carolina, 47-23 |
| Sat, Sep 21 | Beat Southern Miss, 49-7 |
| Sat, Sep 28 | Beat Ole Miss, 59-31 |
| Sat, Oct 12 | Beat No. 24 Texas A&M, 47-28 |
| Sat, Oct 19 | Beat Tennessee, 35-13 |
| Sat, Oct 26 | Beat Arkansas, 48-7 |
| Sat, Nov 9 | Lost to No. 2 LSU, 46-41 |
| Sat, Nov 16 | Beat Mississippi State, 38-7 |
| Sat, Nov 23 | Beat Western Carolina, 66-3 |
| Sat, Nov 30 | @ No. 11 Auburn |
Alabama was also off.
South Carolina Gamecocks
Current record: 2-3 (1-2), 4th in the SEC East
| Sat, Aug 31 | Lost to North Carolina, 24-20 |
| Sat, Sep 7 | Beat Charleston Southern, 72-10 |
| Sat, Sep 14 | Lost to No. 2 Alabama, 47-23 |
| Sat, Sep 21 | Lost @ Missouri, 34-14 |
| Sat, Sep 28 | Beat Kentucky, 24-7 |
| Sat, Oct 12 | Beat No. 3 Georgia, 20-17 2OT |
| Sat, Oct 19 | Lost to No. 9 Florida, 38-27 |
| Sat, Oct 26 | Lost @ Tennessee, 41-21 |
| Sat, Nov 2 | Beat Vanderbilt, 24-7 |
| Sat, Nov 9 | Lost to Appalachian State, 20-15 |
| Sat, Nov 16 | Lost @ Texas A&M, 30-6 |
| Sat, Nov 30 | vs 4 Clemson |
Did anybody play this week besides us?
UAB Blazers
Current record: 4-1 (1-1), 4th in C-USA West
| Thu, Aug 29 | Beat Alabama State, 24-19 |
| Sat, Sep 7 | Beat Akron, 31-20 |
| Sat, Sep 21 | Beat South Alabama, 35-3 |
| Sat, Sep 28 | Lost @ Western Kentucky, 20-13 |
| Sat, Oct 5 | Beat Rice, 35-20 |
| Sat, Oct 12 | Beat UTSA, 33-14 |
| Sat, Oct 19 | Beat Old Dominion, 38-14 |
| Sat, Nov 2 | Lost @ Tennessee, 30-7 |
| Sat, Nov 9 | Lost @ Southern Miss, 37-2 |
| Sat, Nov 16 | Beat UTEP, 37-10 |
| Sat, Nov 23 | Beat Louisiana Tech, 20-14 |
| Sat, Nov 30 | @ North Texas |
Rice has lost 17 of its last 18 games, so . . . .
Kentucky Wildcats
Current record: 2-3 (0-3), 6th in the SEC East
| Sat, Aug 31 | Beat Toledo, 38-24 |
| Sat, Sep 7 | Beat Eastern Michigan, 38-17 |
| Sat, Sep 14 | Lost to No. 8 Florida, 29-21 |
| Sat, Sep 21 | Lost @ Mississippi State, 28-13 |
| Sat, Sep 28 | Lost @ South Carolina, 24-7 |
| Sat, Oct 12 | Beat Arkansas, 24-20 |
| Sat, Oct 19 | Lost to No. 10 Georgia, 21-0 |
| Sat, Oct 26 | Beat Missouri, 29-7 |
| Sat, Nov 9 | Lost to Tennessee, 17-13 |
| Sat, Nov 16 | Beat Vanderbilt, 38-14 |
| Sat, Nov 23 | Beat UT Martin, 50-7 |
| Sat, Nov 30 | vs Louisville |
Off.
Missouri Tigers
Current record: 4-1 (1-0), 3rd in the SEC East
| Sat, Aug 31 | Lost to Wyoming, 37-31 |
| Sat, Sep 7 | Beat West Virginia, 38-7 |
| Sat, Sep 14 | Beat Southeast Missouri State, 50-0 |
| Sat, Sep 21 | Beat South Carolina, 34-14 |
| Sat, Oct 5 | Beat Troy, 42-10 |
| Sat, Oct 12 | Beat Ole Miss, 38-27 |
| Sat, Oct 19 | Lost to Vanderbilt, 21-14 |
| Sat, Oct 26 | Lost @ Kentucky, 29-7 |
| Sat, Nov 9 | Lost @ No. 6 Georgia, 27-0 |
| Sat, Nov 16 | Lost to No. 11 Florida, 23-6 |
| Sat, Nov 23 | Lost to Tennessee, 24-20 |
| Fri, Nov 29 | @ Arkansas |
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
| Sat, Aug 31 | Lost to No. 3 Georgia, 30-6 |
| Sat, Sep 7 | Lost to Purdue, 42-24 |
| Sat, Sep 21 | Lost to No. 4 LSU, 66-38 |
| Sat, Sep 28 | Beat Northern Illinois, 24-18 |
| Sat, Oct 5 | Lost to Ole Miss, 31-6 |
| Sat, Oct 12 | Lost to UNLV, 34-10 |
| Sat, Oct 19 | Beat No. 22 Missouri, 21-14 |
| Sat, Nov 2 | Lost @ South Carolina, 24-7 |
| Sat, Nov 9 | Lost @ No. 10 Florida, 56-0 |
| Sat, Nov 16 | Lost to Kentucky, 38-14 |
| Sat, Nov 23 | Beat ETSU, 38-0 |
| Sat, Nov 30 | @ Tennessee |
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?
Watch: Pruitt, player pressers, Sports Source TV
- Made the Knoxville Way with Vol Navy, via SEC Sports
- Catching Hail Mary touchdowns at Tennessee, via SEC Sports
- No. 3 Bulldogs overwhelm Volunteers 43-14, via SEC Sports
- Tebow’s Freak of the Week: Trey Smith, via SEC Sports
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
- Everything Jeremy Pruitt said after loss to No. 3 Georgia, via 247Sports
- Why the Vols had to pick their poison against Georgia’s Fromm, via 247Sports
- 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
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