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LAST CHANCE FOR A BIG WIN IN 2015
DAWGS ARE CERTAINLY BEATABLE
Posted: Thu, October 8th, 2015, 7:07 PM
by Beano
• Permalink
SINCE WE LAST SPOKE: 10-8-15

BIG ORANGE REARVIEW MIRROR:

-Whether ahead or behind the fourth quarter is not kind to the Vols

-Neyland’s teams had a better aerial attack than Tennessee currently employs as the Vols are one of only four SEC teams passing for less than 200 yds/game (192; S Car-163; Aub-154; LSU-95)

-The Vols have mastered whatever it takes to lose games of consequence. When the offense is scoring the defense is porous. When the defense finally mustered three consecutive fourth quarter stops the offense was dormant.

-It’s hard to identify a unit that appears to be improving with the exception of Running Backs and possibly Defensive Linemen. There appears to be little or no development occurring elsewhere.

-Tennessee’s special teams have been excellent with the exception of Aaron Medley’s sophomore slump.

-While Tennessee’s defense appeared to be able to put more pressure on the QB than in recent contests they continued their disturbing season-long trend of taking poor angles and horrendous tackling.

BEANO-RHYTHMS Players and coaches have to -as Butch Jones says- “snap and clear”. As a fan however I’m more likely to “clearly snap”. Therefore each week I will take just a second to describe what the results of the previous game have done to my Big Orange outlook:

I thought from the moment the debacle in the Swamp ended that the Arkansas game became the crossroads contest of the season. A win I felt would provide a much needed shot of confidence to the roster, staff and fan base and create a raucous environment for a wounded Georgia team to enter Saturday. This would have given the Vols a puncher’s chance at a much-needed win over a ranked opponent setting up a possible 3-1 record in the critical –and challenging- month of October. Alas the Vols once again failed to take advantage of home field and not only lost but did so in a humbling and demoralizing fashion getting thoroughly outplayed the last three quarters. I now fear the unthinkable is a possibility.

Beano-Rhythm Status: Sadly resolved to the fact that the positive step season I expected is almost certainly not going to occur. My hope was we would see a team that would defend the home turf against quality opponents in a year when we would face our two annual nemeses on the road. Instead we blew an opportunity against Oklahoma and allowed a reeling Arkansas team and their embattled coach Bret Bielema to erase some ugly history in Neyland as Bielema won his first SEC road game and moved to 2-10 as the Head Hog in games decided by 7 points or less. I have steadfastly maintained that a coach who avoids improprieties, legal issues, embarrassing personal events and who isn’t completely inept deserves a four year opportunity to succeed. Butch Jones, his staff, and his team’s performance to-date and his seeming, hard-headed unwillingness to do anything to alter an approach that is certainly not “infallible” has me seriously questioning that stance.

WHAT WE LEARNED IN WEEK 5:

WHAT A DIFFERENCE TWO WEEKS MAKES Flash back two weeks when Ole Miss was standing in the middle of the Tuscaloosa ring matching the Tide blow-for-blow dealing Alabama a rare knockdown home field division loss. With a game against the apparently surging Georgia Bulldogs looming there was a distinct chance that the once invincible Sabanites would start the conference season 0-2. The Rebels on the other hand were probably already counting on 3-0 with hapless Vandy and in-transition Florida up next. If you miss fourteen days in the SEC you miss a lot. Saturday, Alabama rolled into a raucous Sanford Stadium and threw a Mike Tyson body shot that took the air out of the entire state before the game was four possessions old. The Rebels on the other hand were taken to the woodshed 38-10 with their previously prolific offense short-circuited and the land shark defense harpooned.

WHAT A CHANCE WE HAD I halfway thought we would learn this past Saturday that our losses to Oklahoma and Florida were even more disturbing than I originally considered. The Sooners were hosting a West Virginia team purported to be the best of the Dana Holgorsen era –for whatever that’s worth- and Ole Miss appeared poised to put Florida in their upstart place. Turns out we let two GOOD football teams up off the mat and probably made it harder for most of their remaining opponents in the process.

JIM MAY ALWAYS LEAVE THEM WANTING MORA: All early indications are Jim Mora Jr is on his way to a solid college football coaching career. He had 29 wins in his first three seasons at UCLA and is 3-0 versus the cross-town USC Trojans which will keep you employed as the Bruins leader for years to come. The problem is there are the constant take-a-day-off efforts like the embarrassing 15 point home loss last Saturday to an Arizona State squad coming off a red-faced four TD drubbing of their own at the hands of the previously mentioned Trojans just seven days earlier. JMJ is charismatic and gives the UCLA faithful many days to smile about through the course of a college football season. He also seems to be destined to have a lot of Mark Richt-like stumbles along the way as well.

NO ENTITLEMENT THESE DAYS: Cincinnati 34 Miami 23; TCU 50 Texas 7; Pitt 17 Virginia Tech 13; Illinois 14 Nebraska 13. Run those scores past your Father or Uncle and prepare yourself for the obligatory “I warned you about smoking that dope”.

WHAT WE WILL LEARN IN WEEK 6:

RED RIVER ROUT?: Two seasons ago in what would ultimately be Mack Brown’s last in Austin a 12 point underdog Texas squad stunned the Cotton Bowl crowd -and the nation- with a 16 point win over previously unbeaten Oklahoma. This Saturday the two traditional powers will once again square off in Dallas under similar circumstances to 2013. The Sooners are once again undefeated and double-digit favorites (14 at the time I wrote this) and the Longhorns are beyond desperate for a victory with a coach on the hot seat. The Red River Rivalry has not exactly been a series of nail-biters recently with 12 of the last 17 meetings decided by 10 points or more. Looks like under Charlie Strong that is the only Texas tradition that will be upheld.

ARE ROAD GRADERS PASSE’? Wisconsin will travel to Lincoln Nebraska Saturday in what once would have been billed as a battle of ground-and-pound Conference Championship Contenders. With both standing at 3-2 overall and 0-1 in the watered-down Big-10 West “Conference Championship Contender” is a reach at best but even more shocking is there’s a better chance of either getting “pounded into the ground” than of “pounding the rock”. Neither team averages 200 yards rushing/game (Neb-193; Wisc-168) and coming off offensively-inept, embarrassing defeats (Iowa 10 Wisc 6; Ill 14 Neb 14) the nation will probably pay little or no attention to who recovers.

CAN TIGERS STAND PROSPERITY? Clemson held on in a driving rain storm for a nationally-significant victory over Notre Dame in a Top-10 matchup. Now comes danger time for the Tigers. Saturday they face the quirky offense of Paul Johnson’s underwhelming Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (2-3; 0-2) after a week of back-slapping notoriety and celebrations. The Tigers have been good in this spot for a number of years as most of their losses have come at the hands of quality Florida State and South Carolina teams but the Jackets have won two of the last four in the series including a 28-6 win last season in Atlanta. Clemson will have history on their side as the home team has won 9 of the last 10 meetings.

UNLIKLIEST OF RANKED MATCHUPS? In a weekend that has historically been one of the strongest of the season it is really strange that the only two games matching ranked opponents are #13 Northwestern traveling to Ann Arbor to face #18 Michigan and #23 Cal at #5 Utah. The Wildcats though five spots higher in the polls enter the Big House at greater than a TD underdog (opened at 12 now at around 9) having lost 21 of their last 22 trips there. Cal at Utah is a relatively new invention of conference realignment but the home team is 4-0 in the fledgling series. Don’t feel bad if you were caught unaware that the teams were ranked. They didn’t expect it either since both Michigan and Utah’s Athletic Departments selected this Saturday’s foes as their Homecoming opponents.

WHAT WE MUST SEE FROM VOLS IN GAME 6:

-GET RED: Only four teams in the SEC kick a higher percentage of FGs upon entering the Red Zone than the Vols 26.92 % (23-26; 16 TDs; 7 FGs). If the opportunities present themselves Saturday Tennessee must get 7 rather than 3. That is of course if the advanced analytics study allows them to do so.

-TAKE SOMEONE TO THE GROUND: Thus far this has been one of the worst tackling teams in recent Vol memory. This along with poor angles and missed assignments have the Vols at 12th in Scoring Defense (24.6 ppg); 11th in Rushing Defense (171.6 ypg) and 13th in Passing D (242.4 ypg). The air yardage given up may not seem to fit until you think of all the yards after catch surrendered. With Nick Chubb coming to town the Vols better quickly figure out that thudding is a practice technique only, get numbers to the point of attack, wrap up and take someone to the flippin ground

PROTECT, THROW AND CATCH: We knew coming in that pass protection and to lesser extent Dobbs’ accuracy could be concerns for the passing game. With a seeming stable of receivers -even before Jauan Jennings switch and Preston Williams late addition- however there was just as much reason to believe the air attack could be prolific. Prolific? Uh no. Pathetic? Much better description. I knew we wouldn’t look like Baylor most fall Saturdays but I certainly didn’t expect to look like Army either. The next two games may not be the best opportunities for a breakout through the air as Georgia has the 2nd best pass defense in the SEC (170.8) and Alabama stands at 4th (189.4). But without a more balanced offensive attack the chance of winning a game of true consequence –and in turn winning back a portion of the fanbase- will be less likely than connecting on a deep route has been to date.

REALLY-REALLY SNAP AND CLEAR: The only chance for the Vols to pick up a victory on Saturday is to forget all that has come before. As the painful losses pile up so do the negative thoughts created by missed opportunities which in turn cause paralysis of the mind and body in winning time. If ever a team needed to shake its collective heads and erase the mess it’s made of the season etch-a-sketch style Team 119 is the perfect example.

WHAT VOL FANS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT GEORGIA:

OFFENSE:
Georgia currently ranks third in the SEC in scoring at 38.4 points a game.

Sr QB Greyson Lambert ranks first in the SEC and 19th in the NCAA in completion percentage (67.4%); and second in the SEC and 10th in the NCAA in pass efficiency (165.1)

Soph RB Nick Chubb ranks third nationally with 745 yards on 91 carries (8.2 average) and seven rushing touchdowns this season

Soph RB Sony Michel is UGA's second-leading rusher (55.2 ypg) and third-leading receiver (9 catches, 29.6 ypg) this season and has scored a TD in 4 of 5 games

Sr WR Malcolm Mitchell is the SEC active leader with 14 TDs, 1,856 yards and No. 2 with 139 catches

Fr WR Terry Godwin is the Dawgs Team's second-leading receiver with 10 catches for 106 yards

Georgia's attack is bolstered by the fact that four offensive line starters returned from the 2014 unit - seniors John Theus (LT), Kolton Houston (RT), junior Greg Pyke (RG) and junior Brandon Kublanow (C, LG in 2014). Sophomore Isaiah Wynn has joined at LG this season

DEFENSE:
Sr DE Sterling Bailey has 86 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 13 starts in his career

Sr DE Josh Dawson had a FR for a TD in last season’s win in Athens (*Career: 33 tackles, 1 sack in 43 games, 5 starts)

OLB Jordan Jenkins is tied for second on the team with 29 tackles this season and is the SEC's active leader with 18 career sacks (tied for 4th nationally) and 36.0 tfl

Hybrid LB Leonard Floyd has 137 tackles, 14.5 sacks in 30 games (24 starts)

Soph OLB Lorenzo Carter has 52 tackles, 7 TFL and 4.5 sacks in 18 games (8 starts)

ILB Tim Kimbrough leads the Dogs in tackles with 33

Jr Safety Quincy Mauger has 136 career tackles and Co-led the team with 4 INTs, fourth best in the conference in 2014 in 13 games

SPECIAL TEAMS:
The Vols have a distinct advantage in STs as the Bulldogs are 13th in Net Punting 32.2 yards and 14th in Kickoff Returns at 14.0 while Tennessee leads the league in both categories (42.6 ypp; 32.9 ypkr).

Sr P Collin Barber averages 41 ypp

PK Marshall Morgan (5-7 FGs in 2015) has a career: 355 Points (current SEC leader); 51-for-66 FG (5-for-8 from 50+) and 202/207 PATs (school records/current SEC leader)

Isaiah McKenzie (Questionable for Saturday) is the SEC's active leader with three career punt returns for TDs

OTHER FUN (or maybe not) STUFF
-The winner will become the all-time series leader as the record currently stands at 21-21-2

Under Mark Richt, Georgia is 10-4 versus Tennessee and 5-2 in Knoxville

IN A PERFECT WORLD: Football games would always be played in October-like weather.

Caitlin Clark
Posted: Fri, Mar 1st, 2:21 PM
We can now officially congratulate Caitlin Clark on breaking the record for the most points scored in women’s basketball!

Caitlin Clark is the biggest superstar in college basketball (men’s or women’s). That’s not just me being a fan, Caitlin Clark is HER! Caitlin scored 49 points on February 15th to pass Kelsey Plum’s NCAA record for the most career points in women’s college basketball..... [more]
It's a Love Story
Posted: Wed, Feb 14th, 11:23 AM
Jared (the redneck from Roanoke, VA) thought the Taylor Swift coverage would end with the Super Bowl, but this love story isn’t going anywhere. In a game that was four hours and 18 minutes (that’s a total of 15,480 seconds). Swift only appeared for around 55 seconds! 55 SECONDS from the moment the game kicked off to the overtime touchdown.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C3ONwhRyugP/.... [more]
Missouri Game Preview
Posted: Thu, Nov 9th, 12:56 PM
by Josh
The Vols did what they were expected to do against UConn. There's not really much to say about that game. The game this Saturday in Columbia, Missouri will decide whether or not this season is a failure in my opinion. If they Vols lose, they are staring at 8-4 and probably the Gator Bowl. Maybe Reliaquest..... [more]
Connecticut Game Preview
Posted: Thu, Nov 2nd, 6:19 PM
by Josh
The Vols are coming back to Neyland Stadium and I am returning after a discretionary bye week. I'll be honest with you. This year it seems like I've been writing the same preview over and over because the formula to win has been the same pretty much every SEC game. I didn't want to sound like a broken record so I needed a bit of a break from that.

I'll start with some general observations..... [more]



Calhoun's Atop Bearden Hill
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Calhoun's on the River
400 Neyland Drive
Knoxville, TN
865.673.3355

Calhoun's at Pellissippi Parkway
10020 Kingston Pike
Knoxville, TN
865.673.3444



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