Please make a note that tomorrow we will be coming your way with the Smartway/Dalton Bearing Fifth Quarter Fan Reaction as SOON AS TOMORROW'S GAME ENDS. The minute it goes final, I will be on the air on the web stream and app only. Please help me spread the word and download the app today. Get the Tony Basilio Show app! Droid | iPhone
The Tennessee/Arkansas State game will be SEC Network alternate channels tomorrow. Link
Team Tony Basilio decided to try something new today. On Wednesday night, 'X', Dr Sean Sinclair, Beano, Brocky Top, Christian Lundy, Vol Colonel, Jon Reed, Keith Hatfield, Clone, Lambert, Brian Hartman and myself sat in a room in front of the big screen and we broke down some Arkansas State video. We had Ellidio's Pizza, wings from Calhoun's, Hardee's Red Burrito combos and Cloney brought the beer. We got a couple extra TV's from Smartway while Randy Dalton helped me keep my Bearings with the house that full. You will get the report distilled to the highlights today right here. If you like it, we will do it again.
Arkansas St. Preview
'Arkansas St has had 5 coaches in the past 5 years, the last 4 being
- Hugh Freeze - current coach at Ole Miss
- Gus Malzahn - current coach at Auburn
- Bryan Harsin - current coach at Boise State
- Blake Anderson - current coach
There are 10 r/s seniors on the squad that have had a new coach every year of their careers.
The program has not suffered from this coaching turnover because all of these coaches have been quality hires with similar philosophies about offensive football.
The players are used to winning as evidenced by their Sunbelt Conference championship last year.
- qb in the shot gun, one back, and three (or at times four) receivers. similar to what we saw with Utah State and somewhat similar to our scheme
- where they differ from our version is that they even more 'up tempo' than USU or UT
- when watching them it does not even appear that they call plays
- the offense goes straight to the line of scrimmage and based on the defense, the qb has a couple of reads and the play is executed
- there is no ' check with me' often seen when the qb backs out and looks to the sideline for guidance
- in the game against Montana State, they appear to snap the ball on first sound not giving the defense much time at all to respond
- there is more of an emphasis on the option read than with Utah State
- the qb, Fredi Knighten, is a legitimate threat with his feet
- they show a dive-type play to the single back, a fake and qb keep, a straight roll out for the qb, and a traditional hand off to the back with no apparent option action. the rb Michael Gordon is a very quick back that can make defenders miss
- the passing game appears to dominated by screens and throws to the flat. they also like to attack the medium and deep middle third coming on play action to the back. several throw were attempted to the seams
- the offensive line is ok. Montana State, FCS school, was able to get a bit of pressure and had some luck with the inside running game defense
- the reason they are so effective on offense is because the previous coaches had similar philosophies making transition very easy for the players
- surprisingly, Arkansas State has some very good athletes on defense
- they are a very quick, swarming bunch that tends to favor a 4 man front with a safety often at the line of scrimmage to run down back side run action
- they are a good tackling unit
- the defensive backfield is the best unit on the defense and will be significantly better than what we saw from Utah State
- their front 7 is undersized so there should be some opportunities on the ground for Lane and Hurd
- that unit did manage 6 sacks in the game, they can be disruptive. there also should be opportunities in the pass game as their db's are mismatched against our bigger wr's
SPECIAL TEAMS
- their punter punted 4 times for a 48.5 yd average and the kicker was 3-3 on field games
- there are opportunities for us in the return game as Montana State consistently picked up good yardage on both punt and kickoff returns
Arkansas State is a solid team with some very good athletes. I believe that they would beat the Utah State team that we saw last week. Depth is a factor for them.
WEEK 2 NATIONALLY; WEAK 2 IN SEC
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FREDDY
SINCE WE LAST SPOKE: 9-4-14
WHAT WE LEARNED IN WEEK 1
NATION:
THE FRANKLIN PHENOMENA: James Franklin’s impact was felt on two separate continents. Penn State fans flocked to Croke Park and witnessed Franklin’s team’s penchant for finding Houdini-like ways of escaping with a win. Vandy fans suffered through an embarrassing 30 point thrashing at the hands of Temple with the ruins that Franklin left behind and if Derek Mason’s debut is any indication they will soon rename their stadium Croak Park....
SEC:
TRADES ARE LEGAL IN CFB: Otherwise how do you explain Texas A&M’s 2013 defense showing up in Gamecock uniforms last Thursday evening? Steve Spurrier has turned around South Carolina football program with defense and a strong running game neither of which bothered to show up in the season’s SEC lid lifter....
WHAT WE WILL LEARN IN WEEK 2:
WHO’S RUNNING WITH THE PAC? Oregon and UCLA garnered more pre-season hype in the North and South Divisions of the PAC-12 but Stanford and USC will certainly have their say starting with their head-to-head matchup Saturday....
WHAT WE MUST SEE FROM VOLS IN GAME 2:
IMPROVE THE RUNNING GAME: The Vols were a paltry 39 for 110 yards on the ground vs Utah State and every attempt looked to be executed at walk-through speed. So far Butch Jones running attack appears to need a dual threat QB that has yet to sign his scholarship papers to be effective...[more]
Go To Pick 'Em
Stand With The Tony Basilio Show
Join the T Club
Progress Toward Goal
55%
Make a One-Time Donation
Send Us A T-Mail. Click Here.
Send a T-Mail
Click to subscribe on Apple Podcasts
Jerry Colquitt played football at Tennessee. He coached at Tennessee, Ole Miss and with the Seattle Seahawks. Each week he breaks down UT's opponent right here. Again, lots of film study is involved here from a guy that takes the time to know.
Jerry Colquitt
Tennessee Offensive Line vs. Arkansas State Front Seven –
I don’t presume there will be any matchup problems from a run game or pass protection aspect. That is even with the loss of Tennessee OT Jacob Gilliam. I expect Justin Worley to stay up right throughout the contest in pass protection. Arkansas State’s defensive front seven does have a playmaker at linebacker, #48 Quashaun Lee. If this were traditional football, I’d say Lee would have more of an impact, but given Tennessee’s style of throwing it all over the field expect Lee’s presence to be neutralized IN THE PASSING GAME. I do expect Lee’s presence to be felt in the run game as Tennessee’s run scheme has allowed penetration. A speedy undersized linebacker like Lee will have lots of opportunities against Butch Jones’ one back stretch play scheme.
Arkansas State Offensive Line vs. Tennessee Defensive Front Seven –
This is an area where Tennessee should shine. Tennessee’s Defensive Coordinator brought his ‘A’ game with various blitzes to throw Chucky Keeton out of rhythm early. Look for him to do the same against a similar up tempo offense with the exact same style quarterback. Also look for him to free up Vol LBs #43 Chris Weathered and #34 Jaen Reeves-May bin on blitzing opportunities. Arkansas State QB #9 Fredi Knighten will likely have many attempts off scrambles out of the pocket. That may be a blessing in that Arkansas State doesn’t have a go to running game to impose any sort of physicality onto Tennessee.
Tennessee Passing Game vs. the Arkansas State Secondary –
A lot of people got action last in the Utah State contest. From week 1 the returners from 2013 were impressive and Worley played an excellent game. His reads were sharp, he got the ball out of his hands, maneuvered well inside the pocket and executed various types of passes down the field. Aside from the veteran wipeouts, WRs #9 Von Pearson and #3 Josh Malone also had nice games. Pearson brings big play making ability and Malone I thought showed nice route running. This week I expect Marquez North, Pig Howard, Von Pearson and Josh Malone to be featured. More importantly, the sheer number of offensive reps over the course of the season will require Tennessee to have 6 WRs ready at all times. Right now they’ve got 6 legitimate WRs who at any time can contribute. Look for running backs Marlin Lane and Jaen Hurd to be also a big part of the screen game.
Tennessee Secondary vs. Arkansas State
Passing Game –
I believe Arkansas State will be hindered in this contest without any real threat of a physical, ball control run game. This will play right into the hands of the Tennessee secondary and pressure on 3rd down will make it tough for QB Knighten to garner any consistent drives. If Knighten can be protected I do see opportunities to throw the ball down field against Tennessee’s secondary. I like the “football playmaking” ability of Tennessee’s Cameron Sutton as in having a knack for making plays around the football and his toughness as a tackler. At this point Cameron Sutton, Justin Coleman and Michael Williams still are growing in terms of pass coverage. Sutton is ahead of his counterparts, but neither of the Vol corners at this point can take away their side of the field against a top flight WR.
JC’s Outlook is Tennessee will be better at playing this up-tempo style of 7 on 7 in pads better than Arkansas State. When needed, Tennessee will be able to rely on some kind of running game with Marlin Lane and Jaen Hurd. The lack of one will hinder Arkansas State from having any real threat to make this a contest. I see Janacek throwing the kitchen sink at Fredi Knighten with Tennessee’s athletic linebackers to make them one dimensional.
Saying Go Vols from FEMA Quadrant 10,
Jerry Colquitt
UTK 94'
Keith Hatfield returns today for another edition of his program Show Cause. The show airs from 1-3 pm eastern followed by Jon Reed and Christian Lundy with Young Guns.
Hatfield's Nine
'Week two is at home for the home team. My gut instinct is that we'll learn a lot about the Vols tomorrow.
1. Dwayne Bacon will be taking an official visit to UT on Florida weekend. If Donnie Tyndall lands him, that should alleviate any concerns about the quality of his recruiting.
2. I'm a bit surprised Texas A&M chose to extend Billy Kennedy's contract. It'll be interesting to see if that pays off on the recruiting trail.
3. Congratulations to College of Charleston. They managed to conduct a basketball coaching search that even Doug Dickey could ridicule.
4. The media's need to make the Michael Sam story about more than football is starting to obviously annoy his teammates. First Jake Long, now Tony Romo have been noticeably miffed at the idea their teams care about anything other than Sam's ability to help them win.
5. Some stories are just so absurd they seem as if they have to be comedy from the mind of Benny Hill. The events surrounding Chris Peterson's resignation as athletic director at Arkansas-Little Rock certainly falls into that category.
6. Steve Sarkisian gets an opportunity to make a huge year one statement Saturday. A win at Stanford would be an indicator that the Trojans are turning the corner.
7. It should be an interesting week for USA Basketball. They've hardly been challenged in group play, but that'll will drastically change from here on out.
8. If UT wins tomorrow, they will qualify for a bowl. The math certainly appears to be there to collect four wins in the last ten.
9. I'll be interested to see what the atmosphere at Neyland is like for Arkansas State. Hopefully, the optimism born out of Sunday's performance will prevent the usual noon crowd malaise.
Ron Higgins and Gary Parrish scheduled to join us on Show Cause, as well as week two of the Picks Challenge with Chris Melton of TNBank.
Thanks for being there.
Talk to you at 1pm eastern today on Show Cause.
Go Vols
Keith'
The guys at Rocky Top Insider have started a live podcast. You can hear it here today Live @ 9am Link
And while I'm on the subject of burgeoning media empires, congratulations to Jason Swain on his first week of morning shows. Knoxville now has a real morning alternative! Check him out weekdays from 7 to 10 eastern right here. Link
The King makes his debut today at Tonybasilio.com. Here's a text of his first address before Vol nation.
The King’s Speech
September 3, 2014
Upon reflection, the victory over Utah State on Sunday was better than expected and told us much about the team Butch Jones is putting on the field this season.
The score did not show the real margin of victory, which was even greater than 38-7? The Vols left points on the field and Utah State was lucky to score.
Offensively, we all recognize we have to get more from our ground game in order to be successful in the SEC. Watching the game, it is evident that we continue to leave yardage out there because we do not hit the holes quick enough. The yards are there for the taking. The reads/plays are slow to develop at times and our backs are always looking to bounce instead of hitting it hard. One answer is to get our QB under the center more and run quick-hitters right at the opponent. A second answer is to demand our QB keep the ball more to take advantage of the yards that are there for the taking. In turn, this will open up the interior for our backs. Both Lane and Hurd are good inside runners and need to keep running downhill and not laterally.
The offensive line will get better and will be solid before year’s end. The blocking scheme should be adjusted so that they are going downhill and taking the fight to the defenders. This will help create better holes and an aggressive attitude that the entire offense will feed on.
Tight ends and receivers were very solid and we can expect more and more every week. The things that stood out was the physicality of our receivers and the outstanding blocking on the perimeter. I have no question that this group will go down as one of the best in the nation this year, and in Vol history. They are talented and deep, and seem to buy into the team
concept.
Defensively, Team 118 gave notice that they will not be the sieve that last year’s team was. This team is similar in style to the great defenses that Chaves put together here and continues to put together at LSU. We take safeties and turn them into fast linebackers and linebackers and turn them into fast defensive ends.
You can see the transformation taking place right before our eyes. The closing speed on defense jumped out at me on every play. A.J Johnson easily made plays that he could see but not make last year. Sutton is simply outstanding versus the run and pass, truly a next level CB. Reeves-May bin, Weathered and Barnett will grow into dominant players in this system. There are so many young players on defense and we will be so deep next year that we will not miss a beat when we substitute. We still need to get better push up the middle, but the focus may have been more on containment against Utah State than flushing Keaton from the pocket.
The Vols will continue to improve this week and the score will reflect that. Vols win another one in a runaway, 48-14. Offense will be better in the running game and will not leave as much on the table. The only reason we will not put up 60 is Butch will try to keep it somewhat vanilla before going to Norman.
Tennessee's Defense will remove even more doubts by holding Arkansas State below their normal output, and it would not surprise me if they score less than 14. Look for special teams to return the ball better and even put up a score. Cam Sutton made good decisions to fair catch punts, keeping the Vols in good field position by not losing yardage by letting the ball roll. Hope he gets to return one this week.
Vols are off to a solid start and will win 8 in the regular season , and get to 9 by winning a bowl game. We will beat Florida, Ole Miss, Missouri, Vendee and Kentucky to go 5-3 in the SEC. If things get crazy with either South Carolina or Georgia, or both, we could even make it to Atlanta. Not likely, but we can dream. There you have it.
The King has spoken.
Tee Mail II
'Tony:
Don't know how it could get done, but if a chat of "Jake, Jake,...." could get started at some time during the ark. sty. game, it would be a really nice touch to someone who has given their all to Tennessee football like he has. It just brings tears to my eyes thinking about this kid. Thanks for reading this note.
Thanks
Ronnie in Nashville'
UT remains all worked up over the amusement tax issue. It's to the point now that they've taken the fight to the media. Here's UT's side of the story as put out by Jimmy Stanton in a media release last night. I'm going to ask an obvious question at the end of this. First here's the release.
'The Facts on the "Amusement Tax"
On August 25, the Knox County Commission made the decision to repeal the county's portion of the "amusement tax", a tax that is applied only to ticket sales for University of Tennessee (UT) football and men's and women's basketball home games. The 5.0% tax on tickets sold to UT games at Neyland Stadium and Thompson-Boling Arena has been divided between the City of Knoxville (4.5%) and Knox County (0.5%).
The University of Tennessee department of athletics (Tennessee Athletics) has an annual economic impact on Knoxville and the East Tennessee region of approximately $151 million. The economic boon from fall football games at Neyland Stadium and men's and women's basketball games at Thompson-Boling Arena benefit a broad number of local businesses, including hotels, restaurants and other entities which recognize significant financial gain directly affiliated with UT home sporting events.
Despite the positive and direct benefit to the local economy, tickets to UT football and men's and women's basketball games have remained subject to a total tax rate of 14.25%. Excluding the 9.25% state and local sales tax, the five percent "amusement tax" has resulted in an annual $1.6 million financial burden to Tennessee Athletics.
Tennessee Athletics is the only intercollegiate athletics program in the SEC and the nation that is burdened with this type of tax, placing UT at a competitive disadvantage amongst its peers.
A few items to consider in the context of the amusement tax:
The tax is only targeted at UT's own football games at Neyland Stadium and men's and women's basketball games at Thompson-Boling Arena. Concerts and other ticketed events that take place in both UT venues are not taxed. While it makes sense that events (such as concerts) which provide an economic benefit to the city and region are NOT assessed this targeted tax, it should also make sense to apply the same logic to events that generate a far greater economic benefit to the city such as UT football and basketball games.
Tennessee Athletics and its supporting fans encounter a tax burden faced by no other intercollegiate athletics program or fan base in the nation. Taxes on tickets to UT football and basketball games are taxed at a combined 14.25%, including a 9.25% state and local sales tax and the "amusement tax" that is 4.5% for the City of Knoxville and, before repeal, 0.5% to Knox County. At least four SEC athletic programs are not subject to sales tax, and furthermore, no other school in the SEC and the nation is subject to an amusement tax of this nature. The total tax burden for Tennessee Athletics is an SEC-high $4.3 million per year.
No other University (or sports entity) in America is forced to pay a municipality a tax based on ticket sales for playing home games in their own facilities.
The funding lost due to the amusement tax can be more effectively utilized by Tennessee Athletics in the following ways:
Improving fan experience at Neyland Stadium. Funds currently paid in amusement taxes could be used in a variety of ways to improve the Neyland Stadium fan experience. These improvements could include facility enhancements to the stadium, particularly on the East and South concourses (restrooms, concessions, etc.), as well as, improved Wi-Fi/wireless connectivity, video/audio systems, wayfinding signage, and other capital upgrades.
Student-athlete welfare. With the changing NCAA governance landscape, student-athletes will likely receive additional scholarship support to cover the full cost of attendance. Additionally, there will likely be opportunities to provide for greater nutritional, physical and mental well-being for student-athletes. This new paradigm will bring additional recurring costs to athletic departments that could easily exceed $1.5 million per year.
Tennessee Athletics also has a current SEC-low reserve of $2 million. There are multiple reasons for such a low reserve, including many historical financial models that are no longer sustainable. The amusement tax falls into this category. Tennessee Athletics was taxed a total of nearly $13.6 million over a 10-year period from fiscal years 2003-04 through 2012-13 while being projected to pay an additional $8 million because of this tax over the next five years.
The UT football program has three neutral site games currently scheduled in the coming years: a 2015 game against UAB at LP Field in Nashville, the 2016 "Battle at Bristol" against Virginia Tech at Bristol Motor Speedway, and a 2018 game in Charlotte against West Virginia. UT is engaged in various discussions with other cities about playing additional neutral site games.
The recruiting benefits along with the ability to play in markets where UT football has a significant fan base are the primary reasons for moving games to neutral sites. However, UT acknowledges the inherent financial benefit in neutral site games because of the non-existence of an amusement tax. In many respects, the amusement tax serves as a financial impediment to justify moving neutral site games to Knoxville, and thereby, transfers the economic impact and benefit to another city, disadvantaging Knoxville-area hotels and restaurants.
The following is a link to the 2012 Economic Impact Analysis of Tennessee Athletics by the UT Center for Business and Economic Research: http://www.utsports.com/genrel/012313aab.html'
I think I missed the part in that release where Tennessee GUARANTEES to pass the saving from having a repealed entertainment tax onto the fans. Did I miss the GUARANTEE?
I get UT's argument, and I get the THREAT to play more regional games (BMS, Nashville, Charlotte, etc). Somewhere they must've omitted lessening the burden on a fan base they are already punishing by playing games away from Neyland Stadium. Talk about a one way street.
Tee Mail Returns!
865-544-VOLS -(8657)Call and leave a voice or text message!
I read that three times and I don't see ANY mention of giving fans a rebate. It just does not compute with those people in major college sports. They no comprende.
Wonderful point from Mike Huguenin yesterday on the show. If Michigan State gets beat by Oregon, the Big 10 could be eliminated from playoff contention as a league in week 2. Link
Yup. Oregon Michigan State is a huge game in college football's new playoff era. Link
Why do I get the feeling this FSU investigation of James Winston is a sham? Jeez, I don't know. Link
James Winston's adviser sure is feigning anger over FSU's investigation. Link
Once again tomorrow we will be coming your way with the Smartway/Dalton Bearing Fifth Quarter Fan Reaction as SOON AS TOMORROW'S GAME ENDS. The minute it goes final, I will be on the air on the web stream and app only. Please help me spread the word and download the app today. Droid | iPhone
RIP Joan Rivers...Comic genius.
Donnie Tyndall looks so boyish between these two Tennessee legends (assist Vince Keller) Link
Friday night’s Iowa-UConn Final Four game had 14.2 million viewers. That’s more than any women’s college basketball game, ever. More than every 2023 NBA Finals game and more than every 2023 World Series game. ESPN has had the rights to NBA games since 2002. But the Final Four game between Iowa and UConn was the networks most-watched basketball game, men’s or women’s, pro or collegiate EVER.... [more]
Friday night’s Iowa-UConn Final Four game had 14.2 million viewers. That’s more than any women’s college basketball game, ever. More than every 2023 NBA Finals game and more than every 2023 World Series game. ESPN has had the rights to NBA games since 2002. But the Final Four game between Iowa and UConn was the networks most-watched basketball game, men’s or women’s, pro or collegiate EVER.... [more]
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]
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]
FISH Hospitality Pantries (a.k.a. Hospitality Pantries, Inc.) operates four pantries
in East, South, Northwest and West Knoxville. They currently provide food to approximately 8,000 families every month.
FISH focuses on what more can be done to help ensure that everyone gets enough to eat.
