TN Fans!

[PalsPal]

Any guesses who will be the first non-TN fan to post?

The Ohio State University impressed me last night. It wouldn't have mattered if had we played in Neyland, the result would have been similar. Cold weather had no affect.

They were clearly superior across the board. Both of their lines controlled the game, and the QB was fantastic and the WRs actually caught the ball. I actually think Day should be fired for losing to MI. There is no excuse for that happening with that talent. But, you have to give him credit for getting them ready for this game. If they continue at this level, I don't see anyone beating them.

I do give props to Nico for at least giving us an inkling of a chance of getting back in the game. I'm not sure how you can get your helmet cracked and not immediately go into concussion protocol. I hope he doesn't have any long-term effects from it.

As for TN's year, any year that we beat FL and Bama is a good year. It wasn't too long ago that it didn't look like that we would ever beat either one of them in my lifetime.

Next year will interesting. We desperately need an upgrade in OLineman. We will need WRs who can make the tough catches. We need Nico to build on this year with his progressions (IF the OL can give him time). We need to replace Sampson. He was a warrior this year, and I hate that he could not play last night, although it wouldn't have made much of a difference.

We need Heupel to upgrade some position coaches, which he has shown that he is unlikely to do. He also needs to work on his playcalling. We seemed to have success the few times that we concentrated on throwing to the tight ends, but for some reason there were several games that it wasn't used.

Anyway, don't feed the troll Bammers (greenstripe them, trust me. If everyone does it, it will drive them crazy).

It's on to BBall season!

Go Vols!

 

[GreyGoose]

GBO !!!

 

[UCStandSitter]

Agreed. Lots of credit to those OSU young men. Their QB was throwing darts and our D had zero answers. It was a straight beat down. I like a lot of what they did this year as a team. I like very little of what happened last night. Our defensive scheme felt like it was drawn up for a completely different opponent. When you get smacked in the mouth that hard, that early, there are some coaches that need to answer for it.

Disappointed in last night's result but continue to looked forward to the progression of this program under Josh. Each year under him the Vols have continued to inch forward.

 

[EastTNHunter]

I think that tOSU's qb is a cocky punk, but he played a heck of a game last night. And as has already been mentioned, their receivers caught the ball even when contested heavily. I don't like them, but they were the better team and deserve to be in the hunt (moreso than the IU team that was ahead of them and played a cupcake schedule, but you all know my feelings on both B1G and SEC unbalanced schedules).

UT got beat. Everyone knows that they are still growing, so there is no shame in getting beat by a better team while on the road. UT has a lot to look forward to in the future

 

[bowhunterfanatic]

Any guesses who will be the first non-TN fan to post?

The Ohio State University impressed me last night. It wouldn't have mattered if had we played in Neyland, the result would have been similar. Cold weather had no affect.

They were clearly superior across the board. Both of their lines controlled the game, and the QB was fantastic and the WRs actually caught the ball. I actually think Day should be fired for losing to MI. There is no excuse for that happening with that talent. But, you have to give him credit for getting them ready for this game. If they continue at this level, I don't see anyone beating them.

I do give props to Nico for at least giving us an inkling of a chance of getting back in the game. I'm not sure how you can get your helmet cracked and not immediately go into concussion protocol. I hope he doesn't have any long-term effects from it.

As for TN's year, any year that we beat FL and Bama is a good year. It wasn't too long ago that it didn't look like that we would ever beat either one of them in my lifetime.

Next year will interesting. We desperately need an upgrade in OLineman. We will need WRs who can make the tough catches. We need Nico to build on this year with his progressions (IF the OL can give him time). We need to replace Sampson. He was a warrior this year, and I hate that he could not play last night, although it wouldn't have made much of a difference.

We need Heupel to upgrade some position coaches, which he has shown that he is unlikely to do. He also needs to work on his playcalling. We seemed to have success the few times that we concentrated on throwing to the tight ends, but for some reason there were several games that it wasn't used.

Anyway, don't feed the troll Bammers (greenstripe them, trust me. If everyone does it, it will drive them crazy).

It's on to BBall season!

Go Vols!

I think you pretty much nailed it. The talent gap was miles wide. As for the position coaches, if Heup can't or doesn't have it in him to make some changes, well, I think it'll ultimately be what costs him his job years down the road. Elarbee needs to go. He's had time to prove himself and keeps falling flat. Same for Willie Martinez. He was awful his first stint at UT and continues to be awful now. All in all it was still an enjoyable season. Hopefully we can figure out how to take the next step from good to great the next couple seasons.

 

[UCStandSitter]

I'll go so far as to say that when I was looking forward to this season in July, I didn't expect it to go as well as it did. Bama and Florida wins and a trip to the playoff. Hard to complain about this result with a young QB and a receiver corps that lost a lot last season. Proud of what they accomplished but I'm sure Bobby Hill already has a big list of areas where they can improve.

 

[bloodtrailing]

There were definitely more fans that came out of the woodwork.

 

[nso123]

I'm not a fan of any particular team, but enjoy college football. That said, had Tennessee lost any key players to the portal before this game? I know some teams in bowl games won't even be the same as they were through the season.

 

[PillsburyDoughboy]

 

[Gravey]

Posted the below in another thread so will copy it here. As for the troll yall just gotta ignore him/her. I just chuckle and move on although I did reply to one last night as I allowed myself to be drug in the weeds. He/she ain't worth the effort.

If you told me when the season started Vols would finish regular season 10-2, beat Florida and Alabama, and play in the playoffs I'd have taken it. They just got outmatched at every position last night. Now they've got the next year to be mad and do something about it to get better or hang their heads and go hide in a corner. Will say a lot about their character on which they do. Hats of to OSU. They played a heckuva game.

 

[scn]

Last night was a beatdown by a much superior team. Some TN injuries (Dylan, White) didn't help the talent gap, but I felt going into the game that the Vols would have to be perfect to win. The face mask penalty (correct call) on the first series sort of sealed the deal on the momentum.

My pre-season guess was 9-3, so I can't gripe too much. Unfortunately, I doubt they will get to the 9-3 mark next year. While I think they finally recruited a few better OL players, it is really hard for freshmen to compete against the grown azz men in the SEC.

And, after this year, I am firmly off the Nico train. While I think he has the physical ability to succeed, I have big doubts that his lack of football knowledge will ever let him take advantage of it. If you look back at his high school career, he was primarily a world class volleyball player that also showed his athletic ability in 7 on 7 football. He got paid for his athletic potential. I am sure it is seen every day on the practice field. But, under stress in a game, he is pretty slow to process. I wouldn't fret if he and his ridiculous NIL hit the portal this week. Maybe George Mac will be better in a couple of years.

 

[buckaroo]

Last night was a beatdown by a much superior team. Some TN injuries (Dylan, White) didn't help the talent gap, but I felt going into the game that the Vols would have to be perfect to win. The face mask penalty (correct call) on the first series sort of sealed the deal on the momentum.

My pre-season guess was 9-3, so I can't gripe too much. Unfortunately, I doubt they will get to the 9-3 mark next year. While I think they finally recruited a few better OL players, it is really hard for freshmen to compete against the grown azz men in the SEC.

And, after this year, I am firmly off the Nico train. While I think he has the physical ability to succeed, I have big doubts that his lack of football knowledge will ever let him take advantage of it. If you look back at his high school career, he was primarily a world class volleyball player that also showed his athletic ability in 7 on 7 football. He got paid for his athletic potential. I am sure it is seen every day on the practice field. But, under stress in a game, he is pretty slow to process. I wouldn't fret if he and his ridiculous NIL hit the portal this week. Maybe George Mac will be better in a couple of years.

I disagree, the O line and recievers were the problem, him running the ball got us the few first downs, its his first year

 

[buckaroo]

Last night was a beatdown by a much superior team. Some TN injuries (Dylan, White) didn't help the talent gap, but I felt going into the game that the Vols would have to be perfect to win. The face mask penalty (correct call) on the first series sort of sealed the deal on the momentum.

My pre-season guess was 9-3, so I can't gripe too much. Unfortunately, I doubt they will get to the 9-3 mark next year. While I think they finally recruited a few better OL players, it is really hard for freshmen to compete against the grown azz men in the SEC.

And, after this year, I am firmly off the Nico train. While I think he has the physical ability to succeed, I have big doubts that his lack of football knowledge will ever let him take advantage of it. If you look back at his high school career, he was primarily a world class volleyball player that also showed his athletic ability in 7 on 7 football. He got paid for his athletic potential. I am sure it is seen every day on the practice field. But, under stress in a game, he is pretty slow to process. I wouldn't fret if he and his ridiculous NIL hit the portal this week. Maybe George Mac will be better in a couple of years.

Also OSU defense ranked first in nation