GEORGIA BULLDOGS
Forget about U Mass…..repeat forget about U Mass…..it is/was irrelevant other than getting a win. Regardless how that game was played U Mass was always a sandwich game between our two biggest division rivals, Florida and Georgia. Beat Georgia U Mass was irrelevant, lose to Georgia U Mass was irrelevant. We are fortunate it did not turn out to be an excrement sandwich.
This 2017 team has put themselves in a position no team wants to be in…..one third of the way into the season (4 games) they are playing a game that will either put them right in the middle of the division race or with a loss almost certainly take this team out of the division championship race. If this team, staff and players, need any more motivation than beating Georgia for the third year in a row (no small feat) chew on this, a second division loss would mean the following would have to fall in place for Tennessee to even get to a tie breaker situation for the eastern division championship….both Florida and Georgia would have to lose three SEC games AND we would have to beat the final six conference opponents remaining on the schedule. When you give games away like we did in Gainesville and make no mistake we gave that game away, you put yourself in this situation. Again….a win and you’re still in…. a loss and you are digging out of a hole not many have climbed out of.
Let’s talk Georgia….four games into the season and from what I have seen Georgia is clearly the best team in the east and along with Auburn the only team that appears to have a chance against Alabama. Again this is after only four games. There is no problem identifying what the Dawgs want to do on either side of the ball. We don’t have to guess, wonder or speculate. Offensively they will line up with a tight end, much of the time a lead blocking back and one of three talented tailbacks (that’s right tailbacks not running backs) and try to knock our defensive front into the Tennessee River. Make no mistake about this…..Georgia believes they are tougher, more physical and have the ability to whip our defensive front, get into the secondary with Chubb, Michel or Swift and force missed tackles for big gains. Defensively we will have to play the best game we have played in over a year, especially from a tackling perspective ,to slow this group down. They have heard all week about the last two years, heard about giving up a game ending play last year, had their manhood challenged by their coaching staff. They will be ready.
Where can we attack them with our defense? Like our offense they will not run their QB (Fromm) unless it is a scramble off a called pass. Tight end pressure with a nickel, corner and/or linebacker is good for two things….it helps stop the off tackle play and puts pressure on a play action pass. The downside….it forces us to play man coverage on a couple of quick, fast receivers. Their weak point is their offensive line when they are forced to pass protect and the key to winning defensively is to make Fromm throw the ball and pressure his rear end. You can expect Coach Shoop to load up on the run and live with whatever happens in the passing game. There is no doubt what Chubb and company can do running the ball, there is doubt on how good Fromm, a freshman will react in Neyland stadium. If he has a big day throwing we are in a lot of trouble and will have to win in a shootout. Of course this all is dependent on a return to playing the kick and cover game like we are capable….it goes without saying that field position will either give us a chance to win or contribute to our losing. There is a good chance Daniel will have to punt 7+ times. He is fully capable of pinning Georgia deep in their end of the field and IMO could easily be the key factor in our winning.
How about our offensive attack? The die is cast with this offense. Dormady is our QB and as he goes so goes our offense. It really gets down to one thing….can our offensive line block Georgia’s front in the running game. Kelly and Chandler will probably have to run the ball 40+ times. No self-respecting defensive coordinator will worry a second about #12 keeping the ball and beating them….they will live with whatever piddling yardage he runs for. Look for Georgia to load up on #4 or #3, force the Vols into passing downs and then contest every throw we make. They will attempt to take away the bubble screens, take away back screens and draws, play for three step drops in the passing game and bet that Tennessee will not call or will not execute the deep passing game well enough to beat them. This is Coach Scott and staff’s challenge…..be patient and run the ball, allow the offensive line to screw their cleats in the ground and come off the ball, take deep shots down the field when available and if not successful accept punting and getting field position. As I said prior 7+ punts is expected in this game. Goal #1 for this offense….do not give up the ball without kicking it: either a punt, a field goal, an extra point or hopefully a kickoff. Do that and we have a good chance of winning this game.
One positive aspect about playing this Kirby Smart coached team….in three weeks when we go to Bryant Denny stadium we can simply dust this game plan and run it against Alabama. Georgia is technically Bama East in terms of offensive and defensive schemes.
I try to be real with Chalk Talk, try to give you the view from someone who has been there, studied the history of this great program, pulled for every Vol football team since 1980, supported five different head coaches during that span including one that was extremely caustic to our programs’ tradition and another that was as qualified to be a Volunteer head coach as I am to fly an airplane. I do not like the way some, truthfully too many, use platforms assessable to the public to suggest or call for the firing of our head coach or use language like “dead man walking” when discussing our head coach. Do they have a right to do so…..certainly and in fact in some cases that is what they are hired to do…..give their opinion. I would hope each of you reading this Talk do what I do…… consider who is saying what, what their motives are and most importantly if their comments meet two criteria: are they based in fact and is the person making those comments a supporter of Tennessee football or merely someone giving an opinion. As my grandmother Post use to say “take it with a grain of salt”. If someone I know loves this program and knows what he/she is talking about comment on this program good or bad….I listen. If not I turn the page or the channel.
Finally on this subject….I have no idea how this season will turn out. My hope is that Coach Jones finds a way to lead this team to improvement the remaining eight games. The ball is clearly in his court. All of the head coaches in our history (sans Neyland and Dickey) have been in this situation at least once and most of them have worked their way out of it….a few did not. He will be evaluated as all coaches are….where is our program right now, where is it headed and is he the right man to lead us there. What gives me great comfort is this…..in my opinion for the first time since 2002 this university has in place people who are supremely qualified to evaluate the situation, people in place to take whatever action is necessary for the good of the program. Recent additions to the university are invaluable in this situation, will be leaned on for guidance and will give their recommendations with one thing in mind….what is best for the university and by extension the football program. And most importantly they will be listened to. We, I believe, are past the days where a decision like this is made by one person, past the days where voices that for the most part could care less about the Volunteer tradition are listened to, past the days where decision makers have no ties to this program save the fact that they were hired to do a job. We now have people in place who while they may be employed by the university are doing that job because of their love for the University of Tennessee. That by the way includes our current athletic director…..IMO.
IN CLOSING: I feel comfortable in saying this….there is no appetite by any decision maker to make a change at the head coaching level. The last thing this administration wants to do in to be forced into replacing this head coach. Coach Jones will be given every opportunity to work through this. He, in many ways, has done an excellent job, fixed many severe problems he inherited. He has recruited to a level where there are a bunch of young players….. many excellent football players in our freshman and sophomore classes. However,IMO, he must recognize two things: game day coaching decisions must improve and reacting to perceived slights by some media members or fans comments will only him take away from the big picture……winning football games. Maybe he has already done this….I hope so. No one in a position of influencing the “powers that be” in this university are listening to complaints coming from what Coach Dooley called the “chattering class”. My personal hope is that CBJ has or will realize this before it is too late.
Forget about U Mass…..repeat forget about U Mass…..it is/was irrelevant other than getting a win. Regardless how that game was played U Mass was always a sandwich game between our two biggest division rivals, Florida and Georgia. Beat Georgia U Mass was irrelevant, lose to Georgia U Mass was irrelevant. We are fortunate it did not turn out to be an excrement sandwich.
This 2017 team has put themselves in a position no team wants to be in…..one third of the way into the season (4 games) they are playing a game that will either put them right in the middle of the division race or with a loss almost certainly take this team out of the division championship race. If this team, staff and players, need any more motivation than beating Georgia for the third year in a row (no small feat) chew on this, a second division loss would mean the following would have to fall in place for Tennessee to even get to a tie breaker situation for the eastern division championship….both Florida and Georgia would have to lose three SEC games AND we would have to beat the final six conference opponents remaining on the schedule. When you give games away like we did in Gainesville and make no mistake we gave that game away, you put yourself in this situation. Again….a win and you’re still in…. a loss and you are digging out of a hole not many have climbed out of.
Let’s talk Georgia….four games into the season and from what I have seen Georgia is clearly the best team in the east and along with Auburn the only team that appears to have a chance against Alabama. Again this is after only four games. There is no problem identifying what the Dawgs want to do on either side of the ball. We don’t have to guess, wonder or speculate. Offensively they will line up with a tight end, much of the time a lead blocking back and one of three talented tailbacks (that’s right tailbacks not running backs) and try to knock our defensive front into the Tennessee River. Make no mistake about this…..Georgia believes they are tougher, more physical and have the ability to whip our defensive front, get into the secondary with Chubb, Michel or Swift and force missed tackles for big gains. Defensively we will have to play the best game we have played in over a year, especially from a tackling perspective ,to slow this group down. They have heard all week about the last two years, heard about giving up a game ending play last year, had their manhood challenged by their coaching staff. They will be ready.
Where can we attack them with our defense? Like our offense they will not run their QB (Fromm) unless it is a scramble off a called pass. Tight end pressure with a nickel, corner and/or linebacker is good for two things….it helps stop the off tackle play and puts pressure on a play action pass. The downside….it forces us to play man coverage on a couple of quick, fast receivers. Their weak point is their offensive line when they are forced to pass protect and the key to winning defensively is to make Fromm throw the ball and pressure his rear end. You can expect Coach Shoop to load up on the run and live with whatever happens in the passing game. There is no doubt what Chubb and company can do running the ball, there is doubt on how good Fromm, a freshman will react in Neyland stadium. If he has a big day throwing we are in a lot of trouble and will have to win in a shootout. Of course this all is dependent on a return to playing the kick and cover game like we are capable….it goes without saying that field position will either give us a chance to win or contribute to our losing. There is a good chance Daniel will have to punt 7+ times. He is fully capable of pinning Georgia deep in their end of the field and IMO could easily be the key factor in our winning.
How about our offensive attack? The die is cast with this offense. Dormady is our QB and as he goes so goes our offense. It really gets down to one thing….can our offensive line block Georgia’s front in the running game. Kelly and Chandler will probably have to run the ball 40+ times. No self-respecting defensive coordinator will worry a second about #12 keeping the ball and beating them….they will live with whatever piddling yardage he runs for. Look for Georgia to load up on #4 or #3, force the Vols into passing downs and then contest every throw we make. They will attempt to take away the bubble screens, take away back screens and draws, play for three step drops in the passing game and bet that Tennessee will not call or will not execute the deep passing game well enough to beat them. This is Coach Scott and staff’s challenge…..be patient and run the ball, allow the offensive line to screw their cleats in the ground and come off the ball, take deep shots down the field when available and if not successful accept punting and getting field position. As I said prior 7+ punts is expected in this game. Goal #1 for this offense….do not give up the ball without kicking it: either a punt, a field goal, an extra point or hopefully a kickoff. Do that and we have a good chance of winning this game.
One positive aspect about playing this Kirby Smart coached team….in three weeks when we go to Bryant Denny stadium we can simply dust this game plan and run it against Alabama. Georgia is technically Bama East in terms of offensive and defensive schemes.
I try to be real with Chalk Talk, try to give you the view from someone who has been there, studied the history of this great program, pulled for every Vol football team since 1980, supported five different head coaches during that span including one that was extremely caustic to our programs’ tradition and another that was as qualified to be a Volunteer head coach as I am to fly an airplane. I do not like the way some, truthfully too many, use platforms assessable to the public to suggest or call for the firing of our head coach or use language like “dead man walking” when discussing our head coach. Do they have a right to do so…..certainly and in fact in some cases that is what they are hired to do…..give their opinion. I would hope each of you reading this Talk do what I do…… consider who is saying what, what their motives are and most importantly if their comments meet two criteria: are they based in fact and is the person making those comments a supporter of Tennessee football or merely someone giving an opinion. As my grandmother Post use to say “take it with a grain of salt”. If someone I know loves this program and knows what he/she is talking about comment on this program good or bad….I listen. If not I turn the page or the channel.
Finally on this subject….I have no idea how this season will turn out. My hope is that Coach Jones finds a way to lead this team to improvement the remaining eight games. The ball is clearly in his court. All of the head coaches in our history (sans Neyland and Dickey) have been in this situation at least once and most of them have worked their way out of it….a few did not. He will be evaluated as all coaches are….where is our program right now, where is it headed and is he the right man to lead us there. What gives me great comfort is this…..in my opinion for the first time since 2002 this university has in place people who are supremely qualified to evaluate the situation, people in place to take whatever action is necessary for the good of the program. Recent additions to the university are invaluable in this situation, will be leaned on for guidance and will give their recommendations with one thing in mind….what is best for the university and by extension the football program. And most importantly they will be listened to. We, I believe, are past the days where a decision like this is made by one person, past the days where voices that for the most part could care less about the Volunteer tradition are listened to, past the days where decision makers have no ties to this program save the fact that they were hired to do a job. We now have people in place who while they may be employed by the university are doing that job because of their love for the University of Tennessee. That by the way includes our current athletic director…..IMO.
IN CLOSING: I feel comfortable in saying this….there is no appetite by any decision maker to make a change at the head coaching level. The last thing this administration wants to do in to be forced into replacing this head coach. Coach Jones will be given every opportunity to work through this. He, in many ways, has done an excellent job, fixed many severe problems he inherited. He has recruited to a level where there are a bunch of young players….. many excellent football players in our freshman and sophomore classes. However,IMO, he must recognize two things: game day coaching decisions must improve and reacting to perceived slights by some media members or fans comments will only him take away from the big picture……winning football games. Maybe he has already done this….I hope so. No one in a position of influencing the “powers that be” in this university are listening to complaints coming from what Coach Dooley called the “chattering class”. My personal hope is that CBJ has or will realize this before it is too late.
