Back to the third Saturday in October Tennessee goes to Tuscaloosa this Saturday to play the #1 ranked Tide. Vols limping in after moving to 0-3 in the conference with last week’s home loss to South Carolina. To say this staff and team are searching for answers would be an understatement as big as the apparent gap between the two teams playing the CBS game this week. We’ll look at the matchup later in the Talk.
But first South Carolina…..like the previous five games between these two teams it came down to the final quarter indeed the final play of the fourth quarter. Tied at 9-9 entering the 4th quarter both Tennessee and South Carolina had an equal chance to win but it wasn’t close. In a display of running the ball reminiscent of past Volunteer offenses, the Gamecocks dominated the decisive 4th quarter: 87 rushing yards, had the ball 12 minutes plus (Vols less than 3 minutes), executed a 16 play and an 8 play drive for the two winning field goals and ended the game by keeping Tennessee from scoring from the SC two yard line.
Holding a team in this conference to 13 points should be good enough to win and the Vol defense did enough to keep from losing but they did not do enough to help win the game. The 4th quarter needed to be a quarter where the Volunteer defense made stops or even better made a turnover or two to win the game. It was apparent we were not going to do much offensively. That said any offensive spark at all and we’re singing in the locker room. But there simply wasn’t any and really nothing close for the first 59 minutes.
In a game where a promising young, inexperienced quarterback needed some quality help from the other ten men on the field he instead got a mail it in performance from all but a couple of running backs. Our offensive line did not knock anyone off the ball with any consistency and yet for the third straight game we trotted the same five players out on the field with the hope/wish they would play better…..they did not. How long can an offensive assistant, a coordinator, a head coach watch the same group of players waddle off the ball, rarely physically attack a player in the other color jersey and not blow a gasket. To not make at least symbolic changes in the line, to not at least give someone else an opportunity……it begs the question, if you were a backup offensive lineman and watched tape after tape of futile offensive line play and did not get an opportunity to show why you have worked so hard, to at least get a chance…..what would you do? I’d like to think I would keep working hard but I’m not sure. This is the biggest failure of this offensive staff IMO…..seemingly no one can play badly enough to get a ticket to the bench. After six quarters of failure to score a touchdown leading into Carolina the only change to the offensive lineup was #2 for #12. And from my view #12 wasn’t the only starter that needed to watch from the sideline. The quarter count is now up to ten without a touchdown.
Alabama……let’s be real! Without question this week will be the biggest challenge for this coaching staff from a confidence point of view. No amount of talk, encouragement can mask what this Volunteer team is up against…..coaches and players. The gap between these two programs now is at the widest since 1977 IMO…John Majors first year as head coach. There is not an area on the field where a matchup favors the Vols. None…..OL vs DL, WR vs DB, LB vs RB……all heavily favor the Tide.
Offensively we are facing the best defensive run stopping front in the country. Defensively we are facing the best rushing team in power five conference play. Jalen Hurts as quarterback is the fourth leading rusher in the SEC and his running back Harris is number three. As has been shown repeatedly slowing down running quarterbacks has not been the strength of this defense.
Game plan defensively…..must keep #2 Hurts in pocket at all costs. Must commit however many of eleven defenders to slowing down the run. Hurts, Harris and Scarbrough have 217 carries this year for 1542 total yards, a game average of 260 rushing yards. Make Alabama beat us throwing the ball not running it down our throats. Are they capable throwing the ball……yes but nothing is more demoralizing to a team than having an opponent pound the ball down the field running. A fifty yard pass is one man getting beat……a 50 yard drive running the ball every play is eleven men getting beat. Also pray for a great kicking game from Daniel and cover team. Field position will give us a chance to keep the game close. Turnovers and a poor coverage game could easily open the flood gates.
Game plan offensively….It is impossible to change what we have been doing for the first six games scheme wise. We are what we are but we certainly can play with more fire and enthusiasm compared to last Saturday. Alabama defensively will pressure off the edge, outside the tackles much like, make that exactly like Georgia. We have seen this scheme before and should have learned from the mistakes we made against Georgia. That should give us an advantage in preparing for this game. Above everything else we must keep our #2 upright and running. Slow the tempo down, run as much clock as possible and shorten the game as much as we can. Big decision for CBJ is how much to run Guarantano. We won’t be able to do much if he doesn’t keep the ball some off our #1 play, the read option. However there are five games remaining after this one and #2 healthy makes us a much more difficult offense to defend that #12. You can bet the Tide defense will game plan to take Kelly/Chandler away and force a backup quarterback run the ball. Work to get to the fourth quarter within two scores and then attack their press corners a bunch. Tough assignment but beating the Tide is never an easy proposition.
Improvement.: Regardless of the record at this time of the year it is in coaches DNA to always try to improve their position and team. Even against the best team in the country Guarantano will improve. He has shown me the skills to be a good quarterback. All of his problems from last week: holding the ball to long, taking sacks, being tentative at times and not throwing the ball away in the red zone are all things that can be improved upon with practice and more importantly game experience. Lost in the loss to USC was the encouraging play from #2. Bituli, Warrior, Sapp, Johnson, Callaway, Chandler and others will benefit greatly from this trip to Alabama.
Having said all of the above it is important to remember that this is one game and any one game can be a game where everything goes right, where players play just a little better that they probably are, where a team that has been belittled by almost every pundit out there, can often find a way to play 60 minutes with the pride that they came to Tennessee with. Pride, refusing to give in can go a long way in a rival game. Unfortunately so can superior talent and this year Alabama has a decided edge in talent. Should Alabama easily win this game…..yes. Can Tennessee make is a much closer game than most expect and get into the 4th quarter with a chance to win……we will see Saturday at 2:30 CST.
But first South Carolina…..like the previous five games between these two teams it came down to the final quarter indeed the final play of the fourth quarter. Tied at 9-9 entering the 4th quarter both Tennessee and South Carolina had an equal chance to win but it wasn’t close. In a display of running the ball reminiscent of past Volunteer offenses, the Gamecocks dominated the decisive 4th quarter: 87 rushing yards, had the ball 12 minutes plus (Vols less than 3 minutes), executed a 16 play and an 8 play drive for the two winning field goals and ended the game by keeping Tennessee from scoring from the SC two yard line.
Holding a team in this conference to 13 points should be good enough to win and the Vol defense did enough to keep from losing but they did not do enough to help win the game. The 4th quarter needed to be a quarter where the Volunteer defense made stops or even better made a turnover or two to win the game. It was apparent we were not going to do much offensively. That said any offensive spark at all and we’re singing in the locker room. But there simply wasn’t any and really nothing close for the first 59 minutes.
In a game where a promising young, inexperienced quarterback needed some quality help from the other ten men on the field he instead got a mail it in performance from all but a couple of running backs. Our offensive line did not knock anyone off the ball with any consistency and yet for the third straight game we trotted the same five players out on the field with the hope/wish they would play better…..they did not. How long can an offensive assistant, a coordinator, a head coach watch the same group of players waddle off the ball, rarely physically attack a player in the other color jersey and not blow a gasket. To not make at least symbolic changes in the line, to not at least give someone else an opportunity……it begs the question, if you were a backup offensive lineman and watched tape after tape of futile offensive line play and did not get an opportunity to show why you have worked so hard, to at least get a chance…..what would you do? I’d like to think I would keep working hard but I’m not sure. This is the biggest failure of this offensive staff IMO…..seemingly no one can play badly enough to get a ticket to the bench. After six quarters of failure to score a touchdown leading into Carolina the only change to the offensive lineup was #2 for #12. And from my view #12 wasn’t the only starter that needed to watch from the sideline. The quarter count is now up to ten without a touchdown.
Alabama……let’s be real! Without question this week will be the biggest challenge for this coaching staff from a confidence point of view. No amount of talk, encouragement can mask what this Volunteer team is up against…..coaches and players. The gap between these two programs now is at the widest since 1977 IMO…John Majors first year as head coach. There is not an area on the field where a matchup favors the Vols. None…..OL vs DL, WR vs DB, LB vs RB……all heavily favor the Tide.
Offensively we are facing the best defensive run stopping front in the country. Defensively we are facing the best rushing team in power five conference play. Jalen Hurts as quarterback is the fourth leading rusher in the SEC and his running back Harris is number three. As has been shown repeatedly slowing down running quarterbacks has not been the strength of this defense.
Game plan defensively…..must keep #2 Hurts in pocket at all costs. Must commit however many of eleven defenders to slowing down the run. Hurts, Harris and Scarbrough have 217 carries this year for 1542 total yards, a game average of 260 rushing yards. Make Alabama beat us throwing the ball not running it down our throats. Are they capable throwing the ball……yes but nothing is more demoralizing to a team than having an opponent pound the ball down the field running. A fifty yard pass is one man getting beat……a 50 yard drive running the ball every play is eleven men getting beat. Also pray for a great kicking game from Daniel and cover team. Field position will give us a chance to keep the game close. Turnovers and a poor coverage game could easily open the flood gates.
Game plan offensively….It is impossible to change what we have been doing for the first six games scheme wise. We are what we are but we certainly can play with more fire and enthusiasm compared to last Saturday. Alabama defensively will pressure off the edge, outside the tackles much like, make that exactly like Georgia. We have seen this scheme before and should have learned from the mistakes we made against Georgia. That should give us an advantage in preparing for this game. Above everything else we must keep our #2 upright and running. Slow the tempo down, run as much clock as possible and shorten the game as much as we can. Big decision for CBJ is how much to run Guarantano. We won’t be able to do much if he doesn’t keep the ball some off our #1 play, the read option. However there are five games remaining after this one and #2 healthy makes us a much more difficult offense to defend that #12. You can bet the Tide defense will game plan to take Kelly/Chandler away and force a backup quarterback run the ball. Work to get to the fourth quarter within two scores and then attack their press corners a bunch. Tough assignment but beating the Tide is never an easy proposition.
Improvement.: Regardless of the record at this time of the year it is in coaches DNA to always try to improve their position and team. Even against the best team in the country Guarantano will improve. He has shown me the skills to be a good quarterback. All of his problems from last week: holding the ball to long, taking sacks, being tentative at times and not throwing the ball away in the red zone are all things that can be improved upon with practice and more importantly game experience. Lost in the loss to USC was the encouraging play from #2. Bituli, Warrior, Sapp, Johnson, Callaway, Chandler and others will benefit greatly from this trip to Alabama.
Having said all of the above it is important to remember that this is one game and any one game can be a game where everything goes right, where players play just a little better that they probably are, where a team that has been belittled by almost every pundit out there, can often find a way to play 60 minutes with the pride that they came to Tennessee with. Pride, refusing to give in can go a long way in a rival game. Unfortunately so can superior talent and this year Alabama has a decided edge in talent. Should Alabama easily win this game…..yes. Can Tennessee make is a much closer game than most expect and get into the 4th quarter with a chance to win……we will see Saturday at 2:30 CST.
