Tennessee--The Upside, the Downside, and the Side

[OttosShoes]

Just like it felt wrong not having why we win/lose, it doesn't sit right not having the upside/downside. RIP SWC; I won't be able to fill your shoes and I'll ask everyone else here to help fill in the gaps, but it struck me when the OP of the TN win/lose thread was nominated to carry that on and said they weren't a writer. As it happens, I author things from time to time.

The Upside
Yasin Willis. Dumptruck, bulldozer, freight train. Pick whatever unstoppable piece of industrial equipment you like and his cleats fit. This was probably one of the top two or three defenses we'll face this year and he just went bowling through it. Last year's "run it up the middle" was frustrating at best. This year's "run it up the middle" is a cacklefest.

The offense in general. Back in April if you said we'd put up 26 points on the Vols I don't think anyone would be upset. I know a few things could've gone better; I really wish Steve was here for spring ball, or that we'd had the Eastern Michigans of the world as the 1st opponent. That's where the upside is though--we didn't, we survived, and those kinks and creases are going to be smoothed out as we move through the season from what's already a solid foundation.

Special teams. Last year, unconverted third downs hit extra hard. Not only was it the end of the series, but we had to watch with baited breath hoping to see that the punt got off. Other than a questionable block from a true frosh with a lucky break, this didn't feel that way at all. Special teams was coordinated and looked like the P4 team that we are. And in particular, we got to see what Jack Stonehouse can do. The kid is good.

Red-zone D. I don't see people talking about this much, but take the initial Tennessee drive which we held to a field goal. There's a lot of promise in stops like that and it shows the talent is there even if the tactics aren't.

We got paid without getting embarrassed. Seriously. When FCS or MAC teams come to the Dome in August and September, they do it for the money, the exposure, and the practice. Nothing wrong with that if you're trying to grow a program. We showed up, played on one of the biggest stages without embarrassment, got paid, and went home with a lot of experience early in the season. If you're going to be 0-1 that's the best way to be 0-1.


The Downside
Penalties. Some of them were ticky tack, sure, but it doesn't matter--that's just not DART. It'd be tempting to blame all the transfers, but the transient rosters are happening all across the league. I've been glued to the TV and it doesn't really seem like other teams are struggling quite the same way. I hope it's the crowd and the moment; while that's not great, it's better than the other options.

We don't need a better defensive scheme. We need *a* defensive scheme. Pretty sure I'm not alone to say I've played more coordinated pickup games; all I could really decipher was "play a 4-2-5 and don't give up chunk plays." First of all, "bend don't break" did still break a couple times. Second, you've got 5 DBs and then stretch out so much field they're getting left on islands. I don't know what's going on in the booth but it really feels like "bend don't break" is tantamount to "not sure what to call here so we'll play it safe." This ties in with the red-zone D from the upsides. There aren't 50 yards of field to cover anymore, the secondary is compressed so corners aren't islands, and the safeties/nickel can fall in on the runs.

That's the secondary. The other side of the playcalling is that we've got four DL now and still Aguilar didn't face much in the way of pressure. Anybody that watched the end of the Stanford game last year knows it can be better to cap something off at the start. And we got that extra lineman by giving up a linebacker, which now looks like we did because we don't have the depth there. ERob is a great recruiter and anyone saying otherwise is delusional. *But,* what is he recruiting for, the best OVR on each player? Imagine if JB switched to man defense because they had the best class ever but the wings happened to be undersized. The system needs to come first and the recruits need to fit the system. I'd love to be wrong but what we saw yesterday did not convince me that that is what happened.


The Side
In the postgame someone tactfully called this game "purgatory," saying we were never really in it but never really out of it. That resonated with me; some things aren't good or bad--they just are--so I'd like to add that to the community SWC replacement.

I'll start with Angeli. He's good, but he's made it into a position where he damn well better be. He didn't really do anything to make us say wow, and while the two turnovers hurt us, given the late start to the season and the quality of the Vols defense are pretty understandable. Pretty much what we might have thought.

The crowd mix. Heavily Tenessee. Not unexpected, not bad, exactly, given the distance. But a sobering reminder that we're not as big a football brand as the mainline SEC schools.

Tackling. I see it cited as a big problem and it is, but also, I saw a lot of guys trying to get the ball out and a lot of 1v1s. On that long TD pass for example, Samuels probably could've dove for an ankle tackle at the 5 but instead got a punch or two on the ball. So I'm not convinced it's just an issue with tackling, so much as an exacerbated symptom of everything else.

Anyway, that's how I see it. I'm a diehard orange fan that can write and I know a bit about football. But again, I am not SWC, so please add your thoughts to the mix as well .

 

[Nicknack]

Good write up!

One minor thing I'll add, which I haven't seen mentioned (maybe I've missed it or I'm alone on this) but I HATE going for 2 points in the spots we did. There was over 7 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter, with a score of 38-20. I'm almost never a fan of going for 2 until mid to late in the 4th quarter.

Also, the first missed 2pt attempt sort of forced us to do it again later. As a result, instead of down 10 (kicking the extra points), we were down 12. Think about that - by just taking the 1pt both times, we could have made it 38-28. That's massively different than 38-26 against a team like Tennessee in the 4th quarter. The other thing I don't like about it is that we were desperately seeking positive momentum, which we had scoring touchdowns. However, when the 2pt attempt is failed twice, some of that positive momentum is drained.

 

[OrangeFoo]

Main upside for me is that we played a top SEC program and it was not men against boys anywhere on the field. Yes there are scheme issues and mental issues, but physically we don’t look like an D3 team. That alone is a huge upside because all the scheme in the world doesn’t make up for a big gap in athleticism.

Biggest downside as many have noted is the lack of any imagination or sophisticated scheme on D. It was clear on the first drive that we couldn’t get any real pressure on their offense by playing a vanilla scheme yet nothing changed. Then on our first drive their D immediately ran stunts to get pressure and blitzed several times. Game over.

Also the first penalty of the game set the tone for the offense as it was purely mental and erased a huge 3rd down conversion. The offense took 2 quarters to recover… ball game.

 

[mscanlo]

Another downside - SU struggled converting when needed. Lots of opportunities.

That being said, if mentally possible, I’d have the wipe the 1st half from memory, and build on the 2nd half

 

[baggerbob]

Just like it felt wrong not having why we win/lose, it doesn't sit right not having the upside/downside. RIP SWC; I won't be able to fill your shoes and I'll ask everyone else here to help fill in the gaps, but it struck me when the OP of the TN win/lose thread was nominated to carry that on and said they weren't a writer. As it happens, I author things from time to time.

The Upside
Yasin Willis. Dumptruck, bulldozer, freight train. Pick whatever unstoppable piece of industrial equipment you like and his cleats fit. This was probably one of the top two or three defenses we'll face this year and he just went bowling through it. Last year's "run it up the middle" was frustrating at best. This year's "run it up the middle" is a cacklefest.

The offense in general. Back in April if you said we'd put up 26 points on the Vols I don't think anyone would be upset. I know a few things could've gone better; I really wish Steve was here for spring ball, or that we'd had the Eastern Michigans of the world as the 1st opponent. That's where the upside is though--we didn't, we survived, and those kinks and creases are going to be smoothed out as we move through the season from what's already a solid foundation.

Special teams. Last year, unconverted third downs hit extra hard. Not only was it the end of the series, but we had to watch with baited breath hoping to see that the punt got off. Other than a questionable block from a true frosh with a lucky break, this didn't feel that way at all. Special teams was coordinated and looked like the P4 team that we are. And in particular, we got to see what Jack Stonehouse can do. The kid is good.

Red-zone D. I don't see people talking about this much, but take the initial Tennessee drive which we held to a field goal. There's a lot of promise in stops like that and it shows the talent is there even if the tactics aren't.

We got paid without getting embarrassed. Seriously. When FCS or MAC teams come to the Dome in August and September, they do it for the money, the exposure, and the practice. Nothing wrong with that if you're trying to grow a program. We showed up, played on one of the biggest stages without embarrassment, got paid, and went home with a lot of experience early in the season. If you're going to be 0-1 that's the best way to be 0-1.


The Downside
Penalties. Some of them were ticky tack, sure, but it doesn't matter--that's just not DART. It'd be tempting to blame all the transfers, but the transient rosters are happening all across the league. I've been glued to the TV and it doesn't really seem like other teams are struggling quite the same way. I hope it's the crowd and the moment; while that's not great, it's better than the other options.

We don't need a better defensive scheme. We need *a* defensive scheme. Pretty sure I'm not alone to say I've played more coordinated pickup games; all I could really decipher was "play a 4-2-5 and don't give up chunk plays." First of all, "bend don't break" did still break a couple times. Second, you've got 5 DBs and then stretch out so much field they're getting left on islands. I don't know what's going on in the booth but it really feels like "bend don't break" is tantamount to "not sure what to call here so we'll play it safe." This ties in with the red-zone D from the upsides. There aren't 50 yards of field to cover anymore, the secondary is compressed so corners aren't islands, and the safeties/nickel can fall in on the runs.

That's the secondary. The other side of the playcalling is that we've got four DL now and still Aguilar didn't face much in the way of pressure. Anybody that watched the end of the Stanford game last year knows it can be better to cap something off at the start. And we got that extra lineman by giving up a linebacker, which now looks like we did because we don't have the depth there. ERob is a great recruiter and anyone saying otherwise is delusional. *But,* what is he recruiting for, the best OVR on each player? Imagine if JB switched to man defense because they had the best class ever but the wings happened to be undersized. The system needs to come first and the recruits need to fit the system. I'd love to be wrong but what we saw yesterday did not convince me that that is what happened.


The Side
In the postgame someone tactfully called this game "purgatory," saying we were never really in it but never really out of it. That resonated with me; some things aren't good or bad--they just are--so I'd like to add that to the community SWC replacement.

I'll start with Angeli. He's good, but he's made it into a position where he damn well better be. He didn't really do anything to make us say wow, and while the two turnovers hurt us, given the late start to the season and the quality of the Vols defense are pretty understandable. Pretty much what we might have thought.

The crowd mix. Heavily Tenessee. Not unexpected, not bad, exactly, given the distance. But a sobering reminder that we're not as big a football brand as the mainline SEC schools.

Tackling. I see it cited as a big problem and it is, but also, I saw a lot of guys trying to get the ball out and a lot of 1v1s. On that long TD pass for example, Samuels probably could've dove for an ankle tackle at the 5 but instead got a punch or two on the ball. So I'm not convinced it's just an issue with tackling, so much as an exacerbated symptom of everything else.

Anyway, that's how I see it. I'm a diehard orange fan that can write and I know a bit about football. But again, I am not SWC, so please add your thoughts to the mix as well .

No one will ever be Steve. But you did an excellent job, and I think he would be around of your effort.

 

[rangers1994]

Too much Angeli hate on this board and it’s baffling. Sitting front row yesterday behind the Cuse bench he looked perfectly fine. He’s mobile enough, can read the field, make good throws. He missed a few reads and throws as every QB does. He EASILY is the 2nd best pure passing QB we’ve had this millennium.

 

[Niastri]

The game went very much how I expected, with one major exception.

I think Aguilar is a weak link for Tennessee. He made the plays and committed no turnovers. Angeli committed the turnovers instead. I thought that would be reversed and the difference in the game.

Otherwise, we knew Tennessee had talent at wide receiver, a tough running game and a top defense.

We got off to a really rough start, but came almost all the way back. A few plays go differently and it's a single touchdown game instead of a blowout.

My concern is that Aguilar is going to lose a couple winnable games for Tennessee and devalue what is a really good team's record. Our loss to them is going to look worse when they end the season 8-4 instead of 10-2.

In the end, we competed and just aren't quite at their level. I wish we played them second week instead of in the opener.

 

[Crusty]

Just like it felt wrong not having why we win/lose, it doesn't sit right not having the upside/downside. RIP SWC; I won't be able to fill your shoes and I'll ask everyone else here to help fill in the gaps, but it struck me when the OP of the TN win/lose thread was nominated to carry that on and said they weren't a writer. As it happens, I author things from time to time.

The Upside
Yasin Willis. Dumptruck, bulldozer, freight train. Pick whatever unstoppable piece of industrial equipment you like and his cleats fit. This was probably one of the top two or three defenses we'll face this year and he just went bowling through it. Last year's "run it up the middle" was frustrating at best. This year's "run it up the middle" is a cacklefest.

The offense in general. Back in April if you said we'd put up 26 points on the Vols I don't think anyone would be upset. I know a few things could've gone better; I really wish Steve was here for spring ball, or that we'd had the Eastern Michigans of the world as the 1st opponent. That's where the upside is though--we didn't, we survived, and those kinks and creases are going to be smoothed out as we move through the season from what's already a solid foundation.

Special teams. Last year, unconverted third downs hit extra hard. Not only was it the end of the series, but we had to watch with baited breath hoping to see that the punt got off. Other than a questionable block from a true frosh with a lucky break, this didn't feel that way at all. Special teams was coordinated and looked like the P4 team that we are. And in particular, we got to see what Jack Stonehouse can do. The kid is good.

Red-zone D. I don't see people talking about this much, but take the initial Tennessee drive which we held to a field goal. There's a lot of promise in stops like that and it shows the talent is there even if the tactics aren't.

We got paid without getting embarrassed. Seriously. When FCS or MAC teams come to the Dome in August and September, they do it for the money, the exposure, and the practice. Nothing wrong with that if you're trying to grow a program. We showed up, played on one of the biggest stages without embarrassment, got paid, and went home with a lot of experience early in the season. If you're going to be 0-1 that's the best way to be 0-1.


The Downside
Penalties. Some of them were ticky tack, sure, but it doesn't matter--that's just not DART. It'd be tempting to blame all the transfers, but the transient rosters are happening all across the league. I've been glued to the TV and it doesn't really seem like other teams are struggling quite the same way. I hope it's the crowd and the moment; while that's not great, it's better than the other options.

We don't need a better defensive scheme. We need *a* defensive scheme. Pretty sure I'm not alone to say I've played more coordinated pickup games; all I could really decipher was "play a 4-2-5 and don't give up chunk plays." First of all, "bend don't break" did still break a couple times. Second, you've got 5 DBs and then stretch out so much field they're getting left on islands. I don't know what's going on in the booth but it really feels like "bend don't break" is tantamount to "not sure what to call here so we'll play it safe." This ties in with the red-zone D from the upsides. There aren't 50 yards of field to cover anymore, the secondary is compressed so corners aren't islands, and the safeties/nickel can fall in on the runs.

That's the secondary. The other side of the playcalling is that we've got four DL now and still Aguilar didn't face much in the way of pressure. Anybody that watched the end of the Stanford game last year knows it can be better to cap something off at the start. And we got that extra lineman by giving up a linebacker, which now looks like we did because we don't have the depth there. ERob is a great recruiter and anyone saying otherwise is delusional. *But,* what is he recruiting for, the best OVR on each player? Imagine if JB switched to man defense because they had the best class ever but the wings happened to be undersized. The system needs to come first and the recruits need to fit the system. I'd love to be wrong but what we saw yesterday did not convince me that that is what happened.


The Side
In the postgame someone tactfully called this game "purgatory," saying we were never really in it but never really out of it. That resonated with me; some things aren't good or bad--they just are--so I'd like to add that to the community SWC replacement.

I'll start with Angeli. He's good, but he's made it into a position where he damn well better be. He didn't really do anything to make us say wow, and while the two turnovers hurt us, given the late start to the season and the quality of the Vols defense are pretty understandable. Pretty much what we might have thought.

The crowd mix. Heavily Tenessee. Not unexpected, not bad, exactly, given the distance. But a sobering reminder that we're not as big a football brand as the mainline SEC schools.

Tackling. I see it cited as a big problem and it is, but also, I saw a lot of guys trying to get the ball out and a lot of 1v1s. On that long TD pass for example, Samuels probably could've dove for an ankle tackle at the 5 but instead got a punch or two on the ball. So I'm not convinced it's just an issue with tackling, so much as an exacerbated symptom of everything else.

Anyway, that's how I see it. I'm a diehard orange fan that can write and I know a bit about football. But again, I am not SWC, so please add your thoughts to the mix as well .

Nice of you to pick up the tradition. Good effort as well.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Keep it up, Shoes!

 

[MadNY3]

Mad respect for paying homage. Some points on your points.

- Less Upside - Special Teams. Stonehouse is great. But we had a delay on a punt in the first quarter, a lucky call that a PR didn't hit the towel of one of our players, and I have a suspicion that our kickers aren't going to be reliable over 40 yards. The latter is a guess so hope I'm wroing. Thank goodness the coach's kid made good long snaps though (that would be painful if it became an issue.)

- Donwside on the D in DART. Totally agree. Saw a lot of lack of discipline in the first 15 minutes across the board. Illegal formations galore, most of which were declined. Adding to that: going for two down 12 in the fourth quarter...WHY??? Kick the XP and be down a TD (2-pt conversion/FG. Bad decision.​

​

- Sideways - The OL. Good to see there were no injuries, but pass blocking wasn't great. And surprised more guys didn't rotate in, notably the UNC/SC transfers.
​

Prediction: the lack of attendance for the home opener will be a debated topic this time next week. Hope I am wrong.

 

[sweetpea]

Too much Angeli hate on this board and it’s baffling. Sitting front row yesterday behind the Cuse bench he looked perfectly fine. He’s mobile enough, can read the field, make good throws. He missed a few reads and throws as every QB does. He EASILY is the 2nd best pure passing QB we’ve had this millennium.

I'm on board with Angeli, but at this point calling him EASILY a better passer than Dungey is a bit much for me. Let's watch four or five games first.

 

[Nicknack]

Mad respect for paying homage. Some points on your points.

- Less Upside - Special Teams. Stonehouse is great. But we had a delay on a punt in the first quarter, a lucky call that a PR didn't hit the towel of one of our players, and I have a suspicion that our kickers aren't going to be reliable over 40 yards. The latter is a guess so hope I'm wroing. Thank goodness the coach's kid made good long snaps though (that would be painful if it became an issue.)​

​

- Donwside on the D in DART. Totally agree. Saw a lot of lack of discipline in the first 15 minutes across the board. Illegal formations galore, most of which were declined. Adding to that: going for two down 12 in the fourth quarter...WHY??? Kick the XP and be down a TD (2-pt conversion/FG. Bad decision.​

​

- Sideways - The OL. Good to see there were no injuries, but pass blocking wasn't great. And surprised more guys didn't rotate in, notably the UNC/SC transfers.​

​

Prediction: the lack of attendance for the home opener will be a debated topic this time next week. Hope I am wrong.

Yeah, I forgot about the towel. I was grinning ear to ear on that call because it certainly looked like the ball hit it. We were fortunate.

 

[hoopsupstate]

Mad respect for paying homage. Some points on your points.

- Less Upside - Special Teams. Stonehouse is great. But we had a delay on a punt in the first quarter, a lucky call that a PR didn't hit the towel of one of our players, and I have a suspicion that our kickers aren't going to be reliable over 40 yards. The latter is a guess so hope I'm wroing. Thank goodness the coach's kid made good long snaps though (that would be painful if it became an issue.)​

​

- Donwside on the D in DART. Totally agree. Saw a lot of lack of discipline in the first 15 minutes across the board. Illegal formations galore, most of which were declined. Adding to that: going for two down 12 in the fourth quarter...WHY??? Kick the XP and be down a TD (2-pt conversion/FG. Bad decision.​

​

- Sideways - The OL. Good to see there were no injuries, but pass blocking wasn't great. And surprised more guys didn't rotate in, notably the UNC/SC transfers.​

​

Prediction: the lack of attendance for the home opener will be a debated topic this time next week. Hope I am wrong.

Lack of attendance will be the reason some big games in the future will be played at neutral sites.

 

[llandz]

Yeah, I forgot about the towel. I was grinning ear to ear on that call because it certainly looked like the ball hit it. We were fortunate.

ok. While we are talking about the towel, Should they not remove it during kick off returns if you are possibly the receiver of the kick. Do you need the towel at that exact moment? More than likely you are coming off the field after that and can put your towel back on your azzz. I was sure after that seemingly obvious towel hit, that they would do that.

 

[Nicknack]

ok. While we are talking about the towel, Should they not remove it during kick off returns if you are possibly the receiver of the kick. Do you need the towel at that exact moment? More than likely you are coming off the field after that and can put your towel back on your azzz. I was sure after that seemingly obvious towel hit, that they would do that.

Great point, and yes, definitely. Seems to me, that fits with the D in DART.