2,625 Words on the Vol QB Situation
Posted by Chris under Uncategorized on May 24 2010, 0 comments

To understand what’s going on with the Tennessee QB situation, it makes sense to go back a few years. 2010 was going to be a season of reckoning as most of the players we thought were going to be stars were upperclassmen of some form or fashion going into 2008. (In the case of Eric Berry, that’s a non-issue; we knew he was gone after 2009 anyway.) Four-year starter Erik Ainge departed after a successful 2007 season, so it fell to talented but largely unproven Jonathan Crompton to shepherd the team through the ’08 season. And then things fell to shit. (more…)

Peach Bowl: Like Hell this Has Anything to do with Chicken
Posted by Chris under Uncategorized on December 28 2009, 1 comment

Look, I don’t care: this is the Peach Bowl. This is not the Chik-Fil-A Bowl, although they do make one heck of a sandwich. This is one of the comparatively few bowls out there that actually has some kind of history, and if it’s good enough for the Rose Bowl to stubbornly cling to an outdated tradition and be mocked roundly, well, it’s pretty easy for me to do the same.

This year’s incarnation pairs a couple of teams who are strikingly similar; both rely on power running games and excellent defensive play (typified in part by a safety operating up in run support a large percentage of the time). The difference lies in – go figure, knowing the teams – special teams: Virginia Tech has them, while Tennessee hasn’t had them in a while, up to and including this season. (more…)

Ole Miss – Tennessee: Defending the Speed-Spread Sucks
Posted by Chris under Uncategorized on November 15 2009, 0 comments

Yes, there were all sorts of distractions in Knoxville this week (possibly consisting of pellet guns, arrests, and – of all things – a Prius. Yes, a Prius. What the hell, y’all?), but that’s no excuse for getting shellacked in Oxford. The Volunteers got outplayed and partially outschemed against the Rebels, and that’s in part to just how wantonly destructive Dexter McCluster was on Saturday. (more…)

Tennessee’s Smoke and Mirrors
Posted by Chris under Uncategorized on November 5 2009, 0 comments

So I picked this idea up from here, but it’s something I had been noticing over the past few weeks. Tennessee’s offensive renaissance hasn’t been a function of improved playcalling, new schemes, or anything of the like; it’s simply been a function of improved execution. (more…).