Tennessee Volunteers Midseason Revisit

The Vols have made it through 7 games and have been almost as predicted except for a great effort and overtime loss to Georgia and upset against the then #11 South Carolina Gamecocks.

Coach Butch Jones has kept a great recruiting effort going and the team seems to have fully bought into the philosophy of the new coaching staff and also seem to be getting better every game so far this year. The Vols have made it through the gauntlet of Oregon, Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina with a 1-3 finish and almost beat Georgia, only losing by a literal inch. They are setting at 4-3 because of a 23-21 victory over the Gamecocks, while most predictions preseason had them setting at 3-4. Coach Jones has the team riding on the emotions of the upset going into Tuscaloosa this weekend against the #1 Crimson Tide. Nobody is giving the Vols much of a chance to win, and an upset would be unlikely, so lets go ahead and say we end up 4-4 after the game and finishing up one of the toughest stretches in college football this season by any team.

Now the bad news.

At the beginning of the season most people, be it fans, experts, etc. had the Vols winning against Austin Peay, Western Kentucky, South Alabama, Kentucky, and going 2-3 against mediocre teams in Mizzou, Auburn, and Vandy. Since we have pulled an upset against USCjr, we should theoretically be sitting pretty for a bowl game in the new coaching staffs first year. The problem now is that Auburn and Mizzou are highly ranked and playing lights out. Mizzou is undefeated and ranked #5 in the nation, Auburn comes in with only 1 loss and scoring a lot of points on offense. Kentucky looks terrible, and while Vandy has played well and did beat Georgia, the Bulldogs were missing many of their starting players.

 Lets take a closer look at the rest of the way for the Vols.

Alabama
There isn't much to say here. The Vols are playing well and Alabama looks vulnerable at times, but the talent level is so far apart it would take a miracle for the Vols to pull this off. I will say that if you are a betting person the Tide is favored by 26.5, smart money would take the points, I don't think the Vols can win but no way they lose by 26 points. Alabama is good but they are no Oregon or FSU on offense.






Mizzou
This is such an unfortunate turn of events for a rebuilding program. Many people, myself included, had this as a win this year for Tennessee. Now enter the likely undefeated Tigers and the game to be played in Columbia. This is gonna be a tough one and I'm not very optimistic after watching the Tigers destroy other SEC competition. Looks like we are 4-5 after this one.


Auburn

Right now Auburn is a 1 loss team and plays with a high octane offense. This is Tennessee's homecoming game and the crowd at Neyland will be in full force. Tennessee's defense is much improved this year and it won't be as easy to score as Auburn is used to. Tennessee can and will stop the Tigers with the defense and crowd. I think we end up 5-5 after this close homecoming victory.





Vanderbilt

Vandy has new-found success and a very outspoken coach in James Franklin. Vandy smoked UT last year when the team gave up on Derek Dooley. That won't happen this year, I am biased and I am happy Vandy thinks they are accomplishing great things. Trust me on this, The Vols will decimate and embarrass the Commadores, it will be hard for a Vandy fan to watch. Coach Jones will do it for the fans, the upperclassman will do it for revenge, the Vols will roll in this one. I would go as far to say that they will run up the score to a point, and do everything they can to pitch a shutout. I'm not saying it will be 70-0, only because I think Jones will let off the gas and get younger people playing time. 45-0 is well within the realm of possibility and this will be our 6-5 bowl invite.

Kentucky

Oh boy, UK. Dooley let a wide receiver play quarterback 2 years ago and beat us for the first time in decades. Kentucky is bad this year, they have a new coach with good experience and a bright future in Lexington. Stoops inherited a mess with the Wildcats, and I truly believe he will do well there. This isn't the year they do well though, Tennessee will win this game big.

This puts the Vols at 7-5 and still a huge improvement over the last 3 years. Coach Jones is bringing in a huge recruiting class in 2014 and with a real coach and players buying into the program, the Vols will be competing for the East in the next 2 years. The Vols are a team on the rise and the nation is already starting to take notice.     

Tennessee Vs. Oregon: A Delusional Fan's Perspective

Saturday the Oregon Ducks welcome the Tennessee Volunteers to Autzen Stadium. The line on the game is currently 27.5 points in Oregon's favor. This Tennessee fan is about to tell you why Oregon will, in fact, lose the game. I will do this with facts that cannot be denied by any Duck fan, and will set the stage for this so called "upset".

SEC,SEC,SEC!!!
Look, Tennessee plays in the SEC. Last year we were in games down to the wire with Georgia, South Carolina, and had Gameday in Knoxville for the Florida game. We lost them all, but that's not the point. The point is this, Oregon could not go undefeated with Tennessee's schedule. This does not need to be debated because it's true. I'm sorry kids, but the SEC plays big-boy football not the glorified flag games the PAC 12 plays. This should be enough to convince you of a UT victory, but just in case, I have several more.

Coaching Staff.
Oregon lost Chip Kelly to the NFL last year, and promoted OC Mark Helfrich to replace him. While all this was going on, The Vols were looking for a suitable replacement for Derek Dooley (aka. the worst football coach of all time). We went and assembled the greatest coaching staff ever with Butch Jones at the helm. Turning away the likes of Jon Gruden and other high profile coaches in the process. So the Ducks bring an unproven head coach in their toughest game so far, and Tennessee brings an all-star staff against a team that isn't even in the SEC? It will be a long day for the Ducks.

Experience.
Tennessee has achieved its 800th win and is #8 for all-time wins in college football history. They have 6 National Championships and 16 SEC titles. This is in contrast to the Ducks, who only transitioned from two hand touch to tackle football four years ago. Don't get me wrong, they have done well in the last four years. They have really dominated the PAC 12 conference (which I assume stands for something like Pee-wee All Children), but again, SEC. 

Mascots.
   

 I will assume there will be no discussion about mascots.

Verdict.
I'm sure this is a hard and jagged pill to swallow for Oregon fans who have been fed ESPN propaganda.  I don't know why ESPN is so jealous and hates the Vols, but I do know they are the greatest team to ever grace a college stadium. The Ducks will be so overwhelmed by the pure awesomeness that is the Vols, the game could be over before halftime. I respect Oregon for agreeing to play us in such a one-sided game and hope that the Ducks will one day be on the level with programs like UT. I'm very sorry to have to be the one to drop a reality bomb on the Oregon fans, but it had to be cleared up before Saturday. 

Good luck Ducks!! After this game, you have a realistic chance to win out. 




  

Tennessee Volunteers 2013 Preseason Depth Chart

OFFENSE

Tight End

85   Brendan Downs

Jr.

6-5 // 248 // Bristol, Tenn.

88

Joseph Ayres

6-3 // 254 // R-Sr.

84

Woody Quinn

6-6 // 253 // Jr.

Left Tackle

74   Antonio Richardson

Jr.

6-6 // 327 // Nashville, Tenn.

63

Brett Kendrick

6-6 // 305 // Fr.

Left Guard

78   Alex Bullard

R-Sr.

6-2 // 302 // Franklin, Tenn.

75

Marcus Jackson

6-2 // 307 // Jr.

Center

64   James Stone

Sr.

6-3 // 291 // Nashville, Tenn.

57

Mack Crowder

6-2 // 280 // R-So.

Right Guard

72   Zach Fulton

Sr.

6-5 // 323 // Homewood, Ill.

77

Kyler Kerbyson

6-4 // 306 // R-So.

Right Tackle

70   Ja'Wuan James

Sr.

6-6 // 318 // Suwanee, Ga.

77

Kyler Kerbyson

6-4 // 306 // R-So.

Wide Receiver

83   Cody Blanc

So.

6-3 // 205 // Knoxville, Tenn.

1

Paul Harris

6-4 // 200 // Fr.

Marquez North

6-4 // 215 // Fr.

Wide Receiver

2   Pig Howard

So.

5-8 // 185 // Orlando, Fla.

19

Devrin Young

5-8 // 171 // Jr.

Wide Receiver

18   Jason Croom

R-Fr.

6-5 // 223 // Norcross, Ga.

6

Vincent Dallas

5-11 // 187 // Jr.

Quarterback

14   Justin Worley

Jr.

6-4 // 222 // Rock Hill, S.C.

- OR -

12   Nathan Peterman

R-Fr.

6-2 // 221 // Fruit Cove, Fla.

Running Back

20   Rajion Neal

Sr.

5-11 // 212 // Fayetteville, Ga.

30

Alden Hill

6-2 // 215 // R-Fr.

DEFENSE

Left End

55   Jacques Smith

Sr.

6-2 // 243 // Ooltewah, Tenn.

54

Jordan Williams

6-5 // 260 // Jr.

Defensive Tackle

98   Daniel McCullers

Sr.

6-8 // 351 // Raleigh, N.C.

44

Maurice Couch

6-2 // 304 // R-Sr.

Nose Tackle

97   Daniel Hood

R-Sr.

6-4 // 277 // Knoxville, Tenn.

95

Danny O'Brien

6-2 // 287 // R-Fr.

Defensive End

58   Marlon Walls

R-Sr.

6-2 // 272 // Olive Branch, Miss.

80

Corey Miller

6-3 // 265 // Sr.

Weakside Linebacker

41   Dontavis Sapp

Sr.

6-2 // 227 // Valdosta, Ga.

51

Kenny Bynum

6-1 // 247 // R-Fr.

Middle Linebacker

45   A.J. Johnson

Jr.

6-2 // 243 // Gainesville, Ga.

52

Christian Harris

6-1 // 240 // R-So.

Strongside Linebacker

17   Brent Brewer

Sr.

6-1 // 221 // Tyrone, Ga.

56

Curt Maggitt

6-3 // 239 // Jr.

Cornerback

27   Justin Coleman

Jr.

5-10 // 184 // Brunswick, Ga.

22

Malik Foreman

5-10 // 177 // Fr.

Nickelback

35   Jaron Toney

R-Jr.

5-10 // 184 // Alcoa, Tenn.

26

Geraldo Orta

6-0 // 176 // R-So.

Free Safety

37   Brian Randolph

R-So.

6-0 // 199 // Marietta, Ga.

30

Max Arnold

5-11 // 188 // R-So.

Strong Safety

33   LaDarrell McNeil

So.

6-1 // 199 // Dallas, Texas

3

Byron Moore

6-0 // 208 // R-Sr.

Cornerback

21   Riyahd Jones

Jr.

6-0 // 179 // Columbus, Ga.

23

Cameron Sutton

6-1 // 180 // Fr.

SPECIALISTS

Punter

1   Michael Palardy

Sr.

5-11 // 185 // Coral Springs, Fla.

43

Matt Darr

6-1 // 220 // R-Jr.

Placekicker

1   Michael Palardy

Sr.

5-11 // 185 // Coral Springs, Fla.

5

George Bullock

6-0 // 207 // R-Fr.

Kickoff Specialist

1   Michael Palardy

Sr.

5-11 // 185 // Coral Springs, Fla.

5

George Bullock

6-0 // 207 // R-Fr.

Long Snapper

53   J.R. Carr

R-Sr.

5-10 // 215 // Lomita, Calif.

59

Matt Giampapa

6-0 // 229 // R-So.

Punt Returns

19   Devrin Young

Jr.

5-8 // 171 // Knoxville, Tenn.

2

Pig Howard

5-8 // 185 // So.

Kickoff Returns

19   Devrin Young

Jr.

5-8 // 171 // Knoxville, Tenn.

2

Pig Howard

5-8 // 185 // So.

Holder

3   Tyler Drummer

R-Sr.

6-1 // 169 // Powell, Tenn.

43

Matt Darr

6-1 // 220 // R-Jr.

www.utsports.com

Tennessee Vols Recruiting 2014

Current Verbal Commitments

Jalen Hurd, Hendersonville (TN) Beech High School: Hurd is arguably the most important recruit in Tennessee's class. A massive 6'3, 225-pound running back, Hurd has the potential to be a beast in Butch Jones' run-first spread. Keeping in-state prospects in Tennessee is crucial for the Volunteers, as the state doesn't produce all that much elite talent in the first place. Hurd is a consensus five-star recruit and someone around whom Tennessee can build its offense.

Todd Kelly, Webb School of Knoxville (TN) High School: It's always nice when an elite recruit pops up in the shadow of a school's stadium who happens to be a legacy, and that's exactly what the Volunteers have in Kelly, a 6'1, 190-pound safety prospect. Kelly is a consensus four-star recruit and top-10 safety nationally. He holds multiple offers from the SEC and other elite schools around the country.

D'Andre Payne, Washington (D.C) Friendship Academy: Payne is one of 20 best cornerback recruits in the country, and is a consensus four-star recruit. While only 5'9 and 170 pounds, he consistently makes plays and has good instincts, quickness and toughness. Payne chose Tennessee over many SEC and ACC offers.

Treyvon Paulk, Alpharetta (GA) Milton High School: Paulk is a three-star running back who profiles as a solid contributor to the Volunteers. And "solid" also describes his physical profile. Paul is 5'9 and 200 pounds, and doesn't give defenders much to tackle. He is considered a '9 200 top 40 3-star

Neiko Creamer, Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian High School: In Butch Jones' run-first spread, receivers are required to block. And Creamer should be a big advantage not only as a size mismatch (6'4, 220) against smaller defensive backs in the passing game, but also in the run game on the edge. Some think Creamer can stay at receiver, while others think he will grow into a tight end. Either, way, the consensus three-star is a nice grab for the Volunteers.

Coleman Thomas, Max Meadows (VA) Fort Chiswell High School: Tennessee needs to rebuild its depth on the offensive line, and Thomas is a nice prospect at 6'6 and 298 pounds. He is a consensus three-star recruit, and despite his height, profiles as an interior player and not a tackle.

Vic Wharton, Thompson's Station (TN) Independence High School: A 6'0, 177-pound athlete capable of playing cornerback or slot receiver, Wharton is rated a consensus three-star.

For more on Vol Recruiting visit  http://www.sbnation.com and www.rockytoptalk.com

Butch Jones, The New Face Of The Tennessee Vols.

Butch Jones

It looks like the coaching search is winding down and Butch Jones will be the next head coach of the University of Tennessee. This isn't what the fan base was hoping for, nothing against Jones, but Athletic Director Dave Hart really done a terrible job on this search. There were many better candidates who could have took the job, let me rephrase that, there were better unemployed coaches who WOULD have took the job(Petrino). Butch Jones turned down Kentucky and Colorado waiting on UT to call, but Kentucky isn't very good and Colorado was the worst team in the FBS last year. One other thing, the worst coach in UT history(Dooley), beat the guy by three touchdowns. But the UT fans will eventually get behind him and hopefully not be let down again.
Butch Jones previously coached at University of Cincinnati from 2010 to 2012 and Central Michigan University from 2007 to 2009. A Michigan native, he played college football at Ferris State University. Jones and his wife, Barbara, have three sons -- Alex, Adam, and Andrew. He currently holds a 50-27 overall record. He won the Big East Title last year and won the Liberty Bowl against Vanderbilt, he was also named Big East Coach of the Year.
So at 2:30 today UT will introduce Jones as the new head coach. The fans expect certain things, things he hasn't done yet in the Big East. They also expect him to retain running back coach Jay Graham and go get wide receiver coach Tee Martin from USC. The fans will eventually get behind him, but he will have to win to keep his dream job.

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