Tennessee 48, Arkansas State 27: early thoughts

by Joel on Sep 23, 2007 7:32 AM EDT in Tennessee Volunteer Football Comment 6 comments

The offense looked fantastic most of the game. Erik Ainge was on target and in command, except for one mysterious interception that was returned for a touchdown. LaMarcus Coker got the bulk of the carries in the running game and also looked good.
The defense looked much improved at times. The line got a good deal of pressure on the quarterback, and the secondary got its hands on the ball a lot. It's now more a problem of consistency. Run defense is still suspect, and there were still several missed tackles and opportunities, including at least two passes that should have been intercepted for scores but weren't. Berry is the team's best tackler by far and quite possibly the best defender period. It looks like we're beginning to get some of the right players onto the field.
The receivers were finally getting behind the secondary. Lucas Taylor had another very good night and the highlight of the game -- a one-handed deep grab to set up the first touchdown.
The secondary is beginning to come together, with DeAngelo Willingham joining Marsalous Johnson, Eric Berry, and Jonathan Hefney. Brent Vinson also saw a good deal of action. Hefney's beginning to look like just one of the guys instead of the leader. Johnson left the game with a chest contusion, which could be a real blow.
It was really good to see so many of the new guys on the field. Willingham and Berry were all over the place in the secondary. Vinson's and Nevin McKenzie's names were called a lot. Running back Lennon Creer got nine carries. Ben Martin also saw some action.
Overall, it was a good game for the Vols. Enough improvement to bring some optimism back into the season.

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I guess this just goes to show...

...that people's assessments are colored somewhat by what they wanted or expected to see.

Where you saw reason to be optimistic, I saw reason to be terrified of what Darren McFadden will do to us. Arkansas State was ripping huge runs all night, and was able to throw some bombs against our secondary. A lot of the time, the defense looked like a "polite audience," as Orson might say.

On the offensive side, I agree that Ainge looked good minus that one bone-headed INT. I was happy to see him throwing downfield more than he has at any point so far this year. But the receivers weren't getting any separation against a Sun Belt secondary. And early in the game, Cutcliffe seemed to give up on the run again for several series when I'm not sure it was necessary to do so.

Kick coverage was atrocious again for the first three quarters.

There was a point in the first half where the Vols looked so bad to the guy I was watching the game with and me that were discussing whether Fulmer would be fired immediately after a loss.

Maybe I've just become part of the legion of the miserable, but there was a point where I looked up and was unsettled by what I saw. On one TV, the Vols were only up by a field goal to a Sun Belt team late in the 2nd quarter. On another, Kentucky was playing defense and running the option. I thought to myself, "What universe am I in?"

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by rustytanton on Sep 23, 2007 8:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

What I said . . .

. . . was that there was "[e]nough improvement to bring some optimism back into the season." I was looking for some signs of life in a game that many thought we were primed to lose, and I saw some. Yes, the run defense is still suspect, a nice word for "bad," but wasn't it nice to see some pressure on the QB?

Our secondary is not there yet, and I didn't say it was, but rather that it is "beginning to come together."

But you're right, we're all going to see things through our own filter. I don't know that you've "become part of the legion of the miserable" (great line, by the way), and I sincerely hope that you don't. Vol fans have reason to be But I have seen certain fans at other sites become so invested in a campaign to fire a coach that they can't even enjoy wins. I've made a choice to err on the side of optimism. That way, I'm generally happy in anticipation of games, happy with wins, and appropriately disappointed by losses.

I'd rather have it that way than be unhappy going into games, unhappy with losses (yet morbidly satisfied at being right), and oddly unsettled with wins. Where's the fun in that?

Go Vols!

by Joel on Sep 23, 2007 10:47 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Um, finish that sentence!

"Vol fans have reason to be concerned."

But really, now that I'm thinking about it, you can just fill in the blank, can't you?!

Go Vols!

by Joel on Sep 23, 2007 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP - GOT TO BE A PONEY

It's like the two twin boys,one was a pessimist and one was a optimist. On their Birthday their Dad put them in two separate rooms,the boy who was a pessimist the Dad filled his room with presents. The boy who was a optimist his room he filled with horse manure. He put the boys in their rooms and left. In a hour he came back to pessimist room, the boy was just sitting there,he had not touched any of his presents,His Dad asked what was wrong ? The boy said "with all these presents something has to be wrong with them."
He went into the optimist room and the boy was in there laughing,jumping up and down,throwing horse manure up in the air just having a good time. His Dad asked him,son what are you doing ? The boy said "Dad with all this horse manure in here I know there has to be a Pony in here somewhere ". So granted Arkansas State wasn't a big power house,but it was a WIN. It something to build on and to get better. So VOL FANS theres got to be a " PONY " here somewhere.
MORE NEWS TO COME, OLD SMOKEY, GO VOLS!!!!!

OLD SMOKEY

by old smokey on Sep 23, 2007 3:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Optimism

Like Joel, I like to err on the side of optimism as well. It makes the build up each week exciting and makes each Saturday something to look forward to. I still think this team has the ability to do some great things but they need to come out fired up disciplined and ready to play. (i thought the defense came out very flat) The bye comes at a good time cause from here on out (minus LA Lafayette) there is very little room for error.

by Getoffmyvols on Sep 24, 2007 1:49 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Maybe it's a pony

There is something oddly satisfying about wallowing. It's like niggling on a sore tooth. If the game had finished as close as it was earlier on, then even with a win it would have been a lot like working on that sore tooth. But as it was, it was a good solid win. The kind of win you'd expect from the Volunteers over Arkansas State. The kind of win you'd be worried if we hadn't got. Am I sore loser now, unhappy that we couldn't wallow? No way. Go Vols - I'm glad for the win.

Am I jubilant like I would be say for a win over Georgia - no, of course not. But at least Saturday's performance does give us optimism that we might have some jubilation in our future.

by Vol Abroad on Sep 24, 2007 3:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs