Tennessee - Georgia: Immediate Postgame Thoughts, Round 1

by David Hooper on Oct 11, 2008 7:23 PM EDT in Tennessee Volunteer Football

Where to start on this one, eh?

Here are a few things I noticed throughout the game.

Might as well get this out early. Yes, the officiating was bad. No, it was not to blame for UT's loss. There were some points that might not have existed if some plays were called better, but UT clearly got outplayed nonetheless. The right team won.
The defense finally had an off night. You knew the defense couldn't handle that pace of play for every week of the season. This is the week they finally broke down.
Nick Stephens is the long-term starter. He had his mistakes, and he got lucky that some passes weren't intercepted, but he was mentally in the game the whole time. His basic mechanics were there, his longer passes are terrific, and he didn't create problems in the 20-to-goal regions. He's a guy you can build an offense on.
The offensive line is regressing. In the UCLA game, I noted that the O-line was solid against any rush of 5 men or fewer. Tonight, UGA got some great pressure with 3-man rushes at times. The biggest problem seemed to be the tackles, but that may just be the strongest impression in my mind, too.
UT's D needs work on tackling fundamentals. Granted, UGA has terrific players on offense. But that doesn't negate the fact that UT did a poor job of wrapping up the ball carrier. Part of the 3rd-down conversion problem is that UGA tended to gain about 2-3 yards on every play after the first hit. Over the course of 3 consecutive plays, that alone nearly gives you a first down.
Colquitt is a much better punter, but we need help on kickoffs. Did any kickoffs go into the end zone?
Special teams is a train wreck. This each-coach-handles-a-piece approach to special teams isn't working. The players aren't integrated to each other. Punt return coverage is still a liability.
Yet all in all, I feel better about the team than a week ago. We're done in the SEC race. That's now official. So now we can focus on rebuilding the team and developing for next year. (Sorry, seniors. I'm really sorry to say that.) And there are definite things to build on: Stephens; Hardesty; Creer; Berry to name a few. I have a feeling we'll see the offense grow steadily for a few weeks now. It won't be enough to satisfy people, but it should change.

Quick numbers:

Time of Possession: UT 17:51, UGA 42:09
Yards: UT 209, UGA 458
Rushing Yards (net): UT 1, UGA 149
Number of Plays: UT 45, UGA 81
Penalties: UT 10 for 97, UGA 11 for 75

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TOP

I could probably look it up, but it seems like UT is getting killed in TOP every game.

Deferring is for p_ssies. Make a decision!

by wvvol on Oct 11, 2008 7:33 PM EDT reply actions

Yep

This season has officially become a “rebuilding year.” I hope that we actually rebuild. The offense is improving, but the O-line is still playing poorly. I really don’t know what the problem is.

The defense played pretty well, but definitely not their best game of the year. Though I saw many holds and blocks in the back that went uncalled, we still did not put enough pressure on the QB. We did knock him down a few times, though. Robert Ayers played incredible, Eric Berry had a pretty good game, and Elix Wilson had 16 or 17 tackles. Unfortunately we missed far too many tackles, and did not get off the field on 3rd down.

Don’t underestimate the importance of those bad penalty calls. While I agree that the better team won, 10 points were on the board that shouldn’t have been. And don’t forget about the Big Mo’.

Sigh

Go Vols Beat Mississippi State

by rblakeh on Oct 11, 2008 7:54 PM EDT reply actions

agreed

that phantom “helmet to helmet” call on the final drive of the first half was a big mo killer

by bkelly126 on Oct 11, 2008 7:57 PM EDT up reply actions

It really was

by bobo_the_vol on Oct 11, 2008 9:53 PM EDT up reply actions

These penalties extended drives

The half-hour-late Phantom Pass Interference call came on 3rd down if I remember correctly.

Miss State beat Vandy
+ Arkansas beat Auburn
——————————————————————————————-
Tennessee is the worst team in the SEC.

Deferring is for p_ssies. Make a decision!

by wvvol on Oct 11, 2008 8:22 PM EDT up reply actions

It did, but

Ayers ended that drive wonderfully, and we went on to score. I said at the time if Georgia scored it would be the play of the game. They didn’t, it wasn’t.

The game was over first when Georgia gained 14 on 3rd & 7 from their own 5. After that, we just weren’t in it.

by bobo_the_vol on Oct 11, 2008 9:54 PM EDT up reply actions

True. The penalties changed the outcome of the game.

But even without the penalties, Georgia was the better team, period. Our lack of a rushing game was not due to penalties. Nor was our inability to tackle. Nor was the O-line failing to block effectively against a 3-man rush.

But at least our punting felt secure.

by David Hooper on Oct 11, 2008 9:34 PM EDT up reply actions

The defense played pretty well?

150 yards running.
309 passing.

How many times did Georgia have a wide open receiver?
They were 9-17 on third down, 1-1 on 4th.

Played pretty well? They were horrible.
On the TD at the end of the half, watch. I think it’s willingham who looked the wrong way on the play. In zone, should have been reading the QB. Got his back turned when Stafford was staring Massequol down. Horrible, horrible coverage.

by bobo_the_vol on Oct 11, 2008 9:57 PM EDT up reply actions

They certainly made some mistakes

But check the TOP.

Georgia’s offense is a balanced, dynamic group. Our offense is still not doing their part. That our defense held Georgia to 26 points while our offense achieved only 7 first downs (not including the junk plays at the end) is pretty impressive, IMO.

They did give up too many first downs on 3rd down, but again, fatigue was probably a factor on some of those as well.

by rblakeh on Oct 11, 2008 10:04 PM EDT up reply actions