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Of minds and hearts: Tennessee Volunteers and the LSU Tigers

It should come as no shock to anyone that the LSU Tigers are 7.5 point favorites to win the SEC Championship Game this weekend. The line will no doubt please Jerod Mayo, but is LSU's werewolf aura gone? This, from John Adams:

Two weeks ago, Ole Miss - the worst the SEC has to offer - totaled 466 yards in a 41-24 loss to LSU. But the worst was yet to come for the Tigers.

Last Friday, Arkansas amassed 513 yards against LSU in a 50-48 three-overtime victory. That loss, coupled with all of the coaching rumors, has done as much damage to LSU's image as its ranking. A team that seemingly had it all together in September is on the verge of unraveling in November.


Okay, so maybe that's why VolQuest's Rob Lewis is picking the Vols, 31-27. But I don't know. Is Tennessee's regular season finish all that impressive? Again, John Adams, this time wondering aloud what the other SEC East coaches must be thinking:

Georgia coach Mark Richt: "We're fourth in the country, and Tennessee is in the SEC championship game?"

Florida coach Urban Meyer: "We beat them 59-20, and they're in the SEC championship game."

South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier: "We gained over 500 yards against them, and they're in the SEC championship game."

Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson and Kentucky coach Rich Brooks in unison: "If we had only made the field goal …"

I can appreciate their frustration. And I won't argue if anyone says UT is the worst team ever to represent the East in the SEC championship game.

But what does that say about the competition? It says they didn't take advantage of their opportunities.


Right. They haven't, Tennessee has.

Of course, the Vols aren't really known for putting together complete games this season, and they'll almost certainly need to do so this Saturday. So if Cutcliffe gets what he wants -- four-quarter hotness (I hear it's all the rage!) -- and decides to just ride Arian Foster the entire time, can the Vols win?

Perhaps, because there's this pesky question about Michigan's mental state. I'm sorry. Did I say Michigan? I meant LSU. What is the Wolverines' (argh, did it again!) Tigers' mental state going into Saturday's championship game? Les Miles may not be able to pronounce "Arkansas," but I'm relatively certain even he can pronounce "Michigan." (Here's a handy how-to guide, coach.) Is Miles devoting his entire attention to the game, or is some of that precious time being applied toward lining up the caterer for the possible announcement on Monday that he'll be Michigan's next head coach?

What do y'all think? Which imperfect team will be the most ready come Saturday?

0 recs  |  Comment 6 comments

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Uh-oh! Perrilloux!
Okay. I don't think that's how you pronounce it, but you get the Spaghettio's reference, right?

Anywho... according to ESPN (I'd put a link here but I have no idea how to but you can find it on the college FB front page), Glen Dorsey's knee is still bothering him and he's having back spasms and is far from 100%. Trindon Holliday injured an ankle vs Arky but expects to play.

Apparently, the most significant injury is Matt Flynn's throwing shoulder that he hurt last week. He has been limited in practice and by his own admission about how serious it is, doesn't know what will happen.

Enter Ryan Perrilloux? It seems to be a general concensus that he will see action this Saturday. How much action? Who knows. Regardless, this doesn't bode very well for us. I'm not sure how well we can handle a scrambling QB in LSU's offensive system. Not that Flynn doesn't scramble, but I'm pretty sure Perrilloux is more mobile. Although, I don't think either QB is our biggest concern.

Oh, and Miles...Michigan...Pellini...Nebraska...blah,blah,blah. I can't say anything here you haven't already heard or said. That will probably have an effect. We'll see.

All hail Jim Bob Cooter!

by XRayVol on Nov 29, 2007 2:27 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

Oh yeah...
And I have faith that our boys will be the more fired up team. They have to be. They have to know how big this is. They have to. Don't they?
All hail Jim Bob Cooter!

by XRayVol on Nov 29, 2007 2:30 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

I would think the advantage here
goes to Tennessee.  Our team is healthier, particularly regarding the key players.  If Dorsey can be handled by single-blocking, our O-line will have a tremendous advantage, especially in the passing game.  (If I were game-planning, I would script a few plays early designed to wear down Dorsey; power runs, cutback runs, anything that makes him run.)  The battle of the trenches is winnable for UT on both sides.  If we do rule the trenches, we should be fine.

Flynn will be limited - particularly in long throws, where his range and accuracy will suffer.  They'll probably rotate the QBs to help him last until late in the game if need be.  However, if he gets dropped to the turf a couple times, he might be pulled permanently, which would be a coup.  Expect Perrilloux to have the bulk of the load; he's running the offense through most of the practice time this week to maximize the plays he can call.  I think he'll be very susceptible to being spied on by Berry or Mayo.

Holliday's tweaked ankle might not play a factor.  If it does, it'll be because he's a little unsure of its integrity and he therefore has a little reduced mobility.  Losing a step might be the difference between him being effective and him being contained.

The closer this game gets, the better I feel about UT's chances.  At the beginning of the season, this was a mismatch.  However, every week, our young starters are getting better integrated into the system, and it really showed during the overtime last week.  Rogan is now a force to be dealt with, and Berry will keep the LSU offense off-guard.  The only question is how well Ainge and Mayo can keep their respective units focused and energized.

Now, if we can just convince Chavis to call something besides a prevent defense sometime during the second half...

by Hooper on Nov 29, 2007 2:56 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

Eric Berry X-Factor
I am not going too far out on a limb here to say that i hope Eric Berry holds onto one or two of the chances he will certainly get at an interception saturday.

I want to hear:

"Pick 6 freshman sensation Eric Berry is SPRINTING down the sidelines with his second catch of a Perrilloux thrown ball!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

by guilded on Nov 29, 2007 4:28 PM EST reply actions   0 recs

Discipline
As much as LSU's defense was heralded early in the season, I do think we will be able to score points on them at least in the early going. Cutcliffe for the most part has had a knack for putting together a stretch of plays and packages to put points on the board in the first few possessions. The issue as we all know this season has been our ability to handle adjustments made by our opponents. I think if its a situation where our game plan is to build a lead then protect it, I think we'll be in trouble. Other than that all the normal stuff is in effect, we must  have one or two key turnovers and must take advantage while playing disciplined and limiting our own mistakes.

PS The bitterness of the other coaches in the East just makes this even sweeter.

by Getoffmyvols on Nov 30, 2007 8:40 AM EST reply actions   0 recs

Yeah
My fear is that this game will look less like South Carolina and Kentucky and more like Vanderbilt, except without the comeback.
Go Vols!

by Joel on Nov 30, 2007 9:13 AM EST up reply actions   0 recs

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