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Well.
Roughly 36 hours later, it's beginning to feel a little better. Re-watching it on TV helped quite a bit, actually. Maybe it was the absence of a couple of absolutely despicable trash-talking Gator fans in our midst in Section N, two separate individuals in a sea of orange acting reprehensibly and fully banking on the grace and honor of the very people they were mocking. It's a good thing they were right.
But mostly it was because the front didn't actually fall off until much later in the game than I remember. The team did look better apart from (1) a weakness in the defense that Florida's coaches discovered late in the third and hammered all the way to the zeroes, and (2) the passing game getting off track. The plays were there just like they were in the first half, but either the throws were off or the catches weren't made. Sigh. But on replay, it did look . . . better. As in "better than before," which is of course very hard to see when you so desperately want "better than them."
Anyway, here's the Stuff UT Is Doing Well, even after this week.
| Categories In Which Tennessee Is In The Top Quartile |
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| Category |
2011 |
NCS | GS | FL | AK | GA | MSB | AL | SC | TR | MO | VAN | KY |
| Passes Intercepted | 86 | 1 | 3 | 11 | |||||||||
| Pass Sacks Allowed | 40 | 29 | 14 | 13 | |||||||||
| Passing Offense | 50 | 13 | 9 | 14 | |||||||||
| Defense Third-down Efficiency | 57 | 57 | 27 | 18 | |||||||||
| Kickoff Returns | 41 | 38 | 14 | 23 | |||||||||
| Punt Return Yardage Defense | 85 | 5 | 8 | 26 | |||||||||
| Turnovers Gained | 91 | 3 | 7 | 28 | |||||||||
| Pass Efficiency Defense | 48 | 28 | 13 | 29 | |||||||||
| Total Offense | 104 | 23 | 15 | 30 | |||||||||
Dropped out: Passing Efficiency, Scoring Offense, Turnover Margin, Passes Had Intercepted (down to #78!), First Downs.
New Arrivals: None.
We still have a dangerous passing attack, even after Florida, whose defense may be much better than we were giving them credit for. And the running game isn't so bad that it keeps total offense out of the Top 30. The Gators kickoff guy completely removed one of our best strengths by forcing touchbacks (or ill-advised returns out of the end zone) all night.
#OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE
And we still only have one category in which the team is in the Bottom 30: Red Zone Efficiency - Defense. That also somehow feels a little better if you remember how you felt when the defense had that goal line stand at the end of the first half.
| Categories In Which Tennessee Is In The Bottom Quartile |
|||||||||||||
| Category |
2011 |
NCS | GS | FL | AK | GA | MSB | AL | SC | TR | MO | VAN | KY |
| Red Zone Efficiency - Defense | 47 | 58 | 95 | 108 | |||||||||
THE BIG FAT MIDDLE
And here's the rest, for tracking purposes.
| Categories In Which Tennessee Is In The Middle |
|||||||||||||
| Category |
2011 |
NCS | GS | FL | AK | GA | MSB | AL | SC | TR | MO | VAN | KY |
| Passing Efficiency | 69 | 32 | 8 | 35 | |||||||||
| Scoring Offense | 106 | 43 | 15 | 37 | |||||||||
| Offense Fourth-down Efficiency | 91 | 58 | 54 | 38 | |||||||||
| Fumbles Lost | 6 | 43 | 59 | 40 | |||||||||
| Net Punting | 104 | 32 | 56 | 42 | |||||||||
| Red Zone Efficiency | 58 | 65 | 57 | 43 | |||||||||
| First Downs | 98 | 40 | 30 | 44 | |||||||||
| Turnover Margin | 59 | 4 | 18 | 48 | |||||||||
| Punt Returns | 61 | 59 | 51 | 54 | |||||||||
| Turnovers Lost | 20 | 23 | 51 | 55 | |||||||||
| Tackles for Loss Allowed | 38 | 97 | 55 | 57 | |||||||||
| Fewest Yards Penalized Per Game | 51 | 39 | 53 | 59 | |||||||||
| Tackles for Loss | 67 | 65 | 53 | 62 | |||||||||
| Offense Third-down Efficiency | 56 | 43 | 49 | 63 | |||||||||
| Scoring Defense | 36 | 54 | 38 | 64 | |||||||||
| Kickoff Return Yardage Defense | 7 | 76 | 63 | 64 | |||||||||
| Pass Defense | 12 | 86 | 73 | 66 | |||||||||
| Rushing Offense | 116 | 45 | 42 | 71 | |||||||||
| Fewest Penalties Per Game | 56 | 52 | 53 | 75 | |||||||||
| Total Defense | 28 | 70 | 48 | 77 | |||||||||
| First Downs Allowed | 18 | 71 | 79 | 77 | |||||||||
| Passes Had Intercepted | 63 | 1 | 28 | 78 | |||||||||
| Fumbles Recovered | 71 | 66 | 60 | 79 | |||||||||
| Pass Sacks | 100 | 68 | 47 | 83 | |||||||||
| Rushing Defense | 69 | 46 | 36 | 84 | |||||||||
| Defense Fourth-down Efficiency | 48 | 37 | 76 | 82 | |||||||||
| Time of Possession | 37 | 38 | 81 | 87 | |||||||||
Scoring Defense, Total Defense, and Rush Defense are all related and took huge hits. Passing Efficiency and Scoring Offense and the other formerly green categories got dinged up. Turnover Margin and Passes Had Intercepted took the worst of it.
Players in the Top 30
This is still mainly three guys.
| Player | Stat | 2011 | NCS | GS | FL | AK | GA | MSB | AL | SC | TR | MO | VAN | KY |
| Tyler Bray | Total Passing Yards | - | 10 | 7 | 9 | |||||||||
| Tyler Bray | Passing Yards Per Game | - | 10 | 11 | 13 | |||||||||
| Tyler Bray | Total Offense | - | 17 | 20 | 21 | |||||||||
| Tyler Bray | Points Responsible For | - | - | 12 | 22 | |||||||||
| Tyler Bray | Passing | - | 16 | - | 27 | |||||||||
| Tyler Bray | Passing Efficiency | - | 30 | 5 | 28 | |||||||||
| Justin Hunter | Total Receiving Yards | - | - | 11 | 12 | |||||||||
| Justin Hunter | Receiving Yards Per Game | - | - | 14 | 18 | |||||||||
| Justin Hunter | Receptions Per Game | - | 9 | 14 | 19 | |||||||||
| Cordarrelle Patterson | Kickoff Returns | - | - | 5 | 15 | |||||||||
| Cordarrelle Patterson | All-Purpose Running | - | - | 8 | 23 | |||||||||
| Cordarrelle Patterson | Total Receiving Yards | - | - | 30 | - | |||||||||
| Willie Bohannon | Fumbles Recovered | - | - | 17 | - | |||||||||
| Brian Randolph | Solo Tackles | - | - | 13 | - | |||||||||
| Byron Moore | Interceptions | - | 5 | - | - | |||||||||
| Eric Gordon | Interceptions | - | 5 | - | - | |||||||||
| Prentiss Waggner | Interceptions | - | 5 | - | - | |||||||||
| Marsalis Teague | Interceptions | - | 5 | - | - | |||||||||
| Curt Maggitt | Forced Fumbles | - | 6 | - | - | |||||||||
| Maurice Couch | Forced Fumbles | - | 6 | - | - | |||||||||
| Byron Moore | Solo Tackles | - | 11 | - | - | |||||||||
| Michael Palardy | Field Goals | - | 13 | - | - | |||||||||
| Curt Maggitt | Pass Sacks | - | 20 | - | - | |||||||||
| Cordarrelle Patterson | Scoring | - | 25 | - | - | |||||||||
| Devrin Young | Kickoff Returns | - | 30 | - | - | |||||||||
| Austin Johnson | Interceptions | 23 |