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FPRC's 2014 Tennessee Volunteers Preview
Posted on 8/8/14 at 7:21 pm
Posted on 8/8/14 at 7:21 pm
The Tennessee delegation to the FPRC presents The Tennessee Volunteers preseason preview:
Last season record/brief recap:
Team 117 took their turn trying to bring the Tennessee Vols back to their rightful place among the SEC elite in 2013. Unfortunately, like the previous 5 seasons, this group of Volunteers fell short. But, for first the first time in a while you could feel the magic returning back to Rocky Top during Butch Jones' inaugural season.
The Vols' season crescendo came during a two game home stand last fall. The Vols fell inches (literally) short against UGA and ruined South Carolina's best season ever with a 23-21 win. The low point of the season was a last second loss to cross state rival Vanderbilt in Neyland Stadium. While a loss to Vandy certainly increases the sales of Jack Daniels in Knoxville it is never acceptable. Tennessee finished 5-7 (2-6) and missed the post season for a third straight year, which is the first time in over 100 years that has happened to the Vols.
Tennessee's offense has potential to take off in 2014. It also has some potential weaknesses that could keep that transformation from coming to fruition.
Analysis of Offense
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Starters returning from last year's team include:
QB - #14 Justin Worley-SR 6-4 220lbs - Justin is entering this season's fall camp as the QB with the best chance to seize the starting job. He looks to have improved his accuracy and arm strength after working very hard this offseason with QB guru George Whitfield. He was lauded for his performance at the Peyton Manning QB camp this July and could become the leader this Offense desperately needs.
RB - #15 Marlin Lane SR 5-11 209lbs - Marlin split the starting role with Rajion Neal last year. Marlin has shown many flashes of potentially being an upper third in the SEC running back but never has been able to put it together. The former consensus 4* looks poised to be able to do that in 2014. He has taken the challenge of TN signing 5* Jalen Hurd personally and has brought his greatest offseason effort by far. Butch has commended his commitment multiple times in recent interviews. Look for a big season for #15.
WR - #8 Marquez North - SO 6-4 221 lbs - If you are wanting to look for the one Tennessee offensive skill player who is poised to hit the bigtime college football scene this year, it is Marquez North. Reports this summer are that he has the look of an NFL Veteran and has built on his solid SEC rookie campaign. Having more weapons around him will only open things up for North. Expect him near the top of all SEC receiving categories in 2014.
WR - #2 Pig Howard - JR 5-8 187lbs
TE - #85 Brendan Downs - SR 6-5 240lbs
OL - #75 Marcus Jackson - RSJR 6-2 306lbs
Players to Watch
QB - #11 Josh Dobbs-SO 6-3 216lbs - Josh has bulked up this offseason and had a fantastic showing in the spring game. In a perfect scenario he would perform so well in fall camp that the coaches wouldn't be able to keep him off the field and let him take over the QB position for the foreseeable future. This would give the Vols continuity and a bright future heading into the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
RB - #1 Jalen Hurd - FR 6'3 225lbs - You will likely be very familiar with this name by the end of the 2014 season. Jalen was a homegrown 5* talent and has a very unique size, speed, skillset combination for a RB. Standing at 6'3 and 225 Lbs Jalen possesses the size of a OLB but the shiftiness and vision of a protypical NFL RB. There will be a learning curve for the Freshman and he will have his "welcome to the SEC" moment at some point this fall, but I forsee him having major impact for the Vols this season.
WR - #3 Josh Malone - FR 6-3 204lbs - The other Tennessee HS 5* is Josh Malone. Watching him play is very reminiscent of AJ Green and Justin Hunter's game. He is a tall, lean WR with great sprinting and in air ball tracking ability. He lit up the TN secondary in the spring game to the tune of 3 TD's and over 200 yards. He will be the perfect compliment on the other side of the field of Marquez North. He is also a very bright player and is picking up the offense faster than most true freshman.
Potential strengths and weaknesses and overall summary:
Tennessee has pretty clear strengths and weaknesses on offense in 2014. With the strength of the offensive line being its interior and the talent at RB, the Vols ground production increase from 2013 will continue to rise in 2014. Look for road graders Marcus Jackson, Mack Crowder and Kyler Kerbyson in the interior of the line to create nice running lanes for Marlin Lane and Jalen Hurd. Both of these RB's posses the ability to make defenders miss in the open field or run you over.
Tennessee will also have a great strength at Wide Receiver. The Tennessee QB will not have to be perfect in 2014 like Butch Jones claimed they needed to be in 2013. The WR position has been stocked with playmakers over the past two years. We just touched on the depth of talent at WR for the Vols in 2014 above. In addition to Marquez North, Josh Malone, Pig Howard and Von Pearson the Vol QB will have Jason Croom, Jonathon Johnson, Vic Wharton and Josh Smith at their disposal. The Vols will rotate their WR's to keep them fresh and in attacking position on SEC DB's all season long.
The glaring offensive weakness for TN is its OT position. This will significantly affect pass protection. Dontavious Blair and Coleman Thomas look to be the starters at T this fall. Both were new to campus this spring and while they possess the tools physically to handle the job they both will be learning on the job at a very tough position.
Look for Mike Bajakian, TN's offensive coordinator to use a lot more roll out packages and try to move the pocket early in the season to try and help the young tackles. Also, look for short 3 step drops and the QB's to get the ball out of their hand quick to RB's and WR's running screens, hitches and slants. This will get the ball into the hands of the playmakers as fast as possible and reduces the risk of sacks.
TN's coaches are no doubt hoping that strong QB plan may mitigate any expected negative impact from the OL. It appears highly likely, however, that our low sack total from the 3 previous seasons will rise.
Tennessee's offense is poised to take off in 2014. The keys will be the overall tempo improvement, along with the steady QB play and increased perimeter talent. This will get this offense into the 30pt/game range and keep us in almost every football game this fall.
Last season record/brief recap:
Team 117 took their turn trying to bring the Tennessee Vols back to their rightful place among the SEC elite in 2013. Unfortunately, like the previous 5 seasons, this group of Volunteers fell short. But, for first the first time in a while you could feel the magic returning back to Rocky Top during Butch Jones' inaugural season.
The Vols' season crescendo came during a two game home stand last fall. The Vols fell inches (literally) short against UGA and ruined South Carolina's best season ever with a 23-21 win. The low point of the season was a last second loss to cross state rival Vanderbilt in Neyland Stadium. While a loss to Vandy certainly increases the sales of Jack Daniels in Knoxville it is never acceptable. Tennessee finished 5-7 (2-6) and missed the post season for a third straight year, which is the first time in over 100 years that has happened to the Vols.
Tennessee's offense has potential to take off in 2014. It also has some potential weaknesses that could keep that transformation from coming to fruition.
Analysis of Offense
[/img]
Starters returning from last year's team include:
QB - #14 Justin Worley-SR 6-4 220lbs - Justin is entering this season's fall camp as the QB with the best chance to seize the starting job. He looks to have improved his accuracy and arm strength after working very hard this offseason with QB guru George Whitfield. He was lauded for his performance at the Peyton Manning QB camp this July and could become the leader this Offense desperately needs.
RB - #15 Marlin Lane SR 5-11 209lbs - Marlin split the starting role with Rajion Neal last year. Marlin has shown many flashes of potentially being an upper third in the SEC running back but never has been able to put it together. The former consensus 4* looks poised to be able to do that in 2014. He has taken the challenge of TN signing 5* Jalen Hurd personally and has brought his greatest offseason effort by far. Butch has commended his commitment multiple times in recent interviews. Look for a big season for #15.
WR - #8 Marquez North - SO 6-4 221 lbs - If you are wanting to look for the one Tennessee offensive skill player who is poised to hit the bigtime college football scene this year, it is Marquez North. Reports this summer are that he has the look of an NFL Veteran and has built on his solid SEC rookie campaign. Having more weapons around him will only open things up for North. Expect him near the top of all SEC receiving categories in 2014.
WR - #2 Pig Howard - JR 5-8 187lbs
TE - #85 Brendan Downs - SR 6-5 240lbs
OL - #75 Marcus Jackson - RSJR 6-2 306lbs
Players to Watch
QB - #11 Josh Dobbs-SO 6-3 216lbs - Josh has bulked up this offseason and had a fantastic showing in the spring game. In a perfect scenario he would perform so well in fall camp that the coaches wouldn't be able to keep him off the field and let him take over the QB position for the foreseeable future. This would give the Vols continuity and a bright future heading into the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
RB - #1 Jalen Hurd - FR 6'3 225lbs - You will likely be very familiar with this name by the end of the 2014 season. Jalen was a homegrown 5* talent and has a very unique size, speed, skillset combination for a RB. Standing at 6'3 and 225 Lbs Jalen possesses the size of a OLB but the shiftiness and vision of a protypical NFL RB. There will be a learning curve for the Freshman and he will have his "welcome to the SEC" moment at some point this fall, but I forsee him having major impact for the Vols this season.
WR - #3 Josh Malone - FR 6-3 204lbs - The other Tennessee HS 5* is Josh Malone. Watching him play is very reminiscent of AJ Green and Justin Hunter's game. He is a tall, lean WR with great sprinting and in air ball tracking ability. He lit up the TN secondary in the spring game to the tune of 3 TD's and over 200 yards. He will be the perfect compliment on the other side of the field of Marquez North. He is also a very bright player and is picking up the offense faster than most true freshman.
Potential strengths and weaknesses and overall summary:
Tennessee has pretty clear strengths and weaknesses on offense in 2014. With the strength of the offensive line being its interior and the talent at RB, the Vols ground production increase from 2013 will continue to rise in 2014. Look for road graders Marcus Jackson, Mack Crowder and Kyler Kerbyson in the interior of the line to create nice running lanes for Marlin Lane and Jalen Hurd. Both of these RB's posses the ability to make defenders miss in the open field or run you over.
Tennessee will also have a great strength at Wide Receiver. The Tennessee QB will not have to be perfect in 2014 like Butch Jones claimed they needed to be in 2013. The WR position has been stocked with playmakers over the past two years. We just touched on the depth of talent at WR for the Vols in 2014 above. In addition to Marquez North, Josh Malone, Pig Howard and Von Pearson the Vol QB will have Jason Croom, Jonathon Johnson, Vic Wharton and Josh Smith at their disposal. The Vols will rotate their WR's to keep them fresh and in attacking position on SEC DB's all season long.
The glaring offensive weakness for TN is its OT position. This will significantly affect pass protection. Dontavious Blair and Coleman Thomas look to be the starters at T this fall. Both were new to campus this spring and while they possess the tools physically to handle the job they both will be learning on the job at a very tough position.
Look for Mike Bajakian, TN's offensive coordinator to use a lot more roll out packages and try to move the pocket early in the season to try and help the young tackles. Also, look for short 3 step drops and the QB's to get the ball out of their hand quick to RB's and WR's running screens, hitches and slants. This will get the ball into the hands of the playmakers as fast as possible and reduces the risk of sacks.
TN's coaches are no doubt hoping that strong QB plan may mitigate any expected negative impact from the OL. It appears highly likely, however, that our low sack total from the 3 previous seasons will rise.
Tennessee's offense is poised to take off in 2014. The keys will be the overall tempo improvement, along with the steady QB play and increased perimeter talent. This will get this offense into the 30pt/game range and keep us in almost every football game this fall.
This post was edited on 8/8/14 at 8:22 pm
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Posted on 8/8/14 at 7:22 pm to semotruman
Solid analysis of a shitty team....but where in God's name have you been Semo 
Posted on 8/8/14 at 7:26 pm to semotruman
Nice write up. Sounds about right 
Posted on 8/8/14 at 7:33 pm to semotruman
Analysis of Defense
Tennessee's defense, while being stocked with an abundance of talented freshman, doesn't appear to have the big potential that the offense has for 2014. But, there is an opportunity to have the best Tennessee defense by far since 2011 (which isn't saying too much).
Starters returning from last year's team include:
DE - #56 Curt Maggitt - RSJr 6-3 251lbs - Before an ACL tear in the “Missouri Dooley Debacle of 2012” Curt was a 2 year starter. This year Curt will be sliding down to DE after bulking up to help TN build a pass rush threat. TN was last in the SEC in sacks last year and 2012. Curt has excellent speed, explosiveness and strength and could be just what the TN staff is looking for.
MLB - #45 AJ Johnson-SR 6-2 245lbs - Mr. Tackle made a big decision for Team 118 and stayed in school for his SR season. AJ has amassed 324 career tackles which is nearing the tops of TN's record books. He will man the middle for the defense and truly started to come into form at the end of the 2013 season. For a guy with as many tackles as AJ has, he still has a lot of room to improve. His play recognition in the passing game and reaction speed look to be the best they've been since he's been in orange this summer.
CB - #23 Cam Sutton - So 6-1 190lbs - Cam Sutton is the first true cover corner the Vols have had in many years. He was put in probably before he was ready in 2013 but did well recording 2 INT's and 7 PBU's in his initial season on Rocky Top. Cam should have one of the CB spots locked up this fall but will be pushed by A LOT of DB talent that's being infused into this roster.
S - #37 Brian Randolph RSJr 6-0 209 lbs
Other Starters Returning but may not start (Justin Coleman - CB, Ladarell McNeil - S)
Players to Watch (Honestly so many it's hard to choose!)
DL - #8 Dwayne Hendrix - Fr - 6'4 275 lbs - Dwayne was a very highly rated DE/DT prospect out of IL. His large frame makes him a potential DE/DT hybrid this season for Coach Janceck to work with. He has the size and speed combination that looks to be able to hold up in the run game but also penetrate the offensive line and create disruptive plays in the backfield. If he can take hold of a spot in the two deep this August it will greatly improve this defense.
DL - #50 Corey Vereen So 6-2 253lbs - You could almost slide Corey up into the returning category. He had a big impact in his first year even though he had a preseason injury that held him out of the first few games. His sack in the UGA game got TN back into that game and his speed is his greatest asset. He is a true pass rushing threat to go along with Curt Maggitt and they should be great bookends on 3rd downs coming after opposing SEC QB's.
LB - #34 Jalen Reeves-Maybin So 6-1 230lbs - This athletic sophomore LB made his impact felt on special teams last year. Everywhere you turned he was lighting an opposing returner up or blocking punts. He is a cerebral player and made a key check in the South Carolina game that made Steve Spurrier call his 2nd timeout which led to the punt before TN's winning score. He will be next to AJ Johnson in almost every formation for the Vols.
LB - #17 Dillon Bates - FR 6-3 222lbs
DB - #12 Emmanuel Mosely - FR 5'11 178lbs
Potential strengths and weaknesses and overall summary:
It could be the best of times, or the worst of times. This Tennessee defense is going to be very interesting to follow this year. There is so much reason for hope, experienced pieces like AJ, Randolph and Curt mixing in with a huge influx of young motivated talent. But, considering how the Vol defense has looked in recent years, it is tough to imagine a huge one-year turnaround.
The strength of this defense should be an improved obvious pass down defensive package. TN should now have the DE's in place that can finally get after the QB in this situation. The DB's look like they will finally have the speed to keep up with opposing receivers most of the time and can give the DL enough time to get to the QB.
The run defense at this point looks to be a weakness. Until someone steps up at DT there is just a void. Can TN's DL hold up against the biggest and best OL's in the SEC when they just line it up and smash it right at them? With so much youth being forced into playing right away on the DL, it is a big concern.
Overall the potential is there for TN to finally have an athletic defense that can keep up with the speed of the conference which has been absolutely a huge issue the past two years. But ... they need to continue to recruit the DL and let those players develop before TN can have a truly elite D again.
Special Teams- Kicking Game
Tennessee's special teams in the kicking game look to be a concern in 2014. The competition will between RSSo George Bullock and Fr Aaron Medley. Medley has the most leg talent and is likely to win the PK job.
Matt Darr will take over at Punter. He was a top recruit but has struggled early in his career. As a Sr this is his shot to take over the job and be a strength and not a liability. He looked better in the spring and will need to be for this team to flip field position when the offense stalls out.
Special Teams- Return Game
The good news about having a top 5 recruiting class deep with elite skill athletes is that it give the coaching staff a lot of return options. Devrin Young has done well at PR in his career but doesn't have game breaking ability. Look for Vic Wharton to push him at that position.
KR is a wide open competition and anyone could take that job. Favorites are Von Pearson and Derrell Scott.
Analysis of Coaching
For the 4th time in 8 years TN will have a new head coach and for the 6th time in 7 years a new offensive or defensive coordinator...Wait...what? We actually have staff continuity? HALLELUJAH!
For only the SECOND time since TN was heading into their last SEC Title game appearance season (2007) the Vols have both of their coordinator's returning. This is the first time since then that every position coach returns as well.
If that doesn't strike you as significant then you haven't been following the Vols closely the last 10 years. Finally the Vols have a head coach who has built programs before and has loyal assistants determined in working with him over a long period to build TN back to a winning program.
There seems to be a lot of confidence in the offensive staff among the Rocky Top fanbase. Mike Bajakian was playing with a short hand last year and still got TN their most rushing yards in a decade.
In contrast, there seems to be a few questions on the defensive staff. It stems a lot from Janceck and Martinez's stint for UGA in the 2007-09 time frame. They have another tough job in front of them, but they have the ability to develop these talented freshman all year long and as long as they show improvement from game 1 to hopefully 13 Volnation will stay patient.
The good news for Tennessee fans is that we have a coaching staff that is passionate about getting Tennessee back to the top and will give their all every day for Tennessee!
Tennessee's defense, while being stocked with an abundance of talented freshman, doesn't appear to have the big potential that the offense has for 2014. But, there is an opportunity to have the best Tennessee defense by far since 2011 (which isn't saying too much).
Starters returning from last year's team include:
DE - #56 Curt Maggitt - RSJr 6-3 251lbs - Before an ACL tear in the “Missouri Dooley Debacle of 2012” Curt was a 2 year starter. This year Curt will be sliding down to DE after bulking up to help TN build a pass rush threat. TN was last in the SEC in sacks last year and 2012. Curt has excellent speed, explosiveness and strength and could be just what the TN staff is looking for.
MLB - #45 AJ Johnson-SR 6-2 245lbs - Mr. Tackle made a big decision for Team 118 and stayed in school for his SR season. AJ has amassed 324 career tackles which is nearing the tops of TN's record books. He will man the middle for the defense and truly started to come into form at the end of the 2013 season. For a guy with as many tackles as AJ has, he still has a lot of room to improve. His play recognition in the passing game and reaction speed look to be the best they've been since he's been in orange this summer.
CB - #23 Cam Sutton - So 6-1 190lbs - Cam Sutton is the first true cover corner the Vols have had in many years. He was put in probably before he was ready in 2013 but did well recording 2 INT's and 7 PBU's in his initial season on Rocky Top. Cam should have one of the CB spots locked up this fall but will be pushed by A LOT of DB talent that's being infused into this roster.
S - #37 Brian Randolph RSJr 6-0 209 lbs
Other Starters Returning but may not start (Justin Coleman - CB, Ladarell McNeil - S)
Players to Watch (Honestly so many it's hard to choose!)
DL - #8 Dwayne Hendrix - Fr - 6'4 275 lbs - Dwayne was a very highly rated DE/DT prospect out of IL. His large frame makes him a potential DE/DT hybrid this season for Coach Janceck to work with. He has the size and speed combination that looks to be able to hold up in the run game but also penetrate the offensive line and create disruptive plays in the backfield. If he can take hold of a spot in the two deep this August it will greatly improve this defense.
DL - #50 Corey Vereen So 6-2 253lbs - You could almost slide Corey up into the returning category. He had a big impact in his first year even though he had a preseason injury that held him out of the first few games. His sack in the UGA game got TN back into that game and his speed is his greatest asset. He is a true pass rushing threat to go along with Curt Maggitt and they should be great bookends on 3rd downs coming after opposing SEC QB's.
LB - #34 Jalen Reeves-Maybin So 6-1 230lbs - This athletic sophomore LB made his impact felt on special teams last year. Everywhere you turned he was lighting an opposing returner up or blocking punts. He is a cerebral player and made a key check in the South Carolina game that made Steve Spurrier call his 2nd timeout which led to the punt before TN's winning score. He will be next to AJ Johnson in almost every formation for the Vols.
LB - #17 Dillon Bates - FR 6-3 222lbs
DB - #12 Emmanuel Mosely - FR 5'11 178lbs
Potential strengths and weaknesses and overall summary:
It could be the best of times, or the worst of times. This Tennessee defense is going to be very interesting to follow this year. There is so much reason for hope, experienced pieces like AJ, Randolph and Curt mixing in with a huge influx of young motivated talent. But, considering how the Vol defense has looked in recent years, it is tough to imagine a huge one-year turnaround.
The strength of this defense should be an improved obvious pass down defensive package. TN should now have the DE's in place that can finally get after the QB in this situation. The DB's look like they will finally have the speed to keep up with opposing receivers most of the time and can give the DL enough time to get to the QB.
The run defense at this point looks to be a weakness. Until someone steps up at DT there is just a void. Can TN's DL hold up against the biggest and best OL's in the SEC when they just line it up and smash it right at them? With so much youth being forced into playing right away on the DL, it is a big concern.
Overall the potential is there for TN to finally have an athletic defense that can keep up with the speed of the conference which has been absolutely a huge issue the past two years. But ... they need to continue to recruit the DL and let those players develop before TN can have a truly elite D again.
Special Teams- Kicking Game
Tennessee's special teams in the kicking game look to be a concern in 2014. The competition will between RSSo George Bullock and Fr Aaron Medley. Medley has the most leg talent and is likely to win the PK job.
Matt Darr will take over at Punter. He was a top recruit but has struggled early in his career. As a Sr this is his shot to take over the job and be a strength and not a liability. He looked better in the spring and will need to be for this team to flip field position when the offense stalls out.
Special Teams- Return Game
The good news about having a top 5 recruiting class deep with elite skill athletes is that it give the coaching staff a lot of return options. Devrin Young has done well at PR in his career but doesn't have game breaking ability. Look for Vic Wharton to push him at that position.
KR is a wide open competition and anyone could take that job. Favorites are Von Pearson and Derrell Scott.
Analysis of Coaching
For the 4th time in 8 years TN will have a new head coach and for the 6th time in 7 years a new offensive or defensive coordinator...Wait...what? We actually have staff continuity? HALLELUJAH!
For only the SECOND time since TN was heading into their last SEC Title game appearance season (2007) the Vols have both of their coordinator's returning. This is the first time since then that every position coach returns as well.
If that doesn't strike you as significant then you haven't been following the Vols closely the last 10 years. Finally the Vols have a head coach who has built programs before and has loyal assistants determined in working with him over a long period to build TN back to a winning program.
There seems to be a lot of confidence in the offensive staff among the Rocky Top fanbase. Mike Bajakian was playing with a short hand last year and still got TN their most rushing yards in a decade.
In contrast, there seems to be a few questions on the defensive staff. It stems a lot from Janceck and Martinez's stint for UGA in the 2007-09 time frame. They have another tough job in front of them, but they have the ability to develop these talented freshman all year long and as long as they show improvement from game 1 to hopefully 13 Volnation will stay patient.
The good news for Tennessee fans is that we have a coaching staff that is passionate about getting Tennessee back to the top and will give their all every day for Tennessee!
This post was edited on 8/8/14 at 8:34 pm
Posted on 8/8/14 at 7:34 pm to semotruman
Schedule Analysis:
Tennessee's schedule in 2014 is equivalent to hiking Mount Everest during a catastrophic blizzard. In flip flops. It looks to be nearly impossible to traverse the entire gauntlet of games, but there does look to be an opportunity for Tennessee to return to their first bowl game since the 2010 season.
Tennessee's 2014 schedule is below:
Aug. 31 Utah State Aggies
Sept. 6 Arkansas State Red Wolves
Sept. 13 at Oklahoma Sooners
Sept. 20 Open Date
Sept. 27 at Georgia Bulldogs
Oct. 4 Florida Gators
Oct. 11 Chattanooga Mocs (HC)
Oct. 18 at Ole Miss Rebels
Oct. 25 Alabama Crimson Tide
Nov. 1 at South Carolina Gamecocks
Nov. 8 Open Date
Nov. 15 Kentucky Wildcats
Nov. 22 Missouri Tigers
Nov. 29 at Vanderbilt Commodores
The Vols open the season against two bowl championship winning OOC opponents in Neyland Stadium. Both of these game present decent tests to the Vols but neither have the talent to beat Tennessee if they play to their ability.
The next week brings pain and reality back into Volnation's lives. The trip to Norman may not be quite as bad as the cross country trek to Eugene for the 2013 Vols, but it won't be pretty. Bob Stoops and his anti-SEC Rhetoric will be on full display this evening and he will relish playing a name SEC school early in the season that is filled with first year players on their first road trip.
The Vols get to come home for a week and lick their wounds during an open date and turn their eyes upon the always vulnerable Georgia Bulldogs. This game will be a good evenly matched battle in my estimation. Georgia will likely take the W but watch out for this game, Dawgs.
Next up, the Florida Gators come to town after a bye week of their own. The key question in this game is the psyche of the Gator team. Will a rough showing at Bama in their previous game start the Muschamp career implosion? Or will the Gators refocus and take it to TN like they have the last 9 years? Our prediction - Tennessee gets it's biggest win of the Butch Jones era.
After a dominating win over Chattanooga the Vols will be 4-2 heading to Oxford. This will be a trap game for the Rebels as they have classified the game with TN as their homecoming game. Look for this to be a very close game, and for Ole Miss to pull it out.
The next two weeks will take Tennessee back under .500. The home game with Bama (AKA the "Lane Kiffin may not get out alive" game) will be a bitter pill to take for Volnation. Tennessee is still a year away from being able to compete with Bama. The Vols lose this one at home, and the next one to the Gamecocks in Columbia, SC.
The last games will decide whether Tennessee goes bowling...or not. Look for TN to easily take care of Kentucky, and their bowl lives will come down to a win at home over Missouri or a road win @Vandy. We like our chances in both games
Final record prediction 7-5 (4-4).
Offseason Report
The offseason has been rather quiet for the program who is responsible for the Fulmer Cup as only 2 arrests occurred. Those two were AJ Johnson and Danny O'Brien, who were charged with supplying alcohol to minors among other things. But the pair have been disciplined internally and the charges are expected to be dropped after they pay court costs.
Pig Howard took a leave from the team for a short time but is now back practicing as a fully participating member of the team.
Word in Knoxville is that Marlin Lane has taken a position of leadership on the team, which is a somewhat surprising positive piece of info for Volnation.
The only real negative of note to come out of our offseason has been the transfer of backup QB Riley Ferguson.
Of course the biggest news out of the offseason for us was our top 10 ranked recruiting class that included a haul of 32 ‘cruits.
Keys to Success or Failure
Without a doubt the key to our success this season hinges on the performance of an inexperienced offensive line and to a lesser extent, defensive line.
This offense has a chance to really open some eyes around the league with the depth at WR/TE if the offensive line can pass protect well enough to keep the QB upright. If.
On the defensive side there is inexperience but at the start of camp it seems people around the program are less concerned with this unit than the other side of the ball
For the team as a whole, whether we become bowl eligible or not will be determined by how quickly this abundance of YOUNG talent can develop and become solid players in the SEC
Overall Season Outlook
The outlook for our season is very, very cautious optimism. Most all UT fan's goal is to make it to a bowl game for the first time since 2010 but with our schedule it will be quite difficult. There are 5 almost automatic wins on the schedule but where the 6th comes from is anyone's guess.
Volnation predicts we will win 6 games some way, somehow.
Tennessee's schedule in 2014 is equivalent to hiking Mount Everest during a catastrophic blizzard. In flip flops. It looks to be nearly impossible to traverse the entire gauntlet of games, but there does look to be an opportunity for Tennessee to return to their first bowl game since the 2010 season.
Tennessee's 2014 schedule is below:
Aug. 31 Utah State Aggies
Sept. 6 Arkansas State Red Wolves
Sept. 13 at Oklahoma Sooners
Sept. 20 Open Date
Sept. 27 at Georgia Bulldogs
Oct. 4 Florida Gators
Oct. 11 Chattanooga Mocs (HC)
Oct. 18 at Ole Miss Rebels
Oct. 25 Alabama Crimson Tide
Nov. 1 at South Carolina Gamecocks
Nov. 8 Open Date
Nov. 15 Kentucky Wildcats
Nov. 22 Missouri Tigers
Nov. 29 at Vanderbilt Commodores
The Vols open the season against two bowl championship winning OOC opponents in Neyland Stadium. Both of these game present decent tests to the Vols but neither have the talent to beat Tennessee if they play to their ability.
The next week brings pain and reality back into Volnation's lives. The trip to Norman may not be quite as bad as the cross country trek to Eugene for the 2013 Vols, but it won't be pretty. Bob Stoops and his anti-SEC Rhetoric will be on full display this evening and he will relish playing a name SEC school early in the season that is filled with first year players on their first road trip.
The Vols get to come home for a week and lick their wounds during an open date and turn their eyes upon the always vulnerable Georgia Bulldogs. This game will be a good evenly matched battle in my estimation. Georgia will likely take the W but watch out for this game, Dawgs.
Next up, the Florida Gators come to town after a bye week of their own. The key question in this game is the psyche of the Gator team. Will a rough showing at Bama in their previous game start the Muschamp career implosion? Or will the Gators refocus and take it to TN like they have the last 9 years? Our prediction - Tennessee gets it's biggest win of the Butch Jones era.
After a dominating win over Chattanooga the Vols will be 4-2 heading to Oxford. This will be a trap game for the Rebels as they have classified the game with TN as their homecoming game. Look for this to be a very close game, and for Ole Miss to pull it out.
The next two weeks will take Tennessee back under .500. The home game with Bama (AKA the "Lane Kiffin may not get out alive" game) will be a bitter pill to take for Volnation. Tennessee is still a year away from being able to compete with Bama. The Vols lose this one at home, and the next one to the Gamecocks in Columbia, SC.
The last games will decide whether Tennessee goes bowling...or not. Look for TN to easily take care of Kentucky, and their bowl lives will come down to a win at home over Missouri or a road win @Vandy. We like our chances in both games
Final record prediction 7-5 (4-4).
Offseason Report
The offseason has been rather quiet for the program who is responsible for the Fulmer Cup as only 2 arrests occurred. Those two were AJ Johnson and Danny O'Brien, who were charged with supplying alcohol to minors among other things. But the pair have been disciplined internally and the charges are expected to be dropped after they pay court costs.
Pig Howard took a leave from the team for a short time but is now back practicing as a fully participating member of the team.
Word in Knoxville is that Marlin Lane has taken a position of leadership on the team, which is a somewhat surprising positive piece of info for Volnation.
The only real negative of note to come out of our offseason has been the transfer of backup QB Riley Ferguson.
Of course the biggest news out of the offseason for us was our top 10 ranked recruiting class that included a haul of 32 ‘cruits.
Keys to Success or Failure
Without a doubt the key to our success this season hinges on the performance of an inexperienced offensive line and to a lesser extent, defensive line.
This offense has a chance to really open some eyes around the league with the depth at WR/TE if the offensive line can pass protect well enough to keep the QB upright. If.
On the defensive side there is inexperience but at the start of camp it seems people around the program are less concerned with this unit than the other side of the ball
For the team as a whole, whether we become bowl eligible or not will be determined by how quickly this abundance of YOUNG talent can develop and become solid players in the SEC
Overall Season Outlook
The outlook for our season is very, very cautious optimism. Most all UT fan's goal is to make it to a bowl game for the first time since 2010 but with our schedule it will be quite difficult. There are 5 almost automatic wins on the schedule but where the 6th comes from is anyone's guess.
Volnation predicts we will win 6 games some way, somehow.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 7:35 pm to FourThreeForty
quote:
Solid analysis of a shitty team....but where in God's name have you been Semo
Semo had a long, shitty day!
Seriously, I apologize for the delay. Unavoidably detained at work.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 7:51 pm to semotruman
Looks good
Posted on 8/8/14 at 8:06 pm to semotruman
Solid analysis
Posted on 8/8/14 at 8:18 pm to semotruman
I know UT is pointing toward 2015, but I hope they can do something this year. My s/o's family lives in Knoxville and most of her family went to UT. I'm really hoping they find their way back to relevance
Posted on 8/8/14 at 8:18 pm to Legendary0903
Why did the OM preview get a sticky and we didn't?
Posted on 8/8/14 at 8:35 pm to NorthGAVol
I RAd for a sticky. We'll get one when an admin sees it. I don't have admin privileges on tRant.
This post was edited on 8/8/14 at 9:46 pm
Posted on 8/8/14 at 9:03 pm to semotruman
Nice job! 
Posted on 8/8/14 at 9:14 pm to semotruman
Nice job by the guys who took the time to write all that. Solid write up.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 10:44 pm to semotruman
quote:
the always vulnerable Georgia Bulldogs. This game will be a good evenly matched battle in my estimation. Georgia will likely take the W but watch out for this game, Dawgs.
Posted on 8/8/14 at 11:27 pm to dawgfan24348
You laugh because you are young and care free... and stupid.
Posted on 8/9/14 at 12:05 am to semotruman
I am dying for some video of Jalen Hurd in action in camp. I am looking forward to seeing him run the rock, it's been a long time since we have had a back with size, speed, and toughness. This year will still be rough but improved but as stated I think next year is where UT takes a big step up. I will have to sit with my nephew in Norman this year (OU grad) and it will suck but I am taking him to Neyland next year.
This post was edited on 8/9/14 at 12:08 am
Posted on 8/9/14 at 8:17 am to DoUrden
quote:
I will have to sit with my nephew in Norman this year
Prayers sent. Your ears will bleed from the screening cacaphony that is boomer sooner. This Tiger will be all vol that day!!
Posted on 8/9/14 at 8:19 am to semotruman
quote:
boomer sooner
Maybe the Pride of the Southland can play Rocky Top even more than normal and we can neutralize that shite
Posted on 8/9/14 at 8:23 am to NorthGAVol
quote:
Maybe the Pride of the Southland can play Rocky Top even more than normal and we can neutralize that shite
I hope so! For all the grief people give y'all about Rocky Top...all I can say is they've never experienced the damage that is boomer sooner. At least Rocky Top is catchy and has words.
Posted on 8/9/14 at 9:08 am to semotruman
quote:
Next up, the Florida Gators come to town after a bye week of their own. The key question in this game is the psyche of the Gator team. Will a rough showing at Bama in their previous game start the Muschamp career implosion? Or will the Gators refocus and take it to TN like they have the last 9 years? Our prediction - Tennessee gets it's biggest win of the Butch Jones era.
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