Matt Hinton has long been one of my favorites and he’s really outdone himself with the latest edition of his Monday Down South column, in which he starts by spending a lot of time placing Tennessee’s loss to Georgia State in historical perspective (HINT: “So while it might not be beyond any shadow of a doubt The Worst Loss Ever, full stop, it is fair to say I can’t recall another nonconference loss by an SEC team that I would describe as worse.”), appears to change the subject by moving to his Conference Notebook section, only to proceed with a detailed breakdown of Tennessee’s numerous… well, breakdowns against Georgia State.
Alignment, recognition, containment, pursuit, tackling: Tennessee filled its “Mental Mistakes Against the Run” Bingo card, and it wasn’t only the underclassmen and first-time starters who were responsible. Presumably it will get better, if only in a regression-to-the-mean sort of way. But the mean in 2018 was below average by SEC standards, and as the strength of schedule steepens just getting back there looks like an uphill climb.
Now that’s how you analyze like a boss.
Get The Picture 
We don’t know how good Georgia State is yet. I know, I know Georgia State is coming off a losing season and plays in an inferior conference but it’s HC is an impressive guy who seems to have the program pointed in the right direction. We do know that the State of Georgia produces a huge number of quality recruits and UGA can’t take all of them. Looks to me like Georgia State is ahead of Tech in that department. For all we know at this point they may finish the season undefeated champions of their conference.
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I had three take aways from the game:
. Tennessee made few adjustments and for the life of them could not figure out how to stop a simple option play. And that had to be on film and should have been corrected at half tie.
. This team does not believe in their Head Coach. I’ll be the first to tell you, that I thought if these guys were well coached or not, talented or not, that they would play hard for Pruitt. (Could not believe how unmotivated this team looked from start to finish).
. Tennessee’s HC does not know how to coach a team on game day. He looked lost. His staff looked lost. Spent all that money on Chaney, who has clearly gotten use to UGA level talent, and called plays with no confidence, clearly trying not to lose, instead of trying to win.
Conclusion: UT could very well be at the bottom of the East again this year. Vandy played hard from the first whistle to the last whistle against a far superior Georgia team. They’ll finish above the Volunteers (again).
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Your first point kind of reminds me of Pruitt in the 2015 Florida game.
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I lived in Jackson Tennessee for work for awhile and made a lot of really good friends who are UT fans. Most of them are done. I don’t mean fake done. I mean one couple is putting their season tickets on Stubhub and spending the fall traveling in stead of going to Knoxville. I was texting him Sunday night and the game Saturday was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. He texted “They have been ruining fall for me for years and Ann (his wife) asked me why are we still doing this?I didn’t have a good answer.” That loud cracking sound is a huge chunk of the fan base being done with the time and expense to watch a shit product. I ant say if the roles were reversed that I wouldn’t do the same thing. They lose to BYU and that stadium will be at 50% UT fans the rest of the season.
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I feel bad for you, lived in Nashville for 12 years….and this was through our 9 game losing streak. I had some great friends when I lived there, most all would give you the shirt off there back. If you ever needed them, they were there. Just like family.
But dayum, come football season…they change on you. I thought living in Alabama was bad, but Tennessee fans are by far the worst. They will remind you of the defeats 24/7/365. There is not a program I hate more, unless maybe it is Notre Dame. As far as I am concerned, they both can fall in a sink hole.
But boy, I am sure enjoying watching Tennessee these past few years. Bet we want see Manning leading their band to that sickening Rocky Top song in Sandford or Neyland stadium any time soon…..karma can be a bitch.
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Sanford..
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I lived in Murfreesboro and Chattanooga during that streak, and you are exactly right about Vol fans. And I’m enjoying this just as much as you are – even more so, as I’m in upper East Tennessee now.
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Too funny, even though I lived in Nashville….every person that I was speaking of is from the eastern part of TN. Either the Knoxville area or the tri- cities. There was a group of about 12 of them.
Great neighbors and friends… until football time, it changed.
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There are plenty of examples in the history of CFB where a powerhouse fell from its lofty perch never to return to greatness. Minnesota won 3 natties within about 10 years once upon a time. Illinois won natties once. More recently look at Pitt. The Vowels are down and they aren’t coming back. We are witnessing the demise of UT football and I am cheering!
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All the more reason for some of these recruits that may be straddling the fence to come to UGA…the ones that we want that is.
Hope they completely unravel, could not happen to a more deserving program…..
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Btw, how many recruits were there Sat to see that hustle they may seeking to join? Hope they didn’t use a seal-clubbing game to demonstrate what kind of team they are. Rumor is that they formed a phalanx escort for Smokey to the transfer portal.
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HA!
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The one thing you should not forget, the FOX in the hen house, Fulmer!!! Fulmer screwed Majors and he will damn sure screw Pruitt. He was unhappy as hell when he was let go and he sure as hell isn’t going to help Pruitt. He wants the job back and he will do anything to ease Pruitt out of there and hire himself.
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That’ll help things…..
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Charles, I think you hit the nail on the head. I think Pruitt is more than capable of showing his redneck ass enough to get fired “for cause.” If he doesn’t, Phil will make something up. It’s glaringly obvious to everyone that hiring Pruitt was a mistake, and it’s equally obvious that his buyout (on top of buyouts they’re already paying) would be an extreme hardship if he’s not fired for cause. That situation would make any AD hypersensitive to any behavioral straw a failing coach might give them to grasp, but Phil Backstabbing Fulmer? He’d do it even if things were going well.
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All of this warms my cold red and black heart! Rocky bottom, indeed!
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Tennessee lost to a program that legitimately didn’t have enough of a fanbase to properly celebrate the historic upset. Like Jimmy V running around looking for somebody to hug.
That’s bad.
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Thank God we did not lose to Nicholls.
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I thought that too.
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This is Pruitt’s vaunted “Year Two”. Yes, Saban lost to La Tech in Y1 and Kirby damn near lost to Nichols, but there was major buy-in by Y2 at Bama and UGA.
That D looked uninterested AND confused. I’ll be curious if they bounce back against BYU. If they play as they did Sardee, it’s gonna be a long season on Rocky Top
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After watching Memphis and Vandy play, we can now conclude that AT BEST Tennessee is the the 3rd best team in the state. After the fight that Middle Tennessee put up against Michigan, you could easily argue that they are also ahead of the Vols.
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There are big problems on Rocky Top. That team had quit in the first half and there was no urgency or panic in the second half. The last QB touchdown run where the Vowels tackled each other was just amazing.
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The bigger question no one is asking is how Auburn lost at home with an NFL caliber QB to essentially this same UT bunch? Last I checked The Barn essentially returned that defensive front and DBs that couldn’t hold a lead.
Just saying don’t drink the Barn juice yet and don’t completely discount UT.
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My guess the remnants of Bootch’s (not terrible) recruiting classes somehow jelled at the right time.
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Clearly Tennessee needs more former UGA coaches on staff and isn’t paying Chaney enough.
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Somewhere in Alabama, Butch Jones is smiling while fetching Saban’s dry cleaning.
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I see all these comparisons to Bama’s loss to ULM in Saban’s first year, but the thing is, Saban already had a national title under his belt at that point. He was obviously going to get some benefit of the doubt. Pruitt isn’t anywhere near that level yet, and lord knows Fulmer won’t hesitate to burn him for any reason he chooses.
This makes, what, the third time in a row that UT has had to settle for its third or fourth choice in a coaching search? That’s how once-proud programs fall off the map for decades. Florida hired a Zook, but then they managed to get Urban Meyer. Tennessee’s on its third (or fourth) Zook and counting. Barring a miracle, this cluster isn’t gonna get un-fucked anytime soon.
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