My observations from the game:
1. The Swamp was ALIVE and seemed to get louder as the game went on . If I were picking MVP's, the first game ball goes to the crowd because there wasn't a single bigger factor in that game than what the crowd did. When the Swamp is like that, it's the toughest place to play in the country hands down, and in my mind, there really aren't many places even close.
2. Etienne is an elite running back and an elite football player. He isn't the biggest or the fastest, but he isn't small and slow. Maybe not exact matches in style, but he reminds me so much of Emmitt Smith or Jerome Bettis because he has elite elite feet, balance, and vision. He's not going to run a lot of people over, but he's hard to get on the ground because of his balance and feet. He's not going to out run the angles, but he isn't going to get caught from behind a whole lot either. He's not going to break peoples ankles, but he's always finding the open spaces. Etienne is the best player on this team and an elite weapon.
3. Graham Mertz is playing extremely well. I think the phrase "game manager" has some weird negative connotation, and I'm not sure why. Mertz isn't going to win us any games but he isn't going to lose us any games the way he is playing either. There is nothing wrong with that. I'm not a huge fan of our passing concepts as a whole, but Mertz is playing within the system and completing the easy throws just the way it's drawn up.
4. If I were Tennessee, I'd be livid about that officiating too. Since I'm not, I'll say F Tennessee, and unapologetically say it feels good to be on the good side of the crap calls for once after several years of getting the shaft from the bad officiating. Go whine somewhere else. I don't care.
5. Joe Milton's game might be the most bi-polar QB performance I've ever seen. We have seen QBs go from hot to cold, but I've never seen anything like that. There were throws/drives that guy made that were among the best you'll see anywhere, and then there were things he did that made it look like he was a NT that got asked to step in at QB. Like he had no business being on the field at all.
6. Great job by the OL and especially George.
7. Casteel is going to be an All American before he leaves. He might be our best defensive back right now and I don't think there is anything "hot" about that take.
8. Scooby Williams is legit
9. I thought the execution on the offense was excellent. They played keep away and kept the UT offense on the sideline, which helped keep them from getting in a rhythm. That combined with the crowd is probably the biggest reason I saw for the win.
10. Overall, there isn't much not to like about that game. It is a great step in the right direction. There are still some question marks and some things that will need to get cleaned up, but overall, that is what you want to see when you're looking for improvement.
1. The Swamp was ALIVE and seemed to get louder as the game went on . If I were picking MVP's, the first game ball goes to the crowd because there wasn't a single bigger factor in that game than what the crowd did. When the Swamp is like that, it's the toughest place to play in the country hands down, and in my mind, there really aren't many places even close.
2. Etienne is an elite running back and an elite football player. He isn't the biggest or the fastest, but he isn't small and slow. Maybe not exact matches in style, but he reminds me so much of Emmitt Smith or Jerome Bettis because he has elite elite feet, balance, and vision. He's not going to run a lot of people over, but he's hard to get on the ground because of his balance and feet. He's not going to out run the angles, but he isn't going to get caught from behind a whole lot either. He's not going to break peoples ankles, but he's always finding the open spaces. Etienne is the best player on this team and an elite weapon.
3. Graham Mertz is playing extremely well. I think the phrase "game manager" has some weird negative connotation, and I'm not sure why. Mertz isn't going to win us any games but he isn't going to lose us any games the way he is playing either. There is nothing wrong with that. I'm not a huge fan of our passing concepts as a whole, but Mertz is playing within the system and completing the easy throws just the way it's drawn up.
4. If I were Tennessee, I'd be livid about that officiating too. Since I'm not, I'll say F Tennessee, and unapologetically say it feels good to be on the good side of the crap calls for once after several years of getting the shaft from the bad officiating. Go whine somewhere else. I don't care.
5. Joe Milton's game might be the most bi-polar QB performance I've ever seen. We have seen QBs go from hot to cold, but I've never seen anything like that. There were throws/drives that guy made that were among the best you'll see anywhere, and then there were things he did that made it look like he was a NT that got asked to step in at QB. Like he had no business being on the field at all.
6. Great job by the OL and especially George.
7. Casteel is going to be an All American before he leaves. He might be our best defensive back right now and I don't think there is anything "hot" about that take.
8. Scooby Williams is legit
9. I thought the execution on the offense was excellent. They played keep away and kept the UT offense on the sideline, which helped keep them from getting in a rhythm. That combined with the crowd is probably the biggest reason I saw for the win.
10. Overall, there isn't much not to like about that game. It is a great step in the right direction. There are still some question marks and some things that will need to get cleaned up, but overall, that is what you want to see when you're looking for improvement.
