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But you can read and post in it too if you want.

Basically the arc seems upward for my Vols, whereas the future seems like a wasteland of shit for my Cowboys for at least the next few years until Garrett is shatcanned. So I'm going to start directing more of my fandom back to my favorite college team.

Just beat the piss out of Northwestern yesterday, so there's room on the bandwagon if you want in.



Tennessee Football recruiting: Vols land two commitments


January 1, 2016 by Matthew Dossett

The Tennessee Volunteers football club kicked off the 2016 New Year with a bang. The 23rd ranked Volunteers dismantled the 12th ranked Northwestern Wildcats in the Outback Bowl game. It was a total beat down and a complete drubbing from the outset. The Vols dominated from the jump and pieced together a complete performance, winning the contest 45-6. After the in game fireworks, the big orange made some noise on the recruiting trail for 2016 recruiting class.

Tennessee had two players hop onboard and commit to head coach Butch Jones and the Tennessee Volunteers football program. Both of the commitments were from prospects who truly fill needs. Offensive lineman Nathan Niehaus and corner back Baylen Buchanan decided to pull the commitment trigger immediately after the Vols decisive victory over the Northwestern Wildcats.

Let’s go next level with offensive lineman Nathan Niehaus. Niehaus was the first commit to pop Friday afternoon. Nathan Niehaus is an offensive tackle prospect out of Colerain High School, which is located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Niehaus was formerly a West Virginia Mountaineer commitment who decided the pull the ole switcharoo to the Volunteers.

Niehaus is listed as a guy who is a hair over 6’6 and 260 pounds. Make no mistake about it, this guy has the frame to pack on some serious weight and muscle. He should thrive in the Tennessee strength and conditioning program. Do not be alarmed if he eclipses the 300 pound mark at some juncture in his Tennessee football playing career.

Niehaus has gigantic upside to his game. He has phenomenal length and athleticism. He is a guy that lives and breathes football. He is a high character guy and a maximum effort offensive tackle. Another word to describe Nathan Niehaus would be versatility. He could play tight end, offensive tackle, or offensive guard. He is more than likely to be a tackle at the collegiate level, though. This youngster is pretty much a consensus three star according to all the who’s who of recruiting evaluation websites.

The second commitment domino to fall was cornerback Baylen Buchanan. Buchanan is a high three star recruit from Peach Tree Ridge High School, in Suwanee, Georgia. Buchanan is only 5’11 but he is pretty stout; he weighs in around 190 pounds. He is a blazer with burning speed. Recently he was clocked running the 40 yard dash at 4.49 seconds.

This defensive back has turned heads of scouts and coaches alike. The scouting report reveals that he is a guy with a ton of upside. Buchanan has superior instincts and he is not afraid to stick his nose in there and make a play. Buchanan is very physical at the line of scrimmage. He also has the ability to not just play cornerback, but play either free safety or strong safety. Baylen Buchanan is pegged as a high three star but has the potential to eventually be seen as a four star.
 
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Tennessee 45 Northwestern 6: The Great Wait


Consider what a win like this would have been worth last year. Or the year before. Or at any point in the last seven years.

It was still impressive today. But after a first half which felt at times like Tennessee was letting a motivated opponent hang around a little too long, the Vols left no doubt in the second half. And as they dominated, outscoring #13 Northwestern 28-0 in the final two quarters, it felt at least in the stadium not like the revelation it would have been in any other year this decade, but business as usual.

It wasn't, by the way. Tennessee's 45-6 triumph is the biggest win in the 30 year history of the Outback Bowl and the 51 postseason games the Vols have played since 1939, the fourth most appearances in college football. More impressive is how the 39 point win compares to what Tennessee has done against ranked teams: this was the biggest win for the Vols over any Top 25 team since beating Steve Spurrier and #9 Florida 45-3 in 1990.

We've spent much of the last two months talking about Tennessee already being back but it feeling different than we wanted, because its truth was revealed more through close losses than memorable wins. Today we witnessed another chapter from the same book: the Vols crushed a Top 15 opponent, and it felt head-noddingly normal.

Others can debate how good Northwestern is or isn't; they still go home with ten wins and a season to be proud of. Tennessee's strength isn't built solely on this performance. This was simply the most recent data point.

And, oh yes, we're going to talk up Tennessee for 2016.

I've seen The Force Awakens twice. My first viewing on the Friday following its release was, in a strange way, a bit like being a fan of Tennessee or any other team you give yourself to. Episode I came out my senior year of high school, and just before graduation in May of 1999 dozens of us from Alcoa descended on Funscape (do they still call it Funscape?) at West Town Mall on opening night. Sixteen years later around a single dozen of us returned, plus or minus a few spouses, to see Episode VII at Turkey Creek. Early in the movie you realize how unique this thing is. You feel it. Here's something I care about a great deal, something that means an awful lot to me and has a way of bringing all these people together...and I have no idea what's going to happen! And there's nothing I can do to affect the outcome directly! But we're here, and we're emotionally invested, and we're a little nervous and a lot excited for what might happen next.

If you loved the movie, you probably also enjoyed the build-up. It doesn't come around every year. And senior year of high school was a long time ago. In some ways, the build-up becomes almost as good as the real thing (...almost).

We're going to talk up Tennessee. So are lots of others. There will be others who talk Tennessee down. Some will do it ridiculously and with little truth, like those mindlessly banging the drum of the Vols always being overrated. Others will do it with enough truth to make us uncomfortable, like how we might lose 3/4 of today's starting secondary if Cam Sutton goes pro. And we'll fuss and fight and argue with varying levels of truth and the ridiculous because this is our team and that's what we do.

But we're also going to enjoy it.

The kind of hype that's coming now hasn't been seen around here since 2005. And that sentence should be enough to temper it, at least briefly, since the Vols promptly went 5-6 that year. But this will be championship hype. The kind some will still say the Vols don't deserve because it's been x number of years since Tennessee beat Florida or Alabama or won a championship. And that's exactly why I'm going to enjoy it. Every word, every syllable between now and September 3.

I have no idea what's going to happen. But Tennessee is here. And we're a little nervous and a lot excited for what might happen next.
 
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Butch Jones, Tennessee head into offseason with high hopes

By STEVE MEGARGEE

AP Sports Writer


Tennessee certainly finished off the season in style.

If the Volunteers start next season as well as they closed their last two, they'll really be ready to make a move up the college football ladder.

Tennessee ended the season with its first six-game winning streak since 2003. The Vols (9-4) started just five seniors Friday in their 45-6 Outback Bowl rout of No. 12 Northwestern. The streak and postseason win gives them reason to believe they can enter the 2016 season as legitimate Southeastern Conference title contenders.

"The sky's the limit," quarterback Joshua Dobbs said.

Tennessee's chances of contending for a conference championship could depend on if it does a better job of handling heightened expectations. That proved to be a stumbling block at times in 2015.

The Vols opened this season ranked 25th — their first Top 25 ranking since 2012 — after winning four of their last five games in 2014 and beating Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl. They fell out of the poll by showing an early season inability to preserve leads.

Tennessee led in each of its four defeats and was up at least two touchdowns in losses to Oklahoma, Florida and Arkansas. But just when the season appeared ready to spiral out of control, Tennessee regrouped.

The Vols were 2-3 before erasing a 21-point deficit in a 38-31 victory over Georgia. They followed that game with a 19-14 setback at Alabama in which they led the Crimson Tide in the fourth quarter, but they wouldn't lose again.

"This football team defines resolve," Tennessee coach Butch Jones said. "There were a lot of individuals that wanted to bury us. ... Actually, the adversity brought us closer and closer together, united us."

Tennessee's most lopsided bowl victory in school history could allow the Vols to finish the season in the Top 25 for the first time since 2007. They're ready to take an even bigger step forward next season.

The Vols must replace the starting safety duo of Brian Randolph and LaDarrell McNeil, but they'll have plenty of experience everywhere else. Tennessee's only senior starters in the Outback Bowl were Randolph, McNeil, offensive tackle Kyler Kerbyson, wide receiver Von Pearson and defensive tackle Owen Williams.

The offense next season will have one of the SEC's most experienced quarterbacks in Dobbs and an all-SEC candidate running back in Jalen Hurd, the Outback Bowl MVP. Derek Barnett will be back on defense after recording 10 sacks each of the last two seasons.

If they can avoid a repeat of this season's early struggles, the Vols could have more reason to celebrate next January.

"They can be back in Tampa again," Kerbyson said. "The (College Football Playoff championship game) is in Tampa. I believe in them 100 percent, that they can do it."
 

Mr.Po

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As a fan expectations should be sky high next year. Arrow is definitely pointing up. It's disheartening to think what might have been following some catastrophic numbing losses early. Been a dark dormant time for far to long and feels good to be on the positive side of things again.

Still not completely sold on Coach Jones. He has bounced between savior and bum with this fan base depending on which way the wind blows. Nice way to end the season but what a lot of people tend to ignore (bowl game aside) is that 5 game wining streak to close the season was against teams with a combined 14-42 record. Great recruiter with a rah rah attitude but still leery he is a good - great x's & o's coach when the lights shine the brightest.

Hopefully the talent he has accumulated the past 3-4 years trumps his coaching deficiencies and gets this team to an SEC East title / SEC title and a shot in the college playoffs next year. As giddy as the fan base was this year ending up 8-4 and a dominating bowl win , duplicate that same record next year and be on the outside looking in the wolves will not only be at the door but they'll in the house pissing on the furniture. Seems silly to say that counting the uphill battle this team has had to climb for so long but it's true.
 
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Five questions facing Vols this offseason

1. How good can Dobbs be?

Nobody expected Dobbs, a three-star recruit in high school, to do much when he got to Tennessee. But he surprised some people when he was thrown in the fire his freshman year. Then he improved as a sophomore, making plays with both his arms and his legs. This season was his best yet. He threw for 2,291 yards, rushed for 671 yards and had a combined 26 touchdowns. So what’s next? The biggest knock on him would still be his throwing ability and accuracy. If he can improve that, there’s no telling how far this team can go.

2. Which underclassmen, if any, will bolt for the NFL?

If nobody leaves early, Tennessee will return nine starters on offense and eight on defense. That’s a big if, though, especially considering the season linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin had for the Vols. The junior led the team in tackles (105) and tackles for loss (14) and was second on the team with six sacks. Reeves-Maybin was among three Tennessee players who submitted paperwork to the NFL draft advisory for feedback on declaring early. The other two, running back Alvin Kamara and cornerback Cameron Sutton, are less likely to make the jump.

3. Will Curt Maggitt ever play for Tennessee again?

When healthy, Maggitt is one of the best players on this Tennessee defense. The problem is he has not been able to stay healthy. He tore his ACL in 2012, which forced him to miss the entire 2013 season. Then this year, in what was supposed to be his senior year, Maggitt injured his hip in the Week 2 loss to Oklahoma and never returned. There are some who believe Maggitt might seek a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA and return to Knoxville next season, but if healthy he could just as easily pursue his dream of playing in the NFL.

4. Who takes over at left tackle?

Underclassmen aside, the biggest loss for this Tennessee team will be the loss of senior left tackle Kyler Kerbyson. Over the last two seasons, Kerbyson started all 26 games, including 23 starts at left tackle. He was a constant, and he became the leader for the Vols’ offensive line when fellow senior Marcus Jackson went down in August with an injury. Behind him on the depth chart is true freshman Chance Hall and redshirt junior Dontavius Blair. The two will likely compete for the starting job when the team returns to practice in the spring.

5. How do the Vols deal with expectations?

This might be the biggest question this offseason. Everybody knows Tennessee will be a contender in the East. A lot of folks will pick them to win the division. How will the Vols react to having the target on their backs? Some teams, namely Alabama, feed off that pressure. It makes them stronger. But Tennessee had letdowns this year against Oklahoma and Florida that make you wonder about whether this team can finally get over the hump. Their mentality and their preparation this offseason will be critical to their success in 2016.
 

dbair1967

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Kirby Smart to UGA ensures the Vols will still be an afterthought.
 

Mr.Po

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http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/25444067/tennessee-hires-bob-shoop-as-defensive-coordinator-3-things-to-know

Tennessee hires Penn State's Bob Shoop as new DC: 3 things to know
By Tom Fornelli | Staff Writer
January 9, 2016 8:53 pm ET


Bob Shoop built two very strong defenses at Penn State. (USATSI)
Ever since Tennessee and coach Butch Jones parted ways with defensive coordinator John Jancek, there were rumors the Vols would go after Penn State's Bob Shoop. Like, immediately following the announcement, the rumors began popping up.

Well, guess what Tennessee announced nearly 80 hours afterward? That's right, Bob Shoop is going to be the next defensive coordinator at Tennessee.

"We are very excited about the addition of Bob Shoop to our coaching staff," said Jones in a statement. "Bob has established himself as one of the premier coordinators in all of college football and is very well-respected as a recruiter, football coach and person. He brings a wealth of experience at the highest level and possesses all the qualities we were looking for as we went through this process. He has directed units that have finished in the Top 25 nationally in each of the last five years and he will do a great job of developing our players on the defensive side of the ball."

So, we all knew this was coming, but here are a few more things you should know about this hire.

1. Shoop's paying his own buyout. His deal with Tennessee is a three-year deal that will pay him $1.15 million per year, making him the highest-paid assistant on Tennessee's staff. And he's going to need that cash, because he'll have to pay his own buyout from his contract at Penn State.

2. Shoop is familiar with the SEC, and the state of Tennessee. Shoop's first year at Penn State was in 2014, as that's the year he left for Happy Valley with James Franklin. Before that, Shoop spent three seasons with Franklin at Vanderbilt.

So he's familiar with the state, he's familiar with the SEC, and he's even familiar with the division. These are all good things! Oh, and he's also a good coach, which we'll get to right about now...

3. Tennessee's defense is likely to improve under Shoop. The reason the Vols parted ways with Jancek is because the Tennessee defense just wasn't playing well enough. The defense Jancek inherited was coming off a 2012 season in which it had allowed 35.7 points per game, and Jancek improved the unit little by little every season. It's just, apparently those improvements weren't good enough.

The Vols allowed only 20.0 points per game, but gave up 362.0 yards per game and 5.21 yards per play, which ranked No. 39 nationally. Not horrible numbers, but still somewhat middle-of-the-road as far as the SEC is concerned, and if you're going to win in the SEC, you need an elite defense.

Which is where Shoop comes along.

In his two seasons at Penn State, the Nittany Lions allowed 20.2 points per game, which is more than Tennessee allowed in 2015, but Shoop's Penn State defenses allowed only 4.53 yards per play. They were also quite a bit more disruptive than Tennessee's defenses.

In the last two years, the Nittany Lions have averaged 7.62 tackles for loss per game. In that same time span, Tennessee averaged 6.38.

So the point is, while Jancek's Tennessee defenses certainly weren't bad, Shoop's defenses have been a little better, and considering how weak the SEC East has been the last few seasons, that small difference could go a long way.
 

cmd34

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Met several members of Tennessee's staff today here in San Antonio. Of course I mostly talked about Evan Berry.
 
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Tennessee pulls away from turnover-prone Virginia Tech in front of nearly 157,000

A majority of the record-setting crowd at the Battle at Bristol were Tennessee supporters. And unlike in Week 1, those fans were able to breathe easy in the fourth quarter.

The Volunteers capitalized on five Virginia Tech fumbles at Bristol Motor Speedway and won 45-24 in a game that set a college football attendance mark that’s not likely to be broken at anywhere other than Bristol. The announced attendance of 156,990 boke the old record, set in 2013 at Michigan Stadium, by more than 41,000.

Tennessee led 24-14 at halftime and made the game a rout in the second half thanks to those fumbles. The Hokies turned the ball over on three-straight possessions in the fourth quarter including a disastrous-looking attempt at a punt return.

The fumbles, which started with the Hokies down 31-17, led to a 45-17 for the Volunteers and a clearing out of Bristol’s massive grandstands. Many of those fans undoubtedly wanted to beat the traffic congestion that awaited them outside the stadium. Bristol officials warned earlier in the week it could take four hours for all traffic to clear after the game.

Fans were even sitting on the turns at the half-mile concrete oval that hosted a Sprint Cup Series race less than three weeks ago.

Virginia Tech lost four fumbles in its Week 1 win over Liberty, so if you’re good at math that’s nine fumbles through two weeks of 2016. The Hokies had seven lost fumbles in all of 2015 and there’s also this:



#Hokies have lost more fumbles tonight (5) than any in any game during Frank Beamer's 29 seasons.

— David Teel (@DavidTeelatDP) September 11, 2016




The fumble luck isn’t going new coach Justin Fuente’s way and put a damper on what was quite the bright start at Bristol. Virginia Tech led 14-0 before giving up 24-straight points to end the first half.

The turnovers sure helped Tennessee, but a big difference between the Vols in Week 1 vs. Appalachian State and against Virginia Tech on Saturday was the running game. Tennessee struggled rushing the ball in Week 1, notching just 127 yards on 43 carries.

UT had 46 carries for 239 yards vs. Tech and a big chunk of that came courtesy of quarterback Josh Dobbs, who had -4 yards against App State. Dobbs ran for 106 yards on 14 carries against Virginia Tech, including a 40-yard scamper on a read-option play.

The running power of Dobbs and running backs Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara was a big reason why UT was favored by many to win the SEC East in Week 1. And while it’s incredibly premature to make the conclusion after two weeks, Tennessee will have a lot less trouble living up to that favorite status if it runs the ball the way it did Saturday.
 

Mr.Po

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Through 2 games I am still not impressed. A lot of fans will look at the score and think "we're back baby". It's not hard to look better than that turd they laid last week. 2-0 is better than 0-2 but they simply can't play lethargic football out of the gates and continue going forward with this atrocious offensive line play. Without Virginia Tech's generosity with the fumbles it is scary to think how this game might have turned out. I am a Dobbs fan and don't expect 300 yd passing efforts but they have to many weapons to muster a paltry 98 yds passing. They have to find some semblance of a consistent passing game and not be so one dimensional or they have little to no shot come SEC play against the big boys.

I did not go to the game( by choice) but was their all weekend for the festivities. Jesus Christ at the people. Cool atmosphere with all the festivities surrounding the stadium and the concerts but good lord the traffic and the wall to wall people left me feeling smothered at times. I get the novelty of wanting to be at the game but there is no way 50% of those people saw much of anything. BMS is massive beyond belief when taking into account you can stick Neyland stadium easily inside that place as well as 2 complete MLB stadiums. Look at this twitter picture of a view some unfortunate souls paid good money for.............

Twitter
 

Mr.Po

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If the Vols lose for the 12,000,000 (feels like it) time in a row to Florida today I hope Butch Jones is executed on the spot, decapitated, and his head thrown into the Everglades.
 
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My hope is we looked like bagged assholes for much of the Ohio game because we were overlooking them for todays game.

I think we win, as inconsistent as we looked thus far. I actually think we have a strong game from Dobbs and Hurd.
 

Mr.Po

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Hell to the yes. Bout frigging time.

Tail of two halfs. Couldn't stick their finger up their butt to looking like an unstoppable juggernaut in the 2nd half. Suck it Gators ........been long overdue.
 
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