Tennessee Grades

This week’s grades will be a little different.  That’s partly due to the fact that the Commissioner didn’t write them.  I don’t share the Commissioner’s exacting nature when it comes to breaking down stats, and I’m going to use this opportunity to get on a bit of a soapbox.  But we’ll get to that in a bit.

The primary reason these grades will be a little different is that I’m going to emulate the Alabama team from last night: they didn’t focus and play a complete game, so I’m not going to follow the Commissioner’s lead and write a detailed recap.

The Crimson Tide came into last night’s game off of one of the most complete performances an Alabama team has ever produced.  The 59-0 dismantling of Texas A&M was as thorough as one could possibly desire.  Every phase of the game was spot on, the playcalling on both sides of the ball was inspired, and every player who saw the field (and there were a bunch) did his job, and did it well.  For the first twenty minutes of last night’s contest, that focus and intensity carried over.

Neyland Stadium was rocking last night.  Despite a large contingent wearing crimson, the Big Orange faithful made their presence known.  Their excitement was surely due to the return of Bama Offensive Coordinator, and former Tennessee Head Coach, Lane Kiffin.  It surely could not have been due to the recent performances by their Volunteers, who limped into the game at 3-4.  And all-in-all, Kiffin did his job well.  But the offense seemed to become disjointed, and despite quieting the crowd with several early scoring drives, communication became an issue.  The same held true for the defense, who forced punts on UT’s first four possessions, but then seemed to become confused pre-snap, and couldn’t contain the runs of UT sophomore quarterback Josh Dobbs.

Here’s how I grade the film:

Offense – B-    As I mentioned before, the start was fantastic.  The Tide scored touchdowns on four of their first five possessions of the game and enjoyed a 27-0 lead only 18 minutes into the game.  The Vols did their best to shift coverage help to Amari Cooper, but Kiffin was able to utilize shifts and misdirection to get Cooper open.  And boy, did it work early.  Cooper had 189 yards receiving and two touchdowns in the first quarter alone.  By the end of the night, he’d be the owner of the Alabama single game record for receiving yards at 224.  Blake Sims played admirably, making plays with his arm and his legs.  Sims finished 14 of 24 for 286 yards and two TDs, and rushed 6 times for 42 yards and another score, a 28 yard scamper that was only slightly less impressive than his Houdini-like run against A&M.  Many of his best runs came in the third quarter after Tennessee had closed the gap to 10 points.  Sims was primarily responsible for converting four third downs on the drive, which ended in a Derrick Henry run from 28 yards out.

But the good news ends there.  The Tide was beaten at the point of attack for much of the night.  One might attribute this to losing stud Freshman Cameron Robinson to a high ankle sprain, but his replacement, Tony Brown, played fine in relief.  The problem seemed to be an overall lack of energy after getting up by four scores so early.  Derrick Henry was our leading rusher with 78 yards on the ground and the aforementioned score, but he averaged less than five yards per carry.  TJ Yeldon contributed 52 yards of his own, but he left the game early after sustaining an injury.  At the moment, I’m not sure of his status going forward.  In the fourth quarter, with a chance to put together a drive that would have put the game on ice, Sims and Henry couldn’t execute a simple direct handoff, resulting in the Vols taking possession at the Alabama 23.  Jalston Fowler also fumbled what otherwise would have been a guaranteed touchdown on a 22 yard run.  Sims only completed passes to three different receivers: Cooper, Yeldon, and DeAndrew White.  Dropped passes were plentiful.

The playcalling also took a step back beginning in the second quarter.  Perhaps it was being back in Neyland, but Kiffin seemed to go back and forth between being too predictable and being too cute.  Alabama lined Yeldon up in the wildcat for the first time this season, but he telegraphed the WR sweep to cooper, which resulted in a loss of nine yards.  A lack of effective communication throughout the game lead to a substitution infraction and a delay of game.

Defense – C+    The defense started out strong.  Tennessee’s first four possessions netted only 78 yards and no points.  But, as Coach Saban noted in his halftime interview, the stop troops relaxed a bit.  Missed tackles became plentiful, particularly in the backfield, and the defense never could contain Josh Dobbs on the run.  Dobbs rushed for 75 after sack totals are removed.  As a team, the Vols rushed for 181 yards.  This is after having run for exactly 0 yards against Ole Miss the week before.

Cyrus Jones pulled in a nifty interception late in the game, but the team as a whole dropped several sure picks, a few of which actually made it into the hands of UT receivers, resulting in big gains.  Reggie Ragland forced a fumble on a beautiful tackle, and the recovery by Eddie Jackson set the Tide up at the Tennessee 19.

But the grade cannot be higher because of Tennessee’s rushing numbers, their 11 of 19 third down conversion rate, and the fact that Bama couldn’t get consistent pressure against a mediocre and beat up offensive line.  Focus was a major issue, and it must improve before the trip to Baton Rouge.

Special Teams:  C+   I’m not going to separate all of the kicking elements out, because on the whole, it was a spectacularly average performance.  Adam Griffith never attempted a field goal, and he was four of five on PATs after shanking his first attempt following a false start that moved the ball back five yard (it would not have been good from the original spot).  I’m worried about Griffith; he seems to have lost all the confidence he had early in the season.  There were no big plays in the return game, and only one big play in coverage when Jarrick Williams struck the UT return man (who should have called a fair catch) and forced a fumble.  JK Scott punted four times for an average of 42.8 yards per kick.  He had a long of 60.  This may be nitpicking, but it seems like Scott struggled to pin UT deep when he had the chance.  Twice Scott was punting with a short field, and he should have been able to pin UT inside the 10, if not the 5.  Instead, in both instances, Scott allowed a fair catch outside the fifteen.  But that really is nitpicking, and Scott is still a weapon.

Coaching:  B-   The playcalling was mostly solid, but the coaches failed to keep the team focused and motivated.  Yes, the team relaxed.  But this team is “relaxing” way too much when they are away from the friendly confines of Bryant-Denny Stadium.  I cannot tell you how pleased I am to know that we only have one more road game this season.  But it is a doozie.  The Bayou Bengals of Louisiana State are not as good as they usually are.  They are young, and they make mistakes.  But they just beat previously unbeaten Ole Miss last night.  Poor focus and poor execution will doom the Tide in two weeks.  That is the task for Saban and Company over the next 13 days.

Now for my soapbox:

The Alabama-Tennessee rivalry is, historically, the most important series in the long and storied history of the SEC.  No series has determined as many SEC championships (Bama with 23, Tennessee with 13).  Nor are there any schools with more national titles between them (Bama with 15, UT with 4).  Bama and UT are also the two winningest programs in SEC history, and the only two teams in the conference with more than 800 wins apiece.  Last night was the 97th meeting in the rivalry affectionately known as The Third Saturday in October (The Saturday After the Third Full Week in October doesn’t have the same ring to it).  Alabama officially leads the series with a record of 51-38-7.

But all titles and wins don’t tell the entire history, at least not the recent history.  When Alabama was experiencing its numerous run-ins with the NCAA, former Tennessee Head Coach Phillip Fulmer acted as a secret witness against Alabama regarding their recruitment of epic failure Albert Means.  There are many opinions out there over whether the NCAA’s actions against Alabama were warranted or fair, and I will not get into that here.  I bring this up only to point out that, beginning with the 2002 season, the sanctions against Alabama left the Tide at its lowest ebb since the mid-1950s.

But karma, as they say, is a female dog.  Beginning with the 2002 season, when the sanctions began, Alabama has won 2 SEC titles, 3 national championships, had 2 undefeated regular seasons, had 8 seasons of 10 wins or more, went to 5 BCS bowls and won 3, and the Tide has amassed a record of 10-3 against the Vols.

Meanwhile, over that same span, UT has not won a championship of any kind, have suffered 6 losing seasons, have not been to a bowl game since 2010 and haven’t won one since 2007, and are 3-10 against Alabama.  Further, the coach that led them to their only winning season in the past six now coaches in Tuscaloosa.

If I were to present those same facts to you with no names attached and asked you to pick which one suffered crippling sanctions 13 years ago, which one would you choose?  If it is true that we reap what we sow, Phil has been watching every minute of it.

-The Commissioner’s Son and Heir.