Notes from UT vs UGA - Offense

Coming off a rather baffling Akron game and a troubling loss at home to Florida where many questioned the Volunteers effort and fortitude, eyes were on the team as they traveled to Athens, Georgia to face the number #5 ranked Bulldogs. Not all those questions were answered, particularly regarding a defense that oftentimes fails to execute fundamentals. Could the Volunteers find a successful running game? How would often criticized junior quarterback Tyler Bray respond to a troubling Florida loss? Let's dive in and look for answers, starting with the offensive side of the ball.

Let's start with Tyler Bray who really had a better game than he is getting credited. Bray finished the day 24 of 45 and 281 yards of passing with 2 TD's and 3 INT's. There were two dropped passes that should have gone for touchdowns however.

Bray and Hunter also seemed to have some communication issues early on the pass where he threw a tad bit behind Hunter I think was more an issue of lack of Hunter continuing to come back from an ACL and Bray misreading his speed coming out of the break. Hunter really came off fast, much faster than I have seen this year. Another pass to Hunter was incomplete because the defensive back slipped but managed to trip Hunter up just enough to throw off the timing. One thing is for certain, despite complaints of locking onto receivers, he is not afraid to spread it around,  hitting 8 different receivers in this game for positive yards.

Furthermore, while the offensive line has made significant process particularly in the run game, Bray was under pressure most of the night.

A lot has been made of Bray's mechanics but really he throws a beautiful football and generally his mechanics are pretty sound. The only real issue I have is that sometimes he does have a tendency to throw low. A lot has also been made of his decision making but in my review of the game he only made two really bad decisions one of which was early in the game and insignificant and the other which happened late in the game which really hurt.

This throw to Bartholemew was incomplete when he had Cordarrelle Patterson wide open to the side on a screen didn't affect the outcome.

He threw a bad interception with 5:57 left to play in the game which was just a bad decision, but again the only one that was a game changer.

Finally, Bray needs to work on protecting the football. You can tell he wants so badly to make a play and lead his team but he can't fumble the football like this play at the end of the game.

Overall, his performance was actually good and he was clearly not the reason why this game was lost.

Despite the drop, Cordarrelle Patterson rebounded I thought pretty well from a lackluster Florida performance. I love the way we are creative and use him too. He finished the game with 3 rushes for 55 yards and a touchdown. He had 2 receptions for 31 yards.

Zach Rogers had a really fabulous game as well. He finished the day with 6 receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown pass. He is fast becoming a go to guy in the receiving corp and a good compliment to Hunter and Patterson.

Finally, Mychal Rivera is simply an intimidating force and a nightmare matchup in most situations and we simply must get him the ball more.

Officially listed at 6' 3" and 244 lbs he plays far bigger than advertised. He was also the leading receiver in the game finishing with 3 receptions for 82 yards.

I have to give a ton of credit to how much this offensive line has improved particularly in the run game. James Stone I thought had a very good game as did our tackles against a very tough Georgia defense. Having said that, Rajon Neal deserves volumes of credit for the work he has put in and how much he has improved and if forced to choose he would get my game ball.

He finished the game with 23 rushes for 104 yards and a touchdown. It was his second 100 yard rushing game having rushed for over 100 against Florida. He was also a force in the passing game with 5 catches for 53 yards and a touchdown.

What a solid and reliable guy he is becoming and it is a pleasure to watch. Marlin Lane and Devrin Young are nice compliments and also had some good plays. Most importantly there were no fumbles among any of the running backs.

The kicking game continues to be an area of concern. We simply must get it fixed or it could be a very long season in conference play.

Michael Palardy now only does kickoffs and and was called upon once to hit an extra point which was successful. Derrick Brodus is a great story but he missed a relatively easy field goal and an extra point. He hit one field goal of 34 yards and was 4 of 5 on extra points.

Overall, there is a lot to like about the offensive performance in this game and the areas of concern appear to be fixable. One thing you cannot question is the team effort and the desire to win this hard fought battle.

Thoughts from Tennessee vs NC State – Offense

In case you had any questions, last Friday showed everyone this is not the 2011 Tennessee Volunteers football team. It is easy to say the addition of one player or the subtraction of another is responsible but I think that’s an easy out. Regardless of the reason, it is safe to say this Vols team plays harder, more physical and with more teamwork than last years team. While it is hard to draw sweeping conclusions from one game, let’s hope this trend continues on through the season.

I think far more than anything the difference in this team is leadership. Last year’s team was short in that department. Not that guys like Tauren Poole and Austin Johnson didn’t try but there is only so much you can do. The issues last year were just hard to overcome and spoke to just how young that football team was both in age and maturity. This year’s team looks to be different in that department and it was sorely needed.

I know Tyler Bray has taken a lot of heat for being immature and rightfully so but I saw evidence in this game that he is stepping up to be a leader on offense. That is exactly what you want from your young quarterback and I look for big things from that young man. The talent was always there he just needed to grow into the QB job and he appears to have succeeded. Bray simply stellar and finished the night  27 of 42 for 333 yards, 2 TD’s and no interceptions. 

More on the offensive front, our passing game still needs some work but Justin Hunter, Cordarrelle Patterson and Zach Rogers played really well. Hunter is a little rusty but he will knock that off and have a stellar year. The thing I really liked was the effort at blocking but we still need some work there. Some blown assignments but fortunately nothing that we couldn’t overcome for the most part.

Patterson led the pack with with 6 receptions for 93 yards and 1 TD for an average of 15.5 yards per catch. Rogers was next with 87 yards on 2 receptions and 1 TD for an average of 43.5 yards per catch. Hunter had the most looks at 73 yards on 9 receptions and no TD’s for an average of 8.1 yards per catch.

The running game is better but still struggling. Marlin Lane had 9 attempts for 75 yards for an average of 8.3 yards per carry and no touchdowns. Rajon Neal had 22 attempts for 53 yards for a 2.4 yard per carry average and 1 touchdown. Cordarrelle Patterson rushed for 72 yards on 2 attempts in addition to his fantastic performance in the passing game. the spectacular end around resulting in a touchdown leaves him a the top of the stats for for rushing average at 36 yards per attempt. Devrin Young acquitted himself well in the return game with 2 kickoff returns for 45 yards and an average of 22.5 yards per return. He had one punt return for 5 yards.

The offensive line acquitted itself well. Tiny Richardson is going to be a beast on the offensive line and was noticeably excited about the game. Run blocking remains a bit of an issue but overall the line performed quite well. Those guys committed themselves to be a force on the offense and it certainly looks like that is a possibility.

Suffice it to say this Tennessee offense is going to be exciting to watch. These young guns are going to dazzle the nation and put the Tennessee Volunteers back in the mix in the SEC.