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.

Keys to the Georgia State game

#1 Pass rush lanes

We have to be more disciplined with our pass rush lanes. This is especially important when facing the dual threat QB and will be another big key to a victory over Florida next week. If we do this, we will limit or eliminate runs by the quarterback and put more pressure on the passer.

#2 Running between the tackles

We simply have to do more of it. Sweeps are fine mixed in with a basic run game, but you cannot make them the bread and butter of your run game. We were pretty effective when we did it against NC State especially with Marlin Lane. I would like to see more of it first, then we can talk about how to improve upon it. Run blocking has to continue to get better and I think it will.

#3 Defensive communication

I think this was a first game deal more than anything and we seemed to communicate much better in the second half. Prentiss Waggner said the first busted play was just a missed hand signal between he and Byron Moore. They worked it out on the sidelines and fixed the problem. It's good that those issues show up early so that you can get them corrected and get them behind you. I expect fewer big plays against Ga State from the first team defense.

#4 Get Cordarrelle more involved

He looked like our best offensive weapon Friday night, and getting him the ball in creative ways will be huge down the stretch. I don't expect to show all our wrinkles vs. Ga State, but getting CP involved however we can is important. He needs to get more precise with his routes for sure. Then he'll be open more frequently.

#5 No drops from Hunter

Hunter has never been one to drop passes and I think the rust from being away from the game showed a little bit against NC State. He needs to settle down and concentrate on the ball more. Being at home against a team we should out-talent easily is just what the doctor ordered. This is a good tune-up for the Florida game for him because you do not want those missed opportunities against a good Florida defense. We will need every one we can get.

#6 Sacks

Sure we got to the quarterback 12 times and that's great, but we need sacks from our linebackers and defensive ends. The ends got good pressure Friday but never really got to the quarterback. It would be good to see this improve this week and I think it can. 

#7 Stay healthy

I doubt we see much of Herman Lathers this game I think the coaches will closely monitor his playing time if he sees the field at all. Curt Maggitt is another who is banged up and will have to be monitored. We need both of those guys as close to 100% as we can get them for next weekend. No real way to go about preventing another injury but if we can get through the game with no real injuries that would be awesome. 

UT releases depth chart for NC State

No big surprises if you've been following practice. In Da'Rick's absence, Cordarrelle Patterson is listed as a starter along with Justin Hunter. Rajion Neal is listed as the starter at running back, Devrin Young is second. James Stone is the starting center. Byron Moore and Brent Brewer are co-starters at strong safety.

http://www.utsports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/082312aae.html

Vols First Preseason Scrimmage

The Vols held their first scrimmage of fall camp today at Science Hill High School in Johnson City. Dooley said he was pleased with the toughness and effort the players were playing with and said it was good to see. However he was disappointed with much of the administration of the game including some sloppy penalties and substitution issues.

"The offense did a really good job running the football today. And that was good to see. Made lot of big plays running the football."

Vols running backs accounted for 295 yards on the ground. 134 of those belonged to tail back Rajion Neal who had a 68 yard touchdown run. That's good news for a team that finished dead-last in the sec in rushing last year and Dooley, while tempered, was clearly pleased. Several players also noted freshman Que Watson's good game as he had 6 carries for 60 yards.

According to the stat sheet Da'Rick Rogers had 6 grabs for 105 yards including a touchdown while Justin Hunter caught 7 for 47 yards. Cordarrelle Patterson was still limited due to a shoulder injury but Dooley praised him for his toughness. He caught one ball -- a 26 yard gainer.

"I felt like the defense did a pretty good job preventing the big plays on the pass game. Although we threw the ball pretty decently, we didn't generate the yards per attempt that we're tying to get."

Dooley made a point to praise Junior College transfer Daniel McCullers saying he is really making progress, "I think he can help us inside."

The scrimmage also ended on a positive note with Tyler Bray driving down the field in a two minute drill into field goal territory where kicker Michael Palardy capped off a 4-4 day with a 48 yard field goal to win the game.

Dooley called it one of the best scrimmages he's been a part of since he's been here then added, "From a competitive standpoint."

Freshman running back Davante Bourque continues to be absent from the team and it is not clear at this point whether a return is likely.

You can view the scrimmage stats in their entirety here.