I think we'll be pretty good next year to be honest. Our D-Line is really my only concern. Here's to hoping we can pull Jacobs and Autry for instant impact....
We ran it pretty well Saturday with no credible passing game. As well as anyone has all year against Bama at least.
It makes you wonder what has changed that we've been able to run the ball effectively against the 2 best defenses we'll see all year. I'll go out on a limb and say Dooley and Chaney knew that Simms was inept and we had no choice? It just goes to show you that despite what everyone believes, we can run the ball.
Knowing you can't pass and only going over the run game for 2 weeks probably had a lot to do with it.
and that's the first legitimate beef I have with Dooley. I get that Bray has an all world arm and we had two dynamic receivers, but why would you not focus enough in the offseason to make sure you had a balanced attack so you could run over people if need be? There's a huge stable of RBs and the Oline is progressing nicely into blocking for a run. There's no excuse that they shouldn't have been able to run consistently and effectively all year long.
Frustrating that I wasn't even a little surprised that we failed to convert. I can't blame Dooley though...was the right call. Have to be able to get a [uck fay]ing inch in that situation.
As far as rushing goes, so far we've got modest performances against a two great teams, pathetic performances against two decent teams, and forgettable performances against bad defenses. Not ready to call that progress.
I'm not getting excited about the run game, but having two of your best rushing games against LSU and Bama at least shows they are working on it.
As bad as the DBs have been, as lost as the OL has looked, Tennessee still has a realistic chance for 7 wins. I don't think that should be lost on the fanbase. This season has went about as bad as it could have. JJ gets booted what, 2 weeks before the season starts, Hunter is lost within 4 minutes in Gainesville and Worley's RS is getting burnt. To still have a shot at 7 wins, even if it took a torn ACL in Lattimore's knee to make it realistic, is not too shabby. Win against the Cocks, and Dooley has done some of the best crisis control seen.
I thought motioning Young into the backfield and handing off to Poole as the FB was a nice wrinkle that can be used quite a bit. You set yourself up for a lot of different things off of that.
Agreed. We're not good enough to telegraph our plays. Last year, when Da'Rick came in, everyone knew the end-around was coming. Easy to get in similar trouble with Young in the backfield. Have to mix it up a bit and keep the D honest in order for DY's touches to have an impact.
Because it's too easy to let Bray air it out? I don't know why they didn't work on it more, but if I had to choose between Poole running or the Bray/Rogers/Hunter trio, I know which one I'm going with. A young OL and limited practice could be somewhat of an excuse, but it's not a very good one.
I agree and think the staff was playing to our strength which at the time was slinging the ball around. I think the young OL played a part in that decision but Bray, Hunter, and Rogers made it a pretty easy one. I don't know if they assumed Poole would be able to get it done regardless or what - but slinging the ball around and running it when necessary was obviously the game plan for this year. Our OL is still wet behind the ears but they are learning some valuable "on the job" training in regards to run blocking. The schemes they were using with Bray were not meant for running which is why I'm baffled at Dooley for being upset with the rushing performance earlier in the season. He knows that... As bad as it sucks right now, some good is actually taking place with the OL unit. Maybe next year the coaching staff will see the importance of being balanced on offense instead of relying on Bray's arm. Personally, I like a 60-40 run first type of offense. I don't see that happening though with Bray, Hunter, and Rogers on the field.
