1.) We got ****ed on the the play at the end of the first half. It was a fumble, and it didn't look debatable to me. If the correct call is made, it's 13-7 going into the half. 2.) If Jason Croom didn't play like a total *****, he catches that touchdown, which would have made it 20-14, assuming #1 had occurred as well. 3.) 3rd and 2 inside the 5 and Bajakian goes 5 wide. The stupidity of that call can't be overstated. Run the ball twice if you have to. Assuming we score a TD there, it's 21-20 Tennessee. The positive here is that we're clearly better than last year. Clearly.
We were never going to win that game. OU's offense could have done a lot more to open us up if they needed to, but they didn't need to.
I agree 100%. I am absolutely done with Croom. I've never been a Worley fan but that guy took the worst beating I've ever seen a UT quarterback take in my 18 years of watching Tennessee football. The poor bastard stands in there and makes a perfect throw to the corner of the endzone, knowing he's about to get hit hard enough that his future children will feel it, and low and behold #18 alligator arms the ball and gets out-muscled by a 5'9 175 pound CB. Croom is approaching a Arian Foster/Marsalis Teague level of hatred, at least for me.
I don't think we would have won either, but it would have been a much, much different game, which was the point.
These plays happen all the time. The better this team gets, the better they will be at over coming them.
The better you get, the easier it is to point to a handful of plays that changed the entire game. I don't recall being able to point to a few plays against Oregon that changed the outlook of that game. You could in this game, and that's a positive.
Truth. If Croom makes the play the DB doesnt get a chance to make a great play. Croom didnt, the DB did. The fumble was crap. The play calling on 3rd and 2 was almost as bad.
The team looks like its making progress. I don't want to make excuses, our OC (with a touch of Derek douchey) was prob going to lose this game no matter what. It does give me a little hope that with the right coordinators, we can get the hell out of this 12+ year funk.
BTW - completely agree about Croom, someone else said it best in another thread with the look like Tarzan, play like Jane comment
I told several people today at church this exact same thing. 3 plays made the difference in this being a single digit game.
No.3 - worst ****** call of the night, I still keep saying, no no no ******* no The D did grow some last night and I am becoming a bit proud of them
I agree that those 3 plays are a big difference in the outcome. I don't know if I am the only one that noticed, but the Vols did not looked gassed in the 3rd and 4th quarter, but OU sure did. The defense pitched a shutout from about 12:55 left in the 3rd quarter. I had my doubts about our DC last season, but hell fire, we held f'n OU to 3-12 on 3rd downs. That's damn impressive against the #4 team in the nation. Worley earned some respect from me for the beating he took in that game. I hope that he personally kicks Dooley in the mangina for leaving him with very little OL help this season. Croom....#smh You're 6'5" ffs. You let a 5'9" DB take the ball from your big ass. Bajaja needs to learn that 3rd and 2 from the 5 is not the time to go 5 wide. You go tight formation and either hand off on a dive twice or go Wild Beast and give the ball to AJ to pound those last yards. Hurd (this one for NYY) #FUTUREALLTIMEVOLRUSHINGLEADER
I wrote this exact same thing in KB's thread last night. Exact same thing. I'm excited for this team's future if we can get a new OC.
Oh my God, I was screaming at the TV. Cam Sutton got MUGGED on one play, Vereen and the other DLineman were getting tackled and blatantly jersey pulled the entire second half. The no-calls on the Pass Interference stuff I am very OK with. Let them grab and tug each other (DOWN NYY, DOWN!) a bit down the field. But when you let a 340 pound guy grab a 270 pound D end and no call is made, it is completely and grossly unfair.
I think the leniency went both ways to some degree, but we got butt f'ed continuously and it was not called until the game was out of reach and it didn't matter.
