Tennessee comes in frustrated. A couple weeks ago they thought they would be playing for a national championship. That aspiration got decisively shattered and I'm sure they would like nothing better than to come in and vent their frustrations on Vanderbilt.There will be no lack of aggression on their part - but playing out of frustration can be a fragile mindset. If things don't go well, playing frustrated can lead to more frustration.
Position by position, I don't love the match up. Their defense is best against the thing we want to do : running the ball. Their defensive backs can be exploited, but as much as I love Mike Wright, he's probably not the guy to methodically pick apart their secondary. If they still had Hooker at QB I would be very skeptical because that is an offense designed to attack the weakness of Vanderbilt's defense. Milton makes that more questionable. I'm sure he would love to roll into Nashville play the game of his life and prove all the doubters wrong. But but just like the rest of the team, if he plays frustrated that could lead to more frustration.
I can see this going 1 of 2 ways. A blow out for the bad guys or a close ugly smash fest won won by the good guys.
Pregame Thoughts
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Re: Pregame Thoughts
This game may be the biggest test of Heupel's coaching ability and it has nothing to do with X's and O's. It has everything to do with mental preparation. Three weeks ago they were #1, now barely in the top 10. They had a VERY legitimate Heisman hopeful, not now. They had not been humiliated by anyone all year, they certainly were last Saturday. There was no evidence of locker room, team chemistry issues until just before last Saturday. The more they deny such issues, the more likely it is there ARE internal issues among some players.
In my eye, they are primed for a meltdown in the VU game. But if Heupel is the coach he has appeared to be, he may well have them primed to try to steamroll our 'Dores, to rebuild the identity that took a major hit last Saturday. It will be interesting to see just what kind of coach Heupel is, and what kind of players he really has (Yeah I know, the kind that take payoffs in Chik-fil-A bags).
In my eye, they are primed for a meltdown in the VU game. But if Heupel is the coach he has appeared to be, he may well have them primed to try to steamroll our 'Dores, to rebuild the identity that took a major hit last Saturday. It will be interesting to see just what kind of coach Heupel is, and what kind of players he really has (Yeah I know, the kind that take payoffs in Chik-fil-A bags).