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Vols Fans Should Ready Themselves

By Randy Sharber

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The Vols are hosting one of the best College Football teams in America this weekend.

The Georgia Bulldogs will come to town tomorrow to play Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. The Vols have lost five in a row to Georgia. It is kind of a theme against the upper echelon of SEC teams these days for Tennessee.

The last three games between these two SEC East rivals have been decided by 3 points twice, and seven points once. Tomorrow will more than likely be yet another close game.

The Dawgs are coming off a game that they just want to forget. Tennessee’s next opponent, Alabama, just took them behind a Georgia woodshed. It was a miserable day for Georgia fans. The Bulldogs could not play with Alabama. They were manhandled in all aspects.

Tennessee was also manhandled in the second half of their loss to Arkansas. The Hogs bullied Tennessee so much that they wouldn’t let the Vols even play with the football in the second half. It was collegiate keep away as the Vols could only get the ball back for four total possessions in that half. The Vols still had a shot at winning, but it was not to be. Much like this season so far.

So the Vols need a win. The players want a win. Coach Jones needs a win. Fans will go crazy if they do not get a win. So fans, you better “check yourself” as they say now. It could be another disappointing day. I am not saying the Vols will lose. Not in the least. But there is a good possibility.

Tennessee is playing a very good football team. Nick Chubb and Sony Michel are two of the SEC’s best running backs. We have a great duo in Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara. There duo is actually a little more celebrated than ours. We wouldn’t trade ours for theirs. But Chubb will be a high first round NFL pick when it is his time to come out, and the NFL does not take running backs high.

Georgia is talented, as is Tennessee. What I am trying to say is that Georgia will be tough to beat. They are better than Arkansas. By far. Now Georgia’s style of play is a better match up for the Vols, but this running game is spectacular. Both Chubb and Michel average over 7 yards per carry.

The Vols and Coach Butch Jones have had an awful start to the season. That is well documented. They have had a few players suspended, and now Pig Howard is gone for what looks to be for good. He is the Vols leading returning receiver from last season. Now allegations have surfaced in a much ado about nothing incident in which center Mack Crowder and Butch Jones got into on the practice field a few months back.

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Several fans that are just not in tune with what it takes to build a football team are wanting change. Something they should go back and look at the last years of Fulmer, and the following years of Kiffin and Dooley. You see it was the same guys stirring the pot then as it is now.

The Clay Travis’ of the world and the local talk show hosts love this sort of thing. It is easy to come on the air or periscope and criticize. When you don’t have to make split second decisions in the comfort of your sofa or chair it is easy to criticize….”after” the play, or “after” the game. Do you ever notice how you would have done something different?

What would you have done? “Well I would have thrown a pass there”. Oh really, who to? What routes? What protection would you call? What package of receivers? What if they blitz strong side? Weak side? Up the middle? What if they sit back in zone? Go cover 2? Man to man?

After the play these are easy. I get kind of sick of hearing about how Jones should have gone for two. Yes he should have at Florida. No doubt. But that doesn’t mean they would have made it. It is all hindsight.

Getting back to the pot stirrers. You as fans of Tennessee have to realize they want to burn this thing down. It is what they do. Travis is calling it a dumpster fire. Now I like Clay Travis, and find him entertaining. But that is what he is. He is an entertainer. He has made a lot of money by being smart enough to rile people up against one another, and against their own schools, players, and coaches. It is how he makes a living people.

It is what makes talk radio ratings. You listen to some yahoo who is a Vandy fan talking about how great it is to see 102,000 orange people disappointed in a loss to Arkansas. They have lost to Western Freakin Kentucky. Almost lost to Middle Tennessee but for a miracle last minute comeback. But you are tired of hearing this kind of crap. I get it. I am too. This guys is a little punk hiding behind an alias and a call in radio show. He is insignificant. Let it go.

But you get on the “fire the coach” bandwagon pretty quick. As if there are great football coaches frothing at the mouth to come get some of the SEC. Not anymore. Tennessee is a top destination type of job, if you are a mid major coach. If you are Art Briles at Baylor, you are content to sit at Baylor and play one or two difficult games per year to get a shot at the title. If you are Gary Patterson at TCU, same thing. Who wants to play Alabama, Florida and Georgia every year?

You can win a National Title anywhere now. You don’t have to be a SEC, Big 10, or Pac 12 team anymore.

I know how fans feel. I am right there with you all. But I think we should all let it all play out. Jones is not going to get fired this season. He has put together some talent. He has some talented quarterbacks coming in. We need to keep those guys on the hook.

Just realize tomorrow that this is going to be a tough game with a very good team that 95% of the teams in the country could not beat. If the Vols win, you as a fan will be the one that says I told you I back Butch. If they lose, you will be the one that says fire the bum. But it will be “after” the game. Don’t let the media guys get you down, and don’t let the other fans get you down. It is what they want.

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