Tennessee Footballs' Season Analysis and Key Games Recap

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00:03Always great to have Bob Kessling on the legendary voice of the Tennessee Vols and they're coming

00:07off a huge win over Alabama after they had had a tough game in overtime against Florida

00:15in Knoxville.

00:16But I want to go back to start Bob to the game in Fayetteville where they lost and you

00:20would have thought that Tennessee season was going down the toilet because they had a rough

00:26road game to Fayetteville.

00:28Now the fans are crazy.

00:31We know that.

00:32That's a given.

00:33But the reality is I've always believed that it is so brutal to win on the road in the

00:38SEC and to go on the road.

00:40I don't care who you're playing.

00:42It is always difficult.

00:43It's a nightmare.

00:44And that day was a tough day.

00:47That was the first time someone all season long and really punched you in the mouth and

00:51didn't let Tennessee do what they do where they score a lot of points and their offense

00:56is clicking and they're moving the ball and they're getting possessions and just moving

01:00down the field.

01:01That was a rock'em, sock'em football game.

01:05What did they get out of that?

01:07There had to be something they learned from it other than everybody thought the world

01:10was ending in Knoxville because they are six and one and things are real cherry rosy again.

01:16Yeah, Scott, it's interesting the week even before that the week before the Arkansas game,

01:23Tennessee went to Oklahoma and had a knock down, drag out fight with the Sooners but

01:28figured out a way to win that game.

01:31And then they go to Arkansas and you think, well, okay, they've got one under their belt

01:34on the road in the SEC and Niko is going to be able to come out and play really well and

01:39they'll be back to the old Tennessee that we know.

01:42And then suddenly Arkansas comes out and plays a similar defense to what Oklahoma did.

01:47And Tennessee didn't score in the first half.

01:49And that was shocking.

01:50I mean, that was really shocking.

01:52And then Arkansas was just more physical than Tennessee was that day and won it.

01:57And I think it kind of knocked everybody back on their heels.

02:00But it also, I think, brought it into the reality that Niko Yamaliaba is still a very

02:05young quarterback.

02:06I mean, he started one game last year in the bowl game.

02:09And so he's really just figuring out how to play in the SEC, especially on the road.

02:14The interesting thing is that Tennessee has not scored in the first half in the last three

02:18games, which when you look at Josh Heupel's record, a lot of times they score on the first

02:23possession and a lot of times in the very first play of the game, they've done that

02:28five or six times.

02:29So not being able to score in the first half has been a little bit concerning.

02:35But then they figured out a way in the last two games to win in the second half and primarily

02:40running the ball and not throwing it.

02:41I mean, everybody thinks about Josh Heupel's offense being these huge chunk plays down

02:45the field, but they run the ball more than anybody in the SEC.

02:49And Dylan Sampson has just been fabulous for Tennessee running the football.

02:53But they're more of a running team right now than they are a big chunk passing team.

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