Four quick takes on what rock bottom looks like
LEXINGTON, Ky. —A train-wreck of a season got even worse on Saturday night with the Vols falling 29-26 to Kentucky. Here are four quick takes on an embarrassing loss for a program that owned this series for nearly three decades.
1 — Butch Jones — Is it over? You certainly have to think that’s a strong possibility after the Vols fell to 3-5 on the year and 0-5 in the SEC with tonight’s 29-26 loss to the Wildcats.
Many fans had already made the awkward decision to root against the Vols tonight in the hopes that it would force John Currie’s hand in making a move with his head coach.
That group could very well get their wish now.
The atmosphere among the fan base —one of the most passionate in the nation— was already absolutely toxic. Going into this game you had to look long and hard to find any Jones’ supporters among that fan base and now that search would be pointless.
The question in regards to Jones’ future would seem much more about ‘when’ now as opposed to ‘if.’ Does Currie make the move immediately? As in on Sunday? It certainly isn’t inconceivable.
It’s virtually impossible to find any on field aspect of this team to get excited about right now.
Sadly, this program is far, far, far closer to Vanderbilt at the moment than they are with competing with Alabama and Georgia, two rivals that combined to beat the Vols 86-7 this fall.
Many observers have been of the belief that Currie is reluctant to fire Jones unless there was no other choice.
A loss to Kentucky, a team that Tennessee has beaten 31 of the last 32 times, may have taken all other options off the table for Currie.
2 — The streak is over, at least, but struggles persist — The Vol offense finally found the end zone tonight when Ty Chandler plunged in from the one yard line in the second quarter. The streak reached 15 quarters without an offensive touchdown, a stretch that extended all the way back to the UMass game on Sept. 24.
Chandler would find the end zone twice in the second quarter as the Vols put up 20 first half points.
Ironically, it looked like Chandler had broken the streak earlier in the first quarter when he jetted into the end zone for an apparent 80-yard touchdown but that one was called back due to a hold.
Tennessee’s offense certainly wasn’t perfect tonight, but compared to what we’ve witnessed in the last month it was on fire.
Now, the Vols certainly benefitted from playing Kentucky, not exactly a defensive juggernaut, but some progress has been made on the offensive side of the ball it would seem. Just not enough to make a difference tonight.
Jarrett Guarantano looks like he’s making progress after his third start. He still holds the ball too long and takes some sacks he shouldn’t but the redshirt freshman is getting better. He finished this one 18-of-23 for 194 yards and didn’t have a turnover.
He also seemed more inclined to look for opportunities to push the ball down the field tonight than he has in his first two games of the starter.
Obviously, none of that was enough though. Tennessee’s offense failed to convert any of four turnovers into touchdowns tonight. The Vols were gifted with four fumbles, all in excellent field position, but turned those into just nine points.
The biggest sin occurred on the first offensive possession of the game. Tennessee had the chance to get off to a fantastic start when Kendal Vickers forced a fumble on the first snap of the game, which Tennessee pounced on at the ‘Cats’ 15 yard line.
The Vols couldn’t move it though and had to settle for a field goal and a 3-0 lead. That turn of events made the ‘Cats seem like they had dodged a bullet and actually might have given them some momentum.
That sequence would turn out to be enormous in a game where four more points would have given Tennessee a win.
Tennessee actually out gained the Wildcats 445 to 371 but the difference was that the home team executed well enough to score touchdowns.
3 — Sloppy start was costly — Tennessee hurt itself badly early on with some unforced errors that showed up on the scoreboard. There was the aforementioned holding penalty that negated Chandler’s 80-yard touchdown, perhaps the most egregious mistake, but hardly the only one.
On Kentucky’s first touchdown drive of the night the Vols had an excellent chance to get off the field on 3rd & 6 from the Kentucky 44, but Justin Martin was flagged for a blatant pass interference call that extended the drive. The Wildcats would take advantage of that miscue by finishing the drive in the end zone and a 7-3 lead.
Later in the first quarter the Vols turned a 1st and goal at the one situation into a 2nd and goal from the 6 after an offsides penalty, just the kind of thing that you simply can’t do.
Guarantano was later sacked and all the way back at the 16 yard line, forcing a field goal.
Adding those three sequences up and it’s not a stretch to say that Tennessee penalties cost them 18 points on the scoreboard in the first quarter.
Tennessee, to its credit, cleaned some things up as the game went on, but the Vols were flagged six times for 44 yards in the first 17 minutes of play.
4 — Ty Chandler — Well, here’s at least one positive. The freshman tailback has essentially been in mothballs all season long. He came into tonight with 27 carries on the year for 118 yards.
Chandler eclipsed that total in one night against the ‘Cats, finishing with 122 yards and two touchdowns. on 22 carries.
This week’s news that John Kelly would sit this one out due to suspension seemed like the kind of thing that would be difficult for an already struggling offense to overcome.
Chandler apparently had different ideas. Given his first real chance at extended playing time all season long, the Nashville native showed why he was such a coveted recruit.
He showed the quickness and explosion to take one to the house from anywhere on the field and also showed the toughness to get the job done between the tackles.
His 29 yard run in the first quarter, when he put his head down and absolutely bulldozed a Kentucky defender was an eye-opener.
The Vols look like they’ve got a running back from the mid-state area with some heart on this year’s roster.
No one is suggesting that Chandler should have been playing over Kelly, but it’s hard to leave this game thinking that he shouldn’t have been a bigger part of the offense than he has to this point in the season.