CMR thought we had lots of big plays on both sides of the ball, the biggest
being by the defense right before the half. Would like to say we caused the
fumble, but their FB caused it and we had the presence of mind to scoop it and
score.
Greene hit just about everything he threw. There were a couple, but most everything
was right where it needed to be. CMR thought the best drive of the game was
our first in the second half, where we went 14 or 15 plays for a TD.
A caller during the show was impressed with Greene’s fakes and how effectively
it holds the defense. CMR pointed out one play where Greene carried out a fake
so well that a safety who might have been able to tackle Browning was out of
position because of following Greene’s fake.
Munson groused that Greene fakes so well it fakes out the radio guys.
Their drive just before halftime was about half on our penalties. We want to
play aggressive but have to play within the limits of the whistles and rulebook.
We just have to keep working on making sure our guys do that.
Injuries – we’re in good shape. Only Gibson of guys who’ve been playing regularly
will have to be watched. Everyone else should be fine in a day or two.
The RB by committee is working. Munson says it makes us look like a rich football
school. Everyone is bringing something to it. Browning is like a WR and is also
running well. Cooper is also running well, and Lumpkin ran into a “road-closed”
situation, but bounced off the pile and went for a TD.
Eli from Commerce opened up by asking Munson whether he planned to retire soon.
He was also pleased that we’d learned from the
LSU game. CMR said our backs
blocked better, and we did things with the back that we didn’t do in the LSU
game. We also hit a few slants and caught the ball better .. only one dropped
pass, which was insignificant.
Jeff from Roswell thanked CMR for dedicating himself to running the ball this
week. However, he was concerned about “showmanship” that he thought looked like
some old Miami teams that brought too much attention to themselves.
CMR thinks we do a lot better when we’re balanced between the run and pass.
All three backs brought some good things and their styles contrast just enough.
Then Powell ended up being the leading rusher from that long run near the end.
He had a couple of strong runs, but needed to do better on a couple as well.
Danny Verdun Wheeler is doing a great job – started the Bama game, but still
makes a few mistakes like a freshman would. He just has Arnold Harrison ahead
of him, who has more experience.
What about the fight? A caller was impressed with how the coaches kept the guys
on the sidelines. White thought it was retaliation. He was ejected for a flagrant
foul but not for fighting, which means he is not out for the next game as CMR
understands it right now. CMR had not been able to figure out from a tape exactly
what happened and who was involved.
Keeping the focus on Vandy? CMR thinks being focused on going after another
SEC title will keep them excited and understands that every game counts the
same. Vandy counts just the same as anybody else we play. Coaches grade our
film, then break down tendencies and figure out how we’ll do certain things.
We get in about 2:00 on Sundays to grade film, then stay late tonight to break
down film of the next opponent.
Yet another call about illegal substitution and six men on the line; someone
fears those rules are ruining college football. CMR says the intent was to keep
the offense from deceiving the defense by having several possible personnel
groups in the huddle. But sometimes as players go in and out, sometimes you
can have 12 in the huddle without trying to. Again, CMR went over our FG situation
last week against Bama when Lumpkin had not left the field.
Sean from Watkinsville thanked CMR for the big win; it was Sean’s first trip
to Knoxville. Tony Taylor is coming back from injuries and starting to get back
into the rotation. CMR says it means a lot to the team to have the fan support
we do, especially on the road, and enjoyed it being mostly just our fans near
the end of the game.
After the game, lots of fans were there and it was like another Dawg Walk going
from the locker room to the buses. And when it came to band vs. band, ours was
just as strong as theirs.
Chad from Cornelia is just on the way back from Knoxville, and complained about
two calls on
Tennessee’s late 2nd quarter drive. CMR didn’t want to get into
the calls, but said Sean Jones got enough of Clausen to leave it up to the official’s
discretion. We’ve just got to do a better job of avoiding contact in that situation.
The only good thing about these penalties is that teams that loaf don’t get
them. Our team is playing so fast and physical that the officials have to protect
players. Plus, all the stuff about what Clausen said last year and our guys
really wanting to tackle him…
A later caller joked that Clausen may have been thinking about if he had Greene’s
arm…
CMR likes the future of our TE position – Pope and Milner are both progressing
well. Also the young OL continues to make good progress.
Not likely Andy Bailey will play this year. He’s still working hard on kickoffs,
but Bennett is doing what we want and we covered kicks much better this week.
Not sure exactly how many scholarships we’ll have next year, but we need some
WRs who can go downfield and be dangerous. Also looking for DB help.
Geanna in Watkinsville noticed what she thought was a change in defensive strategy
in the second half. CMR thinks it was more each phase of the game helping the
other. As the offense continued to score, it makes them one-dimensional and
we were able to pin our ears back and come after the QB. We’re able to get the
other team out of their comfort zone.
A Tennessee fan, Jeff from NC, says he’s also a CMR fan, and thanked CMR for
his gracious comments in both victory and defeat. He wondered if CMR had seen
a play that burst one team’s bubble like last night. CMR says no, especially
with a team being a foot from the goal line. You can fumble and not score, but
to have it get scooped and go 99 yards the other way. Most of their players
were locked in going forward and had no idea what was going on behind them.
Jeremy from Memphis was glad to see us throw the ball to Watson (TE)
and Jeremy Thomas (FB). Also, he wonders if Sean Jones should be returning
kickoffs. CMR says punt returns are a different animal from kickoff returns.
And, we don’t want to spread guys too thin and jeopardize their conditioning.
CMR also mentioned some times where we had plays called for Watson, but Watson
was double-teamed and they left a back open. Sometimes the defense dictates
where the ball goes. We progress in our reads. Different players get the ball
at different times.
Oh, and CMR took blame for the delay-of-game penalty we got, as he signaled
a play in too late.
Munson reminded CMR this is one of those weeks we have to work on the guys mentally
more than physically. CMR laughed and said he trusts the coaches to get the
guys ready. Munson groused that meant hit ‘em with a 2x4.
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