We trailed Uga 24-7 last year

[BanditVol]

And that came on the heels of very frustrating games against OU and UF that we should have won, and an Arky team we were certainly capable of beating.

Had uga gone on to blow us out, Butch would be under tremendous pressure and I don't think anyone would be happy or optimistic about this year. 

As it is, last season was our best since 2007, and I only give 2007 the nod because we actually won the East that year and nearly beat LSU in the title game.

Given all the close losses we had under doofus (particularly in 2012) and Butch (including a few games from his first two years, particularly the uga games), I will take it and not question our luck.

But...it was oh so close.   

[Tnphil]

Should have won 2 of the 3 between FL...OU...Ark. Going into the games Ark was the one I was most concerned with because of their OL and running game and it wound up being the case.

UGA comeback was a good one and still had to fight for our lives in the end. UGA takes over on their 2 foot line and proceeds to chew up our defense like a wood chipper. Then playing the worst South Carolina team in many a years we had to have a fumble on our own 8 to win when they took the ball around their own 8 and with one of the worst offenses in the country went through us like crap through a goose. IMO, situations like those added with the OU and Florida clusters is the reason we have a new DC.

The past 3 years we can hang our hat only that we have beat South Carolina and UGA once.....Time to start beating the big boys. The time is now.

[volsboy]

i hope VaTech isn't being over-looked. They could put a damper on the season early.

[BanditVol]

Should have won 2 of the 3 between FL...OU...Ark. Going into the games Ark was the one I was most concerned with because of their OL and running game and it wound up being the case.

UGA comeback was a good one and still had to fight for our lives in the end. UGA takes over on their 2 foot line and proceeds to chew up our defense like a wood chipper. Then playing the worst South Carolina team in many a years we had to have a fumble on our own 8 to win when they took the ball around their own 8 and with one of the worst offenses in the country went through us like crap through a goose. IMO, situations like those added with the OU and Florida clusters is the reason we have a new DC.

The past 3 years we can hang our hat only that we have beat South Carolina and UGA once.....Time to start beating the big boys. The time is now.

This is what I am saying.  Without the Uga win, maybe we still manage to go 7-5 but nobody, and I mean nobody is satisfied with that. I am tempted to say we got lucky against uga but we did grind out that win, and given the completely shizzlety luck we have had since at least 2008 (maybe even earlier) what I choose to say instead is "it's about time!".

I just hope we truly turned a corner last year.  Regarding the close losses, I will add that was rumored to be a big factor in Jancek being asked to move on.  If so, it can probably only get better. 

[Creek Walker]

The UGA game was interesting. Tennessee had played well enough to be undefeated and on an inside track to the CFB playoff. But late in the 2nd quarter of that game, it looked like Butch had lost his team. They were flat, they appeared disinterested, the execution was terrible. I made the statement that Butch Jones' days at UT were numbered. It was like someone flipped a switch, and for the rest of the season everything was different...even to the point that Tennessee almost picked up an improbable win at Alabama. I don't know if it was something the coaches said, or if it was a lucky break that the team capitalized on -- but the entire season and, very likely, Butch's career, hinged on a single moment in that game.

Butch still has to win in 2016 if he's going to be long for this job. If this team loses to UF and doesn't do something to redeem itself -- like beating Bama -- it's hard to imagine that Jones will be here long-term. He still hasn't proven he can win the big games with consistency and meet expectations. But at least he has given us all hope that he can. It's amazing how much one game in a 13-game season can make a difference, but that UGA game did. Half the CFB world seems to have Tennessee penciled into the playoff hunt this year. Excitement is higher amongst his fan base than it has been in many years (I hesitate to put an exact number on it, but I can't recall a preseason with this much anticipation since 1999). The Florida ticket is probably going to be the most expensive ticket in Neyland Stadium history...and if everything goes right, the Alabama ticket will be even more expensive. How much different would things be if Tennessee doesn't convert that 4th down? Or recover the fumbled kickoff? Or kill a punt a foot away from the pylon in the 4th quarter?

[BanditVol]

The UGA game was interesting. Tennessee had played well enough to be undefeated and on an inside track to the CFB playoff. But late in the 2nd quarter of that game, it looked like Butch had lost his team. They were flat, they appeared disinterested, the execution was terrible. I made the statement that Butch Jones' days at UT were numbered. It was like someone flipped a switch, and for the rest of the season everything was different...even to the point that Tennessee almost picked up an improbable win at Alabama. I don't know if it was something the coaches said, or if it was a lucky break that the team capitalized on -- but the entire season and, very likely, Butch's career, hinged on a single moment in that game.

Butch still has to win in 2016 if he's going to be long for this job. If this team loses to UF and doesn't do something to redeem itself -- like beating Bama -- it's hard to imagine that Jones will be here long-term. He still hasn't proven he can win the big games with consistency and meet expectations. But at least he has given us all hope that he can. It's amazing how much one game in a 13-game season can make a difference, but that UGA game did. Half the CFB world seems to have Tennessee penciled into the playoff hunt this year. Excitement is higher amongst his fan base than it has been in many years (I hesitate to put an exact number on it, but I can't recall a preseason with this much anticipation since 1999). The Florida ticket is probably going to be the most expensive ticket in Neyland Stadium history...and if everything goes right, the Alabama ticket will be even more expensive. How much different would things be if Tennessee doesn't convert that 4th down? Or recover the fumbled kickoff? Or kill a punt a foot away from the pylon in the 4th quarter?

I will finally agree that Florida is make or break this year.  Absolutely no excuse to lose to them, and yes, it would take a win over bammer to redeem Butch.  10-2 is no good if UF is one of the "2". 

And yes, it is interesting how close the uga game turned on so many plays.  Its almost as if seasons of bad luck turned the other way in one game.  Maybe Butch finally got a "signature win" with that game.  If not signature, then certainly a big win.

Maybe we can reserve "signature" for a certain game in October this year.   

[Black Diamond Vol]

You could make the argument that UGA was lucky just to keep that game close.  If not for a fluke 99 yard fumble return TD and an atrocious picked-up flag on a punt return TD, we would have blown them out.  Those two plays alone were likely a 21 point swing in their direction.  Not to mention that they only started moving the ball in the 2nd half after a blatant cheap shot put our best DL out for the season (and I expect to see some payback this year).

But whatever.  We won, and that's all that matters.