You really have to wonder WTF is going on in practice. I really wanted this hire to be our guy. The horrible start last year certainly placed some doubt there, but it did seem like we moved past that and learned from it and improved. Now we have regressed even worse. I'm sorry, you can't use the COVID excuse - EVERY OTHER PROGRAM has to deal with the same situation. We just are not capable of doing so, apparently. This season looks to be a disaster - and I agree with y'all - it seems almost 100% rooted in how we prepare/practice. This just fizzleing sux ass. Why can't we get a fizzleing halfway competent coaching staff for just fizzleing once????? fizzleing fizzle, fizzle fizzle.
Well first of all, this does "fizzleing sux ass". No doubt. With you on that one!
I don't want to put too fine a point on this, but IMO losing to Georgia State was worse. Georgia State is not an SEC team. And then turning right around and losing to BYU made it even worse. Let's see how they recover from this (errrr, week after next maybe? lol)
And as for COVID, my opinion of Orgeron (that he likely is Gene Chizak 2.0) has been expressed repeatedly below, but HOW IN THE HELL, did the defending NC, regardless of how many players they lost, allow MISSOURI to score 45 points? (A team we held to 13!).
I would submit that allowing 45 points to a suck-ass Mizzou team that seemingly was fighting Vandy for the SEC East basement is still worse than losing to Kentucky, a team picked by some to finish 3rd in the east, but generally no lower than 4th, is not as bad.
However I do fully acknowledge that's like saying our shizzle sandwich had a little more salt on it. Please don't take what I am saying as in any way a justification for what happened Saturday, but I am saying that, my opinion of Orgeron aside, I think the pandemic is affecting some games. Still not an excuse for the cluster fizzle against Kentucky! Just saying that I think we are going to see more than our share of off-nominal losses and upsets this season, and have already.
Here is also what I think about the Kentucky game. If we recover the way we did last season, all will be (mostly) well in Vol Land come November, particularly (don't laugh, it could happen!) we beat Florida. Not saying that will happen, but I am saying we can hope this is a one-off (or a 1.5 off if you want to include the second half of uga).
But if so, is this one last "lesson learned" for Pruitt, or do we begin to expect an annual "brain fart" game or two every year. Play like shizzle in a couple games early in the year, rebound and salvage what you can and start to feel good again? I don't think anyone is going to tolerate that for very long. We need some consistency and soon. Pruitt is now in his third year and the majority, even if a slight majority, of players are now his recruits. He isn't getting as much of a pass this year, that's for sure.