Well, the banning of the flag is offensive.  I don't think it's fair to blame it on soccer though.  This easily could have happened at an NFL game IMO. 

And I don't care who has co-opted the Betty Ross flag.  It's ridiculous to ban it.

With God as my witness, I am 59, grew up in the south, and have NEVER seen the Betsy Ross flag used as a symbol of hatred/racism. I am sure some dumbass or two have used it before, but those shouldn’t be able to dictate agenda.

Because he would not be drafted?

He was considered a candidate for such in May:

https://247sports.com/Article/NFL-Draft-analysts-pegs-Jake-Bentley-as-2019-first-round-pick-118174141/

Has his performance hurt his prospects?


Yes to your first and last questions

I'm about to pull the trigger on the orange & blue packages (dammit I hate saying those two colors together), namely because I can get the SEC network. I want to drop cable, but I hope tat someone will talk me out of it if they had a terrible experience.....

 One thing you need to check. I found this out the hard way with Netflix. Comcast cable has data limits and if you go over streaming TV shows on your wireless you get charged five or $10 for every additional 50 gigs. Understand charter cable has no data limit. So you better check with your cable provider On Internet data limits

Here are the QBs we face this year:

Grier - early season Heisman candidate and projected 1-2 round NFL pick
Tua - likely no. 1 NFL draft pick overall if he stays healthy
Fromm - sophomore with future NFL potential
Bentley - likely NFL career
Jake Lock - consensus first round NFL QB
Stidham - 1-2 round NFL draft pick in early season projections, stock may be dropping

We likely won't play Auburn or WVU next year, and we have to face Fromm and Tua again, but face it, Uga and bammer will be tough to beat next year even without those two.

I am really looking forward to the departure of Bentley (if he leaves) and Lock (will definitely leave).

We may beat Mizzou and Junior this year, but odds will go way up next year with another year for Pruitt to develop our talent and with those teams replacing their QBs. 

I want us to beat them this year though.

Bentley will not be remotely going to the draft this year..........he is not ready.  He gets hot for one half per game and is still making sophomore mistakes. 

...on recruiting better players? He's not wrong- I get that. But is it really a good idea to alienate your current roster like that? I know that most of these guys aren't "his" players. But still, he'll be counting on those players to win games for the remainder of this season and the next couple seasons after that. And if his program doesn't show marked improvement in that time, he'll be standing in the unemployment line.

Just seems to me that that's a sentiment you keep behind closed doors, without publicly airing your dirty laundry.

Disagree totally.  The ones who are busting it to get better and who stay engaged are not offended.  They are offended by teammates that don't give it their all.  Pruitt probably doesn't care if someone gets alienated.  What's going to happen?  They going to quit?  If so, great, a scholarship opens up for someone who isn't a quitter.  I laugh at how soft everyone has become.  United States of the Offended.  Players who don't look over to get the coach's signal get offended............so be it.

Muschamp is a clown of a coach. It's time for UT to stop losing to that guy. Even though he won 9 last year, this game could very well be the pivotal point of his career at South Carolina. Lose this one, and they very likely don't make a bowl game this year, thanks to the Marshall game being canceled. Which means Muschamp is gonna be on the hot seat next year as he tries to break in a new QB. Let's go get this one!

SC's QB is a junior.  I can assure you he's not going pro. 

It's called expectations.  We're going on 7 years without even making a Final Four.  What's SC's strongest program- baseball?  Let's see them miss out on going to Omaha 7 years in a row and then see if Holbrook isn't feeling some heat. 

I get the expectations part.  And your analogy with the SC baseball team is correct as well.  My point is simple.................Holly is not a 7 year problem as Pat was there until a few years ago.  Warlick has you with a chance at the final four so I dare say everyone at UT should be happy with that.  If Holbrook gets us to the final four in baseball, then I'll consider him a success.  JMO

Good luck tomorrow night. 

You know, some place where you can buy them in bulk?  Because we're going to need two.

I've seen it all now.  Your team is in the Elite 8 and you're calling for a coach to be fired.   

Fortunately they don't have a WR like cooper.  Davis is a good back, but the combination of Yeldon and Henry is better.  I even give Sims the nod at QB.

Scoring D is only 100th in the country.  I like that.   

Question.......Is SC's scoring D as bad as UT's scoring O?  UT's offense not in the same ballpark as Auburn or UGA or KY or TAMU.  Actually, the SC defense is probably thanking the scheduling gods that UT is coming to town.  Now your defense is by far the strength of your team, and one of the tops in the league IMO.  So the match up against our offense will determine the outcome most likely.  Our O averages over 35 points a game and keeps getting better each week.  Our D is about like your offense. 

If your offensive coordinator would run something besides swing passes, you might have a few more W's this year.  If our D could stop junior high, we might have a few more as well.  This week should be interesting. 

But's it's ok to listen to RAP on the way to and from the game I guess...

No kidding.........the local high school here has rap blaring from the PA during warm ups.  There's many lines in it that have me thinking "I can't believe a school administration is allowing that to play over the system."  Yet, a reference to a still is too much.  This is just another indication of where our country is headed unfortunately.   

I am brilliant........do you think Butch Jones read my post at half time?  The whole team attitude has changed once he started coaching to win and not coaching to not get blown out.  I'll be here all week if he needs me. 

It's kinda funny in a way, but let's pause for a moment to reflect on the state of Carolina football. First you have that pesky little gnat at The State, Ron Morris. He's critical of Spurrier (think Columbia's very own John Adams), so Spurrier decides he doesn't want the dude at his press conferences any more. He calls in a favor to the newspaper and has him removed from the Carolina football beat. (After he started refusing to do press conferences with any print media in the room, with no apparent objection from the USCe athletic department.) Now he's showing up soused for the taping of his weekly TV show, with no admonishment from the university. And this is not the first time that questions of Steve Spurrier's apparent love for booze have arisen.

By all appearances, Spurrier's success at USCe has persuaded the AD to give him the keys to the program and just let him do as he pleases.

Joe Paterno, anyone? Carolina better hope that Spurrier keeps his nose clean because there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of institutional control over there just now.

You must live in a strange world if you relate these two situations.   

In Neyland!

I actually thought it was a pretty good crowd

....the option doesn't work if the QB won't run the ball once in a while. If he doesn't, there's no freaking option. There's just a handoff to the running back. 

I was typing a thread on this same topic...soon as I hit enter, I saw your post.  I was beginning to believe it was just me noticing this.  I agree with you 10 fold.

I'm hoping UT beats UGA of course.  It helps SC in the SEC East race and I have two kids at UT so yes......today I'm a huge Vol fan.

Several things:
1 - If Worley would keep the ball a few times on those "zone" reads instead of always giving it to the back, he could gain 8-10 yards.  It would then give the UGA DE's something to think about.  The DE's for UGA aren't even looking at him.  I know he's not a running QB, but he should be good enough to keep a few and loosen up the run D

2 - Butch Jones needs to quit trying to protect his offense.  These little swing passes and dumps, 3 yard passes, and runs ONLY up the middle are not going to beat most teams unless you throw a few long balls.  He appears right now to be coaching safe in an effort not to get blown out instead of trying to win.  UT can beat UGA today with a break or two if the coaches will act like they believe.  That's why you play the game right? 

I know UT needs help in some areas, but you've got a good crowd there today, they sound loud on TV when something good happens, and this is the perfect chance for that signature win UT needs. 

If UT can score a TD out of the gate in the second half, momentum might swing a little.  Without Marshall and Gurley, it's not like UGA is going to run the ball down your throat.  Hey, anything can happen.......it's only a 14 pt lead. 

but today, reading some of the posts here while sitting with my Daddy in the VA home here in Knoxville, I really realized how ridiculous it is to get upset over a football game.  I love the Vols as much as anyone here...and will always Bleed Orange....but right now, my priority is spending as much time with my Daddy as I can before I lose him.    He likely will never come home again....and with his dementia, he's mean and hateful to most anyone around him....but he's my Daddy and I love him with all my heart.  (I am the baby and the only girl, so I'm definitely a Daddy's girl!     )

So for those snipping at each other -- just take a step back and realize that this is just 1 day in the rest of your life...and when you look at it, it's a W on the books.    There are more important things than football.

Oh, and BTW....you are all my friends -- I love you all!      Take care and know that life is too short to let this get us down.  The Vols will be back...and Coach Jones is likely the guy to do it!

Great post............and I'm not a UT fan.  God bless your family during this time.  Hats off to you for doing the right thing and taking care of dad best you can. 

Some people seriously need to STFU right about now. How 'bout you get us started.

Tough guy on a message board.  Get off the board if you don't want to read something.  It's not like someone is sitting in your living room with you.  I'll STFU as soon as you log off.  

I have some ties to UT so pulling for you in this game.  It was evident after the first few series, especially the first quarter, that Peterman is not the guy and not remotely ready to play in the SEC.  You could argue that you need to leave him in and make mistakes so he can grow up and learn.  Well that's fine if it's near the end of the year and you're playing a meaningless game.  Bottom line, UF is not a good team and this is UT's chance to win at the Swamp.  Jones apparently doesn't want to appear to have made a bad decision starting the freshman, so he leaves him in almost the entire half.  He was killing the team (and the receivers sure weren't helping).  Even Worley's average play would have produced possibly a UT two score lead.  Instead, down by 10 at the half. Oh well. 

when he left SC, he was Mr Football in the state. Carolina wanted him bad, but he chose UT. When he took the field, he was terrible. Is it coaching (or lack of it)? Do you think he can get better with a better coach?

Actually, Spurrier did not offer him.  Not that he's not a good player, but Spurrier didn't feel he fit into his system (or whatever).

[BAD.......................ANY chance this was a "this is what I think of you guys"?? cause Bray looked like he was on another planet]

Bray's attitude towards Dooley and the staff is BAD.......................ANY chance this was a "this is what I think of you guys"?? cause Bray looked like he was on another planet

 

I hope he goes away.  I'm a Gamecock fan but my kids go to (and have gone to) UT.  I don't care if he throws for 4000 yards, he is not a leader.  Answer me this, for all those fans that think it's only Dooley as the problem, how many times has Bray led you to victory?  He simply pouts and acts like a kid when things aren't going well.  QB's are there to lead.  The best thing UT could ask for is a new coach AND a new QB.  Then things might turn around. 

is a complete turd and must be KILLED!   

I thought it was only our team that used that crappy rugby punt.  I think our punter averages about 30 yards per punt with it.  Come to think of it, we haven't had a good punter in 10 years.  Glad to see someone else hates it as much as I do.

Wisconsin has lost. Texas Tech is ahead of Oklahoma 24-7 at half. LSU and Bama play each other. And the danged Clemson tiglets benefit from it all.

I can't stand it. 

Hey, we have something in common this week after all.  One thing I've noticed since living in TN, UT fans hate clemsux pretty bad.  Why is that?  I'm happy you do, but curious at to why.  I've noticed tater fans don't like UT at all either.  Did you two play each other during the regular season for a while or something?  I know why UGA and Clemsux hate each other, but I always wondered why UT fans (most) don't like them. 

& got torched by uga, of all teams ...

Look, I'm not a Vol hater.  My kids went to UT and I pull for you when not playing SC.  But if you think our secondary is bad, go back and check the stats vs UGA.  If that's getting torched, I'll take it every week.  By the way, we beat UGA at UGA.............just sayin

Our defense should be able to play well against the lame chicken offense, especially with Lattimore out.

The question is,'can Simms exploit a vunerable lame chicken secondary? My belief is no.  We are running the ball better but Simms doesn't give memany confideNce he can keep the lame chickens from packing 8'in the box

You mean that same secondary that has 14 interceptions and is #5 in the country in that category?