VTTW Board Index

If we had lost on a last-second field goal, or on a late touchdown pass or something, I don't know that I could've even said that I was surprised. Playing on the road in the SEC is war (plus, we haven't been good on the road this season, with the obvious exception of LSU). It's a different beast than you'll find in any other conference in college football. So as much as it would've stung to have had our playoff hopes ended, it could've been looked at as just business as usual in the SEC; a heartbreaking setback in an otherwise great season.

But to give up 63 points to one of the league's worst teams, a team that we were favored by 23 to beat? I'm just speechless. There are going to be a lot of words written about this loss, and I'm not sure any of them will manage to grasp what actually happened. I have a feeling this one is going to haunt this program for a long time.

I hope what we saw tonight as an anomaly, and not the start of the unraveling that we experienced in 2016, when we learned that the success we'd enjoyed under Butch was a flash-in-the-pan. But right now, it looks like we probably won't have Hooker for our next two games. And while Joe Milton has looked spectacular in mop-up duty this year, we saw the old Joe Milton that we know so well in the fourth quarter tonight, when he overthrew nearly everything in sight. Can we limp through the next two games? I suspect we get by Vandy with little trouble, but that's a rapidly improving team. As for the bowl, who knows. We're now bound for a mid-tier bowl game, and this is a new era with all of the opt-outs. Who knows what that will even look like. Then we head towards next season with a defense that we now know can be a disaster beyond our wildest dreams, and a suspect QB. We knew next year would be a step back. There's no way it could not be, with all the offensive weapons we're losing. Now I'm almost afraid to think about it.

P.S. Maybe this is over-reaction, but if I never saw Kamal Hadden in a Tennessee uniform again, I wouldn't be disappointed. His constant jawing after giving up big play after big play just seemed to encapsulate this entire night.

The 92nd ranked offense just put 63 on our asses.

Agree CW...this is a real puzzler.

There are rumors flying on other boards that Banks was suspended for getting into a fist fight with Hooker over NIL. 

That well could explain the D last night ((as bad as we know our pass D is, and as good as Rattler apparently can be, there has to be more to it than that, right?)

If the rumors are true, then we are back in a 2016 situation. Right down to it coming out against USC in November.

Hopefully its just rumor and innuendo.

We need this to be an anomaly.  In the worst way.

IT wasn't NIL

Then what was it?

https://youtu.be/evuqLhi4VPM

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THe D was in a Grand Funk of biblical proportions - that is fer sure.  Something fizzleing happened.  It would be terribly sad if it was because of a stupid morale problem. 

Good lord. Then say what it was man  :pin:

From VolNation. Somebody got this quote from Banks Instagram. "Wasn't about no conflict or nun like that. Get facts bro, coming back harder than ever!" Who knows.

This is also from VolNation:

"I’m concerned now because the locker room is def divided. The rumors are def true about Banks. He got angry over NIL money and stomped on the T on the locker room floor and the had some words. He was told to do push-ups but refused. Hooker stepped in and Banks went after Hooker. I don’t know if punches were thrown but I am 100% sure the above is accurate, as this is coming from a player."

This is widely reported.  If true, Banks needs to get his head out of his ass, or just leave.

I think there's probably fire behind the smoke of a Banks vs. Hooker conflict. As for the exact details, we'll probably never know.

What's frustrating is the way a disagreement of that nature had such an impact on the game — at least by appearances. Most college athletes are prima donnas and locker rooms are becoming increasingly toxic (they'll become MUCH more so with NIL money in play, IMO), but IF this team let an offense vs. defense split lead them to phone it in with a playoff berth on the line, that's just incredibly disappointing.

IF the rumors are true, and it is admittedly a really big if, it doesn't really boost my confidence level in Heupel because a coach has got to be able to control things like that.

Just really surprising and disappointing if true.

There was just something…off about that game.  I think it’s pretty obvious that something was happening behind the scenes. What, I don’t know. But something.  :banghead:

Yep....I said it early in the first half....Also I said early in the first half Hooker didn't look himself when they showed him on the sidelines...He was sitting to himself and starry eyed and wasn't engaged like he usually is etc....And this was way before the beat down commenced.