Coaching
Daniel: Not much to say except that it was a strong plan really in all phases of the game. It might’ve been Tennessee’s best effort overall of the season. Yes, Kentucky was tired and banged up, but remember that this is still a better UK squad than last year that has several NFL-bound players and a squad that has played most of its SEC opponents very tough, if not beaten them. Schematically, the Vols kept the Wildcats off balance on both sides of the ball. The defense bent at times, but never broke. The Vols are just a nightmare to defend now with their impressive mix of running and passing. Opposing linebackers are biting on play-action like crazy and opening up some seams in the throwing game. A lot of credit goes to the coaches on all of that. There are minor things you can nitpick about, but this staff found the right balance or rest and preparation over the bye week and it really showed against the Wildcats. Grade: A
Houston: Hard to find anything to complain about in this game from a coaching standpoint. Bajakian called a great game. It seemed like he knew that he could trust his guys to win one-on-one match ups and he let them do just that. John Jancek also relied on players – not plays – and routinely cut his guys loose and just out-athleted Kentucky on a regular basis. They were risky when they needed to be on both sides of the ball, but they weren’t careless. They had this team ready to play and you can see that the players have a lot of confidence right now, which is a direct result of this coaching staff’s message week after week. Grade: A
Reed: This was a very well coached game. Jones and Co. went to what worked over and over again on offense and the Vol defense got back on track against a decent Wildcat offense. They moved the pocket to neutralize Kentucky’s speed rushers and did a fantastic job of making Kentucky defend multiple threats. This offense is flat out fun to watch with Dobbs at the helm. The Vol defense brought pressure and really disrupted Kentucky’s offense. Everything we talked about on RTI Radio this week, the Vols executed with ease. The staff also gets some credit for putting such a beatdown on an SEC opponent. Grade: A
Average Grade: A
