Coaching
Where do we start? This staff deserves credit for having this team ready to come out and strike fast. The first few drives – for both sides of the ball – were executed to perfection and the Vols were able to jump out to a 17-point lead against a quality opponent that had stomped them a year ago.
That said, there were plenty of questions and concerns. The decision to run Alvin Kamara on the goal line instead of Jalen Hurd and then electing to kick the field goal on 4th and 6 inches on the next play were real head-scratchers at the time, and proved to be decisions played a factor in the final score being what it was. The lack of adjustments to Oklahoma’s defensive scheme were unacceptable, as was the decision to play safe and conserve the lead while running a hurry up offense and not milking the clock as much as possible. The lack of imagination and creativity on offense when you HAD to have yards was truly disappointing. The team is improved and clearly better than they were a year ago, but this coaching staff has yet to prove that they know how to play with an early lead in a big game. Conservative play-calling and a “just don’t blow it” mentality after Tennessee went up three scores were on full display, and allowed Oklahoma time to adjust and figure out what they needed to do to move the ball, score points and ultimately win the game.
Grades:
Daniel: D
Houston: F
Reed: F
Average Grade: F
