— Before the opener, someone started a thread asking for this team’s biggest concerns. I replied: o line, o line and o line. This unit couldn’t open holes against ACU. So hats off for that performance yesterday. Damn impressive.
— For all of the good things the o line did, I’d argue the most impressive thing was the late drive. Everyone in the building knew they were gonna run it, yet SC still couldn’t stop it. Burned more than 6 minutes off the clock and forced SC to burn its remaining timeouts. Bet it would’ve lasted at least 2 minutes more if not for the motion penalty on third-and-2. Brought back memories of the 8-minute game ending drive at Ole Miss in 2013.
— I’ve said all along that a lot of QBs would’ve struggled behind that line. Too many second- and third-and-longs. Cook was solid because the line stepped up. Kid has faced a ton of pressure, on and off the field. Was great to see him have a game like that.
— Not much more to add about the defense, other than: damn! SC kept hanging around, and the D kept stepping up.
— We expected big things from KAD, but how about Ennis Rakestraw? He, too, has taken a beating on this board. He just keeps making plays, not only in coverage but also as a physical tackler. And speaking of making plays, Carnell is always around the ball.
— Loved the play calling and adjustments, including Burden in the backfield. Wasn’t crazy about the goal line calls. Remember the Wildcat formation? Are they not using it because Burden and Lovett are dinged? And more Banister near the goal line, please. He’s always coming up with a big catch.
— I mentioned this in another thread, but the misses have gotten in Mevis’s head, like a golfer who struggles with the three-foot putt. Some point to his weight and that he struggles to swing his leg. Then explain why he is 8 of 9 from beyond 40 and 4 of 5 from beyond 50. It’s all in his head. Baffling, to say the least.
— Tennessee really played the DB who is facing felony charges? (Sorry. Got off track.)
— Kentucky is an intriguing matchup. Levis is very good, but the o line has been a major issue. He has taken a beating. Same with Rodriguez, the running back. He is a brute. Ran effectively against the Vols (15 for 64) but didn’t play much if at all in the second half. btw, Kentucky fans are screaming for the first-year offensive coordinator’s head.
— Kentucky’s defense is pretty salty. Play a clean game (there weren’t many penalties against SC, but a couple were killers) and 20 points should get it done. No idea which Kentucky team we’ll see, but it would be a good idea to hit them in the mouth early and see how they respond.
— A little birdie who would know tells me that they’re expecting another big crowd on Saturday. This team deserves the support. Would’ve been easy to throw in the towel at several points this season, but they kept fighting. I think back to Drink’s early comment about how much he liked the locker room.
— We owe Kentucky one.
— You are what your record says you are, and no no need to rehash the details, but I’ll close with this: This team is 4 or 5 plays from being 5-0 in the SEC. (sigh)
— For all of the good things the o line did, I’d argue the most impressive thing was the late drive. Everyone in the building knew they were gonna run it, yet SC still couldn’t stop it. Burned more than 6 minutes off the clock and forced SC to burn its remaining timeouts. Bet it would’ve lasted at least 2 minutes more if not for the motion penalty on third-and-2. Brought back memories of the 8-minute game ending drive at Ole Miss in 2013.
— I’ve said all along that a lot of QBs would’ve struggled behind that line. Too many second- and third-and-longs. Cook was solid because the line stepped up. Kid has faced a ton of pressure, on and off the field. Was great to see him have a game like that.
— Not much more to add about the defense, other than: damn! SC kept hanging around, and the D kept stepping up.
— We expected big things from KAD, but how about Ennis Rakestraw? He, too, has taken a beating on this board. He just keeps making plays, not only in coverage but also as a physical tackler. And speaking of making plays, Carnell is always around the ball.
— Loved the play calling and adjustments, including Burden in the backfield. Wasn’t crazy about the goal line calls. Remember the Wildcat formation? Are they not using it because Burden and Lovett are dinged? And more Banister near the goal line, please. He’s always coming up with a big catch.
— I mentioned this in another thread, but the misses have gotten in Mevis’s head, like a golfer who struggles with the three-foot putt. Some point to his weight and that he struggles to swing his leg. Then explain why he is 8 of 9 from beyond 40 and 4 of 5 from beyond 50. It’s all in his head. Baffling, to say the least.
— Tennessee really played the DB who is facing felony charges? (Sorry. Got off track.)
— Kentucky is an intriguing matchup. Levis is very good, but the o line has been a major issue. He has taken a beating. Same with Rodriguez, the running back. He is a brute. Ran effectively against the Vols (15 for 64) but didn’t play much if at all in the second half. btw, Kentucky fans are screaming for the first-year offensive coordinator’s head.
— Kentucky’s defense is pretty salty. Play a clean game (there weren’t many penalties against SC, but a couple were killers) and 20 points should get it done. No idea which Kentucky team we’ll see, but it would be a good idea to hit them in the mouth early and see how they respond.
— A little birdie who would know tells me that they’re expecting another big crowd on Saturday. This team deserves the support. Would’ve been easy to throw in the towel at several points this season, but they kept fighting. I think back to Drink’s early comment about how much he liked the locker room.
— We owe Kentucky one.
— You are what your record says you are, and no no need to rehash the details, but I’ll close with this: This team is 4 or 5 plays from being 5-0 in the SEC. (sigh)
