My literary contributors lavished their beloved Tennessee Vols with praise following their ever-so-close 20-17 loss to No. 1 Texas on Sept. 26. They also were restrained in their criticism of an offense that was overwhelmed by the Texas defense.
Just kidding.
My leadoff literary contributor didn’t wait for the end of the game to fire coach Josh Heupel and offensive line coach Glen Elarbee.
Chris writes: The offensive line was supposed to be good, and they are terrible. That coach (Elarbee) guy hasn’t ever been a good coach and gets worse. I would fire him before he leaves the stadium.
They’ve had every chance to win this game, but the O-line is so awful it doesn’t matter who is at QB. They don’t have a chance.
(A few minutes later, with the game
yet to be decided, Chris reloaded and fired again.)
I take that back. Fire Heupel, too. That was terrible coaching. His end-of-the-game management is middle school level.
I hope Danny White fires them both before they get out of the stadium. You can’t be gifted a win like that at home against the No. 1 team, and that’s all you come up with.
I’m glad I didn’t come down for the game.
My response: I can appreciate your frustration after a loss like that. However, I think it’s too soon to fire coaches.
Imagine how difficult it would be to hire competent replacements a month into the season.
Jimmy writes: As expected, quarterback Faizon Brandon was a deer in the headlights most of the Texas game. Heupel didn’t help by failing to adjust with man-beater routes after it was obvious UT receivers weren’t good enough to beat Texas’s man coverage individually.
The defense put up a valiant effort, but it was all for naught when the offense flopped with the ball at midfield and 1:22 left after just marching 80 yards in 2:45. I’ll put this loss on Heupel for his inability to adjust during the game.
My response: Thanks for pointing out the offensive deficiencies. As always, I will pass along your critique to Heupel and offensive coordinator Joey Halzle, who crave constructive criticism from their football-savvy fan base.
The defense’s effort was valiant, indeed. It held the No. 1 Longhorns to 262 yards, sacked quarterback Arch Manning six times, and limited star wide receiver Cam Coleman to one catch.
Four games into the season, it’s obvious the Vols have had no trouble adjusting to new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ system. They have 19 sacks and 34 tackles for loss. And they’re giving up only 15.5 points per game.
Glenn writes: Despite the Vols’ ineffective O-line play for most of the game, the outcome could have been different if not for two blown calls by the officials.
One was missing the holding call seconds before the end of the first half that prevented Braylon Staley from catching a perfectly thrown pass to the goal line.
Also, a terrible roughing the passer penalty occurred when a Vol defender's hand brushed the crown of Arch Manning's helmet as the defender spun away without making contact.
My response: I love it when my literary contributors get creative and think outside the box. While most of my readers chastised various coaches and players for their incompetence, you looked beyond UT’s mistakes, and called out the officials for snatching a victory away from the Vols.
In fairness to the officials, they weren’t totally committed to ruining the Vols’ day. They assessed the Longhorns 11 penalties for 115 yards.
Jack writes: If it takes two years to learn Jim Knowles’ system, I can’t wait till next year.
The offense just looked predictable. We need to send Heupel to “end-of-half” and “end-of-game” schools.
My response: Congrats, Jack. You are the first fan to utter that time-honored rallying cry: “Wait till next year.”
All of us – including coaches – can sometimes benefit from more education. However, those coaching schools you recommended are only open for enrollment in the spring.
Doug writes: Our freshman quarterback obviously faced a fierce pass rush – the likes of which he had never seen − against Texas. Allowing for that, he still left a lot of yards on the field by being far too cautious with the football.
There were numerous plays that he had adequate protection but didn't let the ball go.
My response: Tennessee quarterbacks are coached to – first and foremost – protect the football.
So, look on the bright side. Although Brandon was sacked 10 times, he didn’t fumble or throw an interception.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football fans have no problem finding multiple targets for criticism | Adams
