"Bad" high school football in Tennessee

[volfan911]

Guy Morris, the guy who was starting to turn things around a *little* bit...is gone. Rise?

 

What is this about Tennessee boys that go to UT flunking out? Bartholemew was an academic All-SEC, along with John Finlayson and a few others who weren't starters. Trey Teague was a bright kid as was Offenheusel and Chad Clifton. Even if the Tenn. boys were all flunking out, how is that relavent to this topic? Weren't we talking about UT's *recruiting* Tennessee boys? Now, educating them would be another topic.

Volfan911

[boneal52]

I love the way RedTwin thinks.

[MaryvilleRebels]

Well no matter how many players from instate you recruit you have to find a way to keep them. Some of the players that should be big names flunked out. Academic All SEC is not a huge accomplishment, it only takes about a 2.5 to get that honor. Also Kentucky is still on the rise, they now have a numerous amount of experienced coaches. They have recruited well inside their state bringing in 8 of the top 15 recruits. Michael Bush is also said to be deeply considering Kentucky. I was born in Kentucky and I'm partial to them, but each year I showed my partial attitude for Kentucky I was laughed at, and I knew that Kentucky didn't stand a chance. However, this year was different, Kentucky was on the rise and Tennessee wasn't and I don't think a single Tennessee fan thought it was going to be an easy game, if they say so now they're probably lying. I heard several people say that Kentucky was going to beat Tennessee, some even said by a lot. Kentucky had the opportunity to win all of their games except Tennessee and Georgia. In every other game, Kentucky was leading going into the 4th quarter. The Wildcat team that showed up in Knoxville this year was not the Wildcat team that played with heart all season long. I think that information of Coach Morriss wanting to go to Baylor was leaked and the players got wind of it and lost a lot of their fire. Sure that may sound like and excuse, but I have no other explanation. I watched or listened to Kentucky play every game this year and they were nothing like that. How can you explain the Wildcats lighting up LSU, the # 1 defense in the nation? Once they accomplish that they go out and play Tennessee, who's defense is good, but not the best in the nation, and they cannot score, pass, or run!? Sure you'll come up with millions of reasons why Tennessee won and why Kentucky couldn't do anything, but honestly I think you're just trying to put more icing on the orange cake! The leading SEC rusher, the leading passer in the SEC, the leading Punt returner in the nation, the leading punter in the SEC, the best defensive line in the SEC (Florida offensive lineman claimed Kentucky's d-line was better than Miami's.) If the leading rusher, passer, etc. isn't going up, I don't know what is! Maybe Tennessee getting raped by Maryland in a crappy bowl game is going up, I dunno, afterall I'm just a Kentucky fan!?

[Sequatchie]

You need to also keep in mind that Kentucky like Alabama is on probation and I don't think they can go to bowl games.

[volfan911]

MaryvilleRebels...first of all, I didn't say ANYTHING about Tennessee going up. Don't put words in my mouth. No matter what the circumstance, Kentucky still hasn't beaten Tennessee since 1985. If I were on here trying to explain why Tennessee lost the games they did this season, you would probably be calling me a cry baby and telling me to quit making excuses. Kentucky WAS on the rise - under Morris. Until their new coaching staff has a successful season, I don't think it's safe to say they're still on the rise. Ask a clear minded Bama fans how "on the rise" they still feel now that Coach Fran is gone.

 

As for Academic All-SEC...hey, you're the one that said they were flunking out...a 2.5 ain't flunking, buddy. And if I'm not mistaken, a 3.0 is required for Academic All-SEC (I'm not 100% sure about that so don't hold me to it). But that's besides the point. They aren't all flunking out...not even a majority of them, as you implied.

 

Look, I'm sorry your home state team is probably going to continue being a bottom feeder in the SEC. Hey, my team isn't on top anymore. I'm not happy about that. But I'm not hating on UGA for stepping up or UF for beating us even though they had to adjust to a new coaching staff. Good for them. That just means I expect more out of my Vols and hope they get back on top.

 

Volfan911

[Edited by volfan911 on 1-29-03 9:09P]

 

[TheEgoHasLanded]

Maryville Rebels...

 

Kentucky lost to UT again...they are on the rise cus they cheated and illegaly recruited players from Melrose. Also Kentucky lost to LSU...your post makes no sense since Kentucky lost both games.

[MaryvilleRebels]

First off Vol, I never said that you did say Tennessee was on the rise! Secondly, Ego, Kentucky beat LSU in every aspect of the game except for the final score, also, I never said that Kentucky beat Tennessee, I just said that Tennessee fans knew that Kentucky might, and probably would, get the better of Tennessee this year. Yea Kentucky recruited illegally, but you know what, that was two coaching staffs ago. Seems to me that Kentucky fans still think they are on the rise, afterall, our defense has improved and our running game has improved. Our recruiting classes are constantly getting stronger and are ranked higher. Like I said, wow, you may consider me a cry baby for saying that, but I didn't care that Kentucky lost, I cared that Kentucky just seemed to lie down and give it to Tennessee. I want to know why Kentucky lied down and didn't play, I want to know why the Kentucky players didn't make the meeting, why!? Well after looking at it logically I think that maybe someone figured out that Guy Morriss wouldn't be back and they stopped playing for him, if he didn't want them, they didn't want him. I didn't make this assumption right after the game or make up excuses right after the game, I just admitted Kentucky got beat. Did Tennessee's defense shut them down like Vol Calls proclaimed? I don't think so, I still don't see how a good defense can shut down the best offense in the SEC, no one else could do it, why would Tennessee be different? Usually Tennessee beats Kentucky offensively, they shut them down once or twice and then they go up on them until the deficite is too large, not this year, they beat them defensively. How do you explain the change? The Tennessee coaches all of a sudden got smart? I don't think so, Kentucky still had the same high powered offense, but failed to post points, why? You may say that I'm just giving an excuse, but the scientists that claim the Universe started with a big bang are really just giving and excuse, thats all an excuse is really, a reason why something happened. The difference is the tone in which you do the two, I am giving my reason/excuse in a modest tone with observational theory backing it up. Kentucky scored 32.1 ppg, with the Tennessee game. They had the leading rusher in the SEC, best returner, punter, leading scorer (TDs). They hardly had any penalties (17 penalties per game on average, compared to opponenets 28) all year long, until the Tennessee game, so what made them change? I think it was that they weren't in the game mentally, why weren't they in the game mentally, because they somehow got wind of Coach Morriss leaving. Now most might look at the stats and say that the Kentucky defense isn't that much better, but Kentucky scored 56 touchdowns compared to oppnonents' 39. Truth of the matter is Kentucky tried to do enough to win, not win big, but win, and their "bend don't break" defense seemed to work out pretty good in most cases. So what went wrong in Tennessee? Like I've said, I'm looking at this scientifically because I want an answer, not something to make me feel good, but something to make sense. Psychologists wonder whether Nature or Nuture decides how a person acts, some give their reasons why, they give their excuses, and that is what I'm doing with the Kentucky/Tennessee game, I'm giving my theory on why the played horribly. Also, if you don't believe that other major schools are cheating with bribes and rules abuses, like your godly Tennessee...well then you must be living in a perfect world where everything is just how you want it, because you're crazy to think that. Sex, money, whatever is offered by top colleges and Alabama and Kentucky were just unlucky enough to get caught.

[Redtwin]

like al bundy said, "it isn't cheating if you don't get caught."

[jamal25]

there is a lot of things that happend that are never explained. You shouldn't beat yourself up over the fact Kentucky lost to Tennessee this season when some people predicted a Kentucky win, MaryvilleRebels. It isn't worth it to search for answers. They just had a bad game. I know all the weapons Kentucky had coming into the game and I thought Artose was gonna run all over us, to be honest, but they just didn't produce. Maybe the thought of Morris leaving had an effect on the players, maybe it didn't, who cares. They lost, and there were a lot more factors that played into it than a rumor that a head coach might be leaving. If I were you, I would just gear up for this upcoming season, because you're right, Kentucky is on the rise, and maybe they can pull one out in Lexington over the Vols this year.

[Edited by jamal25 on 1-30-03 12:50A]

[billygoat2]

Maybe the wildcats should consider taking more tuition students on their team and go to an offense the utilizes smoke and mirrors?

[TheEgoHasLanded]

I'm not going to argue with you MaryvilleRebels it's pointless.

 

Bottom line is UT whipped 'em GOOD.

 

You can say whatever you want to say to that...but once again the Big Blue left Neyland with a sour taste in their mouth...10 months from now...who knows, it might be a different story...

[volfan911]

MaryvilleRebels, we were talking about whether or not KENTUCKY was on the rise. So when you make statements like:

 

"I heard several people say that Kentucky was going to beat Tennessee, some even said by a lot."

 

"Maybe Tennessee getting raped by Maryland in a crappy bowl game is going up, I dunno, afterall I'm just a Kentucky fan!? "

 

...statements such as these imply that Tennessee is on the downfall - totally irrelevent to Kentucky's situation. I took it as though you were trying to knock UT by assuming I was one of those Vol fans with orange colored glasses and I think you did assume that. I don't pretend to think UT is on the rise which is why I thought it odd that you went out of your way - and off the main subject - to point out UT's down year as if that had anything to do with Kentucky's success.

 

Now, I'd like to examine a few more of your statements from your more recent post...

 

"Yea Kentucky recruited illegally, but you know what, that was two coaching staffs ago. "...Okay, illegal recruiting in your opinion is irrelevant because it was done two coaching staffs ago. Well, we feel that Kentucky may no longer be on the "rise" because it was done a "coaching staff ago". Just as the guys who were illegally recruiting are no longer around, the guy - Guy Morris - who was turning things around there is no longer around either.

 

"Seems to me that Kentucky fans still think they are on the rise, afterall, our defense has improved and our running game has improved." But, that was a coaching staff ago, right? Not to mention the fact that your "running game" was all Artose Pinner - and he's gone as well.

 

"Did Tennessee's defense shut them down like Vol Calls proclaimed? I don't think so, I still don't see how a good defense can shut down the best offense in the SEC, no one else could do it, why would Tennessee be different?"....WHAT? Go look at UK's total yardage. No, I'll save you the time - 172 yards!!! What game were you watching? You're argument isn't just week...it's totally flawed. This *should* be the end of the discussion but sadly it gets worse.

 

"Also, if you don't believe that other major schools are cheating with bribes and rules abuses, like your godly Tennessee...well then you must be living in a perfect world where everything is just how you want it, because you're crazy to think that. Sex, money, whatever is offered by top colleges and Alabama and Kentucky were just unlucky enough to get caught."....Again, neither of us implied UT is innocent of ever cheating. I think all programs have to some extent. But some "extents" are more "extended" than others wouldn't you agree? And those are the guys that get caught. I'll say this, before he left UF, Spurrier stated that he thought Fulmer ran one of the cleanest programs he was familiar with. I don't think any programs are totally clean. But it's better to have a little dust on you than be covered in mud.

 

Volfan911

[Edited by volfan911 on 1-30-03 11:01A]