So let's start off with some obvious things I noticed about this game. First, the offense absolutely lost the game for Tennessee. Many people who are huge Tennessee fans have explained to me how much they love Josh Dobbs and Jalen Hurd. And while I think Hurd has the potential to be a very dynamic player, I am not sold on Josh Dobbs and never have been (fair warning on my bias, but I think you can see why when I explain the detail). I wanted to see more from Dobbs than the small flashes we got late in last year.
Tennessee scored 17 points within the first 20 minutes of the game. They looked pretty solid doing it, capitalizing on OU's many mistakes, great field position, and the overwhelming crowd noise. They were up 17-0 with 12:14 left in the second quarter. The defense for Tennessee was oppressive, holding OU to just 3 points for almost 50 minutes of the game. In fact, the defense didn't even allow OU to snap the ball on the other half of the field until the 4th quarter. And how were they rewarded by their offensive staff in the second half? Here's how:
Started on the TENN 25, 6 plays, Missed FG
Started on the TENN 25, 6 plays, PUNT
Started on the TENN 44, 3 plays, PUNT
Started on the TENN 41, 8 plays, PUNT
Started on the OU 29 after an INT, 3 plays, PUNT (they went backwards 11 yards)
Started on the TENN 20, 3 plays, PUNT
Tennessee had 6 drives with an average starting field position of the TENN 39, and scored nothing. One FG in almost 40 minutes of playtime would have won the game. ANYTHING would have won the game. They got nothing at all. And it's because Josh Dobbs couldn't complete passes to save his life late, and the running game bogged down to a crawl. How bad was it? Dobbs was 13/31 (41.9%) for 125 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. Even with Jalen Hurd going for 100+ on the ground and a TD in OT, that's still not enough. Not nearly enough.
Here's the good news about the game: The Tennessee defense for most of the game was a wrecking ball in the middle, allowing no access to runs for OU for a great majority of the time, and they were putting constant pressure on the OU QB Baker Mayfield. It looked like Mayfield was running for his life most of the game, but the odd part was that they rarely sacked him. In fact, that would become a major problem late in the game as most of the key plays came for OU when the pocket broke down, Mayfield eluded tackles, and somehow would complete a pass downfield. If the defense could have just put him on the ground, they probably win the game too.
The other good news is that for the first half the offensive line looked pretty solid. A standout for me is #71 Dylan Wiesman, whom I would keep an eye on if I'm an opposing defensive coordinator. If a big running play was getting sprung in the middle, I can almost guarantee it was 71 throwing the block. He looked great out there, and I think he's got the potential to really lay a hurt on some opposing linemen in the running game over the season.
OU in the first half was shooting itself in the foot over and over again. You could sort of see this coming late in the game as the time kept going and Tennessee kept punting. Most of the problems for OU were big plays getting negated by penalties, or interceptions going off receivers hands, or losing reviews on catches that were initially ruled complete. That tide turned in the second half. That's why if you're a Tennessee fan and you want to complain about any calls in this game, especially late, let me explain something to you right now. The officials had nothing to do with you losing. OU was getting buried by their own penalties in the first half, and they even had a TD taken off the board late in the second half. The refs called this one pretty even. Not well, but even.
Here's the bad news: Curt Maggitt, the best pass-rusher on the team and the vocal leader is gone with an injury for we don't know how long. He left mid-way through the game, and it was obvious that OU shifted their focus to the other UT DE Derek Barnett, making his life much tougher. But Barnett was still a terror out there, and man he looks like a force long term for the Vols. More bad news is that OU figured out late they could pick on DB #12 Emmanuel Moseley, a sophomore who looks a little unsure out there. He was the guy who got beat on the tying TD in the corner to take the game to OT. And I don't blame OU for picking on him, I'd take notes if I'm the opposing coach and go after him instead of Cam Sutton who's a much better Tennessee DB on the other side.
But really for me it comes down to how the offense looked out of sync in the second half, and how Josh Dobbs keeps staring down receivers. If you watch him over and over, here's the basic tendencies. Josh will make his first read, and if it's there he'll take it. That's fine, and if that's working the Tennessee offense is in great shape. However, if he has to go to a second read? All hell breaks loose for a few reasons. One, he's taking too long to switch targets and he's running out of time in the pocket. Two, his O-Line isn't good enough in pass protection to give him the time to make long reads. Three, he has to take off when he gets in trouble, and he's not doing a great job of getting reset and keeping eyes down the field. And four, even on the first read if it's not exactly what he wants, he's taking too long to pull the trigger.
I believe he's thinking too much out there, and that last interception was a good example of what I'm talking about. I would prefer any Tennessee fan if they can stomach watching it over again to pull the tape. Watch Dobbs drop back looking middle, then looks right as he sets for what seems like 2-3 seconds before he unloads to his first read. That 2-3 seconds of looking at a receiver is an eternity in college pass protection. OU just finally picked up on it and jumped the route. But it wasn't the first time. Early in the first quarter, Dobbs had to passes literally go through the hands of OU defenders. It's something he's going to have to work on or his INT totals are going to go way up down the field.
It's one game for the Volunteers, that's the best news. The other good news is that the defense overall looks stellar. If the offense can even remotely get on the defense's level, they'll win football games. But they have to start honestly looking at their deficiencies and correcting the fundamental errors on the line and at the QB spot. Otherwise, teams will just stack the box and force Dobbs to start making passes. And with enough film, they are going to pick up on his tendencies. Alabama's defense is watching this tape over and over again right now on how to shut Tennessee down flat.
Long haul? I expect Butch Jones to adapt quickly. Hurd is going to get the ball more. I expect shorter passes to get Dobbs in a rhythm when things look off. I expect they will work out a lot of these kinks against their next cupcake, and they will look a ton better by the time they get down to Florida. And they may get back on a roll if they dust themselves off. After all, this wasn't a conference game. The SEC East is still there for the taking, if they can score enough to take it.
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