15 Thoughts Can Only Control One Thing...

I'm still trying to get rid of the funk after investing 3+ hours of my life watching, and rooting for Tennessee against Mizzou who was clearly the better team last night.

1. Hutson Mason really looked good yesterday as his pocket-presence continues to improve.  Through 10 games, he has still only thrown 3 interceptions.  He showed some nifty moves when he felt his pocket collapsing, rolling away from danger on a few occasions.  The offensive line continues to impress as well.

Woo Pig Soooooie!

2. The Buccaneers day pretty much ended before it began when they fumbled on their 3rd play from scrimmage.  Mason promptly hit Chris Conley on a 35 yard touchdown pass to commence the scoring onslaught.  Conley caught 3 passes for 68 yards and two scores.  None were better than this one:

3. Could we have red shirted Jonathon Rumph this season?  If we could have, it is a mistake that we didn't (assuming Rumph would've been cool with this) because he is a physically gifted, sure handed and surprisingly nimble big-bodied wideout who blocks well downfield.  I am impressed.

4. It was good to see Justin Scott-Wesley back and contributing.  His knee injury suffered while playing on that moonscape they call the Neyland Stadium "turf" (It's prescription turf.  After you play on it, you'll need a prescription for an orthopedic surgeon) last season was hard to rehab.  He hurt his ankle in preseason practice, was suspended for the first 4 games of the season, and evidently suffered a pretty bad "split" in the webbing of his hand which is a pretty bad thing for a receiver to have happen.

5. Our receiver corp is as intact as it has been in a long, long time.  With the emergence of Nick Chubb and, hopefully, a healthy Sony Michel - who did play in limited action to probably see how he'd respond after getting a little dinged against Kentucky - the offense is, in a word, very dangerous at the moment.  This is perfect as we head into Tech week and ...

5A. ...Woo Pig Sooooooie!

6. The defense held the Buccaneers to less than 40 yards of total offense on their first 7 offensive possession.  With many substitutions and defensive personnel mixes, Georgia faced a much more traditional triple option look in the second half.  Thank you, Charleston Southern.  Seriously.  A perfect situation to get reacquainted with the chop blocking machine that'll roll into Sanford in a few days.

6A.  I like watching Tim Kimbrough blow up ball carriers.  He's nasty...

7. Nick Chubb got his yards (113 yards, 2 TD's), and Brendan Douglas (12 carries, 66 yards) got his most significant playing time since the Mizzou game.  Chubb has now run for at least 100 yards in 6 straight, has 1152 total yards for an average of 7.2 yards per pop.

8. A scary moment occurred early in the game when Dominick Sanders got "leg whipped" and suffered a painful contusion on his shin which required an immediate trip to the locker room and, for a time, all of Dawg Nation held their collective breath.  Initially it looked like a knee injury.  Sanders, a true freshman, has been solid and consistent in Jeremy Pruitt's defensive plan all season.  He should be good to go against the Yellow Jackets.

Calling All Hogs!

9. Brice Ramsey, except for an interception, looked good again as he got a good amount of playing time.  Faton Bauta got some snaps as well.  This game turned out to be just about perfect for what the coaching staff wanted.  Bottom line:  we got a ton of guys some reps, rested the starters for much of the game, and should be fresh for what awaits us.

10. Except for Sander's bruise, we emerged from this game healthy.  Other than the "W," this is the best news of all.

Dammit, Tennessee.  You had one job.  Just one...

11. Well, you saw it and I saw it.  Tennessee had no answer for Missouri's defensive front, sacking Josh Dobbs 6 times .  The Volunteer offensive line lived up to their preseason billing.  I realize they've had injuries, and the youth of this line would never gel in time, but every time Josh Dobbs tried play action, he either got sacked or had to throw the ball away.  And Tennessee did this a ton of first down, putting them in 2nd and ultimately 3rd and long situations.  Horrible playcalling by Butch Jones and company.  He may be a great "recruiter," but the jury is still out on his coaching abilities.  Tennessee hung in there, but this game was iced once Mizzou went up 23-13.

The Missouri defense allowed 13 yards rushing outside the tackles Saturday against Tennessee, after allowing 71.5 such yards per game this season. Missouri stopped the run despite committing six or fewer defenders in the box on 75 percent of Tennessee's designed rushes outside the tackles. - via ESPN