It’s way too easy to slam Butch Jones after the Vols’ lackluster performance against UMASS on Saturday. Fish in a barrel had better chance of receiving a fair shot that Jones after his team slid past the Minutemen 17-13.
However, let’s take note of the big picture: The Vols still have all of their goals in front of them. Yes, every single one.
Tennessee still can win the SEC Eastern Division by topping the remaining SEC foes on their schedule, beginning with Georgia on Saturday. The Vols will need some help from the Gators, but who thinks Florida will actually win their remaining conference games? I’d be stunned if the Gators didn’t lose two SEC games.
Take yourself back to mid-August. Had I told you that the Vols would be one play away from beating Florida on the road and have beaten Georgia Tech and UMASS, would you have taken that? You should have.
Now, I’m not ignoring the 2,000-pound elephant in the room. That UMASS game was brutal to watch and elicits no reason for UT fans to have hope concerning the rest of the season. The Vols played uninspired. There were odd coaching decisions. It was just awful.
However, what would one expect just a week after one of the most heart-breaking losses in recent history and the most important game of the season looming on the schedule? It was a trap game in every sense of the term. That’s not the most uninspired effort I’ve seen in recent history, although it does rank right up there. Those type of games happen.
The Vols should have beaten Memphis in 1996. They should have beaten LSU in 2001 in the SEC Championship Game. The Vols should have beaten Alabama in 2009. They should have beaten Kentucky in 2011. Heart-breaking losses happen. The latest Florida game is a prime example.
Those games were marred by either lack of emotion, lack of good coaching or both. Fortunately for UT fans, their team has also doled out some heart-breaking losses over the years.
I’m certainly not defending Jones or his players lack of effort against UMASS. The timing of inserting quarterback Jarrett Guarantano is still a bit of a head scratcher. However, to truly realize where the Vols stand heading into the Georgia game is sobering. Every goal they want to achieve is still within reach.
Perhaps the most inspiring moment on Saturday was Jones’ response. Most often known for being defensive and dropping more cliches than Donald Trump drops inciteful tweets, Jones was visibly furious and said his team’s performance was “unacceptable”. That’s a step in the right direction. If Jones can take the next step, which is beating Georgia on Saturday, the entire tenor of the season will change. Jones and his team deserve that chance.
