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Vols QB chatter to start Georgia week Sep 30, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Ryan Callahan went into Fort Rucker Studio to discuss Tennessee’s quarterback situation and other topics heading into Saturday’s game against third-ranked Georgia at Neyland Stadium.

Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt said Monday that he has no desire to publicly discuss his team’s quarterback plans for the Georgia game, which is a far cry from suggesting struggling junior Jarrett Guarantano will be the man against the Bulldogs.

The first segment of this episode is a discussion on Tennessee’s three options for quarterback against Georgia. The Vols essentially can ride with Guarantano, ride with freshman Brian Maurer or play both. Each GoVols247 staffer on this episode took one one of the three sides for a hypothetical debate on the strengths and weaknesses of each choice.

The second segment of this episode is a discussion on the difference between the Georgia program when Kirby Smart inherited it four years ago and the Tennessee program Pruitt inherited last season. Is it really fair to put those two situations on anything resembling a level plane? That topic is discussed in detail.

The third segment of this episode is a discussion on things Tennessee realistically could repair during last week’s open date. The Vols clearly have a lot to fix, but what realistically could be fixed during one open date? Tennessee responded really well to last season’s open date. Can they do the same this season? Those questions also are discussed in detail.

This week’s next GoVols247 Podcast episode — a full episode — will be released Thursday morning, unless breaking news occurs before that point.

Vols '100 times better' than last year? Sep 26, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s full crew — Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown, Grant Ramey and Ryan Callahan — went into Fort Rucker Studio to discuss all things Tennessee football toward the tail end of a critical open week in the schedule.

Tennessee’s loss at ninth-ranked Florida last weekend was the Vols’ fourth setback in their first three games, and this week’s open date offers chance to regroup before heading right back into the teeth of the schedule, with home games against third-ranked Georgia and Mississippi State before a trip to Alabama to face the second-ranked Crimson Tide.

Interestingly, though, second-year Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt said this week that he firmly believes his team is “100 times better” than it was this time last year. The first segment of this episode features a length discussion on that comment and it’s believability.

Obviously the quarterback situation remains a hot topic around these parts, and the second segment opens with an update on the situation surrounding Jarrett Guarantano and Brian Maurer moving forward.

The second segment also features a discussion on the trio of players who earlier this week joined the lengthening list of those leaving the program — junior linebackers Will Ignont and Shanon Reid, and sophomore wide receiver Jacquez Jones — and the impact of their departures.

As usual with the Thursday morning podcast, the third and final segment of this episode features answers to questions submitted by GoVols247 subscribers and social-media followers.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode — a full episode — will be released Monday morning, unless breaking news occurs before that point.

The Great QB Debate begins Sep 23, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s Wes Rucker (from Fort Rucker Studio) and Patrick Brown (from his house across town) convened via the magic of Al Gore’s Internets to dissect the Vols’ 34-3 loss at ninth-ranked Florida on Saturday at The Swamp.

What could — and almost certainly should — have been a much closer game eroded in the second half, and Tennessee’s inability to get out of its own way has now left the Vols with three losses in their first four games.

General recap of and analysis from Saturday’s game is the topic of discussion during the first segment of this episode, and then main dish — a discussion of the quarterback situation — comes in the second segment.

Jeremy Pruitt and his staff are now left with tough decisions to make after another poor performance by junior Jarrett Guarantano — who struggled so much in the first half at Florida that Tennessee turned to true freshman Brian Maurer to start the second half.

Saturday was simply the beginning of the toughest part of Tennessee’s schedule, and it’s about to get a lot tougher. The Vols have a open date this week before hosting third-ranked Georgia at Neyland Stadium. They they’ll host Mississippi State before traveling to Tuscaloosa to take on second-ranked Alabama.

Reasons for Tennessee to make or not make a quarterback change are debated in this episode, and long story short: Pruitt and Co. are in a jam with no easy solutions.

This week’s next GoVols247 Podcast episode — a full episode — will be released Thursday morning, unless breaking news occurs before that point.

Vols-Gators preview Sep 19, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s full crew — Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown, Grant Ramey and Ryan Callahan — went into Fort Rucker Studio to discuss the big story lines heading into Saturday’s showdown against ninth-ranked Florida in The Swamp.

Tennessee needs all hands on deck to tangle with the Gators, and the return of sophomore cornerback Bryce Thompson certainly provides a big boost. Thompson, a reigning Freshman All-American, missed the team’s first three games while dealing with an off-field issue but will be available at Florida.

Will Thompson play? Will he start? What kind of impact will he have? What does his return mean for the Vols’ secondary. That, along with an update of sophomore inside linebacker Jeremy Banks and his situation following an off-field incident, is a big talking point in this episode.

Saturday’s game will have plenty of other story lines, though, and the second segment of this episode features a lengthy discussion on one main question: What does Tennessee need to do in order to have a chance to win this game?

As always with the Thursday morning podcast, questions submitted by GoVols247 subscribers and social-media followers are answered in the third and final segment.

This week’s next GoVols247 Podcast episode — a full episode — will be released Monday morning, unless breaking news occurs before that point.

Vols ... win? Yes. Vols win. Sep 16, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s self-appointed fun crew — Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown and Grant Ramey — went into Fort Rucker Studio to discuss the Vols’ 45-0 win over Chattanooga, get a head start on breaking down upcoming opponent Florida and much, much more.

NCAA Division I FCS program Chattanooga proved to be the right opponent at the right time for the Vols, who showed they were still focused by building a three-touchdown lead less than seven minutes into the first quarter.

That cushion allowed several Tennessee youngsters an opportunity to play extended reps, and some players took advantage of those reps. A break down of those youngsters is a big talking point in this episode.

Other main topics of this episode are obvious: How important was Saturday for the Vols? And how much impact will that game have on confidence heading into SEC play, which starts Saturday at The Swamp?

This week’s next GoVols247 Podcast episode — a full episode — will be released Thursday morning, unless major breaking news occurs before that point.

Vols-Chattanooga preview Sep 12, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s full crew — Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown, Ryan Callahan and Grant Ramey — went into Fort Rucker Studio to discuss star cornerback Bryce Thompson’s return to practice ahead of Tennessee’s Saturday game against Chattanooga.

Thompson was suspended in late August following an off-field incident, and reports later surfaced regarding a previous incident during his high school days in South Carolina, but Pruitt said Wednesday that the reigning Freshman All-American had gone through the proper channels with UT’s administration and would be allowed to return to the team.

Will Thompson play against the Mocs, or the following week’s SEC opener at longtime Eastern Division nemesis Florida? What would Thompson’s return mean for the cornerback position, the secondary, the defense and the entire team? That’s the only topic in the first segment of this episode.

Segment Two features some discussion on Saturday’s opponent, the NCAA Division I FCS Chattanooga Mocs, as well as some Tennessee injury updates and a recruiting update in the aftermath of Florida cornerback Lovie Jenkins’ flip from the Vols to Louisville.

As usual in the Thursday morning podcast, the final segment consists of answers to questions submitted by members of GoVols247’s CheckerBoard.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode — a full episode — will be released Monday morning, unless breaking news occurs before that point.

Tangled up in 0-2 Sep 09, 2019

Show notes

Despite playing significantly better than they ever did against Georgia State and controlling the game for 59 minutes and 40-plus seconds, the Vols let BYU hang around before essentially handing the game to the Cougars in the closing moments.

Now Tennessee is 0-2 for the first time since 1988, and there are so many tough questions that need to be answered.

Rather than discuss every little question, though, this episode focuses on arguably the three biggest questions at the moment.

- How in the world did Tennessee lose that game?

- Do the Vols need to think about changing quarterbacks?

- What does this 0-2 start mean in the bigger picture for second-year Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt?

Several other topics fall under the umbrella of those three questions, but those three questions are the broad subjects discussed in this episode.

Tennessee-BYU preview Sep 05, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s full crew — Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown, Ryan Callahan and Grant Ramey — went into Fort Rucker Studio to wrap up discussion from Tennessee’s unforgettably bad season opener and then shift the focus to Saturday’s game against BYU.

No one in orange wants to relive the Georgia State debacle, but the fact is Tennessee needs to take lessons from that in order to prevent an already-bad situation from getting worse. Does anything about that game make any more sense now that everyone has had a couple of more days to digest it? That’s a discussion point in this episode.

It’s been another fluid week for Tennessee’s roster, with a couple of players (junior wide receiver Jordan Murphy and sophomore cornerback Terrell Bailey) opting to leave the program, a couple of injured players (including senior linebacker Daniel Bituli) starting to look healthier and some players (including junior running back Tim Jordan, AKA Buff Hamster) nursing new injuries. Some young players also are practicing in new positions this week. There’s a ton to discuss on those topics, and that’s another talking point in this episode.

The leadership from senior wide receiver Jauan Jennings also is discussed in detail in this episode.

Much of this episode also focuses on Saturday’s opponent — the BYU Cougars, a dangerous team licking its wounds after a tough season-opening loss to in-state rival Utah in The Holy War.

As (almost) always with Thursday morning episodes, there’s also a listener mailbag attached at the tail end of this episode.

WTH was that? WTH happens now? Sep 02, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s full crew — Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown, Ryan Callahan and Grant Ramey — went into Fort Rucker Studio to discuss Tennessee’s shocking, 38-30 loss to Georgia State last weekend at Neyland Stadium.

How in the world did that happen? It wasn’t one thing, obviously. It was a large collection of mistakes that culminated in one of the worst days in the history of one of college football’s winningest programs. Those mistakes are discussed in detail in this episode.

Can this situation be fixed in the short term? And how? That also is discussed in detail in this episode.

Recruiting news, as always, also is discussed in the week’s first episode. Tennessee had several prospects in town over the weekend, and it seems the game’s result didn’t have much of a devastating effect on them. The reasons for that also are discussed in this episode.

The next GoVols247 Podcast episode — a full episode — will be released Thursday morning, unless breaking news occurs before that point.

Tennessee-Georgia State preview Aug 29, 2019

Show notes

GoVols247’s full crew — Wes Rucker, Patrick Brown, Ryan Callahan and Grant Ramey — went into Fort Rucker Studio to break down a big week full of news heading into Tennessee’s season opening game against Georgia State on Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

It’s been a really newsy week for the Vols. Some of that news has been of the pleasant variety. Some of it hasn’t.

Regardless, Tennessee is now just a couple of days away from opening the 2019 season, and there’s plenty to discuss. And this episode discusses all of it.

A segment of answers to questions submitted to GoVols247’s CheckerBoard is included in this episode, as well.

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