In South Carolina, the verdict is published by the Clerk of Court. In other words, when a jury has reached a verdict, the Clerk of Court, not a member of the jury, announces the verdict to the courtroom.
But in every jury trial – whether criminal or civil – there is no mistaking that the jury, and only the jury, is the finder of all facts.
Starting in August and running throughout the season, I will be writing a weekly column called The Verdict - presented by the Goings Law Firm. And much like a jury, I will try to base my findings and opinions on facts. But unlike a jury, I want to hear from the gallery, both what I got right and what I got wrong.
The Verdict is in: The Tennessee game was bad, but don’t succumb to the fearmongers.
In his weekly press conference, head coach Shane Beamer was asked last week about the parallels and comparisons he would face in the coming years with new Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel. Beamer acknowledged that those comparisons would happen.
After last Saturday’s game, those comparisons were sharp.
I was not a fan of the Heupel hire. If you follow me on Twitter or listen to my podcast, you know I thought his hiring was uninspired and confusing. Every year Heupel was the head coach at UCF, their record regressed.
In 2020, UCF went 6-4, and in their 10 games, they gave up 21, 28, 34, 50, 34, 21, 13, 36, 46, and 49 points. That’s an average of more than 33 points per game, ranking 92nd out of 128 FBS programs. In fact, the only team UCF held to under 20 points was Temple. Yes, offense is the name of the game, but if Heupel’s teams couldn’t play decent defense in the AAC, I was convinced they couldn’t play it in the SEC.
So far, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Tennessee has quietly fielded one of the better defenses in the SEC despite the departures of cornerback Bryce Thompson, edge rusher DeAndre Johnson, linebackers Quavaris Crouch and Henry To’o To’o, defensive linemen Darel Middleton, Kivon Bennett, Greg Emerson, Emmit Gooden, and safety Key Lawrence.
If you’re keeping track at home, Tennessee is playing solid defense (currently ranked 30th in the nation in yards allowed per play) despite the fact that their head coach has a terrible track record on the defensive side of the ball and their defensive roster was gutted by the transfer portal and NFL Draft.
How can this be so? Because Tennessee plays complementary football.
Something that has been mentioned multiple times is the fact that Carolina struggled in the first half in identifying and stopping Tennessee’s offense, yet completely smothered the Volunteers in the second half. Some are quick to mention that Tennessee must have taken their foot off the gas. Re-watch that game. While the tempo died to a certain extent, the plays the Volunteers ran were almost identical. Some mention that the second half addition of RJ Roderick created a more stable defensive backfield. Maybe, but that in no way can account for 38 first half points compared to 7 second half points.
To find the answer, you must look to the offensive side of the ball for Carolina. In Tennessee’s first offensive drive, the Volunteers marched down the field and scored on a 14-play, 66-yard drive that took 4:29 off the clock. Carolina followed that up with a five-play drive that took less than two minutes off the clock. Tennessee scored again.
The following Carolina drive was the 10-play, 73-yard drive that ended with the Burch interception. (The Burch interception was a horrible play call, but that has been discussed ad nauseam.) Tennessee followed that drive with yet another touchdown drive. Carolina followed that drive with a one-play drive that ended when quarterback Luke Doty fumbled the snap. Tennessee scored three plays later.
Between the demoralization of seeing your offense sputter around every drive and the inability to make meaningful changes in between drives, Carolina’s defense was set up for failure in the first half.
After half time adjustments, you no longer saw Tennessee running backs gashing Carolina’s defensive front seven. After half time adjustments, you no longer saw defensive backs allowing seven, eight, nine, ten-yard gains on the periphery. Those are adjustments that could not be made during the first half because Carolina’s offense offered little to no support.
Tennessee has taken advantage of the adage that the best defense is a good offense. Carolina has not learned that to this point in the season. And unfortunately for Shane Beamer, Carolina fans were able to notice the differences between the two programs this past Saturday up close and personal. Tennessee’s roster didn’t look that much better than Carolina’s. That leaves it to be coaching.
One thing we are noticing is Tennessee is a much more finished product than Carolina. In many ways, we are watching the sausage being made within this Shane Beamer staff. Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield is still trying to figure things out. His play calling instincts are not as sharp and as shrewd as they should be. The Burch pass was a play call made in an attempt to look creative and look aggressive.
But I also know this, I am glad that I didn’t have millions of people watching my performances six weeks into being an attorney. It is ok as fans to realize that Carolina has some significant shortcomings while also not conflating those shortcomings with a need to fire the offensive coordinator.
It is ok as fans to realize that Carolina is years away from being a finished product while also not giving up on this year’s team. All is not lost, despite what you might read on Twitter, or the message boards, or even in certain publications.
Not being pleased with the status of Carolina football and supporting this staff and this program as they try to fix the flaws do not have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, they should not be mutually exclusive.
Don’t cower to the loud voices that shout “Tennessee is better than us, abandon ship.” Tennessee is better than Carolina right now. But I also know Steve Spurrier is glad he wasn’t judged through the first six games of his time in Columbia.
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