It wasn’t necessarily pretty, and it wasn’t necessarily easy, but the Tennessee Volunteers managed to defeat the Ohio Bobcats 34 to 23.  There were good things, less good things, and downright lousy things.  On the whole, however, this game marked the continuation of Tennessee’s long road of slow and steady progress back toward the top.

It was a win, and to each of the Vols and the coaching staff, I can only say one thing: mission accomplished (for this week, at least)…

The bad news is that Nick Reveiz is likely out for the rest of the season which will leave the Vols without a much needed leader and even thinner at linebacker.  That one may hurt for quite a while.

The defense did not exactly have its best night tonight, but that happens every now and then.  Quarterback Jonathan Crompton, however, seemed to feel a little more confident this week and — on the whole — looked pretty decent.  That said, the wide receivers did not give Crompton much help as they were unable to break the Ohio coverage schemes to get open.  Still, a decent night passing.

My gut tells me that — though no one on the team will admit it — there was probably a bit of an emotional and physical let down after the game against the Florida Gators last week which left the men in orange feeling a little deflated coming into today’s game.  It is really tough to maintain that level of intensity perpetually.  So long as it does not become oa habit, I’m pretty much okay with that happening occasionally.

The other area of concern that stuck out like a sore thumb tonight was the break down of special teams coverage.  While Daniel Lincoln notched a personal best nailing a 49-yard field goal, the kick coverage unit allowed a touchdown runback which simply never should have happened.

Still, it is a win.

Beats the hell out of a loss…

– So it goes …

About the Author:  "Lawvol" -- I'm just a guy living in North Carolina who has an unnatural fascination with the color orange. Just because I'm a Tennessee alum and die-hard Volunteer fan doesn't mean that I can't poke a little fun at the Big Orange and anybody else for that matter. Feel free to complain all you want. >> Read more from this author

Allegedy Related Posts (Computer Generated):

• Giving Your All, the Rough and Tumble Way (0)
• From the Ashes Rises a Phoenix: Western Kentucky Postgame Thoughts (0)
• About all you have to say…”Job Well Done!” (4)