Team 120 - 2016 Tennessee Volunteers Football Thread

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Photos: UT holds spring practice in Neyland

 

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Tennessee Vols football's Quart'e Sapp hoping for big spring

 

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Watch Tennessee’s Owen Williams put up 42 reps of bench press during pro day

Owen Williams is a beast. That much we have learned.

The 6-foot-2, 295-pound defensive lineman participated in Tennessee’s pro day this morning and secured what would have been the best — by far — number of reps on the 225-pound bench press at the NFL Combine.

He put up 42. That is eight more than Arizona State offensive lineman Christian Westerman, who had 34 at the combine last month.

 

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Why Tennessee is a 2016 CFP favorite

Here are the 10 reasons the Volunteers should be considered among the few teams that could actually win the CFP next season.

-Dobbs is dominant in the SEC
-Thunder + lightning + Dobbs = good backfield
-College football's most experienced receivers?
-Young-ish line is very good
-Historic special teams
-Bob Shoop is a terrific hire
-Aggressive, ball-hawking secondary
-Good luck getting past those Tennessee linebackers
-Good luck dealing with those Tennessee pass-rushers
-UT faces an increasingly rare easy SEC schedule

The bottom line

Tennessee's four losses last season occurred by a total of only 17 points and included contests against the eventual national champion (Alabama), a College Football Playoff team (Oklahoma) and the SEC East division champion (Florida). With the caliber of talent this year's club is returning, the Volunteers ought to be able to close the point gap against elite teams and make a run at their first national championship since 1998.

 

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Tennessee's Jalen Hurd Is A Heisman Sleeper - TU

While the spotlight will be on quarterback Joshua Dobbs to lead the offense, Tennessee’s best player is running back Jalen Hurd. The rising junior has dominated opposing SEC defenses since nabbing the starting role as a freshman in 2014 and is coming off a 1,288-yard season, which ranked fourth in the SEC behind Heisman winner Derrick Henry, LSU’s Leonard Fournette and Arkansas’ Alex Collins — making him the second on that list among returning backs.

 

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SEC spring breakout candidates in 2016

Jason Croom, TE, Tennessee, RSr.: Even with 37 career catches for 574 yards, Croom lands on this list because he's moving to tight end, and has a chance to be an even bigger piece of Tennessee's offense in 2016. He's also on this list because injuries have eaten into his career, and this move could give him a fresh start ... even if it means more contact. The 6-5, 245-pound receiving target already has good size for his new position and it sounds like he still has his speed an athleticism, making him a mismatch for both linebackers and safeties.

 

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Tennessee ranked #5 in ESPN's updated FPI Rankings:

ESPN Football Power Index - 2016 - ESPN

 

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The 2016 schedule (7 @ home, 4 away, 1 neutral site)

9/3/16: App. State - Thank you, Mountaineers, for filling a gap in the Vols schedule. There will not be a Michigan Moment.
9/10/16: VT @ Bristol Speedway - Makes me goll darn nervous. How in the name of Popcorn Sutton are the PTBs gonna secure that place? Vols odds should be better than a coin toss, but the venue makes foresight impossible.
9/17/16: Ohio - Bobcats gonna get bobbed.
9/24/16: UF - Gayduhs streak gonna end. Badly for them.
10/1/16: @ UGA - Dawgs gonna be pulled up short in their own house. Extra security for the team as they head for home.
10/8/16: @ TAMU - Yell Leaders left yakkin'. Visitors own the higher score.
10/15/16: Bama - The last couple of years, the Crimson Ripple has played better on the road than at home. Won't be that way this time. Tennessee defeats them fair and square. Beats them on the field.
OFF WEEK
10/29/16: @ SoCar - The Vols build their own streak, castrate the capons.
11/5/16: Tenn. Tech - Vols shine a little spotlight on a lesser in-state program, win convincingly.
11/12/16: KY - Lube doesn't help. UK goes home blue.
11/19/16: Mizzou - Misery is the visitors' reward.
11/26/16: @ Vandy - Not even the Hammer can give hope to the home team.
12/3/16: SECCG - In perhaps the best contested CG ever, the Vols win a thriller. SEC Champs!
12/31/16: CFP1 - Vols trounce their opponents.
1/9/17: NCG - Vols show true grit in claiming victory, are crowned national Champs.

 

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So let it be written, so let it be done!

 

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Vols Connect - Forbes ranks UT in top 20 places to work in higher education

 

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"I'm with everybody else I think this is the year that Tennessee is going to be ready to go" - @KirkHerbstreit


.@KirkHerbstreit went on to say Alabama vs. Tennessee on Rocky Top will not only affect SEC standings but @CFBPlayoff standings as well

 

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Vols Football Posts Highest APR in Butch Jones Era | RTI

The Vols football team had an APR score of 956. That total is 11 points higher than a year ago, 24 points higher than two years ago, and 32 points better than the total three years ago.

 

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Charges reduced in Tennessee DL Alexis Johnson assault case

“We were able to reach a successful agreement with the district attorney’s office,” Johnson’s attorney Gregory P. Isaacs said. “All the charge will be dismissed in six months. He has no other requirements.”

“After reviewing the evidence and consulting multiple times with the alleged victim, we felt that this was the fairest resolution for this case,” the Knox County District Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.

 

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Sporting News early top 25.

Alabama deserves No. 1 until someone — anyone — dethrones Crimson Tide

13. TENNESSEE
Tennessee lost four games by a combined 17 points last season before rattling off seven straight wins capped with an impressive 45-6 win in the Outback Bowl. Joshua Dobbs’ evolution at quarterback continues, and Cameron Sutton’s return bolsters the defense. There’s offseason turmoil resulting from a Title IX lawsuit, but Butch Jones has this team ready to win the SEC East on the field. September games against Virginia Tech (at Bristol) and against Florida will set the tone.

 

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VIDEO: Jalen Hurd Can Run 19.5 MPH Uphill | Rocky Top Insider

 

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