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My literary contributors suddenly have become preoccupied with time. They wish that Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel would do the same.
Warren writes: The Quarterback Club should buy a Rolex for Josh Heupel.
My response: I appreciate your concern about his questionable clock management. But that’s not necessary.
Former LSU coach Les Miles paid so little attention to the clock he might as well have been using a sun dial. And he won a national championship.
Shemp writes: I must give Josh Hopeful the Butch Jones for “Poor Clock Management Award”.
Tennessee could have easily won the Mississippi State game in regulation if they had not let the clock run for 25 or more seconds inside the last minute and more effectively used their timeouts. Hopeful lucked out to be a Champion of Life in the end.
My response: I appreciate your input but let’s not name any awards after Butch Jones.
After four consecutive losses, even Jones should be able to tell what time it is.
Time for Arkansas State to look for a new coach.
Vols Mark writes: I’ve been watching Tennessee football my whole life, and I love this team. But I’ve got to say, the way we handled the end of the Mississippi State game was painful. We had timeouts and chances to finish it in regulation (or at least get into field goal range), but it looked like nobody knew who was in charge of the clock.
We supposedly have someone on staff whose job is to manage that stuff, and if that’s the case, maybe it’s time to find someone better.
My response: The person in charge of clock management should be the one making $9 million a year.
Don writes: I am not sure we have the right punt returner. Everybody muffs one now and then, but our guy was out there dancing around in the path of that crazily bouncing ball seemingly with no awareness that it might bounce right into him.
My response: Since “time” has been the prevailing theme in this week’s email column … I just checked my watch. It’s time for the Vols to get a new punt returner.
Colorado Mark writes: Brian Kelly, from calm and complacent to the raging inferno in seconds, spewing invectives at refs, players, coaches, anyone who lights his extremely short fuse. Dude needs some meds, because his team is simply not that great and it could get much worse.
Vol fans should be thankful for Josh Heupel. At least, he has a grip on reality.
My response: Heupel doesn’t say much. But that’s often better than the alternative when it comes to coaches.
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz complained about “pocket climbing” being an issue for his quarterback after a runaway victory over Massachusetts, and Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck had his players barking like dogs all week because he was preparing them to “go hunting” against Rutgers.
Mike writes: Good progress report. You could also add that the team that was unranked in most preseason polls, and was picked to finish 10th in the SEC, has played much better than that so far.
Now they just need to continue to improve in the ‘2nd half’ of the season. As Coach Heupel says, that’s the mark of real good teams.
My response: I had the Vols going 9-3 in preseason, mainly because of an accommodating schedule. Now, 10-2 – and back-to-back playoff bids – is more likely.
The offense has been a big surprise. Quarterback Joey Aguilar has been an even bigger surprise.
The Vols wouldn’t be 4-1 without him. And they wouldn’t be 4-1 with Nico Iamaleava if he had stuck around.
Another Mike writes: I don’t understand why some people are whining that the SEC has ended the annual Tennessee-Florida series.
Prior to the 1990’s, these two teams played very infrequently. When the conference went to a two-division format, then the Gators and Vols started playing annually but prior to that, they rarely met on the football field.
My response: It might not have as long a history as other Tennessee rivalries. But in the 1990s, it often was the game in the SEC.
There were so many meaningful games and sometimes dramatic ones. Has there never been a bigger game in Neyland Stadium than Tennessee’s 1998 overtime victory over the Gators?
Since the game created so much attention – nationally as well as in the SEC – I probably remember more plays in that series than the rest of UT’s games combined.
I also remember sitting in the press box before the 1997 Tennessee-Florida game in The Swamp. I’ve never heard a stadium as loud as that one was before kickoff. Carrying on a press-box conversation was challenging 30 minutes before the first play.
You don’t get that kind of atmosphere with Kentucky vs. Tennessee.
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com.
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