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00:03Always great to have Bob Kessling on the legendary voice of the Tennessee Vols and they're coming
00:07off a huge win over Alabama after they had had a tough game in overtime against Florida
00:15in Knoxville.
00:16But I want to go back to start Bob to the game in Fayetteville where they lost and you
00:20would have thought that Tennessee season was going down the toilet because they had a rough
00:26road game to Fayetteville.
00:28Now the fans are crazy.
00:31We know that.
00:32That's a given.
00:33But the reality is I've always believed that it is so brutal to win on the road in the
00:38SEC and to go on the road.
00:40I don't care who you're playing.
00:42It is always difficult.
00:43It's a nightmare.
00:44And that day was a tough day.
00:47That was the first time someone all season long and really punched you in the mouth and
00:51didn't let Tennessee do what they do where they score a lot of points and their offense
00:56is clicking and they're moving the ball and they're getting possessions and just moving
01:00down the field.
01:01That was a rock'em, sock'em football game.
01:05What did they get out of that?
01:07There had to be something they learned from it other than everybody thought the world
01:10was ending in Knoxville because they are six and one and things are real cherry rosy again.
01:16Yeah, Scott, it's interesting the week even before that the week before the Arkansas game,
01:23Tennessee went to Oklahoma and had a knock down, drag out fight with the Sooners but
01:28figured out a way to win that game.
01:31And then they go to Arkansas and you think, well, okay, they've got one under their belt
01:34on the road in the SEC and Niko is going to be able to come out and play really well and
01:39they'll be back to the old Tennessee that we know.
01:42And then suddenly Arkansas comes out and plays a similar defense to what Oklahoma did.
01:47And Tennessee didn't score in the first half.
01:49And that was shocking.
01:50I mean, that was really shocking.
01:52And then Arkansas was just more physical than Tennessee was that day and won it.
01:57And I think it kind of knocked everybody back on their heels.
02:00But it also, I think, brought it into the reality that Niko Yamaliaba is still a very
02:05young quarterback.
02:06I mean, he started one game last year in the bowl game.
02:09And so he's really just figuring out how to play in the SEC, especially on the road.
02:14The interesting thing is that Tennessee has not scored in the first half in the last three
02:18games, which when you look at Josh Heupel's record, a lot of times they score on the first
02:23possession and a lot of times in the very first play of the game, they've done that
02:28five or six times.
02:29So not being able to score in the first half has been a little bit concerning.
02:35But then they figured out a way in the last two games to win in the second half and primarily
02:40running the ball and not throwing it.
02:41I mean, everybody thinks about Josh Heupel's offense being these huge chunk plays down
02:45the field, but they run the ball more than anybody in the SEC.
02:49And Dylan Sampson has just been fabulous for Tennessee running the football.
02:53But they're more of a running team right now than they are a big chunk passing team.