Tennessee football: Loss to Florida leaves Vols fans bitter at coaching

Tennessee football’s heartbreaking 26-20 loss to the Florida Gators has left Volunteers fans bitter and disappointed in Butch Jones and his coaching staff.

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Tennessee football fans have ridden incredible roller coasters of emotion the past five seasons. But the Vols’ loss to Florida on Saturday was particularly special.

The game had it’s low points and very few high points. Careless and all out inexcusable play-calling now has Butch Jones’s most loyal supporters among fans questioning his future at UT.

Tennessee football hasn’t seen a victory in The Swamp since 2003. Throughout the 4th quarter of Saturday’s game in Gainesville, the Vols began showing enough life to potentially end that streak.

Neither team played well. At all. In most cases, one would argue that there was horribly play calling and lack of clock management on both sides. For Florida, not taking a time out after a huge run with 34 seconds left put them in a tough spot.

They ran off another 23 seconds along with playing time, leaving them with only nine seconds to make something happen to avoid overtime. Boy, did they make the most of it…

Feleipe Franks chucks it 63 yards down the field for a miraculous, table-turning Hail Mary victory. The shock of it all will resonate with UT fans for the rest of the season, perhaps longer.

But through most of the internet and social media, fans and analysts have directed their anger in one specific direction. And it has reached a consensus…

This coaching staff has got to change.

Whether it’s scheme or personnel, something has to give.

Butch Jones has been under tremendous pressure to turn Tennessee football around from the train wreck Derek Dooley years. While he’s done an incredible job at recruiting, it’s now hard to see him as the future for the Vols.

The one thing Butch Jones has consistently proven is his ability to be inconsistent. A lot of people the past two seasons reamed Joshua Dobbs for being an inconsistent passer. What they fail to realize, though, is how much he carried the 2015 and 2016 teams.

For instance, Dobbs was unique in his scrambling ability to rush for positive yardage after botched offensive play calling nearly crucified the Vols. While it’s unfair to compare Quinten Dormady to Dobbs, what do we notice?

When put under pressure in a collapsing pocket, Dormady struggled. He doesn’t demonstrate the ability to think with his feet. Sadly, under a Butch Jones-Larry Scott offense, that may be the only thing able to save you.

The Vols especially felt the absence of Joshua Dobbs at Florida. Tennessee’s play-calling was exposed in gruesome fashion.

Why, oh why, would you call three straight pass plays (resulting in an interception) on the goal line. And why would you throw in your second string quarterback (resulting in a false start) after you’ve recovered a fumble and are fighting for a chance to take the lead?

Perhaps they’re trying to make a Manning out of Dormady. When you review his stats from the Orange and White game, you can’t help but believe he’s capable of that. However,  you’re on the goal line, and John Kelly is unstoppable!

Alas, the Vols refused to take the simple (nearly guaranteed) route of handing it off to the end zone.

Where does UT go from here?

A photo circulating the internet has shown a holding penalty on UF that wasn’t called on the game winning play.

While this may leave UT fans even more livid than they already were, penalties are missed quite often. There were a few missed on the Vols as well. What can you do, though?

This loss is simply inexcusable. Tennessee football held the advantage in talent, less distractions, and played an extra “warm-up” game against Indiana St. to prepare. You can’t expect to win when your play-calling doesn’t find stride until the 4th quarter.

Regardless, there’s nothing to do but take it on the chin, dust off and move on. This loss hurts all of Vol Nation, but  there is a lot of season left to go. Up next is UMass, who currently sits at 0-4. No doubt Tennessee has the upper hand. I’d be willing to bet my savings on a victory.

Surely a 3-1 record looks better than 2-1. However, in order to consider the Vols a serious threat, they must (and I mean, must) beat Georgia. Unfortunately, Georgia is going to be an even bigger challenge than Florida.

Tennessee fans haven’t been afraid to express their opinion of Butch Jones in the past. Remember when the Vols kicked a field goal being up 35-0 against Tennessee Tech to end the half last year? The Head Coach received boos from the audience.

Can you imagine if Jones coaches in similar fashion against the Bulldogs in Neyland? It could be a bad night in Knoxville.

Next: 5 dumbest coaching moves in Vols' loss to Florida

I’m not saying Tennessee football is incapable of big plays against a tough Bulldogs team. But, should they lose the two most important games in the East, fans may be calling for the firing of Butch Jones (louder than they already are).