The Tennessee Volunteers suffered their third-straight loss of the season on Saturday, this one coming in disappointing fashion on the road against South Carolina. All three losses are in conference play, but the Vols can still win the SEC East if Florida stumbles twice. Here are three things we learned from the loss:
3) Where is the desire?
It almost looked like the Vols didn't want to be playing a football game on Saturday night. Every one came out flat and played with very little emotion - the kind of emotion that had been a staple of this team. A lot of their leaders where out with injuries - namely Jaylen Reeves-Maybin and Cameron Sutton - and no one else picked up the slack to motivate and lead the team. That's a big problem the players (not the coaches) will have to address.
2) Josh Dobbs is not a passer to rely on
Dobbs has certainly had his moments as Tennessee's quarterback - especially during their miraculous run earlier this season - but throughout most of his career, he has not been a reliable passer. That problem reared its ugly head again tonight, as Dobbs went just 12/26 passing for 161 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions - just 6.2 yards per attempt. The Vols relied too much on his arm instead of on their rushing attack, and it cost them.
1) Should Butch Jones be on the hot seat?
This was a make-or-break year for the Vols. They were supposed to break through and win the East, yet even after beating both Georgia and Florida, Tennessee is 2-3 in the conference and need some MAJOR help to even have a chance at winning the East title. Yes, they were underdogs against both Texas A&M and Alabama, but this South Carolina team is not very good. At all. Tennessee certainly can't lose another game for the rest of the season, or else the rumors are going to be swirling in Knoxville.
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