Tennessee
Seldom has Vanderbilt baseball looked as much an underdog as it does vs Tennessee | Estes
No one is going to feel sorry for Vanderbilt baseball, especially those dudes across the state in orange.
The fact that Tennessee entered this weekend’s series at Hawkins Field ranked No. 1 in the nation isn’t some outlier in our state’s best college sports rivalry. It was the continuation of a shift that dates back a few years now.
So, too, was the Vols’ 8-4 victory over the unranked Commodores in Friday’s Game 1, which made it eight in a row in the series. With a monstrous offense and overachieving pitching staff that keeps piecing together outs and wins, Tony Vitello’s Tennessee (41-9, 18-7 SEC) is barreling toward a return to the College World Series, likely hosting the NCAA regionals and super regionals along the way.
In the coming weeks, there will be plenty more to say about these Vols.
As for the rest of this weekend, that looms far more important for Vanderbilt (33-17, 11-14).
It’ll have two more opportunities to break the in-state jinx and start turning a sinking season before it’s too late. Not impossible.
But seldom have Tim Corbin’s Vandy Boys looked as much an underdog as they do right now.
All is not well on that side of the diamond. Vanderbilt’s sub-standard hitting is now paired with an underachieving pitching staff that’s banged-up, hurting for confidence and increasingly unreliable in critical situations.
Friday’s loss — during which the Commodores’ bullpen blew a 4-3 eighth-inning lead — wasn’t just another deflating setback to their in-state rival. It was their sixth SEC loss in a row, period. During that stretch, they have been outscored 58-26.
Hopes to host an NCAA regional are all but gone. You’d think an NCAA bid remains assured. But look at Vanderbilt’s five remaining regular-season games: Two more this weekend against Tennessee, followed by a three-game series at No. 5 Kentucky.
Something needs to go right for Vanderbilt. Quickly.
And that’s why Friday night’s blown lead felt especially cruel. Because the Commodores and their home fans had started to sense a turning point was at hand. Starting pitcher Bryce Cunningham gave them that belief, striking out 10 and allowing only three runs in 6⅔ innings.
“He attacked, obviously, a good offensive team,” Corbin said of Cunningham. “I thought he did what he needed to do to put us in a good position to win.”
Down to their final six outs, the Vols just grabbed their bats and swatted aside the Commodores like a minor annoyance. A five-run eighth inning featured home runs by Kavares Tears and Cannon Peebles. Vanderbilt’s freshman relief pitchers Miller Green and Brennan Seiber combined to allow five hits and five runs in 2⅓ innings.
That Corbin, facing the nation’s most powerful offense, chose to hand a one-run lead to a freshman in Green suggested a lack of faith in the rest of his (healthy) pitching staff.
“I mean, we’ve got what we’ve got, OK,” Corbin said when asked afterward about his bullpen’s struggles, “unless Jesus comes into the picture.”
It wasn’t just the pitching. The 3-4-5 hitters in Vanderbilt’s lineup were a collective 0-for-11, with five strikeouts. Tennessee’s A.J. Causey, who slipped to allow three runs in the sixth inning that put Vanderbilt ahead 4-3, was able to stay in the game. He threw the final 6⅓ innings, thus saving Vols arms for the remainder of the series.
After losing the starting role on Friday nights, Causey has been effective out of the bullpen for Tennessee, which has gotten by without injured pitcher A.J. Russell, who was expected to star atop the Vols’ rotation this season.
Entering this weekend, they haven’t lost an SEC series since the first one in March.
They are a legit powerhouse and national title contender.
If this Vanderbilt team wants to have a chance to be viewed that way again this season, it’ll need to figure out a way to finally beat them before the losing streak grows.
Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @Gentry_Estes.
Jamey Johnson was arrested for drug possession and speeding in Williamson County, Tennessee, on Sunday.
Saving Country Music was first to report the news, and TMZ confirmed it.
The arrest took place just more than a week after the release of his first album in 14 years, “Midnight Gasoline.”
News Channel 5 reports Johnson posted a $5,000 bond before he got out of jail Monday.
“We can confirm that Jamey Johnson was arrested on Sunday, Nov. 17 in Williamson County. The incident is still under investigation,” the Tennessee Highway Patrol wrote in a statement.
Johnson has served as a Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, George Strait and others.
Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.
The Detroit Lions are adding a former Tennessee Titans draft pick to the practice squad ahead of Week 12.
Detroit announced Monday that former Titans linebacker David Long Jr. has signed with the team’s practice squad after standout linebacker Alex Anzalone was placed on injured reserve due to an arm injury.
Long Jr. started out the season with the Miami Dolphins but was waived on Nov. 13. He sat out due to injury when the Titans beat Miami as Hard Rock Stadium in Week 4. In six starts and eight appearances for Miami this season, Long Jr. totaled 38 tackles (26 solo).
Originally a sixth-round pick by the Titans in the 2019 NFL Draft, Long Jr. spent four years in Tennessee and proved to be a consistent presence for head coach Mike Vrabel’s defense. During his time with the team, he played in 50 regular-season games and made 26 starts while posting 230 total tackles (15 for loss), two forced fumbles, 14 pass breakups and four interceptions.
He also started two of five playoff appearances for Tennessee while tallying 27 total tackles and a sack in the postseason. Long Jr. played in the Titans’ AFC Championship loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2019 Playoffs.
He then signed a two-year, $11 million deal with Miami ahead of the 2023 campaign. Long Jr. immediately became an impact player for McDaniel, finishing his debut season with the Dolphins with a career-best 113 total tackles to go along with one sack and one forced fumble.
Though Miami decided to move on from his this season, Long Jr. now has a chance to eventually contribute to arguably the best team in the NFL. The Lions are currently 9-1 and coming off a 52-6 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. This matched their point total from the 52-14 win over the Titans on Oct. 27.
Make sure you bookmark Tennessee Titans on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!
Are the Tennessee Volunteers out of the college football playoff race?
The Tennessee Volunteers earned their second loss of the season this weekend as the Georgia Bulldogs defeated them by a final score of 31-17. Tennessee jumped out to an early 10-0 lead in the first half, but it was all Georgia for the remainder of the game. The Volunteers would fail to score a single point in the second half.
That now puts Tennessee in the two-loss club in the SEC, which is getting lengthier by the weekend it seems. That also means they are no longer in as good of a position to make the playoffs this year and will be at the mercy of the committee at the end of the regular season to see if they made the top-12. So was Tennessee’s loss to Georgia enough to keep them out of the race?
The short answer is no. Tennessee certainly still has a chance to make the college football playoff this season, but fans are probably going to have to hold their breath. Because with there being so many two-loss SEC teams this season, someone is going to have to be left out of the mix.
Georgia is one of these teams. They have multiple wins over ranked opponents and their only two losses on the season came on the road against ranked opponents. Alabama has a loss to Vanderbilt and Tennessee but wins against Georgia, LSU and South Carolina. Ole Miss has losses to Kentucky and LSU but has wins against Georgia and South Carolina. Tennessee has losses to Arkansas and Georgia but has a win against Alabama.
And that’s the potential problem for Tennessee. They have one signature win on the schedule thus far. The rest of it is teams like NC State, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Oklahoma. Teams that have struggled a lot this season. The win against Florida certainly looks better as the season progresses, but when their schedule gets matched up against the rest of the SEC, it might cause some concerns from the committee. However, the win against Alabama could very well earn them a spot in the top-12.
Make sure to follow our website Tennessee on SI.
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