Tag: Recap

Instant analysis of Falcons’ 26-18 loss to Saints on Thanksgiving

Here’s a look at how the Falcons’ offense, defense and special teams units fared on Thursday night’s disappointing yet predictable loss.

The Falcons were defeated by the New Orleans Saints on Thanksgiving night, 26-18, falling to 3-9 on the season. Despite a valiant comeback effort, this team continues to struggle in front of its fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, losing a fifth of six home games this season.

Here’s a look at how the Falcons’ offense, defense and special teams units fared on Thursday night’s disappointing yet predictable loss.

Offense

With Julio Jones out, Matt Ryan had to look to Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage and Christian Blake. Atlanta started slow, and wasted an early drive by failing on a fourth-and-short inside the five. The running game was a tad better, but Matt Ryan’s two second-half interceptions killed any realistic comeback attempt — until the Falcons recovered two onside kicks (and technically three with a penalty calling back the first). Still, it was too little, too late. Sound familiar?

Defense

Defensively, the Falcons were put in a bad spot after a first-quarter punt block, giving the Saints an easy score to go up 7-0. From there, Atlanta’s defense tightened up. If the offense had controlled the ball a little better, we’d probably be talking about how well they played. Still, it was another sack-less game for Atlanta, which is inexcusable given what we’ve seen this team do against the same New Orleans team three weeks ago.

Special Teams

After a quick three-and-out on the team’s opening possession, Atlanta had a punt blocked and the Saints quickly scored a touchdown a few plays later. Kicker Younghoe Koo missed a field goal and an extra point. He’d later make his next two and keep the Falcons in the game.

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Falcons LG James Carpenter leaves game with possible concussion

Atlanta’s offensive line has another injury, with starting left guard James Carpenter leaving the game in the second quarter after suffering an apparent an head injury. Carpenter is questionable to return. 

Atlanta’s offensive line has another injury, with starting left guard James Carpenter leaving the game in the second quarter after suffering an apparent head injury. Carpenter is questionable to return.

 

Wes Schweitzer, who had started at right guard, has slid over to Carpenter’s spot, with Jamon Brown taking over for Schweitzer at right guard.

The Falcons trail 7-6 to the Saints early in the second quarter.

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Lady Vols basketball tame Golden Lions

KNOXVILLE – The Tennessee Volunteers women’s basketball team continued their winning ways on Tuesday night, manhandling the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions, 92-51. The Lady Vols were led by double-double machine Rennia Davis, who scored 17 points …

KNOXVILLE — The Tennessee Volunteers women’s basketball team continued their winning ways on Tuesday night, manhandling the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions, 92-51.

The Lady Vols were led by double-double machine Rennia Davis, who scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, along with four assists. Rae Burrell came off the bench to add 17 points of her own, as well as six rebounds in an outstanding sixth-women effort. Kasiyahna Kushkituah also added 15 points and six rebounds off the pine to round out the Volunteers in double figures.

Tennessee never trailed in the match, taking their first lead two minutes in on a Lou Brown layup. UT’s largest lead of the game as the final margin, which steadily built up over the course of the match, as the Golden Lions never threatened. Remarkably, the Lady Vols nearly shut out their opponent in the second quarter, allowing UAPB’s first score at the one minute mark and only allowing four total points before the halftime buzzer.

Despite the impressive final margin of victory, the Lady Vols committed 19 turnovers along with 19 personal fouls, and they also missed all 10 of their three-point attempts — all numbers that can be improved upon. Otherwise, the girls looked great, shooting 55 percent from the field overall and making two-thirds of their free throws.

The win moves the Lady Vols to 6-0 on the season, taking their first three road games along with the trio of home matches they have played thus far on their six-game homestand. It also elevates the women’s home record at Thompson-Boling Arena to an astounding 456-45 record over the years.

The Lady Vols next take on Air Force at home on Sunday, December 1. Tip-off is schedule for 2 p.m. ET and can be watched on SECN and listened to on affiliated Vols networks.

Vols basketball skin Mocs to extend winning streak

Vols basketball skin Mocs to extend winning streak.

KNOXVILLE — The Tennessee Volunteers men’s basketball team continues to roll along, handling the Chattanooga Mocs at home, 58-46.

The two teams traded leads during the opening three minutes of the game, after which the Vols never trailed again. Tennessee’s largest lead of 16 came at the 5:35 mark of the second half, and UT coasted from there to finish with the final margin.

Lamonte Turner paced the Volunteers with 16 points and 12 assists, as well as three rebounds and a steal. John Fulkerson chipped in 14 points and four rebounds of his own, while Jordan Bowden scored 13 points and kept the window clean with 12 boards. Josiah-Jordan James also grabbed 11 boards to go along with 4 points to round out the Vols in double-digits.

Tennessee shot a lethargic 37 percent from the field, including 28 percent from behind the arc on 18 attempts. Their 10 turnovers was a modest sum, while the Vols’ seven blocks and 43 total rebounds show that they dominated the paint. It was not UT’s best performance, but it was good enough tonight against a lesser opponent.

The victory extends the Volunteers’ Division I-leading home-court winning streak at Thompson-Boling Arena, now sitting at 30 straight games. Much less, the Vols also extended their season-opening winning streak to five games.

The Vols next play on Friday, November 29, against the Florida State Seminoles. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET and can be watched on the CBS Sports Network.

 

Tennessee rolls past Alabama State

Tennessee rolls past Alabama State.

KNOXVILLE — The Tennessee men’s basketball team extended their Division I-leading home winning streak to 29 games after defeating the Alabama State Hornets on Wednesday night, 76-41.

The Hornets jumped out to a three point lead on the opening possession, but the Vols answered back and tied the score just one minute into the game; UT took the lead on their next possession and held it for the rest of the game. Their largest lead of 37 came at the 1:01 mark of the second half after a late-game surge, and Alabama State managed to sink a couple of free throws in the final minute to clinch the ending score.

Tennessee was led by Jordan Bowden, who notched 16 points to pace the Vols, while adding a couple of rebounds and an assist. Three other starters also posted double-digit points, with Lamonte Turner adding 13 of his own along with six dimes, Yves Pons adding 11 with five rebounds, and John Fulkerson scoring 10 points with three rebounds in support. Guard Josiah-Jordan James pulled down 13 boards and dished out five assists.

The Vols hit 46 percent of their shots from the field, though that includes a sub-par 29 percent mark from beyond the arc. They only shot 64 percent from the charity stripe on 25 attempts, which could stand for some improvement. Tennessee’s 12 turnovers to ASU’s 19 is a respectable margin, and the team total of eight blocks is encouraging.

The Vols’ next game is on November 25 against the Chattanooga Mocs at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tip-off is schedule for 7 p.m. ET and will be broadcasted on SEC Network+.

Lady Vols throttle Tennessee State

Lady Vols throttle Tennessee State.

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KNOXVILLE — The Lady Vols basketball team remains perfect on the year after handily defeating the Tennessee State Tigers at home, 73-43.

The Volunteers never trailed in the game — the last time the match was tied came at the 3:36 mark of the first quarter, after which Tennessee steadily pulled away. UT’s largest lead of 32 points came at the 6:09 mark in the fourth quarter, and from there they drifted to a 30-point margin for the final score.

Sophomore swingwoman Rae Burrell led all scorers, notching 14 points off the bench while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out three assists. Junior swingwoman and SEC Player of the Week Rennia Davis added 12 points of her own along with 11 rebounds for her third double-double in four games to open the season. Junior center Kasiyahna Kushkituah was the only other Vol in double digits, scoring 11 points along with seven rebounds coming off the pine.

The Lady Vols shot 42 percent from the field, including a paltry 26 percent from behind the arc. Tennessee’s 19 turnovers were also a bit of a blemish, but they outrebounded State 60-38 — 18 of which were of the offensive variety. UT shot 62 percent from the charity stripe, showing some continued improvement in that department, but still with some room to grow.

The next game is on Tuesday, November 19, against the Stetson Hatters at Thompson-Boling Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.