You can’t be ahead with the opponent backed up at its 20-yard line with less than 20 seconds to go and lose.
You can’t let a receiver get behind you.
Let him catch a 10-yard pass, a 20-yard pass, a 30-yard pass.
But not a 64-yarder.
Receiver Micah Simon streaked past Tennessee sophomore cornerback Alontae Taylor for a game-changing gain that put Brigham Young in position for a game-tying field goal with one second left.
In the second overtime, the Cougars crashed into the end zone with a convoy of blockers and pushers escorting Ty’Son Williams into the end zone from the 5-yard line to give BYU an improbable 29-26 victory before a stunned crowd at Neyland Stadium that included about 8,000 visiting fans.
“It’s a tough pill for everybody to swallow,’’ Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt said.
Tennessee lost its opener to Georgia State because of lack of effort.
Tennessee lost to BYU because of lack of discipline.
You can’t blame Taylor’s inexcusable error on youth.
Any college corner knows you have to keep the receiver in front of you.
Any high school corner knows you have to keep the receiver in front of you.
A middle schooler knows it.
Asked if Taylor was rattled when the game went into overtime, Pruitt almost erupted.
“He should’ve been rattled after I got on him,’’ Pruitt said post-game. “Just use a little common sense.’’
What defense was Tennessee in?
“The same one we called the previous play when they lost 12 yards,’’ Pruitt said. “We’re in deep thirds and the guy (Simon) gets 20 yards behind our guy.’’
UT didn’t actually cause BYU to lose 12 yards on its last possession, which started at its 16 with 1:01 left.
On the first play, BYU was called for holding and was pushed back to its 8. On the next play, quarterback Zach Wilson threw an incompletion. On the next play, Wilson scrambled for 12 yards to the 20.
Facing third-and-six and the clock running, Wilson hit a wide open Simon for a 64-yard gain to the UT 16 with seven seconds left.
After BYU spiked the ball, the Cougars kicked a gut-wrenching, game-tying 33-yard field goal.
BYU scored a touchdown in the first overtime but the Vols gamely matched that by converting a third-and-11 and then a third-and-10 TD pass to Jauan Jennings.
In the second overtime, UT could only manage a field goal.
BYU used two runs to the 5-yard line before pile driving it into the end zone for the game ender.
“They willed themselves into the end zone, in my opinion,’’ Pruitt said.
Tennessee failed to convert a critical fourth-and-1 at its 30 with just over four minutes left could have helped seal the deal.
UT failed on another fourth-and-1 toward the end of the first half that led to a field goal and a 13-3 halftime lead.
UT also missed on a fourth-and-1 in field-goal range early in the second quarter.
Those failures were costly.
“We’ve got to have the will power to get it in the end zone,’’ Chandler said.
The defeat usurped a nice bounce-back performance for the Vols from the 38-30 debacle against Georgia State the week before.
The Vols’ offensive line was much better as UT took advantage of off-tackle runs and sweeps to pile up 242 yards rushing – 154 by Ty Chandler and 77 by true freshman Eric Gray.
UT outrushed BYU by 135 yards, outgained BYU 418-339, held the ball for eight more minutes, ran 77 plays to 60, and never trailed until overtime.
Tennessee is 0-2 for the first time since 1988, when the Vols opened 0-6 before winning the last five games of the season.
These Vols are reeling and appear to lack confidence.
Can they bounce back from this?
“I’ve been through worse here,’’ senior offensive tackle Marcus Tatum said.
Did that refer to a coaching change? Or losing to South Carolina in 2016 with the East Division title on the line? Or losing to Vanderbilt in 2017 with a Sugar Bowl bid on the line?
What matters now is Tennessee must regroup in a hurry.
Tennessee C Brandon Kennedy, DE LaTrell Bumphus and OT Marcus Tatum spoke to the media in the postgame after UT’s 2OT home loss to BYU, 29-26. Cumulus Broadcasting Knoxville’s sports staff was there to cover it. Here’s that full video below.
(L to R) Marcus Tatum, Brandon Kennedy & LaTrell Bumphus / Credit: 99.1 The Sports Animal
Each season I predict SEC games here on my blog, “Vince’s View.”
These are straight-up picks. The point spreads are just for some context of who the favorites are. I will list broadcast information all season as well.
Below are my predictions for Week 2 of the college football season. I’ve skipped analysis on the FCS opponents.
Check back here all season for score predictions on every game involving an SEC team all the way through the bowl season and perhaps, again, the national championship game.
2018 Game Prediction Record: 93-32 (74%) 2019 Game Prediction Record: 9-4 (100%)
SEC WEEK 2 SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, SEPT. 7 West Virginia (1-0) at Missouri (0-1, 0-0 SEC)
Columbia, Mo. • Faurot Field (71,168)
Noon ET • ESPN2
Series: Tied 3-3
Sirius: 78 • XM: 191
Line: Missouri -14
Vince’s View: Missouri racked-up a lot of yards through the air, but was sloppy with the football in key situations in the stunning loss at Wyoming. Maybe Mizzou should work on running the football effectively. West Virginia has so much new in its rebuild. I think the Tigers get an improved performance from Kelly Bryant in a win.
Score Prediction: Missouri 45 West Virginia 28
Charleston Southern (0-1) at South Carolina (0-1, 0-0 SEC)
Columbia, S.C. • Williams-Brice Stadium (80,250)
Noon ET • SEC Network
Series: First Meeting
Sirius: 135 • XM: 190
Line: NL
Vince’s View: none
Score Prediction: South Carolina 38 Charleston Southern 3
Vanderbilt (0-1, 0-0 SEC) at Purdue (0-1)
West Lafayette, Ind. • Ross-Ade Stadium (57,236)
Noon ET • Big Ten Network
Series: VU leads, 2-0
Sirius: 134 • XM: 384
Line: Purdue -7
Vince’s View: Vandy faced elite competition last week, so it’s hard to totally judge them on game one. The offensive trio of Vaughn, Pinkney and Lipscomb should get going this week against a leaky Boilermakers defense. My concerns are Vandy’s defense against the Purdue offense and the Commodores keeping up with the Boilers’ offense.
Score Prediction: Purdue 37 Vanderbilt 28
Southern Miss (1-0) at Mississippi State (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Starkville, Miss. • Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field (61,337)
3:30 p.m. ET • ESPNU
Series: Tied 14-14-1
Sirius: 121 • XM: 192
Line: Miss State -17
Vince’s View: Tommy Stevens should be able to build off a solid Bulldogs debut. MSU needs to play better in a lot of other areas or else there will be real concerns about this team. Motivated in-state teams can be tricky.
Score Prediction: Mississippi State 35 Southern Miss 23
#12 Texas A&M (1-0, 0-0 SEC) at #1 Clemson (1-0)
Clemson, S.C. • Memorial Stadium (81,500)
3:30 p.m. ET • ABC
Series: AM leads, 3-2
Sirius: 105 • XM: 201
Line: Clemson -17 ½
Vince’s View: What a great gauge for where Texas A&M is under Jimbo Fisher. Kellon Mond will make some plays against a younger Clemson defense, but with some starters out on defense for the Aggies, I don’t see them making enough stops against all the Clemson weapons. Knoxville’s Amari Rodgers may return from injury in this one.
Score Prediction: Clemson 34 Texas A&M 24
New Mexico State (0-1) at #2 Alabama (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Tuscaloosa, Ala. • Bryant-Denny Stadium (101,821)
4 p.m. ET • SEC Network
Series: First Meeting
Sirius: 135 • XM: 190
Line: Alabama -55
Vince’s View: You don’t see point spreads like this often. One of the FBS’ worst teams has to try and limit the destruction at one of the nation’s best offenses.
Score Prediction: Alabama 56 New Mexico St 0
Murray State (1-0) at #3 Georgia (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Athens, Ga. • Sanford Stadium (92,746)
4 p.m. ET • ESPN2
Series: UG leads, 1-0
Sirius: 78 • XM: 191
Line: NL
Vince’s View: none
Score Prediction: Georgia 49 Murray State 3
BYU (0-1) at Tennessee (0-1, 0-0 SEC)
Knoxville, Tenn. • Neyland Stadium (102,455)
7 p.m. ET • ESPN
Series: First Meeting
Sirius: 121 • XM: 192
Line: Tennessee -3 ½
Vince’s View: I expect a better “effort” from Tennessee. Part of the effort look is that this team’s mentality is fragile and they lose even more confidence thus getting discouraged. That comes across as not trying. However you classify it, it’s a bad sign that’s no different than the end of last season despite an offseason of moves and talk of improvement. Besides all that, I think UT’s inability to stop to run and how bad they are at the line of scrimmage are huge problems. UT will see all the things it had issues with last week, like RPOs, short passing game, TEs creating extra gaps at the LOS, 8-man coverage against Guarantano, disguised blitzes, etc. I think TE Matt Bushman has a career day with no coverage answers for him. The Vols will have their moments, but until I see otherwise, this is more than effort and pride holding Tennessee back. If UT loses, it will be the first 0-2 start for UT since 1988. All hope for this season will be lost by many with a defeat here. Yikes.
Score Prediction: BYU 38 Tennessee 34
Tulane (1-0) at #16 Auburn (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Auburn, Ala. • Jordan-Hare Stadium (87,451)
7:30 p.m. CT • ESPN2
Series: TUL leads, 17-14-6
Sirius: 78 • XM: 191
Line: Auburn -18
Vince’s View: You could see Auburn have a little bit of a letdown after the impressive come-from-behind win vs. Oregon last week. Tulane recruiting has picked-up and that includes in East Tennessee thanks to VFL JJ McCleskey on the Green Wave staff. The Auburn d-line will be too tough to handle in the second half.
Score Prediction: Auburn 28 Tulane 10
UT Martin (1-0) at #11 Florida (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Gainesville, Fla. • Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Steve-Spurrier Florida Field (88,548)
7:30 p.m. ET • ESPNU
Series: First Meeting
Sirius: 81 • XM:81
Line: NL
Vince’s View: none
Score Prediction: Florida 52 UT Martin 13
Eastern Michigan (1-0) at Kentucky (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Lexington, Ky. • Kroger Field (61,000)
7:30 p.m. ET • SEC Network Alternate Channel
Series: UK leads, 1-0
Sirius: 98 • XM: 203
Line: Kentucky -14 ½
Vince’s View: Kentucky can probably survive another sloppy performance and win this game, but it won’t bode well for doing anything of note in conference play if it happens again.
Score Prediction: Kentucky 45 Eastern Michigan 27
#6 LSU (1-0, 0-0 SEC) at #9 Texas (1-0)
Austin, Texas • DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium (100,119)
7:30 p.m. CT • ABC
Series: TEX leads, 9-7-1
Sirius: 84 • XM: 84
Line: LSU -6
Vince’s View: LSU will put the nation on alert that it is a legit college football playoff contender with this road win over a very good Texas team. LSU’s deep offensive talent will be on display in this one. LSU has insane talent on defense as well. Texas isn’t quite there yet.
Score Prediction: LSU 31 Texas 17
Arkansas (1-0, 0-0 SEC) at Ole Miss (0-1, 0-0 SEC)
Oxford, Miss. • Vaught-Hemingway Stadium (64,038)
7:30 p.m. CT • SEC Network
Series: AR leads, 36-27-1
Last: UM, 37-33 (2018 in Fayetteville)
Sirius: 135 • XM: 190/384
Line: Ole Miss -6 ½
Vince’s View: Both fan bases, if realistic, have to view this one and say, ‘we better win this one while we have a shot.’ I think Ole Miss has a little better team, but it didn’t look like it last week. This one will either be as ugly as can be or as wild as can be.
Score Prediction: Ole Miss 17 Arkansas 14
Brantley Gilbert announced he will embark on his headlining Fire’t Up Tour in 2020.
The 30-plus-date tour kicks off on Jan. 23 in London, Ontario, making additional stops in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Las Vegas and more. Chase Rice, Dylan Scott and Brandon Lay will serve as support on select dates.
The tour takes its name from a track on Brantley’s upcoming album, Fire & Brimstone, which drops on Oct. 4.
“I truly feel like we’re at the point that we can let the music take us where it is meant to go, so with every new album we like to change up our show and make it something that plays to those stories and characters,” says Brantley. “We’ll of course still do the hits our fans love, but we are looking at this as an opportunity to turn up the heat a bit and give the songs on Fire & Brimstone a chance to really rock.”
Ronnie Dunn will release a new country/rock cover album, Re-Dunn, in January 2020.
The 24-track album features popular tunes originally recorded by Bob Seger, Tom Petty, Van Morrison, Hank Williams, Eric Clapton, George Strait, Tom T. Hall, Eddy Arnold and more.
Ronnie released two tracks on Sept. 6: “Amarillo by Morning,” which was originally recorded by Terry Stafford in 1973 and made famous by George Strait in 1983, and “Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress),” which The Hollies recorded in 1972.
Ronnie will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame with Brooks & Dunn cohort Kix Brooks in October.
Listen to “Amarillo by Morning” and “Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress)” below.
Re-Dunn Track List
1.“Amarillo by Morning” — (originally recorded by Terry Stafford)
2. “Long Cool Woman (In A Black Dress)” — (originally recorded by The Hollies)
3. “That’s How I Got to Memphis” — (originally recorded by Tom T. Hall)
4. “It Never Rains In Southern California” — (originally recorded by Albert Hammond)
5. “How Long” — (originally recorded by Paul Carrack)
6. “Drinkin’ Thing” — (originally recorded by Gary Stewart)
7. “Together Again” — (originally recorded by Buck Owens)
8. “Peaceful Easy Feeling” — (originally recorded by the Eagles)
9. “Against The Wind” — (originally recorded by Bob Seger)
10. “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” — (originally recorded by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes)
11. “I Won’t Back Down” — (originally recorded by Tom Petty)
12. “Cowboy Rides Away” — (originally recorded by George Strait)
13. “Showdown” — (originally recorded by Electric Light Orchestra)
14. “Wonderful Tonight” — (originally recorded by Eric Clapton)
15. “Ashes By Now” — (originally recorded by Rodney Crowell)
16. “That’s The Way Love Goes” — (originally recorded by Johnny Rodriguez)
17. “I’m Not In Love” — (originally recorded by 10cc)
18. “Brown Eyed Girl” — (originally recorded by Van Morrison)
19. “You Don’t Know Me” — (originally recorded by Eddy Arnold)
20. “Ridin’ My Thumb To Mexico” — (originally recorded by Johnny Rodriguez)
21. “A Showman’s Life” — (originally recorded by Jesse Winchester)
22. “Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues” — (originally recorded by Danny O’Keefe)
23. “Amie” — (originally recorded by Pure Prairie League)
24. “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love With You)” — (originally recorded by Hank Williams)
Not all was bad in Tennessee’s embarrassing season opening loss to Georgia State.
Here are five encouraging signs for UT as the Vols try to bounce back against BYU this Saturday.
Jauan Jennings
You can question the intensity and effort of some Vols in the opener.
You can’t question Jennings.
Once dismissed from the UT team but reinstated by coach Jeremy Pruitt, Jennings was terrific in the opener, with seven catches for 108 yards and a touchdown. Many of those yards came after the catch as Jennings refused to go down easily.
The senior receiver blamed himself for not being a leader who got his teammates fired up to play. While he probably took too much responsibility for other players not giving their all for the Vols, make no mistake – Jennings and UT will play with great passion against BYU.
UT might not win, but it won’t be for lack of effort.
Eric Gray
The true freshman running back showed flashes of being a star in the making. He had 29 yards on seven rushes and 51 yards on six receptions. He has the ability to make people miss and he’s a good receiver out of the backfield. He played most of the second half after Ty Chandler had two fumbles in the first half against GSU and was benched.
Gray could evolve into an Alvin Kamara-type back who puts up big all-purpose yards.
Henry To’o To’o
He was the first true freshman linebacker to start an opener for Tennessee since 2011. He recorded seven tackles and was very active, but he still needs to learn the position. After the game, Pruitt said he should have played Henry T. more snaps.
He’s also a tough character. All you need to know is he played in his high school team’s state championship game in California one week after suffering a broken foot. And he had about seven tackles in the first half.
He is the type difference maker UT needs to turn the program around.
Dominick Wood-Anderson
The senior had three catches for 79 yards with a long of 54. He’s a gifted tight end who is adept at receiving and blocking, and he surely has an NFL future. Look for him to be a prime target most of this season and record over 40 catches.
Special Teams
Brent Cimaglia hit all three field-goal attempts, Joe Doyle’s lone punt went 47 yards and was not returned, and Marquez Callaway had a 35-yard punt return. Chandler added a 33-yard kickoff return.
That’s a good start for a special teams unit that might be asked to win a couple of close games this season.
Cimaglia, who was not allowed to attempt a kick of over 50 yards last year, nailed a 48-yarder with 10 yards to spare in the opener. He has a strong enough leg to try from outside 50 yards, if needed.
Tennessee looks to bounce back Saturday night inside Neyland Stadium against the Cougars of Brigham Young University. After a shocking loss to Georgia State in week one, the Volunteers need to pick up the victory this weekend or they could be staring 1-6 in the face to begin the season.
But it’s not going to be easy.
BYU played well defensively against No. 14 Utah last Thursday. If not for two pick-sixes thrown by dual-threat quarterback Zach Wilson, the Cougars are right in that ballgame late in the second half. Defensively, the front seven is an odd front – but multiple- and moves around constantly. Plus, BYU may just be more talented than the Volunteers right now – even if Tennessee improves from week one.
So, what needs to happen for the Volunteers to come out a winner in front of the home crowd and pull out this seemingly ‘must-win’ game in week two? Here’s five things that must improve to do just that.
Get a Push Up Front
Yes, the offensive line needs to play better, but I’m talking defense right now. Dan Ellington was hardly pressured by the interior line on Saturday. He was hit a few times in the contest but most notably those pressures/knockdowns came from the outside with Shawn Shamburger and Jeremy Banks coming to mind.
Aubrey Solomon, who was ruled eligible by the NCAA 72 hours prior to kickoff, was a nonfactor. Greg Emerson and junior college transfer Darel Middleton were much the same in the starting bunch. LaTrell Bumphus, who stood out in camp as a pass rusher, never found his form. Transfer Savion Willimams did not as well. And incumbent reserves John Mincey and Matthew Butler saw limited snaps.
Aubrey Solomon – Vols DL / Credit: UT Athletics
Kurott Garland, who missed most of camp with his name in the transfer portal, played most of the game. Jeremy Pruitt said Wednesday in his weekly press conference that Garland was one of the team’s ‘better players’ right now.
Regardless of who is in there and what first-year defensive coordinator Derrick Ansley dials up for pressure on the outside, the interior defensive line must play better and not be pushed around all day. BYU will be a challenge as all five starting offensive linemen are at least 22 years of age across the board.
Settle on 5-6 Offensive Linemen
Jeremy Pruitt is making $3.8 million dollars this year as head coach of the Volunteers. Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney is making over a million. These guys know football – a lot more than I do. I’m not even going to pretend I know more.
But football 101 states the offensive line, along with the quarterback, is the ONLY unit on the football field where a rotation is not ideal. You need to build chemistry, consistency – a cohesive mindset, if you will – with five guys throughout a game (much less a season). Rotating nine offensive linemen in and out throughout the course of a ballgame (like UT did against Georgia State) negates that mindset.
I understand UT doesn’t have the luxury or confidence right now to stick with just five guys. Offensive line coach Will Friend said no one has “stood out” or said “this is my spot” back in camp in August. But the time is now. You’ve got to get it in gear and stick with the same guys.
Trey Smith (blot clots) returned to action last week and played 30 snaps, according to Pruitt. The junior is obviously the team’s best offensive lineman when out there, albeit due to his medical plan, the former No. 1 overall recruit in the nation will be a week-to-week situation with potentially a snap-count in ballgames. Smith will be that sixth offensive lineman for now.
Pruitt and Friend want five-star tackles Wanya Morris (who started at LT) and Darnell Wright in the mix as much as possible. Center Brandon Kennedy played every offensive snap. Pruitt was quoted in saying veteran Jahmir Johnson, Kennedy and Wright played the best in week one. But Ryan Johnson, Riley Locklear and Marcus Tatum continue to get most snaps.
A lot of that has to do with experience. Regardless of the reason, the coaching staff needs to find five (and Smith) and stick with those guys. I broadcast a high school football game every week and not one time do I see an East Tennessee program rotate offensive linemen in and out of a ballgame like the university did last week and some in 2018.
Get Lined Up
Tennessee’s biggest question mark coming into the season was the defensive line and Saturday, fans saw why. Inexperience and an overall lack of football knowledge was apparent. Those things, however, are correctable. But, how?
Well, for starters, the addition of Daniel BItuli at linebacker will help. Pruitt said Wednesday that the Volunteers’ leading tackler is ‘close’ to returning and could see some game action on Saturday. Having that veteran presence, a guy who has played a lot of football over the years and a guy who is two years into the current defensive system will go a long way.
Darrell Taylor – Vols OLB / Credit: UT Athletics
Things won’t be perfect even if Bituli plays Saturday. It’s football. Guys line up wrong often. You must overcome it. But Tennessee misaligned numerous times against the Panthers and got burned. The emergence of freshman Henry To’o To’o will also help the more he plays. He’s already making plays on the field, but his knowledge of the overall defense will continue to grow as the season progresses.
Bottom line, however, is the inexperienced defensive line group must grow up in a hurry. Too many times the Vols were beat before the snap of the football simply because of misalignment. And when you have a versatile quarterback like Dan Ellington out of shotgun, things can happen. BYU’s Zach Wilson won’t be any different.
When you’re an underdog, which Tennessee will be most of the season, you can’t beat yourself. UT did that all game last Saturday.
#Vols coach Jeremy Pruitt has preached the struggle of just lining up on defense throughout camp and again last night in postgame.
Not much to say here. It’s self-explanatory. To play running back at a high level, you must hold on to the football and be efficient in your pass protection.
Tennessee has struggled with this the past few seasons – really dating back to when Jalen Hurd left the program. Many times a season ago, former offensive coordinator Tyson Helton would call 6-to-7 man protections to help aid in the poor offensive line play. But even with tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson and running backs Ty Chandler and Tim Jordan staying into apply assistance, Jarrett Guarantano still got hit.
On Saturday, both Chandler and freshman Eric Gray had their fair share of blocking woes. Whether it be a whiff, being bulldozed or just not recognizing a blitz, Guarantano took the hits a few times on their account.
Ty Chandler – Vols RB / Credit: UT Athletics
Chandler, who was benched in the second half following two fumbles, has struggled in blocking throughout his career. Gray should get better as time goes on but could be a liability on third downs due to the poor skill. With Jordan questionable with a ‘turned ankle,’ the Vols don’t have much to turn to.
Freshman athlete Aaron Beasley has moved to running back this week, but it’d be hard pressed for me to believe he would be up to speed to play in a game at the position. Jeremy Banks is playing inside linebacker right now but could still be an option in the backfield at worst-case scenario.
Guarantano Must Play Better
Let me be very clear: JG is not the reason Tennessee lost Saturday. However, he didn’t really help the Vols chances in the second half.
Tennessee’s fourth-year signal-caller threw for over 300 yards for the second time in his career against the Panthers. Over 60 yards of that came on UT’s final drive that resulted in a Jauan Jennings touchdown. Too many self-inflicting errors that we’ve seen before from No. 2 were made throughout the 60 minutes of play.
The errors were failing to recognize blitzes, changing protections and even throwing too hard of a football. It is believed that JG had the ability to change such at the line of scrimmage, so why didn’t he? The opening drive ‘fumble’ from Chandler was a result of a bullet thrown behind the line of scrimmage to the running back from JG who was maybe seven yards away.
Josh Palmer’s would-be touchdown right before the half, that scraped the top of his fingertips in the back of the end zone, would have been a tough catch to make – but it was a catchable pass. Guarantano threw it to only where his receiver could get it. He was also alluding a rush outside the pocket while the defensive back was closing the gap towards Palmer.
But still, the routine errors must improve. JG can’t miss open receivers or be slow to them on their routes. He is capable and certainly the best man for the job – but he must improve on Saturday for UT to be victorious.
Tennessee had a lot go wrong Saturday, but the season is not over. Things can improve and progress can be made. But the Vols need it to start against BYU or the season could go downhill in a hurry.
Can this all be fixed on Saturday? No, but by making progress in these areas, I believe the Vols will be on their way and potentially beat a team like BYU at home.
Chris Janson will release this third studio album, Real Friends, on Oct. 18.
Buoyed by lead single, “Good Vibes,” which is currently No. 11 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, Real Friends takes its name from Chris’ numerous cohorts that contributed to the album in the form of songwriters (Ashley Gorley, Rhett Akins, David Lee Murphy), producers (Tommy Cecil, Zach Crowell, Brock Berryhill), collaborators (Blake Shelton) and more.
“Real Friends is my favorite album I’ve made yet, hands down,” says Chris. “I made Real Friends with actual real friends. I produced the album with real friends, wrote all the songs with real friends, took all the photos for the project with my best friend and wife, Kelly, and I also have a huge collaboration on this album with one of my favorite ‘Ole’ friends [Blake Shelton]! I’m more excited about music now than I have been in all of my career. Thank you to my fans, who truly are my real friends and helped me get where I am today.”
In addition to “Good Vibes,” Chris has released a few other songs from the upcoming album: “Waitin’ On 5,” “Say About Me” and newly released “Done,” which you can listen to below in the new video that features his wife.
Real Friends Track Listing
1. Good Vibes* (Chris Janson, Zach Crowell, Ashley Gorley)
2. Check (Chris Janson, Tommy Cecil, Greylan James, James McNair, Mitch Oglesby)
3. Done (Chris Janson, Mitch Oglesby, Jamie Paulin, Matt Roy)
4. Normal People* (Chris Janson, Zach Crowell, Tommy Cecil)
5. Say About Me (Chris Janson, Shy Carter, Tommy Cecil)
6. Waitin’ on 5 (Chris Janson, Shy Carter, Tommy Cecil, Craig Wiseman)
7. Hawaii on Me (Chris Janson, Kelly Roland, Will Nance)
8. Mine Does (Chris Janson, Rhett Akins, Ben Hayslip)
9. God’s Gotta Be a Good Ole Boy (Chris Janson, Brock Berryhill, Brad Clawson, Greylan James, Mitch Oglesby)
10. Real Friends (feat. Blake Shelton) (Chris Janson, Brad Clawson, Greylan James, Mitch Oglesby)
11. Everybody’s Going Through Something (Chris Janson, Tom Douglas, Tony Lane)
12. Beer Me** (Chris Janson, Brock Berryhill, Jason Blaine, Jay Brunswick, Mitch Oglesby)
13. Country USA (Chris Janson, David Lee Murphy, Mitch Oglesby)
Produced by Chris Janson and Tommy Cecil
*Produced by Zach Crowell / Co-Produced by Chris Janson
**Produced by Chris Janson and Brock Berryhill
Kelsea Ballerini gave fans the first taste of new music from her upcoming third studio album with the release of new single “Homecoming Queen?” on Sept. 6. Kelsea co-penned the new tune with Jimmy Robbins and Nicole Galyon, both of whom had cuts on Kelsea’s sophomore album, Unapologetically.
“‘Homecoming Queen?’ is about taking the filter off of yourself and just being authentic,” says Kelsea.
Kelsea also dropped an emotionally charged new video for the tune. Directed by Shane Drake, the video features Kelsea—front and center—with a camera that tracks around her as she gradually goes from “glam to raw.”
Watch the new video for “Homecoming Queen?” below.
LYRICS:
Hey homecoming queen
Why do you lie
When somebody’s mean
Where do you hide
Do people assume
You’re always alright
Been so good at smiling
Most of your life
Look damn good in the dress
Zipping up the mess
Dancing with your best foot forward
Does it get hard
To have to play the part
Nobody’s feeling sorry for ya
But what if I told you the world wouldn’t end
If you started showing what’s under your skin
What if you let em all in on the lie
Even the homecoming queen cries
Hey homecoming queen
How’s things at home
Still walking on eggshells
When that curtains closed
Did your daddy teach you
How to act tough
Or more like your momma
Sweep it under the rug
Look damn good in the dress
Zipping up the mess
Dancing with your best foot forward
Did you want the crown
Or does it weigh you down
Nobody’s feeling sorry for ya
What if I told you the world wouldn’t end
If you started showing what’s under your skin
What if you let em all in on the lie
Even the homecoming queen cries
Yeah what if I told you the sky wouldn’t fall
If you lost your composure, said to hell with it all
Not everything pretty sparkles and shines
And even the homecoming queen cries
Even the homecoming queen cries
Hey homecoming queen
Why do you lie
When somebody’s mean
Where do you hide
![Chris Janson Readies Upcoming “Real Friends” Album With Release of Sweet New Video, “Done” [Watch]](https://cdn.socast.io/6616/sites/602/2019/09/06102958/Chris-Janson-CH.jpg#aqua_resizer_image_not_local)
