UT’s Bray On Penalty Vs Vandy: “I Just Took His Knee Out”

November 21st, 2011 03:06 PM║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║ Schools: Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Tags: Jimmy Hyams, SEC, Tyler Bray, UT

Late in the third quarter of Saturday night’s game between Tennessee and Vanderbilt, the Volunteers were staked to a 14-7 lead. On Vandy’s three-yard-line, UT appeared on the verge of adding a touchdown or at least a field goal to its lead. But Archibald Barnes stepped in front of a Tyler Bray pass at the goal-line, snagged it, and returned it 100 yards for a game-tying Vandy score. (Tennessee went on to win the game 27-21.)

But at the end of the play, game officials hit Bray with a 15-yard personal foul for going low on a Vanderbilt player during Barnes’ return. Asked about that penalty after the game by Jimmy Hyams of WNML-AM/FM in Knoxville (who’s made our site twice today), Bray said:

“Oh, the first guy came and tried to hit me and the second guy came and I was like, ‘Oh, no, I’ll take the penalty,’ and I just took his knee out.”

Is it possible Bray was kidding? That seemed to be Derek Dooley’s assessment during Tennessee’s media session today. But the fact that officials saw enough to call a 15-yard personal foul against UT’s quarterback suggests the “just kidding” defense is rather weak.

Bray is just a sophomore. Barring injury or unexpected demotion, he’ll face the Commodores at least once more during his career. So it’s likely Vandy’s players will be reminded of the quarterback’s comment and actions next November.

On a related note, officials last offseason used Bray’s throat slash gesture against North Carolina in the 2010 Music City Bowl as an example of the type of celebration that could result in a team’s touchdown coming off the board as part of a tougher taunting penalty.

For a quarterback, Bray certainly seems to have captured the attention of the SEC’s officials.

« LSU’s Miles Shows Class By Taking Knee Vs UM

SEC Headlines – 11/21/11 PM Edition »

31 comments

Newest | Oldest

smarterthanyou

Sounds like somebody trying to make something out of nothing to me.

Vol Guest

Be honest to yourselves, folks - does anybody think that, if Bray honeslty meant to take someone's knee out, he would then be stupid enough to go boast about it to the media?

madfan

Problem is he is that stupid.I'll tell all UT fans & players right now Tyler Bray will be significantly hurt in next year's Vanderbilt game if not before. It's a guarantee. The player for Vanderbilt that does it will be a hero. The thing about it Bray deserves it. He's bush league from so many aspects.
You don't shoot birds at the opposing team from the stands and try to take out another players knees the way he attempted to. There is an unwriiten rule in sports you don't try and take out someone's knees in football or throw at someone's head in baseball. Bray you better be ready. Your career in football will end next year in Dudley Field. Book it.

Vol Guest

To the extent you are serious, your post only proves you are no better than the awful person you believe Bray to be.

able tosleepatnight

See what happens when you take a situation where a kid was ducking a second unwarranted hit from a team taught to play dirty, and make it look like he was trying to wreck a guy's carreer jimmy and john? You wind up with the nutjob from Billy Madison putting on lipstick and pointing a gun at our quarterback for no good reason. But hey, I guess you're just putting food on your table like the rest of us.

madfan

i'm as serious as I can be about this. You obviously are not an athlete or a former one. As I said previously, book it. I'm not awful I'm being real. I've had more knee surgeries than you could even imagine. Being a former athlete myself I fully understand the creed. You don't mess with a guy's knees no matter what. Pay back is a b--ch. Just get prepared.

Palchez

Knowing Bray's personality I have to assume he was just messing around with his comment. I think it's more likely he would break in two over a defender's knee then the knee being injured.

Most QB's go very low on their blocks, and the ones who don't are idiots.

Wes

According to another QB who was on the sidelines at the game, Bray was not in a position to make a play, got walloped by one guy; another guy came steaming after him and he more-or-less "ducked" the hit. He said unless you happen to be a really stout QB this is really all you can do unless you are willing to take your chances of getting trucked.

madfan

that shows you either how cavlier he is or stupid;i don't know which. the guy may have talent throwing the football but brains when it comes to doing stupid stuff like trying to take out someone's knees is beyond dumb. he'll pay next year with his own knee injury. it's the creed man.he's got a bounty on his head after such a comment. dooley should suspend him but doesn't have the stones to do it. just so you know i'm an equal opportunity kind of guy the vanderbilt player should be suspended for what he attempted to do to couch.

@cpadawg

I don't see why anybody has a problem with Bray's hit. The Vandy defender was going after the QB well behind the play, with the sole intent to lay a big hit on the QB. If Bray saw it coming and struck first, then what's the big deal? Take the penalty and move on. It's not any more "dirty" than the defender hunting for Bray, not that Vandy has any moral high ground when it comes to "dirty" play. At the end of the day, it's a pair of douchebags doing meaningless crap behind the play. Let 'em be douchebags.

madfan

i don't know what game you were watching but if you truly believe that you either wear orange colored glass with crap all over them or are a total idiot. you make the choice. your noise is comical.

TXVol

The first block is the QB is a crappy excuse. He was jogging down the field 30 yds behind the player with the ball. I love how an earlier comment Bray made about how defenders where going after his bad hand all night didn't make the final cut of this article. He saw the bad clip by jelesky earlier so he was being preventive when he decided to take out the 2nd guy to come hit him 30 yards behind the play.

At the end of the day...vandy is still vandy and WE ARE TENNESSEE! Oh yeah we always kick the s**t out you too!! Happy Thanksgivings biatches....

John

The fan in me liked Brays shot but the dad part time fball coach in me thought it was borderline dirty

madfan

the football coach in you is the better judge of the situation. it was over the line dirty and his comment after the game confirming it ought to get him suspended. if he was my player his butt would be on the bench saturday regardless of the importance. the more important lesson is to teach him he can't do things like that and play for him. however,dooley doesn't have the stones to do such a thing. dooley talks about right and wrong well here's his moment to stand up but i'll bet you he sits on his a-s and does NOTHING. typical UT coach.

Kris Kepley

I knew I should've quit reading after I saw the words "Jimmy Hyams". Anything that comes after that is usually wrong.

Big Steve

Jimmy Hyams is just flat out terrible.

Stupid Obese Redneck

I'm a vols fan.

Wes

I read this and think why are two players coming after the QB in open field?

johnmrsec

Wes...

On an INT, the first guy to get blocked is always the quarterback. Always.

Thanks for reading,
john

Wes

I haven't seen the replay but if the QB is in a not in a position to make the tackle this is dirty play. It's against the rules in the NFL because of that.

Kris Kepley

Wow, just wow is all I have to say to this. Some people have absolutely zero sense of humor, and yourself and Jimmy Hyams are two of those people. Bray likes to have fun with reporters and he was doing that with a guy who he shouldn't have and would take it the wrong way and blow it out of context. He was literally trying to get out of the way and was just ducking to protect himself. Just unbelievable you people.

madfan

dude, this isn't funny. knee injuries are serious issues. you're obvious a fool who has never played any sports. grow up;it's serious business to attempt to take out someone's knees. take it from someone who's got serious knee issues from athletics.

popopopopop

‘Oh, no, I’ll take the penalty,’ and I just took his knee out. Bray knew it was ILLEGAL. And it's illegal is because it can cause a career-ending injury.

johnmrsec

Kris Kepley...

You constantly accuse me of being anti-UT... wondering where you were earlier today when the Vandy folks were calling me pro-UT?

Wish "you people" could get your stories straight.

Also, I seem to remember pointing out that Bray might have been kidding. Guess you glossed over that part. Too bad the refs didn't think he was "just ducking to protect himself."

Talk about unbelievable.

John

Ben

It could also be interpreted as taking his knee out in order to knock him down as in "take his legs out from under him." I know that your boy Jimmy Hyams loves to start controversy about every possible thing concerning Dooley and company, but he just keeps reaching. Watch the clip on UTsports.com and you'll see he's smiling when he says it. No one, including Jimmy, asks a follow-up question or seems to think he was trying to hurt someone. The Vandy players were trying to get a shot on him, he went low and took the guy out. It got flagged and certainly wasn't any worse than Jelesky's cheap shot clip. Where's the article about that today? Clearly Franklin is coaching it because it keeps happening.

johnmrsec

Ben...

I love the fact that a big chunk of fans are so completely biased and unobjective that they can't even see straight. Example: "Where's the article about Jelesky's cheap shot clip?"

Uh, it's in the post about Franklin that we posted earlier today.

Once again, we don't spend our time on this site trying to stir controversy, push one team, or hurt another. We just give our opinions on the news of the day. So if you think we're trying to stir controversy, push one team, or hurt another... it says a lot more about your biases than ours.

John

Ben

John, you thanks for the reply. I know you mentioned the play, but you didn't write a whole article on it. You didn't even call that much attention to it. For example, you could have had a picture of the play from the UGA game in the box and then a write-up. It would then have been very similar to this article where you used a picture from a previous game to try to make a point about Tyler Bray. I think you're getting a little defensive regarding criticism. I appreciated the Franklin piece; I'm glad to see that people are realizing he's nothing more than a pompous jerk. My issue was that Hyams is creating a mountain from a mole hill and you're fueling the fire. Sorry to draw your ire.

johnmrsec

Ben...

No, I get tired of those ultra-whiny fans who come here to defend anything their team does -- ANYTHING -- and who also try to label me as Pro-X or Anti-Y. In the span of 10 hours I've been called both pro- and anti- both UT and Vandy. Maybe it's the folks who comment who are biased and not the guy writing.

Also, if a Vandy player had made Bray's comment regarding a Tennessee player's knee, I'm guessing you'd view it as more than a mole hill.

Finally, I'm simply pointing out something that I would think would concern Vol fans -- they now have a quarterback who refs are paying attention to for showboating and for cheap shots. Next time Bray gets a flag, don't be surprised.

Thanks for reading,
John

cut block

....is what it's called. and it's perfectly legal. if it's from behind....and it isn't remotely clear that jelesky's was.....then it is a clip, and illegal.

jester

You can't cut block when your team doesn't have the ball, hence the penalty. It is dirty and illegal.

Ben

You need to watch the video again. It was a clip, from behind, aimed at the legs just like the play that Vandy's center had on Geathers. Not as egregious, but definitely the same type of play. It's clearly coached.

Trackbacks

Bring it on. | Get The Picture says:

November 22, 2011 at 7:34 am

[...] year’s game should be plenty of fun, especially when you toss in the on-field extracurricular activities. GA_googleFillSlot("wpcom_sharethrough_viplite"); Share [...]

Log in to Reply

This entry was posted on Monday, November 21st, 2011 at 3:06 pm and is filed under Homepage, Tennessee . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.