Wow! How Did We Pull That One Out?

I don’t know how we did it, but we pulled it out in the end. That was the craziest game I can remember, an emotional rollercoaster to say the least. Somehow we still control our destiny in the SEC thanks to Georgia. Maybe we can make something of this opportunity, but for now lets enjoy this great win over Spurrier and a good South Carolina team.

Jekyll and Hyde

The first half reminded me of the Georgia game, except against South Carolina we were making things happen with turnovers, instead of solid play on offense. Our secondary played arguably the best its played all year in that half. We went into the locker room with a 21-0 lead and all of Vol nation felt good about our chances of taking down Spurrier’s Gamecocks again. In the second half we looked completely overmatched. Blake F’in Mitchell picked our secondary apart, crossing pattern after crossing pattern they drove down the field and scored. We looked flat. When they went up 24-21 I thought there was no way we could actually win this game. Thanks to Daniel Lincoln I was wrong.

Better Lucky Than Good

We were about as lucky as any team could be. There was Hefney’s fumble on the punt that bounced back into his arms, Willingham stripped the ball when the play could have been blown dead for forward progress, Fulmer’s timeout to ice the kicker with a 1:30 left on the clock didn’t come back and bite us, Foster’s fumble bounced through two Gamecocks before an offensive lineman fell on it which moved us 10 yards forward into field goal range, Ainge was called down when it could have easily been called grounding or a fumble, a true freshman hit one from nearly fifty yards to send it to overtime, and arguably the best kicker in the SEC missed a 42 yard field goal that would have sent it to a second overtime. I’m sure there were more, but how do you win a game when you make that many mistakes. However, a win is a win and who is to say that South Carolina deserved it anymore than we did.

Phillip Fulmer Does It Again

Just when everyone writes off this staff as done at Tennessee, they pull another one out. Right now, I don’t dislike our coaching staff (despite icing the kicker with 1:30 on the clock, I’ve never yelled so loud at the TV). I’m starting to think they haven’t been that bad this year. Even the great Urban Meyer has three losses, the Nicktator is going to get his third this week, Spurrier has three losses as well. Next week we will be the only team of those four to control their own destiny in the SEC. Maybe its just because there is more parity in the conference than there was before. There is no doubt about it I’m still mad about losing to those two teams as bad as we did, but if we make it to Atlanta I will forgive them.

Pictures from ESPN.com

 

Volstothewall

Never a Dull Moment

What a crazy season. I don’t even know what to think now, and I thought I didn’t know what to think last week or the week before.

I hope that one thing that’s fun when you read what I have to say is that I am a true fan in every sense of the word. I’m schizo. I’m very up some weeks and at some moments and very down at others. I think that I don’t support Fulmer pretty consistently, but that’s about the only thing I don’t waver about.

Like Boomtown saying today that he hopes the Vols win out so we get whipped by either LSU or Bama in Atlanta. He’s the definition of a delusional Tide fan, so I’m not even the least bit angry about that comment. It’s been a wacky year. The only reason he says it is because he can feel confident with the way UT has been schizo (like me) this year, it isn’t going to make it to the championship game. Plus, in his heart of hearts, he doesn’t believe Bama will beat LSU either, I believe.

Personally, it would not surprise me one bit if Bama beat LSU because anything can happen this year.

This is a season where UT was lambasted by Florida by 40, turned around and dominated Georgia who turned around and abused the Gators. We looked fantastic against Georgia and like we didn’t belong on the field with UF and UA.

On Saturday, from my viewpoint in Section Y-9, we looked like both of those teams — the one I was proud of and the one I wanted to shoot. We were two completely different teams. In the first half, the Vols were every bit as good as they were against Georgia, coming up with crucial plays on defense and methodically moving the ball on offense to build a 21-0 lead.

In the second half, the defense looked like the one that was clueless against UA, UF and Cal as Blake Mitchell (that’s what I said) picked apart the secondary under absolutely zero pressure. The Vols tried to give SC the game in every way imaginable including Butterfingers Foster fumbling the ball forward for what would have been the game-clinching blunder in a second half filled with them.

But the defense came up big when it had to, and LaMarcus Coker saved UT with a terrific, field-reversing kick return to set up arguably the best kicker in the conference (we at least have to boast something, right?) for the game-tying field goal before eeking it out in overtime.

Wow.

It was sheer pandemonium in Knoxville. And, unbelievably, the Vols control their own destiny again. Insanity. I don’t know what to think. I was proud of the Vols on Saturday, and I was ashamed of them. It was an odd, odd feeling, I’ll tell you that.

Believe it or not, I’ll be pulling hard for Alabama this weekend because I want another shot at them. And I don’t think anybody who writes here or visits here can really grasp the sheer magnitude of what an Alabama-Tennessee (yes, I put Bammer first because y’all beat us this year) SEC Championship game would mean. It would be epic, is the only thing I can think of to say.

Oh well, it’s nice to dream. The Vols still have to play Arkansas, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. I don’t think UT is a good football team, but it was gritty Saturday. That at least made me feel good. Despite Phillip Fulmer’s inexplicable decision to try and ice a good kicker with 1:30 left, Foster’s ridiculous fumble and Erik Ainge being called for a fumble when he got sacked, tried to throw the ball and could have been called for intentional grounding, the Vols overcame.

This is a team with decimated talent on the defensive line and defensive backfield and a dearth of experience at receiver (and sometimes brains at quarterback), but it persevered at a had-to time. Now, UT has won three of four against Steve Spurrier. I’m really speechless.

Capstone King did just pm me and say something like, “Congratulations on the false start to send the game into overtime. In the NFL, you’d have lost that game.” Typical Bama fan. Whatever. Last I checked Tennessee and Alabama played college football. It’s hard for me to get angry about Bammer fans’ digs at the Vols. We were simply outplayed two weeks ago. I don’t have a leg to stand on.

So, all I can do is sit here, let the season play out and keep my fingers crossed that we get another shot at Alabama. It’s laughable to think UT gets to Atlanta, but this whole season is laughable. Until then, I just have to take my medicine.

Ghost of Neyland 

What I Learned From This Week in College Football

Great weekend. When I was right, I was happy, and when I was wrong, I was happy. Really guys……..does it get any better than that?

 I was right about UGA coach Mark Richt. He is a decent coach, capable of winning SEC titles. However, barring a transcedant player at QB (Vince Young) or RB (Herschel Walker), he just isn’t ever going to win a MNC. Would Pete Carroll, Urban Meyer, Jim Tressell, or Nick Saban need to pull a bush league stunt like that celebration against UF to motivate their teams? Good gracious, Nick Saban actually removed all ancillary motivational devices prior to the UA-UT game. What happened to being great for the sake of being great? Shame on you Mark Richt. If I wanted to watch FSU-Miami I would be tuning in to ESPN classic.

 I was wrong about the emminent player revolt/collapse/strike in Knoxville, Tennessee. Those guys, apparently, actually do want to play for Fulmer, and I couldn’t be happier. UT just isn’t a major threat on the national landscape any longer. They only were for about half a decade, anyhow. Here’s to UT making it back to the SEC title game (finally) where they can be pillaged by the winner of the Alabama/LSU game.

I was right about the Big East. That conference stinks. Bad teams padding thier records by beating other bad teams really doesn’t impress me. WVU is legit and all the rest of those jokers belong in Conference USA. Throw Virginia in there while you’re at it. Alabama played harder schedules under Gene Stallings.

I was wrong about Tim Tebow. Apparently, he really is Superman, and Urban Meyer has been holding the Kryptonite all along. This much is painfully obvious to me. A) Tebow is the best football player on any field he steps on. Period. B) Urban Meyer is intent on destroying the young man’s career by running him into the teeth of SEC defenses over and over and over and over and…………you get the point. Now that UF is out of contention for anything that matters, I hope Tim gets a break, and Urban diversifies that offense a bit more. Tebow will be back next year, and if used in the right manner, will win UF another MNC, and himself a Heisman.

I was right about Arizona State. Well, not really, but I want to talk about them. Dennis Erickson has this reputation that he only wins when he has great talent. Enough of that. The guy can coach football. If his time at Miami, and OSU didn’t prove it to you, then he is doing it again now. I have loved ASU since I decided, wrongly, that Jake Plummer was going to be Kenny Stabler or Joe Montana. I hope they go undefeated and get their turn at blowing  out a Big Ten team in the MNC game.

  I was wrong about Michigan. I am officially on board with the Appy State game was a fluke crowd. Sure, that is an embarrasing loss, and you, and your conference will be forever marked. However, UM didn’t lie down, and has completely turned things around. Good for them, but it may be because……..

 I was right about the Big Ten. Ohio State’s best win of the year? Purdue. Purdue should never be good at anything. Ugh. What a joke of a conference.

 Boomtown Madman