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112/16/2006

With all the questions swirling around the thought of Robert Meachem’s future as a Vol, I thought I would give you 10 reasons why he will stay. I’ve talked to numerous professionals, investigated countless mock drafts, and consumed very dangerous amounts of caffeine in order to bring you these 10 reasons that Robert Meachem, the 2nd greatest player ever to put on a Tennessee uniform, will return as the go to guy next year.

10. Relationship With Trooper Taylor – It is very well known by everyone that Trooper Taylor develops a very strong bond between all of the players he coaches. Last year when talking about the running backs, it was like they were his kids. This year the same holds true for the receivers. This is especially true with Meach. Troop as well as Meach has stated that they are very close to one another, like a father and his older son. Robert has also said that he looks at Troop’s actual son, who can be seen roaming the sidelines on game day, like a little brother. I believe this relationship will weigh heavily as a factor for him to stay.

9. Meachem As A Mentor – By establishing himself as one of the greatest receivers ever to play at THE University of Tennessee, I think it’s safe to say that Meachem would want nothing more than to see the success of the program continue heading in the right direction. With young talent such as Josh Briscoe, Lucas Taylor, Austin Rogers, and Quinton Hancock waiting in the wings, Meachem knows he could be a mentor to these guys and help UT continue to live up to the billing of Wide Receiver U.

8. The Fans – Being from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Meachem really doesn’t have much of an actual family to turn to for support. In Knoxville, he has to realize that everyone that wears orange would do anything for him to be able to succeed, even if that means driving him to New York for the draft. I think he knows this and may feel a sense of loyalty to return.

7. The Schedule – In the three years that Meach has been at UT, he has beaten the Gators only once as a player, and that time being in Knoxville. Next year the Vols travel to the Swamp. Being the competitor that Meachem is, what better way to capitalize on your already prestigious career than to go into the Swamp and pick up a W. Trips to Berkley as well as having the opportunity to pick up your first win in Tuscaloosa aren’t bad either. If he does return, Tennessee’s offense would be loaded next year, possibly sitting Tennessee up nicely for a title run, bringing me to my next point.

6. The Ring – Anyone would trade any stat they ever acquired for just the opportunity to play for a championship ring. Meachem doesn’t have one. Not an SEC ring, not a National Championship ring. After getting beat by Auburn in the SEC game his freshman season, I’m sure that he would love to get back and win a conference championship. If the Vols do that, it means they have done enough throughout the year to set themselves up for a possible birth in the National Championship game.

5. Returning Starters – Tennessee only lost one starter from the offensive line, and only 4 starters on offense overall. With a more experienced line, an explosive running back, and a great QB, Meachem will undoubtedly realize that his return would make the Tennessee offense very scary.

4. Erik Ainge – Ainge has already made it very clear that he is returning next year. He also stated that he knew coach Cutcliffe was returning. Ainge doesn’t want to lose his go to guy, so we know he will be whispering in Meachem’s ear to stay. How hard do you think it will be to tell the guy that was a big reason for success that you are leaving?

3. Consistency – It is undeniable that Robert Meachem is one of the best players at his position in the NFL. However, only having one really successful year may have him down a bit in the position rankings. If Meachem is able to come back and have an equally successful year, it would be really hard not to have him as one of the top 3 receivers in the country.

2. NFL Draft Status – While taking questions from reporters about the upcoming game with Penn State in the Outback bowl, the question arose about Meachem’s future at Tennessee. Meachem stated, “If they tell me second round, I’ll definitely be back. Nobody wants to go second round, trust me.” Meachem has done nothing to make me think that he would lie. I have looked at numerous different mock drafts, none of which have Meachem going in the first round. At best he is mid 2nd round to early 3rd. Meachem is rated the 8th overall receiver and 5th rated underclassman. In the past 5 years of the draft there has been an average of 4 receivers taken in the first round. Things are looking good.

1. God – That’s right, God is the number one reason that Robert Meachem will be wearing and orange and white jersey with a 3 on the chest next year. Meachem stated that after the bowl game he would go through a week of fasting and prayer and let God decide his future. I’m sure that Vol fans everywhere will do the same thing. I know I am. If nothing else, this proves that Meachem wants to do the best thing possible for himself and his family. What better way to assure your family financial security than to get your degree so if something happens to you early in your career to where you cant play ball anymore, you have something to fall back on.

11/12/2006

ESPN Gameday goes coast to coast at 10am, and I’m there to see it happen because I sat my alarm to go off at 9:58am. I love this show. I don’t really know why, but it really highlights the greatest part about college football, the fans. That’s right, College Football is the single greatest thing going on during the months of late August through early January, and I will not accept any argument otherwise.

1. Chris Fowler assures us that it really is cold in Fayetteville even though Lee Corso doesn’t have his coat on. Fowler says he forgot it, but I think Corso isn’t wearing one because he is just that damn tough. He don’t need no stinking coat.

2. Corso is all up on Rutgers now. He is trying to make a case for them to be playing in the National title game. Fowler asks him one simple question, “What is wrong with you?”

3. I hate Desmond Howard. He strikes one freakin pose and then he thinks he is Knute Rockne or something. Meachem is better.

4. The Gameday crew is trying to make a case for Cal to be in the National Championship game. Why? How? Tennessee BLEW this team out.

5. I’m extremely surprised. I just saw a girl at the set with all her teeth. That’s not the surprising part. The surprising part was she had an Arkansas shirt on.

6. Really, could ESPN hype the Ohio State vs. Michigan game anymore than they have already the past 11 months? I get the picture guys, they play next week. I wonder where the Gameday crew will be broadcasting from.

7. ESPN goes all access with Yale. Quite frankly, I didn’t even know they had a football team. What could the Yale possibly be good at other than cranking out really smart people?

This is the result I got when I typed in “Yale Football” on Google.

8. Oh my God. We get a live shot from inside the horse shoe in Columbus complete with a countdown clock. There is officially 172 hours, 5 minutes, and 35 seconds left until Michigan plays Ohio State.

9. ESPN plays a feature on Darren McFadden. Herbstreit expects him to have a very big day. Corso mumbles something about the offensive line, and then builds up the Arkansas lines.

10. Here’s how Herbstreit and Corso went with there Saturday Selection picks.

Game Herbstreit Corso
Williams vs. Amherst
Notre Dame vs. Air Force
Miami vs. Maryland
Wake Forest vs. Florida State
Nebraska vs. Texas A&M
California vs. Arizona
Oregon vs. USC
Wisconsin vs. Iowa
South Carolina vs. Florida

TENNESSEE VS. ARKANSAS Williams
Notre Dame
Maryland
Florida State
Texas A&M
California
USC
Iowa
Florida

ARKANSAS Amherst
Notre Dame
Maryland
Florida State
Texas A&M
California
USC
Iowa
Florida

ARKANSAS

11. Corso put the huge Hog head on and Herbstreit had on a hog hat. Folks, Arian Foster is sitting out the first half, Ainge is probably not going to play, the Vols have there backs against the wall, everyone is counting them out. I’m going to go against the grain and pick the Vols to win this game. Tennessee will slow McFadden down to only 150 yards rushing. 17-10 Vols is my prediction.

Its finally game time in Fayetteville. Unbelievably I still can’t get away from the Ohio State game. It’s really out of hand. Anyway, a quick update on major games today. Arizona beat Cal, Florida beat Carolina, and Georgia throttled Auburn. I don’t have an outcome on the Williams vs. Amherst game yet. Who cares though, my Vols are about to kickoff. Chris, Kirk, and Lee start to build this game up. Lee still doesn’t have his coat. I think he has a cold sore on his lip.

1. If the opening kickoff is any indication of how this game is going to go, Arkansas is going to run hog wild. Ja’Kouri Williams fumbles the kickoff and only gets up to the 10. Not good. Three and out for the Vols and after a Colquitt punt, the Hogs led by Casey Dick and Darren McFadden will take over at the 50.

2. Arkansas follows suit and punts to Tennessee letting the Vols take control again at their own 20. Hardesty takes the ball for a 5 yard loss, you’re running the wrong way kid. On third and 20 we run a draw play so that we can punt again. I think its going to be a field position game.

3. Mustain comes in after Dick is injured, however he lines up at wide out and they let McFadden take the snap. McFadden breaks off a run for a pretty good game on the next play. I think Arkansas should be in he Big 12, I want Georgia Tech back in the SEC.

4. Dick re-enters the game and throws a pass to Monk in the end zone. Great call by the officials seeing that the ball hit the ground. On the next play Dick throws to Monk again, this time they connect and just like that its 7-0 Hogs.

5. Our receivers, and by receivers I mean Cory Brown, cannot catch a pass. He is the definition of stone hands. LaMarcus Coker is showing why we don’t need Arian Foster. I’m still wondering why we have not thrown to Mr. Sensational yet. LaMarcus Coker is averaging like 352.8 yards per carry. I want to see a play action pass to Meachem now, we are setting it up.

6. I really was wondering where Keith Jackson ever got to. I now know. He is playing defensive line for Arkansas.

Whooooa Nelly, I just picked up my 2nd sack of this young football game. I’m headed to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

7. Arkansas punts after going three and out. Before the punt, the punter looked to do some yoga. I think he was in the crescent moon position before the ball was snapped. Keith Jackson gets another sack on third down and Tennessee gets Colquitt on the field for the fourth time in the game.

8. The game may have just ended. Arkansas scores on a direct snap to McFadden and he scampers in from about 20 yards. Its now Arkansas 14, Tennessee 0. Tennessee needs to get Meachem going.

9. Meachem makes a great behind the back one handed catch to pick up a first down. Tennessee is starting to do what they do best, throw the ball.

10. Pig Sooie is possibly the worst college football cheer ever.

11. Crompton throws a beautiful pass to thread the needle between two defenders and get the ball to Robert Meachem for the touchdown. Its 14-7 Vols after a nice drive by the offense. Tennessee can win this game if they can keep doing the little things.

12. Arkansas is running the same play with the direct snaps to McFadden and every time they are picking up pretty good yards. Why can’t we adjust? They run the same formation again but this time Darren throws to Monk and the score is now 21-7 Hogs.

13. Meachem drops a sure first down. You won’t see that often. Tennessee can’t convert on third down and now Colquitt will put for the 16th time tonight. Tennessee gets down field quick on the punt though and nearly decapitates the returner.

14. McFadden breaks off another big run, he is running hog wild right now. He already has 124 yards rushing. Add another touchdown to the score. 28-7 Hogs and the entire team is running hog wild.

This hog wild is better looking than the one on display in Fayetteville

15. Tennessee gives up another sack. This is getting ugly. Tennessee ends the half on a safe run play and goes into the locker room down by 21. The score is Arkansas 28, Tennessee 7.

16. Arkansas will get the ball to start the second half. A holding call is made on the return and the Hogs will start at the 10. Arkansas drove all the way down to the 4 yard line then fumbled the ball. Tennessee recovered the ball and now will start a drive at their own 3.

17. The Vols aren’t able to do much with the ball and give it back to Arkansas after the 6th punt of the night by Britton Colquitt. Tennessee forces another three and out for Arkansas and we get to see more Yoga from the punter.

Of course not all yoga is bad.

18. Tennessee is playing pretty terrible football. This is just getting hard to watch.

19. Tennessee continues the trend of not being able to hold on third down. I believe that I would start trying to put in a new system to see if I could reverse that trend.

20. I truly believe that if a plane were to fall out of sky at this moment, land on McFadden, and explode in a fiery ball of hell, McFadden would simply come sprinting out of the mess without a scratch on him calling for blockers en route to a touchdown.

Just to give you an idea of what it would look like.

21. Crompton throws and interception and Vol fans across the country start to ask themselves where in the hell did the team that played Cal on Sept. 2nd go.

22. I just got a good look at the Tennessee section. There are honestly 3 people wearing orange if you take away the band.

23. The Tennessee defense makes a stand and Arkansas has to settle for a field goal. Its now Arkansas 31, Tennessee 7.

24. Tennessee has to punt again. This is the 8th time Colquitt has been on the field. Lets look at the bright side, this performance will make Britton the NCAA’s official leading punter. Can we say Ray Guy Award?

This award is annually given to the best punter in college football in a Home Depot parking lot.

25. With 30 seconds left, Brett Smith breaks approximately 2034 ankles and breaks 5 tackles to score a touchdown. This looks a little bit more respectable. 31-14 Vols.

26. The Ohio State game is hyped a little more after Tennessee recovers an onside kick with 26 seconds to go. This game aint over yet folks.

27. While Fulmer is trying to get another touchdown, the Arkansas crowd breaks out in “Fulmer Sucks!” and an Arkansas defender knocks himself out after leading with his head and colliding with Smith.

Finally the game is over and it was never close. Final score is Arkansas 31 Tennessee 14. Next week I’ll probably do the Thursday night game and if not that one I don’t really know. I need to collect my thoughts.

Leave your comments here!

11/11/2006

Ok, so maybe my prediction for the Vols makin it to the National Title game didn’t pan out quite the way I had imagined. I really thought Tennessee would be able to stop third and long plays here and there, and convert 3rd down plays on defense. But oh well, there is still a chance for an 11 win season.

Any who, watching the Louisville Cardinals play last week made me realize how much I hate when fans think their team is actually good when the only reason they are undefeated is because they play schools like Northwestern State of Alaska School for the Blind and Frostbitten Eskimos.

In another Thursday night match-up, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights take on the Louisville Cardinals in New Jersey. The only reason I am going to do a game blog on this game is because I want to be in top form for my first Tennessee game blog since the Georgia game. This is my last tune up.

1. I believe this is the first time Rutgers has ever gone coast to coast on TV. The guys on sports center ended the show by saying “Louisville Rutgers coming up next” 12,312 times. This game is so important that since it is on ESPN, the university actually had to put up stands to put the ESPN cameras on.

This is what the stadium at Rutgers looked like on game day before this year.

2. As the captains are at midfield for the coin toss, that song that the Chicago Bulls are introduced to begins to play on the loud speakers. It doesn’t matter if that song has been old since 1997 because this is obviously the biggest game at Rutgers in 137 years.

The last time Rutgers was on TV was when they played in the first college football game ever against Princeton.

3. Rutgers wins the toss and elects to receive. This could be a very bad choice. They throw a bomb on the first play and it is just 3 inches from being a touchdown. If the receiver had caught that it would have been 7-0 for Rutgers quick.

4. Rutgers has come out swinging. Louisville is obviously still hung over from the West Virginia win. No matter how bad the Big East is, I’m glad we don’t have to play Rutgers.

5. Rutgers has to punt after picking up 2 first downs. Rutgers defense is ranked #2 in the country, let’s see if they are really that good.

6. Brohm finds a receiver downfield and the Cardinals get into Rutgers territory quickly with a 30 yard strike. Louisville continues the drive on down the rest of the field to score after an 80 yard, 8 play drive. 7-0 Cardinals.

7. This back for Rutgers is tough. He could probably start at a D-1A school. Oh wait.

8. Louisville intercepts a pass from Teel, the Rutgers QB. This could get out of hand early if Louisville scores here.

9. Rutgers LB, Thompson, intercepts a pass and breaks about 23 tackles and takes the ball to the Louisville 26. On the ensuing play Rutgers scores on a TD pass from Teel to Underwood to tie the game at 7.

10. Louisville takes the kick back 100 yards for a TD. On the extra point, Rutgers blocks the kick, but Louisville recovers and takes it in for 2 points. 15-7 Cardinals. That could be huge.

11. 3 and out for Rutgers. Underwood alligator armed a couple of balls and got lit up on both of them. Just catch the ball man, you’re gonna get hit no matter what. Louisville gets the ball back and after faking a 4th down play and gaining 25 yards, they are faced with a 3rd and 3 and instead of running a safe play they go for all the marbles. Louisville goes for it on 4th and 3 by running the ball and converting.

12. Brohm went for the end zone on the first down play and the pass was just off the fingertips of Douglas. They pick up a first down on the next play after a 12 yard run by Allen.

13. Brohm hooks up with Jimmy Riley for a touchdown. This is his first ever TD. He is a senior. Its 22-7 Louisville. Rutgers just wants to make a statement, they are setting themselves up for a great comeback.

14. Dickey V calls in for ESPN and Herbstreit strikes a nerve by saying basically that college football is better than college basketball. Dickey V went ballistic.

How can you argue with March Madness baby???

15. Rutgers is proving to everyone in the country that they run the typical Big East defense, the Doughnut Hole D. Louisville is doing what they want. They wanted to kick a FG on this drive and make it 25-7.

16. Rutgers runs a slip screen and gains about 50, then Ray Rice dashes into the end zone. Its 25-14 Rutgers. This is going to turn out to be a good game, I can feel it.

17. Rutgers forces a punt by Louisville, partially blocks it, and gets call for roughing the punter. Bullshit call. That was terrible. Very obvious that the ball was tipped. They force another punt and this one is clean and gets downed inside the 5. Rutgers runs the clock out to end the half with the score being 25-14 Louisville.

18. Michigan vs. Ohio State is officially the most over-hyped game ever. I don’t think that I could have heard about this game any more that I have now. It’s rather crazy. I guarantee that whoever wins, will win by at least 10.

19. Louisville gets the ball to start the 2nd half and Rutgers forces a 3 and out after getting lucky on 3rd down when an obvious pass interference call was ignored.

20. Rutgers gives the ball right back to Louisville after a 3 and out of their own. If they want to win this game they are going to have to do something on offense. These are the kind of games I like to watch though. Ones that actually have defense in them.

21. The Rutgers receivers are terrible.

22. Never mind, Teel throws a 12 yard post to Britt, who takes it down to the five, fumbles, then recovers. This play is followed by Ray Rice punching the ball in from the 3. Its now 25-22 Louisville after Rutgers converts the 2 point conversion.

23. Erin Andrews does a report on the complete bedlam in the stadium right now. This has to be the craziest set of fans. They don’t know how to handle success. But I’m not going to complain, I got to see Erin Andrews.

This is what Erin should wear for every sideline report.

24. Rutgers ends the 3rd quarter by going 3 and out. Your score after 3 is Louisville 25, Rutgers 22.

25. I take what I said about the Rutgers defense back, these guys are pretty good. They have given up 0 first downs in the 2nd half.

26. ESPN asked people in Times Square what the Rutgers mascot was. There were about 8 falcons that were questioned, and none of them could come through. A lady with a Burger King crown on finally nailed it.

27. Ray Rice is a beast. This is not an exclamatory sentence, it is declarative.

28. Rutgers nails a long FG to knot it up at 25. This is going to get interesting.

29. Louisville has to punt after a couple of conversions and Rutgers gets the ball back with about 5 minutes to go.

30. Rutgers gets a huge gain on a wide receiver bubble screen. Just about 10 yards from FG range with 2 minutes to go. Ray Rice gets them there on a run down to the 20. Forget FG, this could be a TD.

31. The Rutgers student section breaks out in a chorus of “We Will Rock You”

32. Teel takes the snap and takes a knee, Rutgers is going to try to kick the field goal to win the game. It’s a 33 yarder.

33. Rutgers calls a timeout with 21 seconds to play. Rutgers makes another poor selection on stadium music during the timeout. Louisville’s chance of reaching the BCS National Championship rests on the leg of Jeremy Ito. The kick is up, the kick is NO GOOD, but there is a flag on the play. LOUISVILLE WAS OFFSIDES!!!! No place on the field for #21 to hide for Louisville.

34. The second attempt of the field goal is up, the kick is. . . STRAIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE, GOOOOOOOOD!!!! Ito points to the ESPN camera after nailing the FG. Its 28-25 Rutgers with 13 seconds to go.

Officially my favorite Rutgers player ever.

35. The students begin to rush the field, there is still 2 seconds on the clock. Louisville snaps the ball, Brohm drops back, AND IS SACKED, GAME OVER, FANS RUSH THE FIELD, GOAL POSTS ARE DOWN, AND THE TERRIBLE MUSIC CONTINUES!!!!!

36. I wonder how many girls Ito will have sex with the rest of the year.

Saturday is going to start early with ESPN College Gameday live from Fayetteville at 10am and then Tennessee @ Arkansas on ESPN 2 at 7pm. I will blog both.

First of all I want to explain why I haven’t done a game blog in a while. School is really whipping me right now. I’m really having to bear down and get with it as far as class goes. That doesn’t leave much time to do what I need to do to write a game blog. I have only missed one Tennessee game this year, Memphis. When I watch the games on TV it’s a lot easier to do because I can write it while I watch. When I go to the games, I have to memorize what I can about the crowd, and then watch a recorded version of the game that I watch to remember what plays happened when. So from now on, I’m going to game blog only the Tennessee games that I don’t get to attend. Hope you understand. What I will do is try to do a game blog for the biggest game of that week that I will be able to watch on TV. This week, that game is West Virginia at Louisville.

Oh yea, this statement is directed at Bama Boy, 16-13.

Before we begin this game blog, I want to describe what the most probable events are that would have to happen in order for Tennessee to be catapulted into a position to play for the BCS National Championship. Here are the current rankings.

BCS Standings
1. Ohio State

2. Michigan

3. West Virginia

4. Florida

5. Louisville

6. Auburn

7. Texas

8. USC

9. Notre Dame

10. California

11. Tennessee

Ok prepare yourself, this gets a little bit complicated. Ohio State and Michigan play each other, so one of those two will be taken care of. For all intensive purposes, let’s just say that Michigan pulls the upset. Louisville beats West Virginia but loses to Rutgers who loses at West Virginia. In a classic trap game, Florida loses at Vanderbilt, and if not there, they lose to South Carolina. Texas loses to Texas A&M or in the Big 12 Championship. USC beats California, but loses to Notre Dame. Notre Dame loses at Air Force. This leaves the top three looking like this. 1. Michigan, 2. Auburn, 3. Tennessee. Because Arkansas beat Auburn, it would set up a rematch with Tennessee in the SEC Championship given that Tennessee wins out. Tennessee wins to jump Auburn. This would allow Tennessee to be the #2 team in the country at the time it matters. Look for Michigan and Tennessee to play for the National Championship. Now the game blog.

1. Louisville gets the ball first and commences to execute my plan to get Tennessee to Tempe for the National Championship game. Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit have the call on this game.

2. Brian Brohm gets sacked at the Mountaineer 23 to create a 2nd and 17 play. Herbstreit automatically assumes the momentum has been killed. He was proved right after an incompletion on 3rd down. The field goal slips through with about 4 inches of room between the ball and the upright.

3. The two bands are only separated by a single section of seats. This has to be the closest I’ve ever seen two college bands. On the ensuing kickoff by Louisville, a West Virginia player fumbled the kickoff and gets it under control just before the Cardinals would have been able to pounce on it. On third down, West Virginia fumbles and Louisville recovers. My plan is working perfectly.

4. I wonder where Lee Corso is at. Is his schedule so busy that he could not make the biggest game ever played at Papa John Stadium?

I guess he was too busy picking his nose.

5. Louisville makes the most of the turnover and is able to punt. Looks like they are using the 2005 Tennessee playbook.

6. I hate this game for only one reason, it makes everyone for the Big East think they are the greatest conference ever. That is simply not true.

7. West Virginia fumbles again but then recovers, and on the very next play, White almost throws and interception. Two plays later, Steve Slaton scores a touchdown and now West Virginia leads 7-3. Slaton has to be one of the fastest backs in football right now.

8. Rick Patino joins the guys in the booth. Why don’t they bring THE basketball coach in Bruce Pearl to the booth when they are at Tennessee??? The RB for the Cards could have probably had a huge TD but stumbled around the 45 yard line without being touched. Might wanna look into that kid point shaving.

9. Colby Smith, the Cardinal running back, just steamrolled a Mountaineer defender. The guy is going to have cleat marks on his face for the next 40 years.

10. YES! Another James Bond movie. Casino Royale. This means more bond girls. Can never go wrong with more bond girls.

They can eat crackers in my bed any day.

11. Louisville kicks another field goal for make it 7-6 Mountaineers. It’s really only a matter of time before Louisville takes over this game.

12. The Sunshine Scooter Lee Corso stops picking his nose for just long enough to call and do a little analysis from Orlando. In the mean time Pat White rips off a huge run for a first down, but then the Mountaineers get penalized for a late hit.

13. White bobbles the snap and then gets consumed by the entire Louisville defense. It was like a black tidal wave. The Cards hold on 3rd down and force a punt.

14. Douglas catches a huge pass from Brohm but just like Smith earlier, he stumbles for no reason. Don’t be surprised if point shaving accusations arise later in the week.

15. TOUCHDOWN LOUISVILLE!!! The Anthony Allen rumbles into the end zone from about 10 yards out. The extra point is good and now the score is 13-7 Cards. My plan for national glory is still intact.

16. West Virginia answers with a 6 play 81 yard drive for a touchdown that was capped off by Pat White rushing in from 5 yards out. 14-13 West Virginia.

17. On first and goal for the Cards, Fowler wants to know if they are going to give it to Allen because he is a black belt in karate. What did he expect him to do? Did he really think that he would get the hand off then round house kick the entire Mountaineer defensive line?

There is no shortage of Chuck Norris pictures on Google.

18. Louisville settles for another field goal to make the score 16-14 Cards. This is the halftime score. I officially hate Big East football.

19. To begin the second half, West Virginia fumbles the football, the ball is recovered by Louisville, and then West Virginia helps out by committing a personal foul to give up 15 yards. I’m starting to believe that West Virginia will win this game. There is a half blackout at the stadium. Half of the lights have gone out.

20. Louisville’s receiver fumbles a catch in the dark and West Virginia recovers. How many more things could happen in the third quarter? The play is under review. The play stands.

21. West Virginia fumbles again, and then Louisville executes the old scoop and score. The play is under review but it is to no avail. The play stands and its now 23-14 Cards.

22. West Virginia goes 3 and out and both Pat White and Steve Slaton are banged up and injured.

23. Louisville just took a punt back for a touchdown. Like I said, Louisville will break this game open pretty soon. Its now 30-14 Louisville. Tennessee is as good as in for the National Championship.

24. Pat White re-enters the game and leads West Virginia down the field for the score. Nothing but QB draws on this one. It is very apparent that the Mountaineers do not know that the forward pass is legal. 30-21 Cards.

25. At the end of 3 its 30-21 Cardinals. This is what Thursday night college football is all about. Mid-major schools battling until the end. I don’t care how high they are ranked, any school not in the SEC, Big 10, Pac 10, Big 12, or ACC are mid majors.

26. Brohm throws a touchdown pass and now the Cards are up 37-21. I want everyone that said I was crazy for thinking Louisville would beat West Virginia to bow before my feet the next time you see me.

Yea, you better recognize.

27. The Mountaineers score a touchdown on a Pat White touchdown run, but then West Virginia botches a 2 point conversion. The score is 37-27 Cards.

28. This has to be the best example of basketball on turf that I have ever seen. I believe Rick Patino and Bruce Pearl are calling the plays. Allen scores his 2nd touchdown of the night to make it 44-27 Cards. 66 yards in 5 plays, there is no defense in the Big East.

29. West Virginia’s one dimensional offense is catching up to them. 2 huge stops by the Louisville defense is making it look like the Cards have all but won. Huge stop by the Cardinals on 4th down. Louisville gets the ball back. If they score here, this game is over.

30. Well, Louisville fails to pick up a first down and thus leaving the coffin lid un-nailed. With 4:38 left in the game, there is still a glimmer of hope for West Virginia.

31. Pat White scampers in for another West Virginia touchdown and now there have been 1000 yards of combined offense. This has been probably the worst defensive game that I have ever had the privilege of watching. Its now 44-34 Cards.

32. West Virginia kicks the onside out of bounds and the Cards take over with 1:55 left on the clock. ESPN points out the newly installed collapsible goal posts. I think they may be tested in about 2 minutes.

33. The fans are starting to prep themselves for the nice orderly exit from the bleachers to the field. The goalposts have gone down, the Mountaineers have gone down, and Tennessee is still on track to play for the National Championship.

10/12/2006

I got the chance to go to this week’s game in Athens and decided to take a camera with me to document this sure to be epic battle. I was also a little bit afraid to do this because every time I took my camera to a game last year Tennessee always lost. I began to believe that there was some type of cosmic relationship between my camera and Tennessee’s losing games.

-3. My brother and I document some very wild people. If you want to see some of this and are reading this game blog on thepat.org, you can go to my Myspace page located here: http://www.myspace.com/robby254 and then just view my videos, you’ll eventually find it.

-2. I go down to field level to get some great pics of the players during warm ups. I quickly snap off pieces of the ever beloved hedge. I need to hide this or take a chance of losing my life. "Glory, glory Hallelujah and down with Tennessee," sings the entire stadium. This is odd, because earlier I saw tons of old Georgia state flags that featured the Confederate battle flag. Yet, once in the stadium, the entire crowd sings Battle Hymn of the Republic, which is about the North triumphing in the Civil War. Somehow, I bet the loudest singers fly the Confederate flag.

-1. Georgia’s pre-game show is quite terrible. The only thing I like, and I have to believe that this isn’t normal part of the show, was when they had paratroopers jump into the stadium. I have figured this out about sports fans. If you can fly it over a stadium or push someone out of something that flies over a stadium, the crowd will go berserk. This makes no sense to me. Do these people pause in the street each time a plane passes over their head during the course of a normal day and cheer madly? Of course not. So why would you do so at a football stadium? Quite awesome none the less.

1. Immediately we make a mistake. We bring the opening kickoff out of the end zone from 5 yards deep. Then we get hit with a personal foul call. We can’t do things like this and expect to win.

2. We are forced to punt. Our defense looks flat, we let them pick up a nice gain with the run and then Morley drops an interception that I could have caught. On the ensuing play they give up a first down pass to some guy named Massandfloss. The Georgia drive stalls after that though and Tennessee holds Georgia to just a field goal.

3. Coker may be our next return guy. He just had a great return on the Georgia kickoff. This kid has more uses than a Bow-Flex.

Not just any bo-flex, the Ultimate 2 addition

4. Coker picks up a first down after an 18 yard run. Looks like our offensive line has manned up since the Florida game. We are pretty much having our way so far with the 6th ranked defense in the country.

5. Brett Smith catches a pass from Erik Ainge in the back of the end zone to put Tennessee up by 4. That looked eerily similar to the first touchdown pass from Ainge to Smith in 2004. Either way it’s now Tennessee leading 7-3.

6. Unbelievable hit by Morley on Massaquoi. The simple fact that that kid’s head is still on his shoulders is truly a testament to the strength of the human spine. That kid got rocked.

7. Another mistake by one of our corners. Jonathan Wade just had a perfect opportunity to intercept a pass and he doesn’t capitalize. You will never have another chance like that. They gain about 20 on the play and then Lumpkin punches them inside the one. The fullback gets the “Dawgs” into the end zone and now Georgia leads 10-7.

8. Erik Ainge had Taylor and Swain open on either sideline but chose to go to Mr. Sensational in triple coverage over the middle. When I thought this was bad, I realized that it was a 3rd down play. Tennessee has to punt.

9. CHRIMEY! Georgia just took the punt back 87 yards for a touchdown. They miss the field goal but Tennessee was offside and he makes the 2nd attempt. Everyone in my section keeps referring back to the punt that Georgia took back on us last year that blew the game open for them. The Dogs are up 17-7, and I’m wondering just how long the drive back home is going to be. UT Special Teams Motto: Punt the ball, wave at air, hope for flags.

10. Things almost got worse. Tennessee has put Hardesty into the backfield and he fumbled but was ruled down. Thank goodness, that ruling makes it a non reviewable play.

11. Oh man, this is getting bad. The free safety just leveled Ainge. This is the closest I’ve been to crying at a football game since I was 5. I think Randy Sanders called the following 3rd and long play, it was a bubble screen to Coker. We must punt again, and I can taste my own heart. Morley makes another great play and drops the return guy for a 1 yard loss.

12. Thomas Brown just gained 24 yards on a run. Georgia is killing us. If we keep this up the final is going to be 95-7 Georgia. He follows that up with an 18 yard run. I want to leave right now, but I fight the urge and realize that I am a true fan and I will stay for the entirety.

13. Jonathan Wade just blew another interception. The ball was coming right at him and he sat there like a center fielder sits on a can-o-corn and the FB showed up to snag it at the 10.

14. The misplayed interception leads to another Georgia touchdown. Its 24-7 Dogs and I seriously doubt our ability to comeback from this. If we can score a touchdown before half time we would still be in this thing.

15. The kickoff goes out of bounds. This could be possibly our best starting field position in this game.

16. Mr. Sensational gets the first down on a flanker screen, he simply did what he always does, turn nothing into something.

17. Ainge went DEEP into the end zone. The only person wearing orange that could have caught that ball was a trombone player, but he was out of bounds. Ainge sneaks to pick up the first on fourth down and Phillip Fulmer assures everyone that he has testicles.

18. Brett Smith is having a great game. He can thank Mr. Sensational and Todd Bridges for that. He just caught an out route and took it to the one. Foster scores a touchdown after a great second effort. That makes it 24-14 Georgia and the Vols are back in the game and also gain momentum going into the half. Georgia runs the clock and gets into the locker room. I feel a little bit better about this game now.

19. Me and my brother go to the concession stand to get some food. While we are in line a Georgia fan sees us and says, “MUST SUCK TO WEAR ORANGE TONIGHT!” God I hope we win now.

20. While we are in line still, the 2nd half starts. Georgia throws a pick and I am tempted to just punch the 4 people in front of me, get my food, and sprint back to my seats. We finally get our food and get out to see the game. We stand in to corner of the end zone until the play that is happening is over. The pass came right at us and Cottam dropped the TD pass but there was a pass interference call. Surely to goodness with the play being so close to us, he made it on the tube.

Turns out I was right

21. Ainge sneaks it in for the touchdown. Tennessee has pulled within three now, just trailing 24-21. Hope has been restored to my wavering soul.

22. Georgia is making a methodical drive down the field. Right when we get the momentum, they are going to go down and score and get everything back. I would settle for a field goal right now.

23. Well what do ya know? Tennessee makes the Dogs kick the field goal and it’s still a one possession game.

24. Wow, we just got really fortunate. A bad center exchange with the quarterback forced Ainge to fall on it at the 5. We follow that brilliant play with a miscommunication with Swain that was thrown behind him. However, on third down, while standing 3 yards deep in his own end zone, Ainge hits Mr. Sensational for the first down.

25. Mr. Sensational strikes again! He catches a 5 yard out pass and turns it into a 25 yard gain. This kid cannot be stopped. You cannot stop him, you can only hope to contain him.

26. Wilhoit nails a 37 yard field goal and its now Georgia 27, Tennessee 24. Suddenly everything that happened in the first half has been forgotten. There is a video tribute to Uga III. I am not making this up. The best part is the team's record is attributed to Uga III ("He went ...") who served as mascot from 1972-1981. I keep picturing Uga III lining up at defensive tackle after the record is attributed to him.

27. Jonathan Wade just made the most spectacular interception I’ve seen in a college football game. Wade totally just baited the quarterback and broke perfectly on the pass and now Tennessee can take the lead with a touchdown.

28. Tennessee ends the third quarter with a pass to Brett Smith who is having a terrific game for a gain of about 20 yards for the first down. On the second play of the 4th quarter, Ainge finds Meachem wide open for the go ahead touchdown. UNBELIEVABLE! Tennessee 31, Georgia 27. Like Lazarus, the Vols have risen.

29. HOLY CRAP!!!!!! BLOCKED PUNT RECOVERED FOR A TOUCHDOWN!!!!! I can’t remember the last time Tennessee blocked a punt. It couldn’t have come at a better time though. I jumped and was pushed and landed on some lady 4 rows below me. This is awesome. Its now 38-27 Vols!!! Just how we planned it to go! UT offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe contemplates announcing his candidacy for governor.

30. NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!! Georgia takes the ensuing kickoff back 99 yards for a touchdown. Our special teams . . . our coverage teams are terrible. The hole was so big that me and 5 of my closest friends could have walked to the end zone. Georgia’s 2 point conversion fails though and now the score is Tennessee 38, Georgia 33. This is going to be a track meet.

31. Ok, that return by Coker just earned him a nickname. From here on or until he does something to merit it being changed, we will refer to LaMarcus Coker as Bo Flex. He brought the ball back out to about the 40. Ainge hits Brett Smith for a huge gain but the play is reviewed and it is discovered that he never had possession of the ball.

32. Mr. Sensational cannot be brought down. I pity the fool who even tries. It’s an impossible task and if anyone ever succeeds they should be awarded with a Nobel Prize of some sort.

33. Brett Smith gets to the 1 inch line after receiving a pass from Erik Ainge. This is the greatest game I’ve ever been too. Foster goes over the top for the touchdown. It’s Tennessee 45, Georgia . . . strike that, Wilhoit missed the extra point and its Tennessee 44, Georgia 33.

34. Tereshinski just fumbled and guess who recovered. That’s right, THE University of Tennessee. Georgia fans start to exit the stadium. I start to sing Rocky Top while holding my hedge up in the air and shaking my orange and white shaker. I also wonder where I might be able to find the man that made fun of me wearing orange at the concession stand.

35. We just need to run this clock out now. Foster with a terrific run and all of a sudden I’m wondering if we are going to score another touchdown. A top 10 ranking is definitely in our immediate future.

36. Tennessee gets the ball inside the 5 and my fellow Vol brethren begin singing that all so well known Temptations song that has the “Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye” chorus. Wilhoit nails the extra point and its 51-33 Vols. The Vol faithful change the chant to another classic, “OVER RATED!!!”

37. Folks, if Tennessee had hung on to beat Florida, I am convinced that Tennessee would be #2 in the country at this moment.

38. The Georgia exodus has began in earnest now. There is a throng of Georgia fans below us making their way back to their cars and or tractors.

39. Hefney just picked off a pass and now the Georgia fans are all exiting the stadium as the Tennessee fans start to mock the Bulldog chant of “woof woof woof!” Fulmer gets doused, and I pull my hedge out and make my way to field level to try to get some apparel from my favorite players. I forgot about holding the hedge and some Georgia fan tries to give me the ol’ brush back that was followed by his using plenty of choice words and trying to make me return the hedge. The hedge is now safely in my room.

40. The game ends and Georgia immediately cuts off the scoreboard. The Vols players join the Vols fans in the corner of the end zone in a raucous celebration. The visitor has conquered. A man beside me begins screaming, "Which way to the sorority houses?"

These are the girls he was looking for

Tennessee totally dominated the second half in this game. We really need to address our coverage teams though. I’m sure that with the off week ahead of us we will do just that. Tennessee vs. Alabama is next. You have my word that their will be a game preview for the Bama game.

10/02/2006

First of all I want to apologize for not getting you guys the preview for this game. I promise it won’t happen again. I have just been really busy this week with my classes and just didn’t get a chance to study the Tigers and I would never give you all any information that was not well studied.

This week Tennessee travels west for the first of 2 straight road games. Tennessee is looking to build of success last week in the run game. Hopefully the Vols can get the offensive line going before making the trip to Athens next week for a game against Georgia. ESPN has the broadcast of this game with the commentators being Sean McDonald, Chris Speilman, and Rob Stone. This could be interesting.

1. Tennessee forces Memphis to go three and out on the first drive by the Tigers, taking advantage of the third string tailback that started in the backfield in place of the temporarily suspended for the first half.

2. After a run for 2 yards by LaMarcus Coker, the Vols throw two straight to the tight end. Have I mentioned that I love David Cutcliffe???

I love Coach Cut in a totally non sexual way.

3. I think LaMarcus Coker should be the permanent starter or Tennessee even when Arian Foster returns. He is clearly the best back at Tennessee. Then I would put Hardesty behind him, then and only then would I put Arian Foster on the depth chart.

4. Lucas Taylor lets a 3rd down pass go through his hands and Tennessee kicks a field goal to go up 3-0. With 7:11 left in the first quarter, the Vols lead 3-0.

5. On 2nd down Memphis throws a pass on a curl route and Antwan Stewart and Jarod Mayo converge for the tackle. Stewart is down in what was eerily similar to the collision that took Inky Johnson out. After some time he runs off the field under his own power. Must have just been a stinger.

6. Tennessee holds on 3rd down and on the ensuing 4th down punt, Lucas Taylor lets the ball bounce and the Tigers down the punt at the 3 yard line. I still say that Mr. Sensational should be the one returning punts for us.

7. Coker gets the first down after a nice cutback. I love this kid. Where has he been all my life? To still a phrase used by a certain ESPN basketball face, he is “Super Scintillating Sensational!”

8. Montario Hardest picks up about 13 on 2nd and 18. A shoe string tackle is all that stopped Hardesty from visiting the end zone.

9. On 3rd and 5 Ainge throws a pick that is returned for a touchdown. BUT WAIT! Memphis lined up offside and negated the interception. This gives Tennessee the ball back 3rd and 2. Tommy West is disgusted.

West looked much like this. Maybe it was because he had a bitter beer.

10. Tennessee picks up the first down by once again going to the TE. They follow that up by handing off to Josh Briscoe for the first down. On the next first down play Coker gets the hand off after about a game of 5.

11. I’m officially hopping off the Montario Hardesty band wagon and hopping on the LaMarcus Coker band wagon. Anyway, on 2nd and 11 Ainge hits Mr. Sensational for a nice gain only after some shifty moves by the man in 3.

12. Wow, right when I thought that Ainge had missed the TE Brown for the touchdown, Jayson Swain seemingly runs out of the tunnel that is in the end zone and catches a pass from Ainge for the touchdown. Tennessee now leads 10-0.

You knew what you were doing all along, I’m sorry for ever doubting you Mr. Ainge.

13. I wonder if Memphis will make it across the 50 yard line before the first half is over.

14. Memphis picks up their first 1st down of the game with a long pass to the TE. They still didn’t get across the 50. A run for about 4 gets them closer is followed by an option play that gets them to their own 49, which is followed by another option play that gets them across the 50.

I typed in jinx on Google image and this is what came up. I like this jinx a lot better than the one I had happen to me.

16. Demetrice Morley just cleaned a Memphis’ guy’s plow after an attempted bubble screen. That was beautiful.

17. I notice that Taylor is not returning punts after letting a ball bounce at the 20. Heffney is the guy that was back there on this punt from Memphis.

18. I really enjoy being able to watch this game on TV. I don’t have to wait 52 minutes to use the bathroom. I don’t like how every 45 seconds there is a commercial for the 2007 Nissan Titan. I now know every single bar to the song Iron Man by Ozzie Osborne.

19. Coker gets stripped of the ball and Memphis recovers. Coker was carrying the ball like the proverbial loaf of bread.

This does not say Wilson on it Coker, COVER UP THAT CORNER!

20. Before the break the Tigers punter pins Tennessee inside the 2. This guy is really good. The Nissan Titan commercial runs for the 3851 time and its not even halftime yet. Ainge hits Mr. Sensational for a first down, then again for a long gain. Nice!

21. Montario Hardesty just stiff armed the immortal crap out of some pour Memphis player. If I had to guess, that guy was crying in the huddle after the play.

22. On third and 14 the Vols throw to Hardesty for no gain. This allows Wilhoit to nail a 49 yarder. You put me in any situation needing a field goal and I will take this kid every time. From here on we will be referring to James Wilhoit as Mr. Reliable.

RECAP

Robert Meachem – Mr. Sensational

James Wilhoit – Mr. Reliable

23. The half ends with the score being Tennessee 13, Memphis 0. Things are looking good.

24. Lucas Taylor takes the 2nd half kickoff back to the 30 yard line. Tennessee had 259 yards of total offense in the first half alone. Splendid. I just realized how much orange is in the stadium.

25. Erik Ainge just hooked up with Jayson Swain for a 51 yard touchdown. Is there any argument that the Swain/Meachem duo is the best receiver 1-2 punch in America?? If you say otherwise, I will call you what you are, FOOLISH! 20-0 Tennessee.

26. Memphis running back Doss gets his first carry of the game and is stopped for a 1 yard loss. I don’t think he will be a factor in this game after he gets a reception on 3rd and 4 and is lit up by Marvin Mitchell. Its 4th down Memphis.

27. Another punt for Memphis is downed inside the 5. This punter for Memphis is great. I’m not ashamed to say it, I wish he was wearing orange. He has had 2 punts now that covered more than 70 yards.

28. I just saw the first ESPN acronym that had nothing to do with sports. Elvis Still Plays Nightly. That’s just terrible. If you’re going to make a sign incorporating a sports television network’s letters, make the acronym something that incorporates sports.

29. Ainge hooks up with Mr. Sensation for an 84 yard touchdown reception. The moves that Meach put on down the sideline literally had the DB’s legs looking like pretzels.

I don’t call him Mr. Sensational for nothing. This is a real picture of the DB after the touchdown reception.

30. Jonathan Heffney just picked up his 2nd interception of the year. Tennessee uses its first play from scrimmage to run a reverse for 3 yards.

31. Tennessee can’t punch the ball in from the one and now its 4th and goal. Tennessee is going for it and is stopped. They should have put Coker in. He would have made it in. I’m sure of it. The 3rd quarter ends with Tennessee leading 27-0.

32. After once again going three and out Memphis has to punt. Tennessee now has the ball AGAIN! Josh Briscoe makes a big catch for a first down and on the ensuing play, Ainge hits Brett Smith for a touchdown. This means that all of Tennessee’s starting receivers have a touchdown in this game. Its 34-0 Vols.

33. Jonathan Crompton is making his first appearance in this game. I want to see him throw it long to Hancock. Actually, I just want to see this kid throw it to anyone.

34. Crompton threw it to Hancock for a first down. Although it wasn’t a deep pass, it was a mid distance pass. Good enough.

35. Crompton throws a strike to Lucas Taylor for another first down. He’s looking sharp. David Yancey gets his second touchdown on the season and puts Tennessee up 40-0. There is still 6:37 left in the game.

36. Memphis had to punt again making it the 8th time in this game. Bo Hardegree was in at quarterback for Tennessee and he gave to JaKouri Williams who fumbled the ball. On the ensuing Memphis play, the shutout falls after a Memphis touchdown pass and reception. Its now 41-7 Tennessee.

37. With 58 ticks of the clock left Britton Colquitt makes his first punt of the game of about 45 yards or so. The clock runs out on the Tigers and the final score is Tennessee 41, Memphis 7.

Tennessee was very business like in this game. Everything that possibly could go right did. Tennessee needs to quickly turn their focus to Georgia whom they play next week in Athens.

9/26/2006

So this week is homecoming on the hill. That means all the fraternities and sororities will have their floats on display. These are always fun to look at. Another thing that I like to go check out is the stadium banners that hang from the press box that faces Peyton Manning pass. All of the traditions that surround The University of Tennessee are on display on this weekend. Before the game, a bagpipe band marches, followed by the alumni band, which is followed by the Pride of the Southland, all of which are awesome to watch. Of course there is the Vol Walk too. In the stadium, a walking horse will make a couple of laps, and then its game time. So here is the game blog for Homecoming 2006. Enjoy!

1. There will be a 55 minute delay due to inclement weather for this game blog. We ask you to take shelter in the living room or the kitchen. There is lighting in the area. We thank you for your cooperation, and will inform you when it’s safe enough to return to reading.

I kid you not, cars were floating down the street on our way to the stadium.

1½. There MAY be 2,000 people in the stand right now. Some dude is running from the tunnel on the south end of the stadium, to the tunnel at the north end of the stadium. As he gets closer and closer to the end zone at the north end, the fans get louder and louder. When he finally crosses the goal line, bedlam is reached. This may be the high point of this guy’s life to date.

55 minutes later. . .

Readers you may return to your computers and continue reading. The Doppler indicates that it is now safe to return to your computer. We thank you for your cooperation.

2. After a 55 minute delay for inclement weather, the teams have about ten minutes to warm up, then they leave the field, the band plays the national anthem from their seats in the south end zone, the teams return to the field, Tennessee not running through the T, and the game kicks off. No walking horse for this game.

3. Mr. Sensational catches a pass from Erik Ainge for a gain for 24 for a first down, breaking approximately 325 tackles before finally being taken down. I wonder when they will abandon the passing game completely in this game and go with the run to work on the offensive line’s lack of skills???

Girls like a guy with good blocking skills.

4. Tennessee picks up a few more first downs, but then the drive stalls and Tennessee attempts a 42 yard field goal. Wilhoit misses, but I’m not going to get mad about it. Here are a couple of reasons, the ball was probably water logged, its piss pouring the rain, the field is wet, and it’s Marshall.

5. Marshall takes the kickoff back up to their own 25. On the first play they fumble, recovering the ball at their own three. On the second play Marshall rushes backwards to the one. On the third play, the Marshall quarterback is sacked in the end zone for a safety. Its 2-0 Vols.

6. Tennessee gets the ball back, picks up a couple of first downs, and then is faced with a short 3rd and 1. I will give you my exact thoughts as I watched the third down play develop.
“Ok, let’s see if the line can do anything. Oh goodness that’s a big cluster in the middle, what??? Why in the heck is Hardesty running right into it??? OH MY GOD!!! We can’t run the ball against Florida; we can’t run the ball against Marshall, Georgia is going to . . . wait, SWAIN IS OPEN, YES YES YES, WOOOHOOO!!!!! I KNEW IT ALL ALONG!!!!! I was just thinking that we should fake to the running back and then throw it. TOUCHDOWN!!!!!
Ainge just executed the greatest play fake ever and hit Jayson Swain who was streaking open behind the Marshall secondary for the score. The score now is 9-0 Tennessee.

The fake was this good.

7. Marshall really can’t do anything with the ball and has to punt. LaMarcus Coker gets in the game for the first time and carries for 6 yards to end the quarter.

8. Coker gets a couple of carries then the drive stalls and Britton Colquitt makes his first appearance in the game. The conditions, being a driving monsoon, make me wonder if his punt will make it past the line. He quickly answers my question and drills a 46 yard punt that is downed inside the 10.

Touché Mr. Colquitt.

9. Marshall drives the ball down the field but appears to have been stopped and forced to punt. On the contraire is the case however, as a very convenient roughing the passer call is made, renews the Marshall drive. Marshall commences to drive down the field and score, making it 9-7 Vols.

10. Tennessee gets the ball back with 5:19 left in the half, and quickly begins to make their way down the field.

11. Terrific play by the offense. Ainge dropped back and threw it to Brett Smith. Smith just tipped the ball into the air, over a marshal defender, and into the open and waiting arms of Jayson Swain. Just how you drew it up on the black board.

Great concentration Todd

12. On the very next play, Ainge gives to Hardesty, and after every one that made the trip from Huntington, West Virginia tried to tackle him including the Bison mascot, Hardesty crosses the goal line. 16-7 Tennessee.

This kid don’t need no offensive line

13. After the Marshall drive stalls, Tennessee’s does likewise, and Britton Colquitt makes another trot onto the field. He follows his 46 yard punt up with a huge 63 yard punt that is downed at the Marshall 8 yard line. Marshall sits on it and ends the half. The halftime score is Tennessee 16, Marshall 7.

14. Due to the late start of the game, halftime is shortened by five minutes and the bands do not perform on the field. Instead the glom up in the southeast corner of the stadium and play from there.

15. The second half starts with Marshall driving down the field with a lot of run plays, which really concerns me. They end up having to attempt a 46 yard field goal that instead of going through the uprights, lands over next to the band. This is the rough equivalent to an air ball in basketball.

16. Tennessee picks up a first down when Ainge completes a pass to the tight end Chris Brown, but then follows that up with a 3 and out. Britton Colquitt is called on once again. This time he booms a 59 yard punt that is downed at the 2 yard line.

17. The announced crowd is 104,032, but there are only 73,000 here at the most. Even with the small crowd, there is a lot of noise being made as Marshall starts the drive at the three.
18. Marshall is running the ball down our throat. I don’t know what is wrong with the defense.

19. Wow, Marshall’s QB made a terrible pitch to his fullback. The ball hit him in the chest, went straight up in the air, Demetrice Morley tipped it over the fullback’s head to himself, and caught it. Very wild turnover. Tennessee ends the third quarter with Ainge hitting Lucas Taylor for a first down.

Ahh yes, I remember when.

20. Tennessee starts the 4th quarter with an interception. Brilliant.

21. Tennessee goes for the all out block after making Marshall go three and out. They didn’t get the block and the ball was downed at the 11. What would be great here is a nice long drive that takes time off the clock and results in a touchdown.

22. Ainge hands off to Coker on first down, and he proceeds to leave everyone in the dust on an 89 yard run. This is the third longest run in Tennessee football history. Quite impressive. The drive took all of 27 seconds. I’ll take it. The score now is 23-7 Tennessee.

Because the Vols scored at least 21 points, everyone in the stadium won a free gallon of washer fluid. SCORE!

23. I begin to wonder if the defense will crack in the 4th quarter like they have in every game this season. So far so good though with a couple of nice tackles for loss. Maybe we have turned the corner.

24. Pressure from the defensive line forces the Marshall QB to hurry his throw a little bit. Jonathan Hefney intercepts the pass and returns it about 16 yards. On the first offensive play, Ainge hits Mr. Sensational for a 30 yard gain. That would have been my game plan too.

A lot like this.

25. Ainge is sacked and turns a very easy field goal into a somewhat difficult field goal of 49 yards for James Wilhoit. He still hits it and to be honest, he could have backed up a bout 10 yards and still nailed it. It’s now 26-7 Vols.

26. Tennessee sacks the Marshall QB for a loss. I think it’s safe to say that the D isn’t going to falter down the stretch. The force a three and out and Marshall is forced to punt. The punt is downed at the Tennessee 40, where Jonathan Crompton enters the game and starts the drive for Tennessee.

27. Coker gets the hand off and picks up 16. If he does not start the Memphis game, I will be very disappointed. He takes another handoff and travels about 20 yards with it. He should definitely be the starting tailback for the Vols.

28. Doug Yancey enters the game at tailback, allowing Coker to conclude the game with 146 yards rushing. Crompton hasn’t attempted a pass yet in the game, letting Yancey do all the work.

29. This Yancey kid has moves. He is the only one touching the ball on this drive. It’s going in this order, center, QB, Yancey. It works, Yancey takes it in from the 6 for a touchdown. That makes it 33-7 Tennessee.

30. Terrific tackle by James Wilhoit. Who knew the kid had it in him??? That was followed by an even better hit by Dorian Davis to end the game. The final score is Tennessee 33, Marshall 7

Tennessee heads into the Memphis game at 3-1. The Vols still need to work on the run game as they really didn’t have much of one in the first half of this game. Ainge looked good with the exception of a couple of throws, but that is to be expected. Tennessee looks like they are on the verge of clicking again like they did against Cal, and with one last warm-up game before Georgia, they have a chance to get things going and continue their run at the Dome in Atlanta.

9/21/2006

Before I give any sort of preview for this week’s Marshall game, I want to make sure that everyone realizes that this is a marathon, not a sprint. There are still nine games left in the 2006 season. Tennessee didn’t play their best game last week against Florida and still led the ball game late in the fourth quarter. Florida is a great football team, but still has to play LSU, at Auburn, and Georgia in Jacksonville. I guarantee they will lose at least two if not all three of those games. If Tennessee can win out from here on, which is definitely possible if the Vols can get the run game going and get the defense back to where it was in the Cal game, they would still win the East if Florida loses at least two of those games.

Ok, so now we turn our attention to the Thundering Herd of Marshall. Its homecoming on the hill and this week the Vols will have to deal with all of the surrounding hoopla that comes with homecoming week. The Thundering Herd is another option team, the fourth team in as many games that the Vols have faced this year that incorporates some form of option into their offense. This game along with the Memphis game, while still tough, will be one of two games where Tennessee can heal injuries as well as maybe develop some depth. This week I will tell you the 5 things that I believe you will see the Vols work on this week in the Marshall game.

5. Getting Erik Ainge to feel comfortable standing in the pocket and stepping up to make the good pass. Last week, being no fault of his own, Ainge was running around in the backfield like he was chasing a greased pig. I believe that they are going to work on him staying in the pocket to pass this week. They know he can rollout, but if you are going to play teams like Georgia, LSU, and Alabama, you need to have some pocket presence about you.

4. Developing depth on the defensive line. Justin Harrell’s career is over now at Tennessee after having season ending surgery to repair torn tendons in is left arm. This coming only after a gutsy performance against Florida. With Harrell’s absence, the Vols will need to develop depth in the front four. JT Mapu has really stepped up over the past two games and I would look to him to be a leading candidate to start alongside Turk McBride, Xavier Mitchell, and Antonio Reynolds to start this week against Marshall.

3. Developing depth in the secondary. With the loss of Inky Johnson for the remainder of the year, the Vols had to find a quick fix for Florida. The answer was moving Wade to corner and starting Demetrice Morley at safety. While this worked quite well, every now and again you need to let those guys take a breather, and when that happened in the Florida game, the Gators were able to take advantage of the inexperienced Ricardo Kemp and Antonio Wardlow.

2. Special Teams. Tennessee’s kick returnees have not taken a kickoff to the house since Leonard Scott took one 99 yards against Georgia in 1999. I’m going to say it right now. Lucas Taylor will run a kick off back for a touchdown this week against Marshall. Another aspect of the Vols special teams that was pretty dismal against Florida was the coverage teams. Look for Tennessee to work on both of these aspects of the special teams this week.

I was in MIDDLE SCHOOL the last time Tennessee took one to the house. IM A SOPHOMORE IN COLLEGE NOW!!! THAT IS ENTIRELY TOO LONG!!! We are definitely due.

1. The offensive line. The past two games, the run game has been virtually non-existent. Seventy nine yards against Air Force and then minus eleven against Florida is just inexcusable. The Vols need to get the run game going if they want to do anything, and I honestly believe they will. Running the ball has been what Tennessee has hung its hat on for as long as I can remember, and having a former offensive lineman as a head coach only reassures me that they will fix this problem promptly. I’ll make another bold guarantee for the Marshall game. The Vols will have 250+ yards rushing.

The Vols want to get the taste of letting a sure win against Florida slip away. They also want to establish a couple of things and continue building on what they have already proven they can do. The game against Cal shows what the Vols are capable of when they execute. I would look for the Vols to have about a 21 point win in this game. With the circumstances though, I’m going to up the ante. The Vols will beat Marshall by 35.

9/17/2006

The day was finally here. It was time to head to Knoxville for the only game that mattered. Tennessee versus Florida is what everyone in the SEC was talking about after Auburn won their game against LSU. It was now time to see who would get the upper hand in the East division. Who was going to be controlling their own destiny come Sunday?

We made our way to the Vol Walk, and I must say this is by far THE MOST people I’ve ever seen. You can actually see a buzz in the air. I get chill bumps when I look up Peyton Manning Pass and see people 9 and 10 rows deep cheering on the players as they make their way to the stadium. The band turns onto Neyland Drive and proceeds to march into the stadium. Rocky Top is blaring. There is nothing in the world like a Saturday night on the banks of the Tennessee River.

1. Florida won the toss and elected to defer which will give Tennessee the ball to start the half. Austin Rogers gets the ball to start the game and returns the kickoff to about the 21. The leader in NCAA pass percentage takes the field.

2. Ainge throws an interception on the very first play. I am speechless.

Why do you fail me now?

3. Florida is stuffed on their first play which is a run. I think it really should be noted that Justin Harrell, who is starting even though he has a torn left bicep muscle, go a standing ovation when he was announced as a starter. I don’t believe I have ever seen this before.

4. Tennessee forces a punt. The Vols almost block the punt. Austin Rogers being the genius that he is fair catches the ball on the 6. HEELS ON THE 10 KID, HEELS ON THE 10!!!

5. Ainge will get the ball back. I can only wonder what will happen next. I am surprised once again, we throw to the tight end for a 5 yard game. The way this game is going it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if we threw some type of flee flicker play.

6. Ainge completes a pass to Robert Meachem, or Mr. Sensational as I like to call him, for a first down.

We will now refer to Meachem as Mr. Sensational for the remainder of the season or until he does something to merit losing that name.

7. Tennessee fails to make a first down and is forced to punt. Britton Colquitt kicks one 47 yards and gives the Gators the ball back. I had one of those big hot dogs before the game and I’m starting to regret it now with this kind of game.

8. Justin Harrell just makes his first tackle of the night. Bedlam fills the stadium.

YOU ARE THE MAN!!!

9. Tim Tebow makes his first appearance in this game. He makes one play, gets the first down, and then returns to the sideline for play calling. On the ensuing play, Leak connects with #6 for a Florida TD. It’s 7-0 Gators. Oh but wait! The booth will review the play. . . no, it’s still a touchdown. It’s still 7-0 Gators.

10. Linebacker Elix Wilson returns the pooched kickoff and makes it back out to the 35. Awesome!

11. Ainge throws a pass on 3rd down that was batted down at the line. I do not believe that Erik Ainge is the NCAA’s leader in pass percentage anymore.

12. Holy cow! Colquitt just banged a huge punt. Too bad that there was a breakdown in the coverage and the punt was negated with a great return. Great take down by Colquitt by tripping the returnee to save the touchdown. It’s only illegal if you get flagged.

You’re a very sneaky man Mr. Colquitt, I like your style.

13. On first down for Florida, Leak throws and interception and Wade is the benefactor. On second down, Ainge hooks up for Mr. Sensational after eluding a sure sack. On the ensuing first down play Ainge goes to Mr. Sensational again for an 8 yard gain. Ainge trips on 2nd down and falls in the back field.

Classic Barney Fife bullet to foot move

14. Wilhoit hits a 37 yard field goal to bring Tennessee within 4. The score now is 7-3 Gators. Wilhoit commences to put the ball through the end zone on the following kickoff. Time runs out in the first quarter after about 5 days of playing. The score is still 7-3 Florida.

15. Before the start of the 2nd quarter, a very inebriated man is making his best attempt at walking up the stairs. I try to encourage him and say, “Just one step at a time man, one foot in front of the other, we will get through this now.”

16. I have come to the conclusion that Chris Leak is a pansy. Every time he is about to get hit, he falls down. Granted he is a great quarterback, but that still doesn’t take away from the fact that he is a wimp.

The ugliest jerseys on the player that is most afraid of getting hit.

17. Great play by Demetrice Morley and Jonathan Heffney. Caldwell was about to catch a touchdown pass and Morley came in looking nothing short of Superman to break up the pass. Turk McBride sacks Leak on 3rd down and now Florida is going to attempt a 51 yard field goal.

18. The kicker comes in and saves the day for Florida by shanking a 51 yard field goal. Great job buddy, hold your head up, you just made 107,000 new friends.

19. Tennessee really needs to score on this drive. I believe that if we can take a lead into halftime, we would be in great shape for the remainder of this game.

20. THIS IS THE KIND OF FOOTBALL I LOVE TO SEE!!!! Tennessee fakes the ball to LaMarcus Coker, hand off to Lucas Taylor who was coming around from the wide receiver position. Taylor set up in the backfield and threw it about 40 yards down field to Coker, who ran in for the touchdown. I believe I called this play in point 5. Its 10-7 Tennessee.

A coaching tandem for the ages!

21. After great coverage on the kickoff that pinned Florida on the 8, Robert Ayers almost decapitates #8 for Florida, pushing them back to their own one yard line. An offside call on Florida will push them back to about the 1 inch mark.

22. Florida would have probably been better off throwing as deep as they could straight to the free safety and it would have been better than the punt they just had. It goes out at around the 42. This gives Tennessee a great chance to put a few more punts on the board before the half.

23. SOOOO close. Ainge went deep to Mr. Sensational in the end zone. He threw the ball just a bit late, otherwise it would have been a score. Ainge gets sacked on the ensuing play. The offensive line is not really doing that hot so far. Tennessee has yet to have a really substantial run and we can’t protect the quarterback all that well either.

24. Tennessee has to punt. BLOCK IN THE BACK. You have to be kidding me. Florida just scored on a punt return but they had a block in the back. I CANT BELIEVE THEY DIDN’T . . . never mind. Florida will set up shop around the 22.

25. INTERCEPTION TENNESSEE. TOUCHDOWN TENNESSEE. Oh my gosh. Mapu hit Leak in the head, negating the aforementioned interception. Wow, that could be huge.

26. Jarod Mayo is incredibly good. He continues to impress me with his ability to disrupt the run. This guy is going to be great.

He’s so tough, he don’t need pads

27. Tebow comes in again for the third time. Every time he comes in it’s an option play. You think the defense would catch on.

28. Chris Leak just got smeared, and quite fittingly. Remember the game “Smear the Queer”? Florida to kick a 47 yard field goal. The kicker just reassured his friendship with 107,000 by missing his second straight field goal. Let’s run some clock out and get into the locker room with a 3 point lead.

29. Great halftime show by the Pride of the Southland Marching Band. At the end they made a steam engine formation and there was actual smoke coming out of the smoke stack. AWESOME!!! Props to whoever came up with that.

30. Xavier Mitchell comes up with a huge sack on 3rd down forcing Florida to punt on the opening possession of the first half. Tennessee takes over at around the 39.

31. GREAT pass from Ainge to Swain for a touchdown. It was a slant over the middle and Swain took it to the end zone. Now they are reviewing it. Looks like the officials are going to take the score away and put the ball down at the 1.

32. On third and goal Montario Hardesty goes over the top for the Tennessee touchdown. Its now 17-7 Vols. If Tennessee can hold Florida just one more time with now points, and then the offense goes and gets any points, this game could be over.

33. Half of what we need to do has been completed. Tennessee forces Florida to punt. We need to take the ball and punch it in or kick a field goal now.

34. Ainge almost gets sacked in the end zone and looks the pull the same trick out of his hat that he did last year when he tossed the ball up for grabs against LSU. This one was not intercepted for a touchdown though.

35. I don’t really like the fact that Tennessee is letting Florida hang around in this game. They are too good of a team. The Vols defense has also been on the field about 35 hours now. I’m beginning to get a little bit worried.

36. Leak completes a long pass to Caldwell for a huge Florida first down. I’ll be honest, I’m extremely nervous. So much so that when the inebriated man walks up the steps again for a third time I do not say anything to him.

37. Jarod Mayo is a wild man. He causes an intentional grounding call to make it 2nd and 22 for the Gators. The D doesn’t take advantage and lets Florida get another huge first down.
38. Leak hits Dallas Baker in the end zone on third down to bring the Gators within 3. The score now is 17-14 Vols. This is what happens when you let a good team like this hang around. After 45 minutes of SEC football, Tennessee leads 17-14.

39. On third and eight, Ainge hits Bret Smith for a first down. The receivers for the Vols are really the guys who are winning this game for Tennessee and as much as I hate to say it, I don’t think that they can continue to do that. The Vols are going to have to get the run game going.

40. Ainge threw it to a wide open Chris Brown, only thing is that Brown was not looking for the ball. GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME MAN!!!

41. Ainge hits Swain for the first down. Jayson Swain is really stepping up in this game. That’s what the receiving corp. needs to do with all the attention being put on Meachem.

Who knew Todd Bridges was such a great wide receiver?

42. The Vols are forced to kick a field goal from 51 yards. WOW! Wilhoit nails it from 51 yards out. That’s KLUTCH! This makes the score to where a Florida field goal won’t win the game, but a PAT will. We really need a stop here. Its 20-14 Vols.

43. Ahh man. Wilhoit just kicked the ball out of bounds. This gives Florida the ball on the 35. I know I just said it, but we REALLY need a stop.

44. Wynn for Florida makes a huge run. This is not good. I wouldn’t mind a FG attempt because their FG kicker hasn’t made one yet. I don’t like them being this close to the end zone none the less.

45. Big third down play here. Leak scrambles and his pastiness causes him to slide short of the first down. Its 4th and 1, Tebow is coming in. All we have to do is stop the option, and we don’t.

46. Leak hits Dallas Baker for the Gator touchdown and Florida takes a one point lead with 6:30 left in the game. It’s 21-20 Florida. Tennessee still has time, but with us being pretty much one dimensional all night, I don’t know if we can drive the field to get points or not.

47. Ainge hits Mr. Sensational to pick up the first down. This is what Tennessee needs right now. Just take time off the clock and get first downs, get into field goal range and kick a field goal. Hardesty picks up another first down on a screen play. Tennessee might be able to do this. The Vols only need about 20 more yards and they are there.

48. Ainge sneaks on third and one and picks up a first down. One more is all the Vols would need to get into field goal range and they have about 3:30 to do it. They may actually try to score a touchdown.

49. Erik may have just taken us out of the game. He was about to be sacked and got rid of the ball. Intentional grounding was called, there was a loss of down, and now its 2nd and 24.

50. Third down pass was incomplete, and the Vols are forced to go for it on fourth down. Ainge gets no protection and consequently throws an interception. There is still enough time however that if you can get a three and out on defense, you would have enough time to do something.

51. After two big stops on first and second downs, Florida converts on third down and seals the win.

The Vols put forth a valiant effort, especially Justin Harrell. His story here is enough to inspire anyone. Everyone needs to take note that the college football season is a marathon and not a sprint. The Gators still have to play LSU and Auburn as well as Georgia. Tennessee is only going to learn from this game and they have 2 “cupcake” games to build some depth on the defensive side of the ball. This year is not over yet. There are still 9 more games to be played and a lot of things can happen. While this is a tough loss, don’t count the Vols out quite yet.

9/14/2006

This is the game that is circled on the schedule in June. This is what everyone looks forward to. Statistics, rankings, past games, everything is thrown out of the window when these two teams get together. When these two collegiate powers collide, everyone in the country takes notice, as will be the case this weekend. No, I’m not talking about this weekend’s game between McNeese State and Louisiana-Lafayette. I’m talking about the showdown between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers. That’s right, the time is finally here. It’s time for SEC East supremacy and a year’s worth of bragging rights to be put on the line, and for 60 minutes fight to see who takes home the spoils.

You may be wondering to yourself, “Will the revamped Vols be able to take down the #6 team in the land?” or, “Who will I need to put my money on?” Well folks, you have come to the right place, because after I tell you the top 5 players wearing orange to watch this Saturday, I will answer both those questions with a very bold answer.

5. James Wilhoit – The last time Tennessee played Florida in Knoxville, Wilhoit’s right leg won the game for the Vols on a 51 yard field goal attempt. Too many times has this game been decided on special teams. Look for Wilhoit to have a significant impact on this Saturday’s game.

Another victim of The Wilhoit

4. Justin Harrell – After thought to be out the remainder of the season, Harrell has decided to play just one more game. Justin ruptured his left bicep muscle in the most recent game against Air Force. After conferring with doctors, who say Harrell can do no more harm to the arm, he has been cleared to play just one more game after telling coaches he felt like he could play. Harrell actually practiced Wednesday and though it is not known how many snaps he will play, just the significance of his presence will motivate an already hungry defense.

3. Erik Ainge – I think these next three could be interchanged and still have the same amount of significance on the outcome of this game. Like I said in a previous blog, Ainge has answered most of the questions about his abilities that were afoot heading into the season. The only thing that he hasn’t had to show is his ability to stay in the pocket when being pressured. In the first two games he has not been sacked. While that could and probably will change after Saturday, the decisions he makes when the heat is on could affect the outcome of the game.

2. Montario Hardesty – This guy has some shifty moves and after Arian Foster went down with an ankle injury, in the Air Force game, there is a possibility of Hardesty starting in Saturday’s game. This kid truly is a playmaker. He has already proven he can literally break the big one with his huge run against was hit by every single member of the Cal football team and band, as well as 6 cheerleaders in route to a 45 yard touchdown run.

Outta the way bitches, the H-Train is in motion.

1. Robert Meachem – Is there really any argument here? If the press wasn’t so stupid and didn’t nominate players to be put in Heisman contention before any of the players play a snap, I seriously think that this kid would be on the ballot. He is a big, strong, fast receiver that can block and break tackles. Look for Ainge to hit Meachem long and often in this CBS Primetime game.

There will be a lot of this in Saturday’s game.

Now the paragraph you have all been waiting for, the one where I tell you who is going to win Saturday’s SEC showdown. Florida has an option attack, but it differs greatly from that of The Air Force Academy. Florida runs the option out of the shotgun formation, meaning that whatever happens in the backfield, the defense will be able to see it. I believe that if Tennessee’s secondary, which lost start corner Inky Johnson for the year after a severe injury, can stand up to the challenge to the fabled Urban Meyer offense, the Vols will come out of the game with another statement win.

Now I know I haven’t exactly hit the nail on the head as far as scoring margin goes, but I have picked both games correctly and what I have said thus far has held true. Let’s see if I can go 3 for 3. I’m picking the Vols to win +10 but in this one.

Sept 11

I was very excited for this week’s game against the Air Force Academy. I wanted to get over to the stadium early enough to watch to guys from the Academy get off the bus in there fatigues or whatever you call those blue suits. I also wanted to make sure they knew how much I appreciated their sacrifice post college. So it was with this thought that I made my way to the UT campus almost 4 hours before the game was slated to start.

We get to the stadium and proceed to make our way to the south end where the opposing team enters. I have never seen a military team get off of the bus and was actually kind of excited to see the cadets in there uniforms. The busses finally arrived, the doors open, and the players began to exit and make there way to the locker room. I clapped in support, but I was very disappointed in their wardrobe. All the players had on blue suits. . . wind suits that is. Thanks Fisher for the disappointment. I wasn’t going to boo when you came onto the field, but I’ll be booing now!

1. Before the band begins to play the National Anthem, The PA announcer lets us all know that there will be a fly over of 3 F-16 Fighting Falcons and a B-52 Bomber. Euphoria fills the stadium as Vols and Air Force fans unite in cheers for their love of power. I must admit, I got goose bumps when the planes went over.

This, times 3, plus one B-52. . . HECK YES!!!

2. It may have been because we are playing Air Force, but something makes me realize just how lucky I am to be in Section Y9 Row 25 Seat 25 for every home game. There are so many people that would literally kill me to have my seat next week when we play Florida. Then there are those, just like the guys in the white jerseys on this night, which are over seas fighting for my right to have this seat. I just want to say THANK YOU!

3. The band forms its signature giant “T” and splits it open, the team runs out, and bedlam fills the stadium. Across the way Air Force makes their way onto the field. At any other game this season or any other, this would be the time that the cheers turn to boos, but on this night, for this team, the crowd actually got louder.
4. Tennessee kicks off to Air Force, whom quickly runs their flex bone offense all the way into the end zone. After a drive that covered 72 yards in just 10 plays, the #11 team in the country is trailing Air Force by 7.

5. The Falcons kick off to UT and Morley catches the ball about five yards deep in his own end zone. Ignoring the signal from Lucas Taylor to knee the ball, he tries to be a hero and take the kickoff the distance. Instead he is taken down at the 13.

6. Once again this week, Tennessee opens up with a pass play. This time it’s Ainge to Austin Rogers, who is starting in place of an injured Bret Smith, for a 16 yard gain. After a nice run from Arian Foster to pick up a first down, Ainge hooks up with Robert Meachem for the first time tonight for a great 40 yard gain. It is then the drive stalls however and Tennessee is forced to kick a field goal. 7-3 Air Force.

7. Air Force has the ball again and everyone around me starts to talk about how Tennessee needs to keep them from scoring. Isn’t this the case for every game???

8. WOW! Jarod Mayo just made a hellacious hit on an Air Force player after he caught a pass in the flat. That made me cringe. A collective “OOOH” could be heard throughout the stadium. The 4 yard loss is negated by an offside penalty though.

9. This flex bone stuff is really getting on my nerves. I’m in the stands and can’t even tell who has the ball. Bring me the head of who ever scheduled this game.

10. The defense holds Air Force to just a field goal and now the score is 10-3 Air Force. Tennessee can’t afford to let these guys hang around too long. Air Force has beaten Notre Dame four times in a row. NOTRE DAME!

11. After a 74 yard drive in which Ainge looked like a Heisman type player precision wise, he and Meachem hook up again for a touchdown on a 4 yard pass. The Vols are now tied with the Academy at 10.

12. Tennessee’s defense finally forces a punt by Air Force on the ensuing drive. The Vols get the ball back with just over 2 minutes remaining in the first half.

13. Ok, for the first time this season, we get to see how Erik Ainge executes the 2 minute offense. A guy sitting directly to my right tells me, “I think we can score on this drive, Ainge was looking directly ahead today on the Vol Walk, he looked poised.” Eight plays later that same guy was telling me, “I told you he looked good on the Vol Walk!” after Ainge led the Vols 75 yards in 8 plays capped by an Ainge pass to Swain for the touchdown. Halftime score is 17-10 in favor of the Vols.

Something tells me that when in high school, class mates didn’t make a judgment of how Ainge would perform in that Friday’s game by how he walked into his Algebra class.

14. Air Force kicks off to start the 2nd half. Morley makes his second mistake on special teams when he half way dives after a bouncing ball and allows his knee to drop at the one. Starting a drive at the 1 yard line will always allow your quarterback to work on his stats.

15. Ainge fumbles a snap. Heads up play by David Ligon to recover the ball. I’ve never seen an offensive linemen move that fast.

16. A guy sitting in front of me comes back with quite possibly the largest hot dog I’ve ever seen in my entire life. This guy is a man of substantial size, and quite honestly looks to me like a walking heart attack. He didn’t need the dog, so I said, “That looks good but it can’t be healthy for you.” He replied to this by saying, “It’s ok, it’s made of beef.” Yea buddy, that makes everything better.

15. Hardesty caps off a 99 yard drive with a 3 yard scamper into the end zone. I think Ainge has completed something like 13 straight passes or close to that. I don’t think he has really left that many questions unanswered that fans may have had before the season. It’s now 24-10 Tennessee. I thought it was about time for the boys to separate from the men.

16. Air Force drives the ball 75 yards, gets only inches away from the goal line and then on a QB sneak, the ball is knocked away and Jonathan Heffney is running 102 yards for another Tennessee touchdown. Oh, but wait, the refs are saying that Air Force scored before the ball was knocked loose. Tennessee officially makes its first challenge of the 2006 season. The play stands and the score is now Tennessee 24, Air Force 17.

17. Tennessee gets the ball and drives 73 yards in 12 plays. I make an inquire as to if we had punted tonight. I am told that in fact we haven’t. Ainge hooks up with Robert Meachem again with a 5 yard fade into the end zone. Touchdown Tennessee!!! It’s 31-17
now.

Sutton would have liked to have captured this on his camera phone much like the guy in the top right hand corner with the Mohawk.

18. Tennessee forces another Air Force punt and now has a chance to put the game away. You just want to consume as much clock as you can right here and then put some points on the board.

19. NO NO NO!!! Ainge throws it right into the waiting and open arms of an Air Force defender. What were you thinking kid???

20. Air Force takes just 12 plays to put the ball into the end zone. This game is feeling kind of hairy now with the Vols only being up by one score 31-24.

21. Air Force lines up for an onside kick. . . and they recover. How can this be happening???? Is Tennessee actually looking like they might lose to the Air Force Academy??? DARN THAT FLEXBONE!!!

22. Wow, talk about not wasting anytime, the Falcons just took 61 seconds off the clock in root to another touchdown. Are you kidding me??? Ok, I have no problem with them going for two, but they run the no huddle for the two point conversion. My stomach is in knots right now!

23. It’s a sweep play to the right and Xavier Mitchell isn’t fooled. He stops it in the backfield preserving the one point lead that Tennessee is holding onto. Throughout the stadium high fives are exchanged with wild imprecision.

Thank God we don’t have to face this offense again!

24. Air Force lines up for another onside kick. I make the remark, “What are the odds of them recovering two onside kicks in a row?” Apparently they were pretty good because Air Force recovers again. I think the mammoth hot dog that guy had is getting to him, he doubles over in pain, I laugh a small “I TOLD YOU SO” chuckle, then get back to worrying about the game.

25. Luckily, the Falcons were offside on the kick, which means they will have a chance to re-kick. I make the remark, “Ok, so what are the odds they will recover three in a row???”

26. Jayson Swain saves the day by recovering the 3rd onside kick in this game. Ainge runs around in the backfield to run out the clock and preserve a close win by the Vols, 31-30.

27. It is my understanding that ESPN College Gameday is going to be at Tennessee next Saturday for the Florida game, I intend to be there if this is true. Next week is Tennessee and Florida, that’s all that you need to know.

Unbelievable! That is the only word to describe how I feel about Tennessee’s new spot in the polls. The Vols are ranked 11th in the country, and after last Saturday’s performance against a team that some had playing for the National Championship, who can argue the spot??? If you will take a look at my 2006 SEC Preview, I think everything I stated was correct. The D was terrific and after some consistent play from the wide receivers, and a great showing from Ainge, it’s safe to say that if the Vols can keep it up, we may be talking National Championship come January.

First however come a team that on any other Saturday, I would be rooting for, the Falcons from the Air Force Academy. Once again, in a ThePat.org exclusive, I will preview this week’s game by giving you 5 points to remember. Last week I gave you the top 5 reasons playing Cal was special. This week I’m going to give you the top 5 reason’s Tennessee will not be looking ahead to next week’s game against the Florida Gators. Quickly in an unrelated note, I want to thank everyone for commenting my Cal game blog, the kind words are much appreciated and I hope I can only do better in articles to come. Anyway, enjoy this Air Force preview.

5. The last time Tennessee over looked a team on there schedule, could have possibly been after the Memphis game, thinking that Vanderbilt and Kentucky were both givens and that would make the bowl eligible last year. This lead to Tennessee getting embarrassed by losing to Vanderbilt. They did however go on to beat Kentucky in a game that didn’t mean anything at that point. Don’t take that as an omen meaning if they lose to Air Force, they will beat Florida. If they lose to Air Force, Tennessee will lose all 10 games that follow.

4. The offense that Air Force runs is very unique. If Tennessee is still focusing on the spread in preparation for the Florida game, this wishbone/flex bone/wingback/whatever you want to call it might end up costing the Vols their season.

This formation does set the corner backs up for some serious “insert dick in dirt” hits however.

3. David Cutcliffe. I don’t really think anything else needs to be said here.

2. Tennessee knows that The Academy isn’t just playing for The Academy. Air Force will be playing for the entire free world. When people watch Gameday Final Scoreboard on ESPN at 1 in the morning, they are going to be expecting to see a blowout win by the Vols, but in the back of there head they will really be wanting a win by Air Force. Technically Tennessee is beating the entire USA with a win in this game.

Air Force is using propaganda posters like this one to enlist all the support they can get for this game.

1. A 5-6 season will get you focused on the task at hand really quick. Tennessee will not over look Air Force because now they control their destiny. This is going to be just another rung on the ladder for Tennessee to climb to get to Tempe, AZ for the National Championship Game. Tennessee wins this game by 24 and heads into their first SEC game against the Florida Gators 2-0.

Gosh I’m so excited about this game that I’m just going to go ahead and tell you the final score, and then we will Tarantino this thing and see how we got there. Tennessee beat the #9 California Golden Bears 35-18. Ok, now let’s see exactly how it happened.

Before I even enter the stadium I have heard reference to “The Play” been made about 73 times. There are Cal fans walking around with shirts on that have diagrams of how it happened. There is a cartoon that runs on game days in the News Sentinel that even has a reference to it. This is too much. Yes, that is the single greatest play in college football history, but I mean honestly, I don’t need a shirt to tell me how it happened.

I get to my seat and immediately start taking bets as to how long it will be this season before former Tennessee basketball player Stanley Asumnu blocks a field goal attempt this year. I didn’t see him in warm-ups so I put my money on the second attempt in the Air Force game. I think it’s a solid choice.

1. Tennessee won the toss and elected to defer until the second half. This means that California’s golden boy Marshawn Lynch will be touching the ball on the first possible play he can. I am filled with fear with this knowledge. Lynch gets out to around the 25, but there is a Cal player down back at the 15. When the trainers try to get him off to the sideline, he almost falls on three separate occasions.

It was very obvious somebody else was driving this guy’s bus.

2. Wow, I’m really taken aback. Tennessee stops this “prolific” offense and makes them punt the ball away.

3. The punt is downed at the 12 by California. I immediately start praying that Ainge isn’t pressured into tossing up a prayer down here.

4. JESUS CHRIST WHAT A FIRST PLAY!!!!! Huge pass from Ainge to Meachem for a gain of about 40 yards. Foster gets the carry on the next play for a gain of 6, I already like this.

5. Third down pass is dropped after Chris Brown the tight end is wide open. It was Brown’s fault though so Ainge is still looking quite awesome.

6. Cal gets the ball back after a punt by UT and once again, I’m extremely worried about #10 in the backfield. Last time Tennessee played against a possible Heisman winner, the results were not very flattering.

7. Jonathan Wade just made a terrific play to knock the ball away from a Cal
receiver to force a 4th down. I am relieved to know Tennessee is going to get the ball back.

8. Great first down catch by Meachem to spin and get the first down. I love this kid, but it’s in a totally non sexual way.

9. Swain makes a terrific catch, and then about blows it by fumbling the ball. Luckily he recovered it and Tennessee continues to drive the ball towards the goal line.

Todd Bridges everybody, “Watchu talkin bout Willis”

10. Wow, did I just see an end and around by Tennessee??? God Bless you David Cutcliffe.

11. TOUCHDOWN, OH MY GOD, TENNESSEE LEADS CAL!!!! Ainge throws a strike to the tight end Chris Brown and he reaches over the goal line. In the same drive we have run an end around, and thrown to the tight end, I half way expect to see a flee flicker now. It’s Tennessee 7-0 with about 5 minutes to go in the first quarter.

12. This is possibly the loudest I’ve ever heard Neyland Stadium. As a result there is a delay of game as Cal can’t get the play called and the play clock runs out. Lynch fumbles on the next play, but Cal recovers.

13. Tennessee’s defense holds and forces another punt by Cal. I’m starting to become relieved in the knowledge that Tennessee can hold Cal. The first quarter concludes with Tennessee ahead 7-0.

14. Colquitt just nailed a punt. I think it traveled over a mile. The PA announcer confirms my believe. It covered 59 yards.

15. Killer hit by Wade to knock the ball out of a Cal receivers hands. I believe the term is something like, “He got the wood laid to him.”

16. Mayo for Tennessee just dropped Longshore, the quarterback for Cal, for about an 8 yard loss. This is followed by a shuffle pass by Lynch, who gets rocked and dropped after an 8 yard gain. Longshore gets sacked again my Mayo on 3rd down. Tennessee is really playing inspired on both sides of the ball right now.

17. Another huge catch by Chris Brown. I can’t believe that we are actually throwing to the tight end. Awesome throw by Ainge. The Vols then run an end around to Meachem and a shoe string tackle is all that stopped him from scoring.

18. Ainge throws an interception and immediately I sink down into my seat and start to wonder who we are going to get to coach next year.

19. Antwan Stewart intercepts Longshore and Tennessee is back in business. A collective sigh of relieve can actually be heard throughout the stadium.

20. Robert Meachem just turned an 8 yard hitch play into a 45 yard touchdown pass. It is at this precise moment I realize Tennessee has reinstituted the stripes on the pants. I like! Tennessee leads 14-0 at halftime after California just runs out the clock.

I don’t really agree with Erik Ainge’s choice of footwear however.

21. Tennessee starts the second half with the ball. If we can score quick here in the 2nd half I would almost guarantee a win now.

22. ARE YOU FREAKIN KIDDING ME???? On the 2nd play of the 2nd half Meachem gets ANOTHER 8 yard hitch pass and goes 81 yards for ANOTHER touchdown, I like the redundancy. Go ahead and write down the W.

Marshawn who??? Meachem for Heisman!!!

23. After a punt Tennessee gets the ball back. Who wants to bet they score again??? Chants of “SEC” fill the stadium.

24. Huge run by Foster. Mr. Lynch, if you are reading this blog, I want you to take note, that’s how a real running back is supposed to carry the ball.

25. I DON’T BELIEVE THIS!!!! Tennessee throws a fade to score again! Ainge a beautiful pass to a wide open Jayson Swain. Tennessee now leads 28-0 midway through the 3rd quarter.

Once again, Todd Bridges everyone.

24. Wade almost picks off a pass but lets it slip through his fingers. I’ll be honest, I’m still trying to understand how we have scored 28 points.

25. Tennessee gets the ball back after a punt. THIS IS REALLY PHENOMENAL! Hardesty with the best run EVER at UT and broke about 321 tackles on his way to a 43 yard touchdown run. It’s now 35-0 Vols and does the time remaining really matter anymore???

Congratulations Mr. Hardesty, you just made the Sport’s Guy Game Blog

26. I love it. “Over Rated” chants fill the stadium, and there is still 7 minutes left in the game. When you can do that, you know you’re the proverbial bomb.

27. Inky Johnson makes an interception off of an Ayoob pass. What are the odds we score again??? We have put Crompton into the game at quarterback now. The freaking back ups are playing in the 3rd quarter. Amazing!

28. Inky Johnson almost gets another interception and if he had in fact intercepted that pass, it was a definite touchdown. Instead Cal kicks a field goal and now the score is 35-3 Tennessee with about 3 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter.

29. Ayoob apparently tried a bounce pass to start the 4th quarter. I don’t understand this guys reasoning but I’m not going to argue with it. Jackson finally scored Cal’s first touchdown from an Ayoob pass. Who cares though? Cal converts the 2 points and its now 35-11 Vols.

30. Tennessee’s drive stalls and now Cal gets the ball back. Even with a 24 point lead with just over 13 minutes left in the game and playing the team that was on the positive end of “The Play”, I’ll admit, I’m actually kind of nervous.

31. Tennessee gets the ball back on a turnover on downs, so at least we will get to run some more clock out.

32. Tennessee gives the ball back to Cal with 7 minutes to go. Once again I am halfway filled with fear. They have to punt the ball and Tennessee gets the ball back. LaMarcus Coker runs for a gain of about 23 yards. I’m very secure in saying that without any doubt Tennessee will win now.

33. Crompton simply steam rolled the safety. That was impressive. Maybe he could be our next running back.

New starting running back at Tennessee

34. Cal scores another TD with only seconds left. This makes the score 35-18 Tennessee. Cal lines up for an onside kick. I mean really, is there a way that they run this back and score 17 points??? Tennessee recovers the onside kick.

Even if they had recovered and had a freakish play like this happen and scored a TD, we could have spotted them 7 points for running over the trombone player, and then had them convert the 2 point conversion, and they would still be trailing by 2.

35. The game ends, final score Tennessee 35 California 18. Did I just say Tennessee beat the #9 team in the country by 17 points??? This is really astounding. I can’t wait until the Florida game. First comes Air Force though. That’s what lay ahead.

8/29/06

Tennessee opens its 2006 football season against the University of California Golden Bears. Being over shadowed for quite sometime by either UCLA or USC, not many people can tell you much about the Golden Bears from Berkeley. So I figured I would take this opportunity to debut an article here on ThePat.org telling you the fan, the top 5 reasons why having the #9 California Golden Bears on the schedule is special. Now for those of you who have never read one of my game blogs that the illustrious Pat refers to, they are set up much like this will be. They have a numbered format for easy to follow reading, with pictures thrown in for added emphasis. Hope you enjoy!

5. California is ranked in the top 10. This is no UAB or UNLV, no this time you actually get to say at least the first syllable of the school’s name that you are playing. No more letters, this is the real deal.

4. The Cal running back, Marshawn Lynch, is a pre-season Heisman hopeful. I've watched this guy’s highlight reel, he is very Reggie Bushish. Check out this link to watch the video for yourself and to check out this guy’s stats. http://calbears.cstv.com/sports/marshawn/

3. Your going to see it at least 643 times during the pre-game broadcast alone, so I’ll go ahead an make reference to it. You are playing the team that was involved in arguably the single greatest play in NCAA football history.

Trombones will never be looked at the same.

2. Some of the hottest cheerleaders in the country are going to be on visitor’s sidelines for this game. You can never underestimate how much hott cheerleaders can mean, and yes, I just spelled hot with 2 T’s.

Don’t even try to argue with this point.

1. The most important reason that this game is special, is because it's always fun to shut up people who say their conference is better than the SEC. Basketball on turf doesn’t stand a chance against a perennial SEC defensive power, Tennessee by 10 in this one.