SBNation.com User Blog: VolnVA

Another stark reminder of where we've been

VolnVA — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:04:13 -0000

Another stark reminder of where we've been

Near the bottom of the SEC over the last 5 years. It's kind of brutal.

They're talking about one of our favorite games!

VolnVA — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:10:28 -0000

They're talking about one of our favorite games!

Tennessee-Arkansas '98 is featured on Football Study Hall today.

Good Read on Dwayne Goodrich

VolnVA — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 20:00:33 -0000

Good Read on Dwayne Goodrich

Given that he just came up in our best plays bracket, it's nice to hear that he's been released from prison and has a good head on his shoulders.

Pat Summitt to Step Down

VolnVA — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:42:07 -0000

Pat Summitt to Step Down

Holly Warlick in as coach. I assume we'll be discussing this in a LOT more detail later...

There are no words

VolnVA — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 20:36:29 -0000

There are no words

This is the place where words would go...but I have none of them.

The fun never ends!

VolnVA — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 01:28:41 -0000

The fun never ends!

I'm not sure I want Armageddon...but this is getting way past ridiculous.

Tough blow for Pig Sooie

VolnVA — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:37:17 -0000

Tough blow for Pig Sooie

Will be interesting to see how this impacts the perception of Arkansas as a legitimate threat to win the SEC West.

Vols eliminated for East #2?

VolnVA — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 20:35:34 -0000

Vols eliminated for East #2?

I don't think so...but the SEC Tournament's website seems to be saying so.

NCAA rules on UConn's Calhoun

VolnVA — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 20:27:59 -0000

This should make me feel better as Calhoun's infractions outweighed Pearl's in every instance, but somehow it doesn't. The problem is the lying. It's the lying that people are harping on and what I think will ultimately burn Bruce.

Les Miles Staying at LSU

VolnVA — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 18:01:33 -0000

Les Miles Staying at LSU

ESPN reporting that the dominoes won't start falling, Crazy Les will stay in Red Stick, and we can all go about our lives.

2001! It was terrible for Tennessee!

VolnVA — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 19:58:06 -0000

2001! It was terrible for Tennessee!

Just in case you didn't know...this was after Chris Low mentioned this morning that Auburn-USC is the 6th regular season rematch in the SECCG. 4 of the previous 5 regular season winners also won the SECCG...guess who didn't?!

No respect!

VolnVA — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 20:50:47 -0000

No respect!

Behind 'Nova in both polls. Why would we be ranked ahead of the team we just beat? That would be so...logical...

The Big Blue Streak: A Lifetime in the Making

VolnVA — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 04:26:52 -0000

With all apologies to George Orwell, imagine that the year is 1984. The date is November 24th. I haven't the faintest idea what the weather was like in reality - though I welcome somebody to clue me in - but it seems like it should be gray, cold, and dreary. The 3rd best Kentucky team of the last 50 years (UK went 11-1 with a loss to UT in 1950, 10-1 with a loss to Baylor in 1977) comes to Knoxville with a 7-3 record to take on the 6-2-1 Vols. Big Blue contains the Vols that day, leaving Knoxville with a 17-12 victory. With 4 wins in the last 9 games of the series (also '76, '77, and '81), the Cats and their fans probably don't think too much about the triumph as they head north on 75. Obviously, they should have spent a lot more time savoring this particular moment.

The Sugar Vols smoked UK in 1985 and brought the Beer Barrel back to Knoxville. If it still existed, the Barrel's residence in Knoxville would exceed mine. I was born in March 1986, at which point the Vols had a one game winning streak over their northern neighbors. 18 years later, when I graduated high school in 2004, the Vols still hadn't lost to UK since 1984. When I graduated college in 2008, the Vols still hadn't lost to UK since 1984. Now, here we are in 2010, and the story remains unchanged.

It's really sort of difficult to comprehend 25 straight wins. While there have been a number of strong UT teams in the last 25 years, you would think the odds would be against such a streak. But even the worst UT teams of my life (2005 and 2008) have beaten Kentucky by a combined score of 55-18! The level of domination has been simply astounding. I'm not overlooking the fact that there have been some nervous moments...but c'mon, we've beaten them by 517 points over the last 25 years! That's an average of almost 21 a game! Consider my mind officially boggled.

Given that there are no losses to revisit...let's get on to the wins!

The good: One game sticks in my mind more than others: the comeback in 2001 (apologies to Peyton, but I just don't have that many memories of his ridiculous outings against UK in the mid-90's).

I was volunteering at the West Hills Elementary Fall Festival on November 17, 2001. I vaguely recall helping to man one of the booths in the gym, but word leaked that there was a TV in the library that was showing the game. Given the general awesomeness that had been the 2001 season, there was no way I was going to let the Fall Festival interfere with me watching the game (please don't judge me!).

Even by Kentucky standards, this was a bad UK team. While they had fought gamely in close losses to Ole Miss, LSU, and Mississippi State, the Cats were 2-7 with wins over only Ball State and Vanderbilt. Even with the Pillsbury Doughboy (a.k.a. Jared Lorenzen) at QB, the Cats were terrible...which made it all the more surprising when they marched right down the field to take a 7-0 lead. I wasn't too worried, though, as I expected the Vols to quickly seize control. They didn't. The offense could go nowhere, and early in the 2nd quarter, the Doughboy himself rushed for another TD to put Big Blue up 14-0. And 5 minutes later, another short TD pass put them up 21-0. At this point in the game, the Vols had 0 first downs and were being dominated by a 2-7 football team. You can imagine my dismay at this juncture (it was quiet dismay, of course...I was in the library, after all).

Clausen finally found Stallworth to give the Vols some life before halftime, but we were still down 21-7. The defense stiffened to start the 2nd half and Casey threw a bomb to The Answer to pull us within 7. On the ensuing drive, the Vols' D responded once again, creating a pick/fumble 6 to tie the game (interception run most of the way back, then fumbled into the end zone where the Vols recovered). The Wildcats refused to go quietly, taking a 28-21 lead and then coming back to tie it at 35 after a couple more Casey to Donte connections had put the Vols ahead late in the 4th. I was a wreck at this moment as the Festival came to an end. The timing wouldn't have been a problem, but given that I was 15 and couldn't drive, I had to go run out to get picked up at this crucial juncture! Thankfully, my mom had the game on in the car and we listened intently as Alex Walls put the Big Orange ahead 38-35 with just under 3 minutes to go. I got home in time to turn on the TV and see the D come up with one more big play, recovering a fumble that allowed the good guys to run out the clock. Phew!

Honorable mentions: 2007 (because multiple overtimes are generally memorable...Ainge had 7 TD's, Gerald Jones had that ridiculous catch, EB had an EB moment, Dan Williams saved us with a FG block...and those plays were just in the overtimes!), 2004 (we sweated it out 'til the end...I heard a rumor that once the Vols had the East locked up, Fulmer spent all his time practicing for Auburn and none of his time on Vandy or Kentucky...the results suggest this might have been true)

For the first time in my life, I'm legitimately afraid that the streak could end on Saturday...but when something has never happened in your existence, it's hard to take that threat seriously (don't remind me I said this if UK wins on Saturday). What are some of your favorite memories from past meetings with Kentucky?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Vanderbilt: A Story of Internal Struggle

VolnVA — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 04:55:49 -0000

Sorry for the late posting! Life got in the way this week...

Respect is really the key to a great college football rivalry. We certainly don't like Alabama, but for the most part, we respect their program. With Vanderbilt...there's no respect. There's not even any big brother, little brother rivalry going on for Vol fans...we are supposed to beat Vanderbilt and it shouldn't even be close. Sometimes the 'Dores refuse to comply and they make it unnecessarily stressful, but at the end of the day, the outcome is generally the same...no matter how plucky or feisty Vandy is, the Vols (almost) always win.

I think the above is the prevailing sentiment among the majority of the UT fanbase. For me, though, it was always a bit different. My mom went to Vanderbilt, and while this didn't make me bleed black and gold by any stretch of the imagination, I would quietly root for them when they played Alabama, Florida, and other teams that I despised. When the Vols and 'Dores played, though, my loyalties were never in question. I can't say the same for my mother, however. I distinctly remember sitting next to her during one of the Peyton Manning games (1995, I think) and SCREAMING at her, somehow convinced that she was secretly cheering for Vandy and keeping it close (while Peyton was famously unable to beat Florida, he struggled badly against Vanderbilt, too). She would always assure me that she'd been to many more UT games than Vanderbilt games, but I'm not sure I believed her!

The subliminal mind tricks might not have worked on football, but they did on me. When it came time to pick a school, I went to Vanderbilt. Adding Vanderbilt as my other team was convenient in some ways (I could still hate all the same teams I grew up hating), but it made me feel much more conflicted on that one November Saturday for one simple reason: Vanderbilt students/fans really despise UT. While I think I understood this at a high level before going to Nashville, I'm not sure I internalized the intensity of the ire until I got there. Believe me when I tell you that it's serious!

Anyway, now that you know all about my life, let's move on to some specific games!

Sorry for the late posting! Life got in the way this week...

Anyway, now that you know all about my life, let's move on to some specific games!

The bad: Similar to the opponents I've reviewed over the last couple of weeks, as a UT fan, there's only one game from the last 25+ years that can go on this list. By the time we reached the Vanderbilt game in 2005, I think we'd pretty much given up. Sure, at 4-5 it was likely we'd win out and go to a low-level bowl game, but the season started with legitimate national championship aspirations. We did not embark on that season's journey to end up in the Music City Bowl. By Vanderbilt standards, it had been a rough season, as well. A promising 4-0 start was derailed by a home loss to MTSU (on a blocked FG on the game's final play, no less), kicking off a 6-game losing streak and keeping the bowl-less streak alive. Hope, that flighty temptress, had been given to us students and fans only to be snatched away.

But not all was terrible. One of the greatest things about being a Vanderbilt student was having the entire week of Thanksgiving off. One of my Vandy friends, John, and I loaded in the car in Nashville on Friday afternoon and headed to Knoxville to hang out for the week. On Saturday morning, we went to a brunch at the Convention Center hosted by the Vanderbilt Alumni Association. I dutifully wore my Vanderbilt hoodie and enjoyed the breakfast. On the way to the stadium, I added a Tennessee hat to my ensemble and away we went. John and I sat in my parents seats in section Y8 and watched the game unfold.

What I had already forgotten about this game was that Vanderbilt jumped out to a 21-7 lead on the strength of a couple of Jay Cutler to Marlon White touchdown passes. What I did remember was that before we all hated Arian Foster, he was the shining light at the end of a terrible season. On his way to 40 carries and 223 yards, he scored a couple of touchdowns to bring the Vols back to even at the start of the 4th quarter. When the Vols got a FG on their next drive, it looked like they would yet again escape Vanderbilt.

Vanderbilt tried to give the game away. They went nowhere on their next 2 drives and had to punt it away. But Tennessee also did not want to win, failing on consecutive drives to get a 1st down and run the clock out. And then suddenly, Jay Cutler and Earl Bennett wrote themselves into Vanderbilt lore. Taking over on their own 37 yard line with 1:40 to go, Cutler found Bennett for 15 yards. And then they did it again for 31 yards. And then Tennessee interfered with Earl Bennett. And on 1st and goal from the 6, Cutler squeezed in a slant route to Bennett to put the Commodores ahead. I've seen some crazy things in Neyland, but I don't know that I've ever heard a more stunned crowd than at that moment.

Rick Clausen tried to save the Vols. He passed and scrambled the Vols all the way down to the 16 yard line in the final seconds. After a scramble, a delay of game, 2 incomplete passes, and an interception in the end zone on the game's final play, it was over. Vanderbilt had won. 100,000 fans were shocked. Tennessee players were throwing helmets. On my friend John's first trip into a real college stadium, he'd seen 23 years of misery come to an end (and almost got into it with a UT fan sitting next to us for shaking his gold shaker, too). It's unbelievable to me to this day that this game happened and that I was there.

The good: 2 years later, a similar game played out with a lot more on the line for the Vols. The Vols needed to win out for the SEC Championship game. Vanderbilt was 5-5 and just needed one more win to go to a bowl game for the first 1982. And for 3 quarters, it appeared that they were going to get there. The Vols were playing terribly, highlighted by Vanderbilt's touchdown with less than a minute before the half, Ainge fumbling on the first snap afterwards, and Vanderbilt getting another 3 points before the half.

They came right back out after halftime and piled on another 7 points. Vanderbilt was up 24-9 and John was so sure he was going to go 2-0 in Neyland. I believed him until Vanderbilt made one stupid mistake: roughing a Colquitt. Don't ever rough a Colquitt. I could feel the groundswell of energy at that moment as the stadium came alive...I felt at that moment that Tennessee was going to win.

A touchdown, another touchdown with a failed 2-point conversion, and a FG put the Vols ahead 25-24 with less than 3 minutes to go. The 2007 team never made things easy, though, and DJ Moore returned the ensuing kickoff into Tennessee territory. Vanderbilt drove down to the 31 yard line and stalled out, being forced to try a long field goal. Bryant Hahnfeldt had some big kicks while at Vanderbilt, but this wasn't one of them...the kick drifted left and drifted left and drifted left and hit off the outside of the goal post, keeping the Vols' championship hopes alive.

Poor Vanderbilt...it's a good thing they have 2005 to look back on because after being unable to beat a terrible 2008 team and probably being unable to beat another down Tennessee team tonight, it's going to be a while before they get another win. Oh well...go Vols! Go 'Dores (don't hate me)!

Bray named co-Freshman of the Week

VolnVA — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:41:05 -0000

Bray named co-Freshman of the Week

He and Lattimore share honors. Boom!

Hotty Toddy, Recent Lack of Rivalry!

VolnVA — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 04:55:33 -0000

Ole Miss occupies a curious spot in the list of opponents I've reviewed. I've looked at teams with whom we have a long, fierce history (Alabama); I've looked at teams with whom we haven't shared anything special (Memphis, South Carolina); and I've looked at some opponents in between those two extremes. What we haven't really seen yet, though, is a team with which we had a rather established history that has sort of fallen off over time. Ole Miss definitely falls in this bucket (Auburn would, too, but I paid Cam Newton to keep the Tigers off the schedule this year).

In my lifetime, the teams have played 11 mostly forgettable games. I was surprised to learn when looking at the historical results that UT and Ole Miss have actually met 63 times before! The Vols and Rebels played 49 of a possible 58 times from 1927 to 1985 (the Vols fielded no team in 1943), but the matchup has tailed off in my lifetime. We haven't seen them as often on our schedule, we've rarely been good at the same time, and the Vols almost always win (remember my mantra: rivalry fierceness is directly correlated with the number of losses). Given these facts, I haven't directed a lot of ire toward Ole Miss.

Hopefully last year wasn't the first step in changing that...

The bad: I'd be willing to bet that long-time Vol fans would have a whopper to put on this list: the 1968 "Archie Who" disaster (for those of you not familiar, a 7-0 UT team went to Jackson to face a 5-3 Ole Miss squad and was curb stomped 38-0 by the elder Manning and Company). There certainly hasn't been anything as drastic in recent times. For me, there is only one game that could possibly go here...I'm not sure if it makes it better or worse, but it was really more of an embarrassment than a heartbreaker. I'm talking, of course, about the Dexter McCluster F%&! game (complete with a side of Prius and airguns)!

I don't know that I've ever seen a more dominating performance by one player than what we saw last year in Oxford. McCluster got the game started off with a TD only to see the Vols answer behind good Crompton. McCluster got loose again, but the Vols answered right back. McCluster then bounced off about 8 tacklers and scampered in one more time to put the Black Bears up 21-14 at halftime. The Vols closed within 21-17 to start the 2nd half and actually got the ball back on an interception with a chance to take the lead. They couldn't convert a 4th down, though, and the McFloodgates opened. McCluster's 71-yarder early in the 4th quarter sealed the deal and made everyone, including Eric Berry, look silly in the process. He finished the day with 324 all-purpose yards, 282 rushing yards, and 4 touchdowns. If you're like me and look at everything in terms of fantasy football, McCluster would have had 56 points in this game. Yikes.

But hey...there are no other losses from the last 25 years to look back on!

The good: As I said in the intro, the majority of our wins against the Rebels have been totally lackluster in my mind. I can really only remember 3 of the wins at all. 2004 was exciting with freshman Erik Ainge leading us back from the brink of disaster in the 4th quarter against a subpar Ole Miss team. 2005 was similarly uninspiring and was a bit deceptive because we didn't yet understand how underachieving that team was going to be. The other one that sticks out a bit is 1996. It's not that I recall any specific Peyton-related awesomeness, I just remember that the game was in Memphis, we destroyed them, and I had to go to bed early because it was a Thursday night.

I'm hoping that somebody can chime in with some more worthy memories than what I just threw out there!

Memphis...this will be short

VolnVA — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 22:16:57 -0000

The artist formerly known as Memphis State (a.k.a. Tiger High) doesn't really have much to boast about when it comes to sports. They have an unbearable superiority complex when it comes to basketball which is utterly baffling, really. They trail our all-time series 13-8, 2 of their 3 Final Four appearances have been vacated, and they have exactly as many championships as we do, which is to say...zero. We have a much larger and well-deserved complex when it comes to football. It's quite simple: 21 out of 22 times we play Memphis, we win. And if replay existed in 1996, maybe it's 22 out of 22 (note to any Memphis fans: I said MAYBE...I'm not blaming the loss entirely on that one play, but it was a big one).

We usually win, but that's not to say there haven't been some scary moments. 1999 was horrifying (example #4,479,315 why we shouldn't go with the orange on orange combo), 2000 was close, 2005 was in doubt to the very end, and the list goes on. It's rarely enjoyable to watch, but I guess you can't really complain about 21 wins in 22 attempts.

On to the specific memories...

The bad: I don't honestly remember many of the details because I was 10, I watched the game on TV, and a lot has happened since then. Will reviewed this game during the "20 Losses in 20 Years" series...it's painful and comes complete with video evidence of elbow-to-turf contact. Not much sticks in my mind aside from that fact that some friends came over to our house soon after the game ended. I was a few minutes late in joining them because I'd been in my room attempting to pull myself together. Stupid, Memphis...

On the plus side, isn't it nice to not have to do a "Honorable Mentions" section regaling the horrors of other painful losses?!

The good: As I said in the intro, being the big brother in this series means the outcome doesn't often leave you satisfied. If you win by a lot, you were supposed to; if you win by a little, then it's always asked why didn't you win by more; and if by some catastrophic turn of events you lose, it's the absolute worst thing you can imagine.

Last year was one of those rare occasions where the win was more than satisfactory. Coming off the black-jerseyed beatdown of SCarolina, the last thing we wanted to do was lose momentum. Jonathan Crompton, quarterback extraordinaire, made sure that didn't happen. After letting Bryce Brown get the party started, Crompton was on absolute fire. He kicked it off with a touchdown to G Jones, 14-0. Then there was a dart to Stocker, 21-0. This was followed by a pass to Quinton Hancock, 28-0. Then Nuke got in on the action, 35-0. Just to be sporting, we let Memphis score with only 58 seconds on the clock to see if we could get in again before halftime...we did on a Crompton sneak. To make sure we all knew it was for real, he came out and threw another TD to DMo to start the 2nd half. Through 33 minutes of play, Crompton had 331 yards on 21-27 passing, 5 TD passes to 5 different receivers, and a rushing TD to boot. Coming out of a crazy 2007 season and a depressing 2008 season, it was nice to be reminded how much fun it can be to blow somebody out.

Honorable mentions: 2006 was also good, but the rest of my life has been filled with "closer than they should've been" games against the Tigers.

What do you guys remember about Memphis games, both good and bad? My general thought is that if we're not celebrating a win at 11 o'clock on Saturday night...I don't ever want to go back to Memphis.

Worth a read for those fretting about recruiting

VolnVA — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 19:50:15 -0000

Worth a read for those fretting about recruiting

So maybe we're not doomed after all!

"In fact, there’s not a single team in the top 10 of this week’s BCS standings that finished in the top 10 of ESPN’s recruiting rankings for all three of the 2007, 2008 and 2009 signing classes."

Things were great...then Spurrier showed up

VolnVA — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 01:54:20 -0000

Just like with Alabama, I wrote a rather involved post on last year's South Carolina game that touched on a) how awesome we were in that game (I still think that was sickest spin move I've ever seen), and b) how I don't like Spurrier. Regardless of the outcome of this week's game, those things will still be true. I'm running a bit low on optimism this week, but maybe this is the week that we find an offense and play 60 minutes...on the road...against the team that beat the team that just beat us 41-10. Hmm, perhaps it's more dire than I wanted to admit, but hey, there's a reason they play the games!

It's difficult to reflect on many meaningful moments from a "rivalry" that has only been an annual occurrence since 1992. We're 15-3 against USCe in those 18 meetings and 22-4-2 against the Gamecocks all-time. To put it in perspective, Vanderbilt's winning percentage against UT (.262) is almost twice as good as South Carolina's (.143). Historically, we own these guys. But there is the not insignificant matter of Spurrier, who in all likelihood will get the Gamecocks to .500 against the Vols under his reign. Blah, the last thing I need is another team in the SEC I have to worry about us losing to on a regular basis.

And off we go into the games...

The bad: I don't have much to say here. 75% of the losses to SCarolina have happened in my lifetime, but none are particularly poignant. One loss happened when I was 6, and the other two have come in years that the Vols didn't go bowling.

I would probably pick 2005 as the most painful experience with the Gamecocks. We probably should've seen the writing on the wall at 3-3 with losses to our 3 main rivals, but none of the losses had been blowouts and we were still ranked at the fringe of the top 25. I'm sure most of us expected an uptick as we hit the softer part of our schedule. Getting a 4-3 South Carolina team at home should have been the perfect way to kick off our November surge. Somebody didn't get the memo.

An uneven first half saw the Vols up 12-7 before a fumbled punt gave the Vols the ball deep in South Carolina territory near the end of the half. On 3rd and 1 from the 11, Arian Foster surged up the middle and carried the ball effortlessly for 10.999998 yards before having an anaphylactic reaction to the goal line and fumbling at the .000002 yard line. Fair or not, Foster will always be remembered for these ill-timed fumbles. However, the Vols lost this game because of complete and utter ineptitude at quarterback. Ainge was 9-21 for 65 yards while Clausen was 5-11 for 34 yards and an interception that set up USCe's first score. By the time South Carolina hit the game-winning 50-yard FG, it was perhaps finally clear that the 2005 team was no good.

Honorable mentions: Well...there are only 2 other instances and they both got coaches fired. You suck, Gamecocks.

The good: Again, I don't have a whole lot to say here (though I've been reminded that my uncle was born during the 1965 South Carolina game and my grandfather missed the birth to be at the game...perhaps obsessive fandom is genetic). There are neither tales of great wins as a plucky underdog nor hard-fought victories in games with championship implications. There were some fun finishes, though, so I guess I'll go with one of those.

I only remember 2 things from the 2003 game: Demetris Summers ran all over us for the whole game and James Banks caught the winning TD in OT in the North end zone. In 2007, I was attending a friend's dance performance and missed almost the entire game. I tried to surreptitiously update scores on my phone, and was as surprised to see the Vols go up 21-0 as I was to see them fall behind 24-21. I was spared the heart attack of seeing Wilhoit's miss-make and got back to my dorm room just in time to see us win in OT by succeeding where USC had failed (making a field goal).

And that's really all there is to say. I guess going back to an earlier point, if we were to win this year against a heavily-favored South Carolina team, that would be fun/memorable. SO GO WIN!!! No need to wait for Rommel, guys, that's an order!

Honorable mentions: 2000 (Cheese scored with 26 seconds left as we won 17-14), 2001 (we had a dominating 4th quarter drive to win 17-10)

What do you all remember about playing the Gamecocks? Share your memories below!

Alabama, I Don't Like You

VolnVA — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 03:10:20 -0000

As I perused Wes Rucker's Twitter feed earlier this week, I came across this "probably shouldn't have said that" gem from Nick Reveiz: "When I was a kid, I didn’t really realize it was a rivalry, because we just beat Bama every year." As I've previously alluded to, I largely felt this way growing up, too (which might be because I'm only 2 years older than Reveiz). My Dad's displeasure with the 24-19 loss to Alabama in 1991 will forever be burned in my brain (was there a fatal Andy Kelly interception in there?), but by the time I knew what was going on, I didn't have years of baggage associated with the Tide. I was 9 when Peyton Manning found Joey Kent for 80 yards on the first play from scrimmage in '95 and thus spent my formative years watching us beat Bama. It's hard to consider it a rivalry when one team wins all the time.

Sure, Alabama spanked us in 2002, but we returned to our winning ways in 2003 and 2004. As these teams are wont to do, the Vols had gone streaking for 9 out of 10 against the Tide. The tipping point for me was 2005. Not only did we lose in painful fashion, but my ex, an Alabama fan, had the nerve to call me as soon as the game was over and pretend like she just wanted to chat. I was so pissed...and every Alabama fan has been painted with a broad, crimson brush of hate since then. I don't like Alabama. I detest their coach. And I especially loathe that stupid cheer about a newspaper and a bird.

Alabama is distinct from the other opponents I've reminisced about in that there is a long, established history of disdain and respect. This Saturday will mark the 82nd time in 83 years that the Big Orange and the Crimson Tide have met on the gridiron, creating loads of opportunities for highs and lows. Without further ado, here are mine.

The bad: I have little memory of painful losses of yore to Alabama...though I'm pretty sure that somewhere, frozen in time, 7-year-old me is still screaming that David Palmer is going to run for the 2-point conversion (wait...you mean that game didn't happen? Alabama lost? Well in that case, nevermind :P). As an adult, I've had plenty of opportunity to witness the carnage first hand. About this time a year ago, I used a lot of words to describe the pain and horror of being on the top row of Bryant-Denny Stadium, giving up hope, watching some craziness unfold, becoming certain I was about to witness something special, and then disintegrating into a heap of despair at the outcome. It sucked, it was terrible, and I don't care to relive it.

Given that I've already opined on the 2009 game, I'm going to step back to 2007. My girlfriend, a Birmingham native, and I started dating in 2006 and made a pact to go to every Tennessee-Alabama game. In 2006, I should have known we would win when she shrugged off her Alabama upbringing and donned orange. Similarly, 2007 gave plenty of signs to foreshadow the eventual outcome. The game was at 11 am Central, which meant waking up at 6 to drive to Tuscaloosa. Before we got very far down the road, we had to turn around to go back to the house because someone forgot her sunglasses. The car's windshield was so dirty on the inside that the driver attempted to clean it with Windex and a paper towel as we drove. We had to pick up our tickets in the parking lot of a Burger King. It was almost as if the universe was trying to tell me, "THIS GAME WILL BE TERRIBLE!!!"

I should listen when the universe speaks. The seats were good...and that was pretty much the highlight of the day. The Vols fell in a 10-0 hole before bouncing back to take a 14-10 lead. Then, as if they had planned it, John Parker Wilson and DJ Hall started brief, but effective, Heisman campaigns. I just remember becoming increasingly despondent as Wilson and Hall hooked up over and over and over again en route to dominating the rest of the game 31-3 and winning 41-17. We got smoked by a team that was embroiled in a scandal involving textbooks, lost to Louisiana-Monroe (coached by General Yamamoto, if I remember correctly), and ended up 6-6 in the regular season. It was simply horrible and I'm not ashamed to say I left early.

Honorable mentions: 2008 (it's embarrassing to see so much of the wrong color at home), 2005 (Oh, Corey Anderson...)

Good: The Alabama game - along with Georgia and Florida - was always one of those at Neyland where my Mom would pull rank and attend in person, leaving me to watch at home on TV. I actually had a better chance of attending the game when it was played South of the Border, meaning my most noteworthy positive memories come from games I watched in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa.

I don't remember all the details of our trip, but my grandparents, parents, and I rolled down I-75 and I-59 to Birmingham for the game in 1997. There was some uncertainty around who would actually go to the game (I think we were one ticket short), but I ended up inside Legion Field. If you've never been to Legion Field, you've missed quite the spectacle. It probably hasn't been renovated since being built in 1926; it's old, dark, and dank; steel columns can obstruct your view; and it's not in the nicest part of Birmingham. I probably didn't realize it much at the time, but it's sort of a sketchy place to watch a football game. Tennessee falling behind 6-0 early did nothing to improve my opinion of this fine establishment (I somehow blamed my grandmother even though she was the one who had given up her ticket so that I could go...not sure how I rationalized that).

Peyton and Company couldn't be kept down for long, though. I have a vivid memory of a beautiful pass thrown high to the back of the end zone that Jermaine Copeland went up and caught. The Vols stormed back from that early deficit and went on to win convincingly, 38-21. What I remember most about that game, though, is just how enjoyable it was to be able to heckle the home crowd. Poor old Freddie Kichens had a rough outing and we razzed him mercilessly throughout the night. "Freeeeddie, Freeeeeeddie." I was also exposed to the timeless classic "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye!" More than any other, this game showed me how much fun it can be to win on the road.

Honorable mentions: 1996 (Jay Graham's run was AWESOME), 1999 (Tee and the D stomped the Tide in the return to Tuscaloosa), 2003 (I was neither at this game nor got to watch it on TV, but it was still awesome on the CSS replay the next day)

What about you guys? What sticks in your mind from previous encounters with Alabama? Share them below or come find me on Saturday and tell me about it in person :)

Someone else notices that Vandy controls their destiny

VolnVA — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 21:46:31 -0000

Someone else notices that Vandy controls their destiny

"...the Gamecocks and Vanderbilt (2-4) meet Saturday with the winner in control of its destiny in the East. Repeat: Vanderbilt has a chance to control its destiny in the SEC East. Let that sink in, then decide whether you want to laugh or cry."

I, for one, choose to laugh at the gloriousness of your statement, Pat. Bwahahaha!!

Georgia...Ugh

VolnVA — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:32:40 -0000

As I explained when looking at Florida, there is one, primary driver in determining the animosity I feel toward other teams: losing. During my formative years, we didn't do any of that to Georgia...so I didn't feel strongly toward the them. It was just one of those series where you expected something good to happen for the Vols, something terrible to happen to the Bulldogs, and that was that.

Unfortunately for us as fans, that all changed in 2000. We lost to Georgia for the first time since 1988. And then we lost again in particularly terrible fashion. That was followed by another loss...and another one. All of a sudden, we could no longer count on beating up on our neighbors to the South. It was a shock to the system and my view of UGA has been tainted ever since.

Fortunately for the sake of this post...4 straight losses + some difficult relatives = instant rivalry! Put simply: I don't like Georgia at all. I'd put them in my top 3 with Florida and Alabama for most despised teams despite the overall win-loss record in the last 20-ish years. There have been more good moments than bad in my lifetime, but some of the bad ones have been really, really bad. My highest and lowest moments can be found below the jump.

Bad: The 2000 season figured to be something of a transition year for the Vols, and indeed it was. A close win over Southern Miss gave way to the Jabar Gaffney Game. The 70-3 undressing of Louisiana-Monroe was followed by an enthralling, though ultimately disappointing, overtime game in Baton Rouge. As I rolled into Athens for the 3rd straight time, I didn't really know what to expect from the game. It was a chilly night, so we bundled up and hiked to the absolute last row of the stadium. I don't remember too much from the game itself, but the ending is something I'll never forget. As the clock hit 00:00, the fans just poured onto the field. Neither the goalposts nor the hedges made out too well. It was surreal to see that emotional eruption from 90,000 people...in that moment, I had some idea of what it was like to be a Florida fan in Neyland Stadium on September 19, 1998.

Rather than take this loss lying down, though, the 14-year-old me opted to be obnoxious. I chose to hold my head high, shed the jacket to reveal my UT t-shirt, and walk out of Sanford Stadium in a blaze of orange glory. I was razed mercilessly on the way out. I listened to chants of "It's great to be a Georgia Bulldog." I bathed in the cascade of "0 and 3 in the SEC." I didn't care. I just wanted to remind everyone there that our record in the last 11 games against them was 10-1. Why I thought this was a good idea...I still don't know. But I did it and don't regret it.

You would think the loss ended there, right? It didn't. Remember those difficult relatives I alluded to earlier? They weren't about to let it go. On Christmas Day 2000, I sat in my grandparents' living room blissfully unaware of any danger that might be lurking under the tree. Eventually, the time came for me to open the present from my aunt and uncle, the UGA alums. They give solid gifts, so I was excited to see what it would be...at least I was until I saw the wrapping. It was the front page and sports section from the AJC the Sunday after game...I was bombarded once again by images of UGA's first victory in more than a decade. And what do you suppose I found inside the box after disposing of the paper? The Georgia highlight film for the 2000 season complete with Larry Munson's "best" calls. And you wonder why I don't like Georgia.

Honorable mentions: 2001 (I wasn't there, but c'mon, it's the Hobnail Boot), 2003 (I WAS there and Jabari Davis is still on my crap list for this)

Good: While the 1998 season turned out to be special, I'm not sure we knew it yet in the 2nd week of October. Yes, we'd finally beaten Florida, but we hadn't done much otherwise. Donovan McNabb had run all over us, we'd beaten up on a bad Houston team, and we'd almost blown a 17-0 lead against a bad Auburn team that destroyed Jamal Lewis' knee. I didn't expect us to win and neither did Vegas as the Bulldogs were the favorite. Gameday was in town and I remember watching Corso don the bulldog head while grabbing lunch at an Athens eatery. I think the good vibes started at that moment.

I'm sure this can be said of any SEC fanbase when their team is good and they expect to win, but the Georgia fans were particularly riled up and cocky for this game. Even though I was only 12, there were a lot of choice words lobbed in our direction as we entered the stadium. I've never been one for trash talk and have always preferred to let the play do the talking for me. The Vols' defense did a lot of talking in the game. Quincy Carter? Amateur. Champ Bailey? Chump. We absolutely owned the Dawgs on this day, and it was awesome. We started taunting the UGA fans who left at the start of the 4th quarter with us up 22-3. Many UT fans, including my dad and me, made a beeline for the Gameday set once the game ended. "Foooooowleeeeeeer" we chanted. "Wrong again, Corso, wrong again!" we exclaimed. We even bought one of those little cardboard signs with the score of the game so I could rub it in the face of the UGA relatives (ok...maybe I had it coming a little bit). This win is absolutely one of my favorites of all-time.

Honorable mentions: 2007 (pure domination from start to finish on both sides of the ball and maybe the last peak of the Fulmer era), 2009 (I drove home from Richmond on a whim to attend this game, I got my picture taken with Bruce before the game, and Crompdaddy put the icing on the cake), 2004 (only saw it via TV, but it felt good to finally beat them again)

What games stand out in your mind from previous encounters with the Bulldogs? Share them below and let's prepare to send the Dawgs to 1-5. Whoo!

P.S. I wrote this while wearing my UT snuggie. That has to mean good things, right? :)

Opponent Retrospective: LSU

VolnVA — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 02:03:23 -0000

I have a hard time placing LSU. We don't see them every year. I don't have a strong animosity towards them. Their recent success hasn't led their fanbase to become any more boisterous than they already were. That being said, they are responsible for the single most painful loss in my lifetime. I'm sure we can all go back and forth endlessly, but the 2001 SEC Championship Game (which we'll get to in a minute) has to be viewed as the tipping point of the Fulmer Era. Plain and simple, LSU brought our mini-dynasty down. Ugh...

LSU is a long-time SEC compatriot that we haven't played that many times. They weren't in our core rotation pre-expansion, they didn't become one of our permanent West opponents post-expansion, and even the latest reordering of the schedule means we only see them in the regular season twice every five years. In recent times, though, when we do get together...it's entertaining. It's not always pleasant, but it's entertaining.

All time, we are 20-7-3 against the Bayou Bengals. Prior to 2000, though, we were 18-3-3 against LSU...so it's been a rough decade. While I don't expect that to change on Saturday, I like to believe that the cathartic process helps us move past the pain of the past and sets us up for success...so let's get to it.

The bad: 2001...the last time we seriously flirted with a national championship. The Hobnail Boot? Horrible. Winning in the Swamp for the first time in 30 years? Awesome. And there we were, sitting one game away from a trip to Pasadena and the chance to compete for another crown. All we had to do was beat a team we'd already beat in a building that wasn't yet cursed for us. Sounds easy enough, right? And when we got to halftime with a 10-point lead and a laundry list of injured LSU starters, it seemed that the stars were aligned. Unfortunately, games are 60 minutes long instead of 30. I distinctly remember 4 things from the 2nd half of that game.

Matt Mauck...I don't know if he played the half of his life or if we were really that unprepared for the backup quarterback or if it was a combo of the two. But he scrambled successfully over and over again and absolutely killed us.
I think we were down 24-20 at the time and there was a shot of John Henderson storming up and down the sidelines yelling at what appeared to be everybody. I imagine he was telling them that he refused to lose and we'd get a stop and go on to win the game. He was half right.
After said stop, we were driving into LSU territory about to claim our destiny...and Donte Stallworth laid the ball on the carpet. It was completely deflating and we didn't respond as LSU drove for the clinching score.
I had these ridiculous, oversized orange and white slippers that I bought one Christmas at the mall. I wore them around the house constantly and considered them something of a good luck charm. After the game I went upstairs to my room and proceeded to fling them across to the other wall. Have I mentioned that I don't take losing well?

I'm glad that's over with. Honorable mentions to 2006 (at the time, our only loss was by 1 point to eventual champion Florida...plus they ripped our hearts out with 9 seconds left and did some Jedi mind tricks on Crompton such that it took him 3 years to recover) and 2007 (Not Erik Ainge's finest moment).

The good: There's really only one relevant example from my memory and even that is tainted by all the suck that followed it. As I mentioned last week, the 2005 season was off to an uneven start despite our lofty expectations. We'd struggled to get past UAB and turned in a completely underwhelming effort against Florida. In non-football related events, New Orleans was reeling after Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita was putting everybody on edge. Rita precipitated (no pun intended...) a move of the game to Monday night and postponed the release that Louisiana was no doubt craving by that point. They didn't have to wait long. On the game's opening drive, Ainge was sacked, fumbled, and LSU recovered. They proceeded to score on the next play and the stadium went absolutely bonkers...I can only imagine what it was like to be there. The most memorable play from the first half, though, was clearly the one involving Ainge being spun around in the end zone, lobbing an underhanded pass into the arms of a defensive player, that interception being returned for a TD, and Ainge getting a faceful of goalpost for his troubles...solid football, that was. I was especially irritated during this inept first half because either my roommate or myself had managed to badly burn dinner and we spent a lot of time trying to direct smoke out the window. Plus I was supposed to be doing homework but was instead throwing books around the living room. Did I mention that I don't like to lose?

While Ainge attempted to recover his mental faculties, Rick Clausen came into the game. It didn't change much initially, as LSU should've gone into the half up 24-0 if not for blowing clock management at the end...stay classy, Les Miles. I don't really remember much of the comeback except that it seemed like it was done 7 yards at a time. I do remember the missed wheel route to Corey Anderson that would've given us the lead late in the game. I also remember spending a lot of time during one of my classes in the days that followed ignoring the professor and reading somebody's article about how Rick Clausen had a lot of heart and Fulmer was full of it for talking about how he "never doubted" Rick Clausen. Oh well, I guess he got his comeuppance for being phony by having a terrible season. So there! Wait...

Honorable mentions: Umm...2001, take 1 (first game after 9/11, The Future goes crazy, etc)?

What about you guys? What memories do you have of games against LSU? Feel free to share them below.

Opponent Retrospective: UAB

VolnVA — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 02:15:25 -0000

So here I was, all prepared to draw insightful parallels about how our games against UAB have represented the peaks and valleys of our program in the last 10+ years. But then the local sportswriters beat me to that punch. It's like they get paid to think up things like that...who knew.

Unfortunately, I can't even provide meaningful, in-depth comments based on a first-hand experience with UAB. I wasn't at any of the 3 games! And I didn't even get to watch 2 of those 3...so I guess I'm kind of depending on you guys to help me out here.

What do you all remember about UAB?

I've got nothing for the 2008 game. I was probably still upset about the UCLA game (revisit my Pac-10 retrospective for what a wonderful day that was), plus I was having a family reunion of sorts in DC. I didn't watch the game...though I guess it was deceptively positive. And probably hot.

I probably should have known the 2005 game wasn't going to go well. I had, for lack of a better phrase, "thoroughly enjoyed" one of the first Friday nights of sophomore year and was feeling the effects while watching the game on TV. There we were, coming off a solid 2004, ranked in the top 2 or 3 and ready for a big year. Gerald Riggs at RB. Erik Ainge at QB. Jason Allen, Kevin Simon, and Parys Haralson anchoring the defense. It was going to be epic! And yet, from the very beginning...it just wasn't quite right. We struggled immensely against a supposedly inferior team (that ended up having the same record as the Vols) but managed to squeak by. Despite this bad beginning, I fooled myself for the rest of September that this was going to be a good team. It obviously wasn't, and we should've known after the opener against UAB.

The 1998 team...now there was a good team. I'm not sure I fully appreciated what we had a chance to accomplish when we played UAB that November day. I was at a Bearden High School band concert when a murmur started to go through the crowd. Ohio State had lost! We were going to be #1! I'm sure the excitement was even more palpable at the stadium as we went on to beat the Blazers. Though the path was fraught with peril, we had navigated it successfully and reached the top of the heap. We'd have more nervous moments in our quest to stay there through early January, but the UAB win gave us the chance. Those were the days...

Anybody have any vivid memories from attending the games. Feel free to share them below. Let's recapture those positive memories on our way to bludgeoning the Blazers on Saturday!

Opponent Retrospective: Florida

VolnVA — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 02:04:52 -0000

WARNING: I love to ramble and could talk all day about Florida.

Finally! A familiar, formidable foe with whom we have ample - albeit not always pleasant - history.

Our rivalry with Florida is unique in its recent rise to prominence. The Vols and Gators first played each other in 1916 and then helped form a little conference called the SEC in 1933...maybe you've heard of it. Or, if you're a college athletics history buff, maybe you've heard of the earlier conferences Florida and Tennessee were members of, the Southern Conference and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association! No? Didn't know that UT was 2-0 against Florida when both were members of the SIAA? Well...me either. But now we do!

Despite having a history that stretches back almost 100 years, the two teams have played only 39 times. More than 50% of the games have occurred since the series became an annual affair in 1990. Things haven't really gone that well in those two decades, which is one of the key reasons I believe Florida to be our second biggest rival.

WARNING: I love to ramble and could talk all day about Florida.

I am firmly of the opinion that rivalries are subjective; everybody has their own reasons for picking which teams to dislike. Maybe you went to a game and witnessed an awesome moment (for me, Arkansas). Maybe you have some obnoxious family members who enjoy goading you (Georgia). Maybe you feel a little extra animosity toward a former girlfriend's/boyfriend's favorite team (Alabama). My disdain for Florida can be traced to one simple fact: we lose to them a lot, even when we're good.

I feel like I developed as a fan during the Florida generation. I was blissfully unaware of the historical dry spells against Alabama. By the time I was growing up, we tied them in '93, played close in '94, and then started a run of 7 straight in '95. We owned the rest of the East, almost always beat Arkansas (our 2nd permanent opponent from the West at the time), and generally took on the stray challengers from the West. To use Will's oft-quoted stat that highlights our simultaneous awesomeness and futility in the mid-90's...from late October '94 to November '99, we were 1-4 against Florida and 37-0 against the rest of the SEC. It's a truly mind-boggling statistic and something that we probably won't see again. Looking back on it all, I don't think I'd trade '98 for anything...but what if we could've beaten Florida on a regular basis? It's hard to speculate, but I'd be willing to bet we'd have at least 33% more consensus championships and infinity% more Heismans. Stupid, Florida...

So let's get to the games...which ones are most memorable? I'll limit myself to one positive and one negative game with a few honorable mentions. Let's start negative and get it over with.

Though it had ended with tremendous disappointment, the 2001 season gave us reason to be hopeful going in to 2002. We started the season ranked 5th and had creeped up to 4th when the Gators came into town. Florida had already suffered a loss at the hands of the defending champs, Miami (an experience we'd have later in the season), and had slipped to 10th. At home, there was no reason to lose this game. I really only remember 2 things about this game: the rain and the last 5 minutes of the first half. I'd already had the "pleasure" of volunteering outside all morning helping people park cars at the Ronald McDonald House. It rained. I walked over to meet my dad behind the music building. It rained. We got into the stadium. It rained. It was already a miserable day...then the game started. The teams slogged to a scoreless tie late in the 2nd quarter when ~~Sexy Rexie Grossman threw a TD~~ Earnest Graham got in on a questionable 4th down call, 7-0 Gators. On the ensuing drive, we fumbled the snap which the Gators recovered. And then they scored again, 14-0. And then we fumbled again...and they recovered again...and eventually scored again...21-0. And then in an effort to run out the last few seconds of the half...we fumbled again...and they recovered again...and they kicked a FG to go up 24-0 at the half. 5 minutes. 24 points. Eleventybillion fumbles. It was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad game.

Honorable mentions: 2000 (Jabar Gaffney DID NOT CATCH THE BALL!!! IT HAPPENED RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!! Also, at the age of 14, this was the first loss I witnessed in person...a very special brand of torture) and 2007 (embarrassing)

For my positive memory, I'm going to go a bit outside the box and pick 2004 instead of 1998. This was my first game since leaving for college, and after suffering through one sad contest in Nashville...I was desperately ready to go back to real football. It was an entertaining back and forth affair between two rather young teams. Ainge had played well all night, matching Chris Leak throw for throw (with that absolute beauty right over the outstretched defender to Bret Smith for a TD). In spite of that, a busted coverage put us behind 28-21 in the 4th quarter. No worries, freshman Erik Ainge is on the scene. 80-yard drive in the 4th quarter down 7 against one of your biggest rivals? Convert a 3rd and 9, 4th and 6, and 3rd and 8 to pull within 1? Yeah, sure, no problem. And then...disaster. James Wilhoit pushed the extra point to the right. Florida still led 28-27 and I couldn't believe that was how we were going to lose the game. An extra freakin' point?! AAAHHH!!! But then one defensive stand, one questionable personal foul, and one punt later...there we were with a chance to win the game. And Erik Ainge put us in position, giving Wilhoit an opportunity to go from goat to hero. And man...the eruption in that stadium, the elation I felt, running back to the car, staying up late to watch the highlights, having to take a drive with my dad at 2 in the morning because we were both too wound up to sleep...moments like that are what make Tennessee football incredible.

Honorable mentions: 1998 (Al Wilson + Deon Grant + Cooper Collins = sweetness) and 2001 (Possibly the best game I've ever watched, but it gets eclipsed by games seen in person)

What memories do you all have of playing Florida, both good and bad? Let's exorcise the demons and get ready to sing Rocky Top all night long!

Opponent Retrospective: Oregon

VolnVA — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:28:10 -0000

Of Hamilton's many sins as AD, foremost among them for me is that he had the nerve to schedule back-to-back opponents that we have no history with. How am I suppose to relive past glories and pains when they don't exist?! Thanks a lot, Mike! Real considerate!

So, for the second straight week, that leaves me searching for alternative methods of transportation down memory lane. Last week we explored the "season opener/overmatched opponent" angle for UTM. For Oregon, I've eschewed the "hideous uniform/avian mascot" approach in favor of the "other Pac-10 teams" approach. It seems appropriate given that we've played quite a few teams from the Left Coast over the years.

Read on! Be prepared to laugh, cry, swear, throw things, sigh dramatically, or maybe even learn something as we revisit memorable moments against previous games against Pac-10 teams.

As we prepare to look back, let's start with a quick history lesson. Given that we've never faced the Ducks, which of the fearsome feline, canine, ursine, castorine, ~~Roman~~ Homeric epic character, satanic, or cypress-mascotted teams have we played? A quick review of historical scores reveals the following records against current Pac-10 teams:

UCLA: 7-6-2
Washington State: 4-1-0
Cal:2-2-0
USCw: 0-4-0
Oregon State: 1-0-1
Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Stanford, Washington: 0-0-0

So that's 30 games total - half of them against UCLA - with an overall record of 14-13-3. If nothing else, at least we will still be at .500 or better when the weekend is over. Yay mediocrity! In my memory (a.k.a. the last 20 years) we've played 6 games against UCLA, 2 against Cal, and 1 against Washington State. I have no recollection of most of those UCLA games, but I have distinct memories from the remaining games.

Let's start with 1994. I was just beginning to come into my own as a fan at the age of 8 and gain an appreciation for football. I'd been to a few games in person, watched a bunch on TV, and played an inestimable number in the hallway where I was every player on the team (the Vols always emerged victorious in this setting). I knew what was up.

I remember seeing a preview magazine for the '94 season with Jerry Colquitt on the cover that said something to the effect of, "It's his turn now." We were a top 15-ish team going into the opener at the Rose Bowl with Jerry Colquitt at the helm...I believe his reign lasted 7 plays until he went hobbling off the field with a torn ACL. That of course gave way to seeing Todd Helton, Peyton, and Branndon Stewart all play QB in the game. I don't remember how exactly it went down, but a valiant comeback effort fell short and we lost the game 25-23.

A few weeks later, we played Washington State at home on a gray, dismal day. I was in attendance that day and we squeaked by 10-9 with the only touchdown being scored on a long end around. The rest of the game must have been pretty dull because I remember spending the entire second half rolling up one of those thin, paper streamers that somebody had tossed from high in the North end zone. After spending the better part of an hour putting it back together, somehow it was not as satisfying as I had anticipated when I threw it at the end of the game...

As I said, I don't remember the '96 and '97 matchups against UCLA, which brings us to the late 2000's. I won't linger on these games as they weren't that long ago and I assume there are better stories from people who might have attended the games. Here are some brief synopses. Cal '06: Robert Meachem is better than you. Cal '07: DeSean Jackson is better than us. UCLA '08: I'd spent Labor Day weekend at a wedding in Alabama, then had to cancel a flight and flee a hurricane so my girlfriend could be in Virginia for her first day of teaching, then got a speeding ticket at mile 698 of a 700-mile drive, then had Daniel Lincoln provide the perfect ending to my day...but at least I'm not bitter. UCLA '09: InCrompetence + unimaginative play-calling = ugh.

So there ya have it...a little history and sentimentality regarding the Pac-10. I'm jealous that I can't be there in person on Saturday night to create the next chapter, but I'll have an adult beverage and do my best to affect the game from here.

Opponent Retrospective: UT-Martin

VolnVA — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:57:13 -0000

So I had this idea to do a little write up on each of our opponents focusing on my most poignant memories of the encounters that have happened over the last 20-ish years. I'm a rather sentimental person by nature, and I enjoy reliving memories...both the fond ones and the painful ones. I also like hearing other perspectives on the same event, so this seemed like a great idea.

Of course...the best laid plans often go awry, so here we are looking at consecutive weeks of playing opponents with which we have no prior history. I'll try to switch it up a bit these next two weeks in hopes that we can still take some sort of journey down memory lane. For the game against UT-Martin, there are two possible approaches: season/home opener and inferior opponent.

The season/home opener is special to a lot of people for a lot of reasons. It's the culmination of 8 months of making mountains out of recruiting molehills, overanalyzing coachspeak for hints on the progress of players, and rationalizing why this year is going to be the one. Once that first game comes, it's not about that fluffy stuff anymore. It's about what we can see in front of us with our own eyes. It's about giving us something to talk about that isn't wild speculation. It's about quantifiable results. It's about checkerboards, rivalries, and pageantry. In short, it's about awesomeness.

So, with awesomeness already on the table, is there anything that could make the first game more meaningful? For me, the answer is yes. As I was growing up, the first game in Neyland always seemed more significant for one reason: I never got to go. My family had two tickets and they always went to my Dad and somebody else. My mother got more gracious as time went by, but she was always adamant about going to the opener and leaving me at home (with two exceptions: Fresno State '03 and Florida '98...I should probably thank my lucky stars that I was at the latter and let go of any lingering bitterness :P).

When my parents loaded up and went to the game, I always had a ritual involving hanging out with family friends, drinking Sprite, eating Ruffles and french onion dip, and cooking burgers on the grill. There are certainly worse ways to watch a game, but I was always painfully aware of the fact that I wasn't there in person. If I dig through the pouting, there are certain openers that stick out in my mind even though I was only watching them on TV. UNLV in '96, Texas Tech in '97, Syracuse in '01. For whatever reason, those are the 3 games that I can recall where the season got off to a bright start with us rolling over our opponent on the way to a successful campaign. The seasons where we didn't end up doing so well...somehow I don't seem to have any memories of those...weird.

So...I only have powerful memories of the games where we annihilated somebody. I've got my fingers crossed while rubbing the rabbit's foot and knocking on wood as I say this...but hopefully, that's what we'll be doing on Saturday night. All of that got me thinking about the other possible approach to the UT-Martin game, which is looking back on opponents that just did not belong in the same stadium as us (props to one James Howell for the historical scores). The best/worst game I went to in this respect had to be Louisiana-Monroe in 2000...70-3 is both awesome and terrible to watch at the same time. I have this image (whether it actually happened or I just made it up...who knows) of UT shanking a punt from deep in their own territory that ended up in the hedges setting up ULM's field goal...poor Louisiana "formerly known by a cardinal direction" school. My Dad insists that Pacific in 1990 (the game that blew up Chuck Webb's knee) was the most overmatched opponent he saw despite "only" losing by 48.

And there you have it...my random musings on the first game. Have your own memories to share? Comment away!

P.S. Happy College Football Day to everybody. Thank goodness college sports are back in our lives for the next 7 months!

50 Most Painful Outcomes in College Football History

VolnVA — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:22:52 -0000

50 Most Painful Outcomes in College Football History

A recent favorite of ours checks in at #41. Here's to hoping it's our only appearance on the list.

Colorado leaves the Big 12 for the Pac-10

VolnVA — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:45:39 -0000

Colorado leaves the Big 12 for the Pac-10

And so the first domino falls. I'm guessing it's about to get crazy up in here.

NCAA Armageddon avoided for now

VolnVA — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 17:41:48 -0000

NCAA Armageddon avoided for now

A 68-team tournament is certainly more palatable than a 96-team tournament, no?