Norris, it is up to the players to take ownership. The coaches are a very limited resource. These guys have talent to win the east, if they can carry the coaches in regards to mental toughness, focus, and knowing when to ignore them. Looking at you, Mahoney.
So tired of trying to guess the Florida game. It's time shoot the monkey and move on. I want to be able to take shot at the locals. Oh lord help me please.
I hope that the GoGaytah have blood and spinal fluid weeping from their earholes midway through the opening drive. But I have a nagging suspicion that this team is soft, both physically and mentally, that the fans are tenuously hopeful at best (knowing that we've really only played one legit game against a truly mediocre VT team, almost lost what should have been a laugher, and were somewhat exposed by each), and wonder what happens to each if GoGaytah jumps on them early. I wonder if the bubble of hope pops, for the teams and fans, and the air of our enthusiasm comes exploding out, escaping into nothingness. I damned sure don't hope for it, but I have seen it happen before, and against Florida at home, in 1995. I came home on leave to watch Peyton play Florida in 1995, and Neyland was absolutely rocking. Crazy shit. One of only two games where I literally saw people scaling fences to sneak into the game (the other was Auburn in '85). If you want to know how long ago that was, what a different world it was and where our confidence was way back then, as the random dude who's seat just happened to be right beside my scalped seat were talking just prior to kickoff, #WGWTFA and whatnot, he sneakily lifted his leg and pointed under his seat with a wink and a smirk (which may be a different kind of signal, altogether, nowadays). When I looked down, I saw a broken down hacksaw and blade lying on ground beneath his seat. I guess the puzzled look on my face prompted him to explain that he had honest-to-God snuck both pieces into the stadium by putting them in the waistband of his pants and under his jacket (it had been raining all morning) - and for the explicit purpose of his intending to use it to cut off a piece of the goalposts which were certain to come down, once we beat Florida. That's how confident that guy, and really all of us (I not only took leave from the Navy to attend, but believe I paid $300 for my ticket, IIRC....no small amount on an E-5 salary), were - and that's as we were on the skyrocketing uptick, before we had been saddled with a decade of unmitigated ineptitude and on every conceivable level of the program. How legit confident would you have to be to not only think about bringing in a hacksaw to chop your own piece off of the presumptively victorious goalpost, but to actually do it? Today, you'd likely end up in GITMO for doing that. I'm old as shit, for sure. But you get the idea as to the level of confidence and atmosphere, I would hope. Florida comes out and starts on offense. They proceed to march right down the field, covering 50 yards or so, and had it 1st and 10 on our 32(ish). I was sitting in that endzone, and they were coming right at me. The defense bowed it's neck, got a sack, two big pressures to force incomplete passes (IIRC) and it's suddenly 4th and 11. Spurrier pulls his offense off the field and the GoGaytah punt unit trots out - I believe the punter is even lined up, doing those pre-kick things to limber up the leg. Neyland is physically shaking beneath me. Bedlam has erupted. Widespread and unbridled jubilance reigns. I honestly don't recall if Spurrier called a timeout, or there was a tv timeout (I believe it was the latter) - but next thing I know, Spurrier pulls the punt unit out and sends the offense back in. If the crowd was at a 10, this cranked it up to 15. What kind of idiot is going to go for it on 4th and 11? Well, Spurrier, that's who. The place is so loud that I couldn't hear my (then) brother-in-law speaking to me, sitting only 6" away. Florida lines up, Wuerffel drops back, and throws a perfect ball to Riedell Anthony on a deep post, hitting him in stride and two yards deep in the endzone. Touchdown GoGaytah. To say that the stadium deflated is to suggest that the Hindenburg needed a larger non-smoking section. Tennessee went on to lose by something respectable, maybe 6 or so points, but had they called the game after that first TD pass, no one would have argued. It was ballgame. Checkmate. See you later, AlliGoGaytah. And that was an emotionally charged crowd, damned near the apex of our program's history, and it just popped and evaporated. Likely, it's some form of wussified PTSD, but I always secretly fear our doing the exact same thing, and every time we play Florida at home. I am well aware that this year's game has nothing to do with that one, or any others, and will be decided on its own merits, by entirely different players.....but many of the same fans, some with long memories, will also be sitting there, too, and they may be wondering (worrying?) about the same. Just an old man, remembering and re-telling a story. My bad if I tamped anyone's enthusiasm, as it wasn't my intent, at all, and will love to see the exact opposite this year, and every year hereafter. But, for the sadists amongst us: [youtube]VJf6XhXrQT0[/youtube]
Because in the past they've so clearly showed that when both teams are given time to prepare a play, Tennessee's defense will come out on top. Just look at that awesome timeout we called when it was fourth and 300 against Florida.
