The Kentucky Loss Upon Reflection

Discussion in 'Vols Football' started by volfanjo, Nov 30, 2011.

  1. volfanjo

    volfanjo Chieftain

    Academics refer to "critical junctures" in history. It is a fancy way of saying there are certain moments in time that totally change the path we are on. For you military historians, think about Waterloo, Gettysburg, or Yorktown. For those religious scholars out there, imagine the Road to Damascus, the Council of Trent, or the Ninety-Five Theses. Saturday's loss to Kentucky was such a moment. Like the critical junctures above it brought forth the logical concerns we have about something, in this case football: where are we headed, how can we score, do we have enough speed, or enough size, can the head coach control his players, and so on. But it also deals with something that is incredibly emotional to us, losing to Kentucky.

    Let's face it. It was the last thing we had left. That record. That streak. That great annoyance to UK fans. Losing to Kentucky, whether we knew before hand or not, was the unpardonable crime. Most of the board were not even alive for the last Kentucky victory. Others like me where alive but didn't know any better. And those that actually remember 1984 had been given comfort in each successive Kentucky loss, 26 all told. The loss didn't just mean no bowl; it symbolized the total and utter collapse of the program we had built up in our minds. Fulmer's final straw -- according to many in the know -- was the 30-40,000 Alabama fans that took over Neyland Stadium that fateful October night in 2008. Lose to Alabama fine, but don't allow them to desecrate holy ground. The 40,000 Crimson Tide fans were a symbol of all that was lost. The Kentucky loss -- and the fans that rushed the field -- resonated the same way, a symbol of rock bottom.

    The ongoing flaming of the Dooley regime has been curious to observe. It is now on Day 5. Part of the momentum of the movement is the unknown... who is getting fired, who is staying, what does Hart think, etc. And for others, I suspect they see the Kentucky loss as the best evidence to rally troops to their side, beseeching them to abandon ship now rather than later. But the Kentucky loss was so devastating because it obliterated the last thing we knew about our program... that it would forever beat Kentucky. The critical juncture for this program is whether it will be able to regain the identity of the football team that has been for its history in the national conversation. And that's what we are really after in all of this... not just wins and losses, but an identity, a sense of purpose, and an understanding of who we are and who we want to become again.
     
    1 person likes this.
  2. tidwell

    tidwell Chieftain

    Good read. Blog-worthy.
     
  3. TennTradition

    TennTradition Super Moderator

    Excellent.
     
  4. IP

    IP Super Moderator

    Mind if I bump your post into a blog?
     

Share This Page