September, 2007

I realize I'm late getting this posted. It's taken me two days to find the imposter who commandeered my blog and said the Vols were likely to beat Florida. Let's just say, we won't hear from that person again.
Saturday was brutal.

Selfishly, the only good thing I can say about the Vols 39-point loss is that I wasn't there. I've been in Gainesivlle for a few miserable games, and, in fairness to UT's coaching staff, I've been there for a few thrilling wins (December 1, 2001 was one of the most memorable).

Recent history hasn't been bad. With wins in 2001 and 2003, the Vols head to once dreaded Gainesville with a relatively optimistic track record. Yes, Tennessee lost in '05-- but in reality they beat themselves. Turnovers, including a botched fake punt that didn't have the coaches approval, hurt the Vols more than anything Florida did.

Will the Vols win?

So you want something to feel good about after getting whacked by Cal? Consider this. The Bears lost their season opener last year (in Knoxville) and still won 10 games. The Vols could do it, but not with the defense on display in Berkeley.

The Vols visited Memorial Stadium today for a short practice session. Friday walk-thru's are usually uneventful, but today's session allowed the players and coaches to get a feel for what it will be like Saturday night. The stadium is two-years older than Neyland, built in 1923. It shows its age. Build in the classic early (20th) century single level bowl shape-- Memorial Stadium has a few unique features. Most notably, I have been told there's an earthquake fault-line that runs through it. Nobody seems too concerned.