As a Tennessee fan, I enjoy beating Florida, Georgia, Vanderbilt and just about any other SEC opponent.
But deep down, there's a special place in your heart wants to beat Alabama.
Add in the drama of the Crimson Tide being number one and that we could be a significant road bump to their season and I wanted to beat them badly.
And yesterday, I couldn't have been prouder of the Vols--well, except in one small area.
Special teams.
It could have bit us against Georgia but the inability of Georgia to make in-game corrections helped the Vols out two weeks ago.
It bit us yesterday with kicker Daniel "I can't make a field goal" Lincoln leaving 12 point on the field. I don't know who our next best option is, but we've got to start looking into it. Maybe some guy on the soccer team could do better. Because every time the pressure is on Lincoln lately, he seems to come up short. Very short. To have two kicks blocked like that is unacceptable. Kiffin should have revoked his scholarship immediately.
Because the Vols were dominating the second half. We stifled Alabama on defense and made some good plays on offense. If only we could have punched in a couple of those drives for TDs, we might have pulled off the biggest upset of the year. Instead, it's a close defeat in this long rivalry in which it doesn't matter the record. You throw all that out when the Vols and Bama collide.
On a positive note, I am encouraged to see how the team is progressing and I think we've got a chance in all of our games down the stretch. So long as we don't lose focus. This is one of those losses that the team can rally around and say, we should have won it and if we put forth this level of effort in all our upcoming games, we've got a shot. Or it could be one that has a carryover into some upcoming games and sees us lose one or two that maybe we shouldn't (Kentucky or Vanderbilt for example).
I'm tired of moral victories against Bama and Florida. Next year it's time to turn the corner and start getting some w's.
Labels: tennessee football
posted by Michael Hickerson at 10/25/2009 06:33:00 AM |
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