Young Vols Deserve A Break and Cigar
Tennessee’s young Vols deserve a break. You can not deny that this team is playing hard, and giving everything they have on every play. It is time for something to go their way in an SEC game. Unfortunately, Alabama is not in a very giving mood.
Tennessee will take on Alabama this Saturday inside Neyland Stadium at 7:30 Eastern. The Vols and Tide have met 95 times before. Alabama holds the edge at 50-38-7 in a series that has been streaky throughout history. There have been streaks on Bama’s side of 11 in a row, followed by 7 in a row by the Vols.
The Tide has a 7 game winning streak going now, and will be heavily favored to make it 8 in a row. The Tide is a 16.5 point favorite as of today. In Nick Saban’s debut against the Vols as Head Coach at Alabama in 2007, he began the game with a successful onside kick against the then Phil Fulmer led Vols. Bama has won every game since. The series has been one long “onside kick” for the Vols since 2007.
Fulmer owned the Tide in his time as head coach going 12-5. Tennessee had lost 11 in a row prior to Fulmer taking over, and of course prior to recruiting a young man named Peyton Manning.
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Ironically it was present Alabama’s Offensive Coordinator Lane Kiffin that gave Tennessee its’ best chance of beating the Tide in recent years. The Vols were tremendously outmatched that day at Alabama but took Bama to the wire. Tennessee had the game winning field goal with time expiring, but it was blocked. Tennessee hasn’t been close since.
The Vols are working hard. They are simply over-matched up front on the offensive line in SEC play. They did not return a single starter up front, and years of recruiting neglect by the hire of Kiffin and Derek Dooley left the cupboard bare. These guys are giving their absolute best, believe me. It is just not good enough.
Butch said in his press conference that “when you end up on the short end, things get magnified”. He said ” I believe if you continue to work hard and invest in winning on the field and in life that ball will bounce in your arms”. “Football is like life, only sped up”.
Tennessee fans see and appreciate the effort given by this staff and by these players. Are there grumblings? Sure. It comes with the territory. Vol fans are frustrated. It is not Butch Jones and the current players fault, nor who we are frustrated with. The fall from being the team of the 90’s and early 2000’s to the bottom of the SEC East has been unbearable for most of us. Butch has given us hope, but we are an impatient society. Well, here’s a news flash. We need to be patient.
Butch Jones has made a tremendous jump at Tennessee. The recruiting is evident. Team Speed is so different that it does not even look like the same team that Auburn carved up at Neyland last year. We couldn’t run with anyone. Now, we can stand toe to toe defensively with any offense; for a while. Then depth takes over. The offense can’t stay on the field, and the Vols tire in the second half.
Butch has another tremendous class coming to Tennessee next year. You will see even more improvement at that point. Will that help Saturday? No, it won’t. But it will help 12 months from now, and 24 months from now, and 36 months from now.
As fans we we would love to see these guys get to smoke the “Victory Cigar” that is given to the players from whichever team wins this rivalry game on Saturday. We want one ourselves this year, not next year. As much as we want it, the players want it more.
The players on this team have put in countless hours to get faster, stronger, and better. The staff has watched film over and over. They are doing everything they can to win Saturday for themselves, the Alumni, the fans and for the State Of Tennessee.
It would be beautiful to see Saban and Kiffin disappointed. I doubt that is going to happen. Let’s hope what Butch says about the “ball bouncing in our arms” happens Saturday. This team deserves a break, and so do the fans. Whatever happens, remember that these guys are giving everything they have for you.