Hungover in Knoxvlle - Tennessee Falls to Alabama 70-67

Excruciating. That's the word I would use to best describe today's 70-67 loss to Alabama. The three point prayer by Anthony Brock at the buzzer spoiled the Vols chances for 20 regular season wins.

From the beginning, the the body language of both our players and fans was horrible. Everyone in the arena behaved as if they were suffering from a hangover. And the students were apparently still sleeping theirs off. The student section behind the basket was practically empty.

With about ten minutes to go in the first half, Wayne Chism motioned and pleaded to the students to get up and get loud. The response? About five of them stood up and clapped. It's a pretty sad state of affairs when the mascot game of musical chairs and the kiss cam get more of a reaction than the basketball game.

As for the players, it was glaringly obvious they didn't bring the same level of intensity they showed the last two road games. With the exception of a couple stretches in the second half, they played uninspired basketball .

The bottom line is fans didn't create a hostile environment and the Alabama players wanted this game more than the Tennessee players. The Crimson Tide deserved to win.

On the positive side, I give props to the person that came up with the idea to honor Ryan Childress. During warm-ups, the players all wore shirts that stated: "Childress #34 Senior".

The other positive was Wayne Chism. I thought he was the only player that played with any passion and energy. His outside shooting and defense ignited the run that erased a double-digit Alabama lead.

I'll close with this thought: can we please stop talking about Anthony Brock and his "great story" now? I mean, he missed his flight and drove from Arkansas. Good for him. But it's not like he walked... barefoot... uphill the entire way. The media is always looking for an angle.

What other bloggers had to say:

• 3sib is the only other Vol blog I could find that already had some post game commentary -- Sleep Walking
• Chris Rich at FanHouse says the Vols are a team without a clue.
  

If You Take Me Back I Promise I Will Change -- and This Time I Really Mean It

As it turns out, even though I've only made a few posts here, this blog is like the steady girlfriend that I keep leaving behind and yet she keeps taking me back. Recently, I've spent time chasing other hot blogs around the internet. Some lasted and some didn't. Some were fulfilling for short time and some weren't. Yet here I am, back at The Vol Critic after an absence of nearly a year.

So why didn't I just start a new blog? I could have done that, but it's too much work. I tend to spend enormous amounts of time preparing for new things instead of just doing them. No, what I need is to log more time hammering on the keyboard -- not more time trying to pick out themes and tweak css files. I spend enough time doing that for some of my other interests.

So, here I am, but why? This blog always remains in the back of my mind for some reason. I seem to be drawn to it. Hopefully this time I can make a commitment and not walk out on her. (Is it weird that I keep referring to this blog as "her"?)

Any questions? Now that we have that reintroduction (sort of) out of the way, let's get to it.

There's a lot on the docket right now in the world of Tennessee sports. The football team begins Spring practice on Tuesday and there's going to a ton of material to get through in the next few weeks. It's likely going to be a media circus with Kiffin and company -- new coaches, a new class of players, new offensive and defensive schemes, full media access, and even a practice open to the fans. It's certainly going to be a lot different that any Spring we've had around Tennessee in quite some time. Buckle your seat belts and hold on.

But for now, I want to stick with basketball.

Less than two weeks ago, the Vols basketball team suffered an embarrassing loss to the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington by 19 points. To make matters worse, that loss was on the heels of a 16-point drubbing at the hands of Ole Miss in Oxford. Fans were questioning the heart, drive, and overall talent of this basketball team. Even our fearless leader, who could do no wrong the past three seasons, was suddenly under attack.

After that Kentucky loss, Pearl called out his players. He said they quit and weren't representative of a "Bruce Pearl coached team". Pearl also called out himself and his coaching staff. With NCAA Tournament hopes dwindling, the Bruce Pearl era had hit its low point and bandwagon fans were jumping ship.

The following game, Tennessee returned home to try and get well against Mississippi State. The Vols won the game, 81-76, but weren't overly impressive in victory. Nevertheless, this team needed wins on their resume, and they got a crucial one against the Bulldogs.

But 17 wins wasn't going to be enough to get this basketball team into the Big Dance. Most analysts believe that with 18 wins, Tennessee would be a bubble team. However, with 19 wins, they would be a lock. The good news: the Vols could hit that mark by winning two of their final regular season games. The bad news: two of the remaining three games were road games against teams that were also battling for their tournament lives -- Florida and South Carolina.

Fast forward to the high point. Tennessee dismantled Florida in Gainesville 79-74, in a game that was not nearly as close as the score, and just days later, with the SEC Eastern Division title on the line, Bruce Pearl and company destroyed South Carolina by 17 in Columbia. With the wins, the Vols locked up a No. 1 Seed in the SEC Tournament.

Currently Tennessee stands with 19 wins and will have a chance to earn number 20 later today against Alabama.

All aboard! Fans are now knocking each other down to climb back on the bandwagon. This time, more fanatical than ever. The talks are now of a conference tournament championship and a possible appearance in the Elite 8. All of this from a team that fans had written off just a couple weeks ago. Makes you understand why fan is short for fanatical, doesn't it?

Don't expect much from the Orange and White Game

It's only 3 1/2 months into the season before I managed to post my first blog of the year! I'm going to have to really step it up if I hope to improve on the amazing 12 posts I made here in 2007. What? Easy now, like you did any better. How many posts did you end up with on that gay gardening blog of yours? Yeah, that's what I thought.

On to football. If you consider yourself a Tennessee fan I'm sure you realize that the Orange and White game is later today. That's right, it's time for the annual scrimmage that puts an end to spring practice and begins the long summer countdown until fall practice. It gives us something to remember, something to chew on, and ideally some hope for the upcoming season.

Too bad the game is typically crap. It will probably go something like this. The game will start out with a series of scripted plays that lead the starting offense in a long drive down the field resulting in a touchdown. 'Crompton really is ready' we'll say. We will see Arian Foster have a couple of nice runs. 'He really is going to be the all time leading rusher at Tennessee.' A couple receivers make big catches, 'what a deep group of receivers we're going to have'. Just when we are getting comfortable in our seats and getting excited about Dave Clawson's new offense, out go the starters and in come the scrubs.

You say I'm exaggerating? Think back to last year's game. Do you remember the great performances? Roy Olasimbo ran for over 100 yards, Brett Barnes led the defense with 13 tackles, and Tyler Wolf made the play of the day when he returned an interception 73 yards for a touchdown.

This is not a new phenomenon. I could go back several years and recap the great Orange and White game performance of [insert walk on name here], but I won't bore you.

I understand the logic here. Fulmer doesn't want to give away his hand and he surely doesn't want to risk an injury to a potential starter. It's best to take the conservative approach and play it safe. There is no need to take unnecessary chances and that's fine. Let's just not make this game out to be more than it is: a chance to watch the 3+ stringers get their day in the spotlight.

Look, I'm a big fan of the spring game. I believe it's a lot of fun for the kids. What kid wouldn't enjoy coming out three hours early to get autographs of Tennessee players he's never heard of. Or better yet, what kid wouldn't like to stand in line for an hour and a half to try to get up to the "superstar" table only to run out of time and have to leave empty handed along with the other 70% of fans who wasted their day standing in that line.

Lastly, don't forget to head over to UT Vols Football and send in a write-in vote for The Vol Critic. If I win, I promise to make at least 15 posts this year. Think about it.

The Pac 10 Still Sucks

I don't know which is worse that guys goofy grin, queer hat or the ASU defense. I think Texas just scored again.

Gators or sheep?

The guys from Orange and Blue Hue did their 'unbiased' bowl previews. In making their final prediction for the Outback Bowl, these guys take into consideration Tennessee's last bowl game when PSU 'punched them in the mouth'. If by 'punched in the mouth' they mean 'gave the game away to a less talented team' then I would agree. But I don't suppose they actually watched the game. The Vols were clearly the better team but turnovers kill.

Throw in some insults: rogue program, bad publicity, phat Phil (people do realize that phat and fat don't mean the same thing right? I suppose they think it's funny on some level). In the end, their pick: Wisconsin 35 Tennessee 10.

I'm not going to argue the outcome, since Tennessee does have so many distractions right now, who knows what might happen. Regardless, it's clear this was just an opportunity to throw in a few cheap shots and wish for a Vols loss. Florida fans are still bitter about losing the East and not making it to Atlanta. I know, I know, they beat us...but still.

Oh, their prediction for the Gators? 49-17.

Sheep.

Um Yeah, It Isn't a Half Day or Anything

Damn, that was one helluva nap. After watching that Bama game, I decided I was going to uber nap until Christmas. What about my job? Nah, I decided I'm not gonna go anymore.

Talk about morning breath. Not to mention I've got the munchies and the phrase 'piss like a race horse' has new meaning to me. Ah, I digress.

Anyway, I see that our Vols made quite the run in the second half of the season making it all the way to Atlanta. Well, at least until that pansy Ainge effed it all up. If I had a rubber hose I would beat him into a .... ah nevermind. That's water under the bridge, water under the bridge. That's what my counselor always tells me.

So after catching up on the last two plus months of news. Here is what's on my mind: secrecy. That's right, secrecy.

Why does our athletic director insist on letting our football program operate in the darkness of the night? We all know that Fulmer doesn't allow media folk to attend practice (don't get me started). Now, with still no formal announcement from the program, we get confirmation from two potential recruits that assistant coaches Matt Luke and Kurt Roper will be leaving Tennessee and heading to Duke with Coach Cut.

I guess that the fans and boosters don't deserve any better than this? Don't get me wrong, I'm not unhappy about the turn of events. I think all three were pretty damn worthless. I'd just like someone to look me in the eye from time to time and tell me what the hell is going on.

I think I'm going to start calling Cutcliffe, Coach Cult. Who else could blindly lead two men to an obvious dead end job. All three will be unemployed in 3 years, 4 tops. I know Cult doesn't care, he's old as dirt anyway but Roper and Luke.... good luck with that.

I Hate the Alabama Crimson Tide

If you are a Tennessee fan, you've got to check out the I Hate the Alabama Crimson Tide post over at VolNation.com. It's priceless. They have some good video of the 82 Tennessee Bama game as well.

The SEC Power Poll is out at Garnet And Black Attack. LSU is no surprise at #1 but who could have guessed that South Carolina and Kentucky could be #2 and #3 respectively in anyone's power poll at this point in the season. I think they have Auburn a little overrated considering the pathetic performance they showed at Arkansas but the SEC is so up and down from week to week, who knows.

Roll Bama Roll has a piece giving props to a Vol fan they actually like. Of course they don't hesitate to to take a few jabs at our coaching staff in the process. You know, the usual fat jokes. Yawn.

I haven't run across too many Bama blogs that are focusing on the upcoming game as of yet. Most seem to still be focusing on analyzing the outcome of their squeaker against Ole Miss. Of course the Bama fans think justice was served and they were merely the better team but Loser with Socks thinks the Bammeroids got a break. Regardless, I think it's offical that Ole Miss has turned into the Vandy of the West under Coach-O. Even worse.

How bad is Georgia and how awful is FSU? Both of those teams are horrid this year and they both beat Bama.

I did find a Tennessee Week post at Tide Druid who posts a video of Bama students coming out of the closet. You'll see what I mean.

It's not Bama related but how long has it been since you've seen a quote like this about a Tennessee offensive line? --"Basically, that big offensive line just laid heavy on us and just wore us down," Croom said after Saturday's game. "That’s the bottom line."

Oh, by the way, Todd Helton and the Rockies just swept the hapless Diamondbacks and are headed to the World Series. How hot are they? They've won 21 of their last 22. Unreal. At least now I have somewhat of a reason to watch baseball. Think we'll see any Todd Helton Tennessee football trivia during the series?

Vols rush for 211 in victory over MSU

Quick points on today's victory:

• To me, 211 was the key stat in today's win over the Bulldogs. For the second week in a row, Tennessee's running game had a renewed vigor and was able to successfully run the football. Foster averaged a hefty 6.6 yards per carry and Hardesty managed 4.9 per attempt.
  
• The defense missed some key tackles early, reminding me of how they played in our first two losses. Fortunately, they were able to pull it together.
  
• Jonathan Heffney had one really nice punt return but for whatever reason, he still doesn't look like his old self in my opinion.
  
• Ainge played well but made a couple of bad decisions with the football. Luckily it didn't hurt us. MSU put more pressure on him than I thought they would.
  
• Lucas Taylor is catching everything and has stepped up and become the leader of that receiving corps. His 186 yards and one touchdown today was impressive.
  
• It was nice to see Daniel Lincoln bounce back and not be affected by his first missed field goal of the season.
• Chris Brown is instrumental to this team in several ways.
• It surely didn't seem that we were only 30 yards shy of 500 total yards on offense. Wow!
• Erik Ainge wasn't sacked.... again. The total still sits at one for the season.
  
• Fulmer is 13-1 against teams from the state of Mississippi. Do you remember the loss?
• Attendance seemed louder than 50,217.

In honor of LSU and Kentucky

The Bluegrass miracle.



My favorite part? The Kentucky fans who ran onto the field and suddenly wondered why the LSU fans were cheering. Their look of utter disbelief is priceless.

*Updated. What a great game that was today. I kept thinking that the Cats would collapse at some point down the stretch. It's amazing that they were able to pull it out in the end. Les Miles has quickly gone from hero, for his coaching last week against the Gators, to zero for his questionable calls in tonight's loss.

**Blogging the upset. Want to read more opinions on Kentucky's upset over LSU? Here you go.

• UK LSU Post Game
  
• LS Who?
• Hell Yeah!
  
• We Won
  
• Who's Overreacding Now?
  
• Kentucky Football is for Real
• Kentucky over LSU: Timing matters
  
• Cats!
• LSU's Playcalling their greatest strength and weakness
• GOOOO Cats!!!
  

SEC Football Schedule for October 13

It's a great day for SEC Football. Here is your lineup for Saturday.

12:30 Bama at Mississippi (ESPN Gameplan)
2:30 #25 Tennessee at Mississippi State (ESPN Gameplan)
3:30 #1 LSU at #17 Kentucky (CBS)
3:30 #7 South Carolina at North Carolina (ABC)
6:00 #24 Georgia at Vanderbilt (ESPN2)
7:45 #22 Auburn at Arkansas (ESPN)

For previews of these games from other bloggers, check out Best of the SEC.

A Different Saturday for Vol Fans

As I put the final touches on my fan gameday preparations, I can't help but have a bit of a unique feeling heading in to today's game against Mississippi State. It's been a while since Tennessee has lost to Florida and then regained control of their own destiny, especially this early in the season. For me, it surely makes these not-so-meaningful games more meaningful.

Maybe some readers can help me out, but I honestly can't remember this ever happening at this point in the season. The only year that comes to my mind would be 1997. However, I'm pretty sure that Tennessee regained control of the East much later in the schedule that year.

I feel pretty confident that Tennessee will win this football game. I do think it's a bit of a trap game coming after a big win against #12 Georgia and just before a showdown with Alabama. The game with the Crimson Tide is always an important one, regardless of records. The history and tradition of the game means a lot to Coach Fulmer even though the two teams now reside in different conference divisions.

I believe MSU to be fairly one dimensional. They will have to run the ball really really well and create some big plays in the passing game in order to win. I think they will have some success, but not enough to earn a W.

My prediction: Tennessee 38 MSU 17.

Basketball Practice. Many schools, including Kentucky, opened their basketball season with a Midnight Madness for fans on Friday night. Tennessee wasn't one of them. Due to the arena renovations the Vols had to skip any type of scrimmage that would be open to the public. Surprisingly Coach Pearl is not a big fan of the madness events and is completely content with opening practice quietly. Does that surprise anyone but me?

Todd Helton update. Game 2 of the NCLS saw Todd Helton give the Rockies a 2-1 lead on a sac fly in the 5th inning but they couldn't hold on, allowing the Diamondbacks to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth and send it to extra innings. In the 11th Arizona walked in the go-ahead run and Colorado held on 3-2 to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Game 3 is Sunday night.

SEC Power Poll. The Vols are #6 in the SEC Power Poll at Orange and Blue Hue. They thought the young Georgia team looked like they were "bushwacked", whatever that means.