Event Details
- What: Tennessee vs. Louisiana-Lafayette
- When: Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007, time TBA
- Where: Neyland Stadium
- Cost: Not available
- Age limit: All ages
Tennessee Stat Book
Homecoming weekend comes with certain trappings. Queens and alumni bands. Parades and irreverent fraternity floats (Heads up, Dean Wormer.).
And, of course, a nice big, fat win for the varsity.
In Tennessee's case Saturday, Louisiana-Lafayette appears straight out of central casting. Oh, the Ragin' Cajuns will have some fun running the ball on the Vols, but their 1-7 record suggests that fun won't cross any dangerous lines.
Speaking of lines, whatever happened to that "line in the sand" Phillip Fulmer said he drew for LaMarcus Coker in late August? Presumably, Coker's latest last-straw suspension includes banishment from the homecoming parade.
UT has scheduled wisely for homecoming during the Fulmer era. The glaring exception was 2002 when No. 1 Miami pounded the life out of the Vols 26-3.
Other homecoming flops: 1979, when the Vols were famously stunned by (what are?) Rutgers; 1983, when Randall Morris fumbled at the goal line against Ole Miss and the Vols got pelted by boos, cups of ice and even a stadium chair as they left the field after a 13-10 loss.
Sometimes risky scheduling pays off. That 45-3 rout of Florida in 1990 was on homecoming. So was the legendary upset of No. 1 LSU in 1959.
Saturday is homecoming in four SEC stadiums, including Florida's, where Vanderbilt is the guest. It's literally homecoming for the Gators. They haven't played in The Swamp since Sept. 29.
Scheduling SEC colleagues for homecoming is asking for trouble. South Carolina got away with inviting Mississippi State, but the Bulldogs brought hard times knockin' at the door at an old Kentucky homecoming last week.
Better to stick with the hyphens and directionals.
Bowl Hole: The SEC's eight bowl slots sound like plenty. Not this year. Eleven of the 12 schools have at least five wins. Six is the magic number.
If LSU plays its way into the national championship game, that's a ninth slot. Still, somebody's likely to be standing without a chair when the music stops.
Six SEC schools are good to go. Tennessee (5-3) becomes eligible Saturday, presuming a win, joined by either Florida (5-3) or Vanderbilt (5-3).
Mississippi State (5-4) and Arkansas (5-3) are on the verge.
The Commodores haven't been to a bowl since 1982, which has a certain appeal. On the other hand, Vandy has the smallest fan base in the conference.
"It (being left out) would be discouraging,'' said coach Bobby Johnson. "Part of being bowl eligible and going to a bowl is the experience of it.''
Mississippi State last bowled in 2000.
"It (a snub) doesn't diminish the fact that you won six games,'' said coach Sylvester Croom. "That's just another situation we've got no control over.''
Celebration Fallout: Georgia's Mark Richt-mandated celebration penalty last week against Florida has drawn mixed reviews.
Fulmer gave Richt kudos for creativity but was in the minority.
"It's pretty dangerous to tell you the truth,'' said Vanderbilt's Johnson. "If a fight had broken out ... I can see one boiling up there pretty easy.''
Exactly, said South Carolina's Steve Spurrier.
"I think what we'd do,'' said Spurrier, "if the other team does that, get one of your down-the-line guys that's not going to play to get out there and start wrestling with a guy.
"Now you've got a fight and they're all out the next week. That's the way to take advantage. ... Georgia would have been in deep trouble for the game this week.''
Richt said he never intended for the whole sideline to empty onto the field after Georgia's first touchdown.
"I envisioned 11 guys celebrating just long enough until the official said, 'I've had enough of this,' and tossed the flag.
"If it had gone the way I planned, we would have jumped up and down a bunch, maybe get a 15-yarder, and move on.''
Last Word: Florida coach Urban Meyer on banged-up quarterback Tim Tebow: "We're not calling as many direct runs as people think. He's just an athletic quarterback who feels good about running. When things break down he just runs.''
Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com.
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Tennessee's signing class for 2012
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Comments » 10
CoverOrange writes:
That's what happens when you plan something spontaneous.
What's the line on whether Vandy wins another to go bowling? I'll put a dollar down on "not".
TommyJack writes:
Beware the evil parity..
DennisVols writes:
Motivate : Inspire, stimulate, prompt, encourage, egg on, induce
What a wonderful thing for a coach to do to the players on his team. Now we can argue forever about the method the coach Richt use to motivate his team but there is no argument that it worked. How often have UT fans watched a game this year or even the last 8-9 years and there seem to be little or no motivation? During the Florida game this year when after the Gators grabbed a fumble on the Ainge to Foster hand-off, and ran it into the end-zone for a TD there seemed no motivation for UT to continue to fight to win. What happened in the Bama game when the coaching staff decided not to go for it on 4th and very short in a close game? Could it be that the lack of fight and confidence by the coaching staff failed to motivate the players?
Motivation can go two directions. Making the wrong decisions can motivate someone in the wrong direction. Making the right decision can make the difference in winning or losing. The desire to be a champion is not enough motivation for a group of kids. Showing that you believe in them, the system you have taught them and yourself as a leader will motivate them in the right direction.
This team needs to be motivated to survive the remaining games. They control their own destiny but how the outcome will be, will be decided in the motivation this coaching staff gives them to perform to the best of their abilities in the system they have been taught and to believe in themselves. Coach Richt got his team to believe in themselves and their system. Can coach Fulmer and this staff find a way to accomplish that with this team? We haven’t seen it this year.
jhen713#212078 writes:
WD, be careful remember what happend when they came to Knoxville in 2005. We have to still play them. They beat SC should have beat GA.
CoverOrange writes:
Understood Jhen. But, we have been beaten by teams with decent to good offenses. I wouldn't call Vandy's offense decent. Good defense though. And of course, this year you can't count on the outcome of any one game having meaning toward the result of any other game.
jhen713#212078 writes:
My best friend is a big GT fan. He ragged and ragged me when we barely beat Duke. I believe it was in 2003(maybe i can' remember). I told him to be careful because they still had to play them and Duke beat GT that year. Steve Spurrier made the comment after beating GA- We can't count this as a big win because they lost to Vandy last year. They then lost to Vandy this year. I believe we will win 2 of our 3 remaining confrence games. We can win all 3 and I hope we do. At this point there is no guarentee that we will win one.
volntx writes:
was in school at UT in 83,the Ole Miss game did suck!
takebkknox writes:
Horrible writing Strange. It's almost like you have the hiccups. That glass half empty of water on Adams' nightstand should do the trick. Welcome to the dark side.
Colliervol writes:
If they all finish 6 and 6, Mississippi State will go to a bowl before Vandy and Arkansas. Their Auburn and Kentucky wins are much more impressive than anything Arkansas and Vandy have done. Have you seen their non-conference wins? Talk about the Little Sisters of the Poor.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Final bowl decision will be determined by past attendance at that game. No one is still alive from Vandy's last bowl appearance!
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