Pennington: Emotion gives Vols edge

Fans talk a lot about X’s and O’s. Media mouths talk about strategies and game plans. But one thing that often gets overlooked is simple, old-fashioned emotion.

When Tennessee leaves the Georgia Dome floor as conference champions tonight (and I believe they will), it will probably have more to do with emotion and drive than it does scheming and drive charts.

That’s no knock on Tennessee’s coaching staff, but following their two biggest games of the year, the main word in terms of strategy was “simplify.” The coaches said that they stressed fundamentals and “went back to basics” in those weeks of practice leading up to the Georgia and Arkansas games.

The Vols got back to basics all right. The Dogs and Hogs were publicly flogged. No special schemes. No real running quarterback packages (with LSU’s recent woes don’t be surprised to see receiver Gerald Jones play some QB today). Just fundamentals and emotion.

In both games Tennessee’s players came out like lightning bolts on crack. They were super-charged and frenzied. Players who have missed tackles all year long were dropping Heisman candidates like third-period French.

Emotion is on UT’s side of the ledger again this afternoon. The Vols are playing for their first conference title since 1998. They’re playing to hush their coach’s critics. And their coach has cultivated in them a very effective, “nobody believes in us” attitude.

As for LSU, well, let’s just say they’re probably not going to be as fired up as Tennessee.

Last week, “Two-Loss Les” Miles, as he’s known in Louisiana, saw his Tigers blow their national title hopes with an ugh-inspiring performance at home against Arkansas. His team is beaten up and bruised. His once-proud defense has allowed nearly 1,000 yards in their last two games. And that’s not the worst of it.

All this week the media focus has been on Miles leaving the Bayou for Michigan. (Side note: Michigan, if you can’t win “the big game” versus Ohio State, why hire a man who has never won a “big game” for any kind of title as a head coach?) If that weren’t enough, LSU’s defensive coordinator Bo Pelini has been talking to Nebraska about the Cornhuskers head coaching job.

But let’s say the Tigers can get over their devastating loss. Let’s say they can put the distractions of Miles and Pelini aside. That leaves them playing for the SEC title (not as shiny to a 20 year-old as a national title) and a trip to the Sugar Bowl.

For Tennessee’s kids (and their fans), the Sugar Bowl would be spectacular. For LSU, it’s a short drive from Baton Rouge. It’s a return engagement (they played Notre Dame in the Superdome last year). And it would most likely mean a match-up with … Hawaii.

Hooray.

Odds are LSU will come out flat today. I’m talking “Tennessee in the 2000 Fiesta Bowl” flat. Aunt Jemima pancakes flat.

Which means that the Vols should carry the emotional advantage into Atlanta. I know the Georgia Dome has been more like a Terror Dome for the Vols since 1998, but that streak’s got to end at some point, doesn’t it?

So if the Vols do win today and claim their sixth SEC title since 1970, how will this year’s squad be remembered? Resilient is probably the word that best fits.

In terms of talent or production, would this team stack up well against Phillip Fulmer’s 1997 and 1998 teams? Not in the same zip code.

What about the talent-rich 1989 and 1990 teams that went a combined 20-3-2? You think Andy Kelly, Alvin Harper and those guys would like to go up against this year’s secondary?

The 1985 Sugar Bowl champions? Why, the way that team finished its season I think it could give this year’s New England Patriots a run.

Nope, talent hasn’t been the key for this year’s bunch. And neither has consistency. This team has had three double-digit losses (Cal, Florida, Alabama), two great wins (Georgia, Arkansas), a pretty good win (Mississippi State), a few cupcakes and three close calls (South Carolina, Vandy, Kentucky).

To be honest, this year’s team probably wouldn’t even match up well with last year’s Tennessee team. Both squads finished 9-3 in the regular season, but last year’s team whipped California, lost by just a point to Florida (eventual national champion) and by just four points to LSU (eventually ranked No. 3 in the nation).

The Vols also held fourth-quarter leads in both of those losses.

Ainge has been more effective this year, but there aren’t many other positions where the 2007 Vols look better than the 2006 Vols. Aside from the SEC standings, of course.

Last year, Florida didn’t re-open the door for Tennessee by losing multiple times. This year, they dropped three games post-Tennessee and UT took advantage (though it wasn’t easy).

So when the Vols capture the SEC flag, this team won’t be remembered as one of the deepest or most dangerous Tennessee teams. It will be remembered as one of the most resilient.

For the 2007 Vols, it’s not been about the journey, but the end destination. They’ve needed chance after chance, but they’ve always seemed to take advantage of the last chance offered up. I think they’ll do so again today against an LSU team that has a bad tendency of giving their opponents second, third and fourth chances.

Emotion is on the Vols’ side. So is resilience. And if the Tigers come out flat, that’s a serious trifecta paving a Big Orange route all the way to New Orleans.

John Pennington hosts the Hall’s Salvage Sports Source on Sunday at 11 a.m. on WATE.