Event Details
- What: Tennessee vs. Georgia
- When: Saturday, Oct. 6, 2007, 3:30 p.m.
- Where: Neyland Stadium
- Cost: Not available
- Age limit: All ages
Tennessee Stat Book
When Tennessee's football players reassembled from the ends of the earth Sunday night, their head coach greeted them with a short but sweet salutation:
War Damn Eagle!
"That's actually the first thing I said to them, to be honest with you,'' Phillip Fulmer revealed Tuesday.
It's admirable to take care of your own business and do your own dirty work. But sometimes you need help to get where you want to go in life.
Tennessee wants to go to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game on the first day of December. After getting undressed 59-20 at Florida on Sept. 15, the Vols needed help. Atlanta seemed as near as Atlantis.
Then Tennessee got help Saturday night from Auburn, of all people. The Tigers upset Florida 20-17 in The Swamp.
The SEC East race is on again.
"It energized our team,'' said offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe. "It energized everybody in the East.''
Tennessee, Georgia and South Carolina each had an SEC loss when they woke up Saturday morning. (We'll start including Kentucky in this scenario if they win at South Carolina on Thursday).
UT's loss, however, was the most damaging because it was head to head against Florida, and that's the first tie-breaker provision.
So when the Vols scattered for their open date, they knew unbeaten Florida had to lose twice in order for Tennessee to have any chance at Atlanta.
"I think everybody knew there was a chance they could lose to LSU,'' said UT punter Britton Colquitt, "but everybody kind of wrote Auburn off.
"This is good because people see that they're human. They can be beat.''
Florida looked super-human against Tennessee. Even after the Gators' lackluster win at Ole Miss a week later, help from struggling Auburn seemed a poor bet.
But the Tigers humbled Florida on a most humbling college football weekend when five of the top 10 teams bit the dust.
Next up for the Gators: No. 1-ranked LSU in Death Valley.
Next up for Tennessee: An energized Georgia at Neyland Stadium.
"Opportunity is there,'' said linebacker Rico McCoy. "I know Georgia is thinking the same way.
"We're going to see who capitalizes on it. It just opens up everyone's eyes.''
Most Vol eyes were glued to the screen watching Florida lose. The others quickly got the news.
Receiver Josh Briscoe was at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes retreat in Dayton, Tenn. Auburn's kicker had no sooner split the uprights than the text messages and phone calls started.
"As soon as the game was over, I got word,'' Briscoe said. "We know in the SEC anything can happen and we have just as much chance of winning as anybody else does.''
Quarterback Erik Ainge watched the landscape change from San Diego, where he was getting away from it all with his girlfriend.
"We're excited,'' said Ainge, "because we know it gave us a chance.
"Even if we won out, they still had to give us a chance.''
Based on UT's performance in its first four games, winning out is a long shot. For what it's worth, it's not unprecedented.
In 1997, Tennessee opened SEC play with a 33-20 loss at Florida. Gloom and doom descended.
The Vols got help from LSU, who beat Florida on Oct. 11. They got more help from Georgia, who beat the Gators on Nov. 1.
Behind Peyton Manning, the Vols won out. They went to Atlanta and claimed an SEC title.
In 2001, the Vols needed help again after losing at home to Georgia on Oct. 6. They got it when Florida pinned a second loss on the Bulldogs. UT then upset Florida on Dec. 1 and went to Atlanta as SEC East champion.
Speaking of Georgia, UT offensive lineman Anthony Parker was in Athens when the earth moved. He witnessed the Bulldogs chewing up Ole Miss, then watched the Gators go down on TV.
"It puts everybody on an equal playing field again,'' said Parker. "All the teams in the East have a tough schedule left, so really, it's anybody's game.''
For now at least, that includes the team that limped out of The Swamp three weeks ago with seemingly no hope in the world.
Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com.
Tennessee's signing class for 2012
National Signing Day 2010
Tennessee Lady Vols 82, Auburn Tigers 64
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 90
SmokeDog72 writes:
This is pretty damn pathetic. Our players are ENERGIZED now because somebody else beat Florida. Last time I checked, we had the opportunity to make Florida lose and flat didn't get it done. News flash....this inept bunch is going to spend more time this fall trying to figure out scenarios for 2 losses, 3 losses, etc. With the defense we have, we'll end up cheering for any team playing against an SEC East team. I don't really feel like spending the fall thinking "What has to happen for us to get to Atlanta with 3 losses?". The wheels are about to fall off. I don't give a phooey if Florida loses 3 more conference games, we are still 4th or 5th best in the East. Remaining SEC schedule: Georgia, Miss St., Bama, S. Carolina, Arkansas, Ky and Vandy. We win NO more than 4 of those games (truth be told - 3 wins).
Fulmer, what hath thou donst to our beloved team?
When will those of you who really think that we have a top-tier coaching staff wake up? Will 4 conference losses this year finally do it?
NCCOLTSFAN writes:
Hmmmmm:Can anyone tell me the reason this article was written??????
BahamaVol writes:
why were they not practicing open field tackles? Last I heard, you don't get rewarded with time off when there is nothing to get rewarded for. Let's hope the coaches know what they are doing. I am still a Fulmer fan, but I gotta say that I might be jumping off that wagon if those kids aren't prepared this weekend. Please play some D, and GO BIG ORANGE!
CrankE writes:
Did they spend more than 15 minutes celebrating Florida's loss?
I've got some bad news, some unpleasant truth from the Auburn game: If the Gators are not Supermen, then they're mortal. Which means that the reason for the 59-20 disaster isn't simply that Florida is so great, but that Tennessee is so bad.
Sure, we were all Auburn fans Saturday because it helps us out. But on Sunday, as the head coach, the cheering should have stopped and the team should have been slapped in the face with the cold, hard reality and told to get to work.
scvols writes:
Alright we are back in this thing, if we win out we can go to ......., oh wait, we suck, never mind.
VolsFan17 writes:
If you're a Vols fan, why come here just to say how much we suck? What's the point of that?
eb502us#225637 writes:
Tells you how Fulmer views things. RELYING ON SOMEONE ELSE. How pathetic!!!!!
GreerVol22 writes:
Is Saturday Phil's swan song? We will find out if his "WAR DAMN EAGLE" cry is the right motivation and if he truly wants this as bad as everyone else does.
jdcvols#230433 writes:
ilove, I've got to hand it to you, your are consistent about enjoying .500 Teams. What in the world were you doing in the 1990's? Glad to see you drinking the kool-aid early in the morning.
pete.broockman#629092 writes:
I can't believe that with the shape they are in our guys are running all over the country instead of staying at school and working on their game. How many get into trouble? visiting your girlfriend? come on guys, get a grip, this is your future. Take your breaks when the season is over. No wonder they are having problems!
CoverOrange writes:
I can't tell from the quote. Is "War Damn Eagle" a cheer or a recrimination to his players? In other words, is it "hey guys, we've got a chance", or "hey you b..st..ds, why didn't we do that?" I'm not getting a sense of urgency from Phil or the team. Georgia is easily beatable, does UT want to do it is the question.
webbofconfusion writes:
Wah wah...wah...
I say two fumbles and a couple of tackles on punts and our season is differnt and everyone is running around giving high fives and singing the praises of Phil....
Truth be told... Mental mistakes hurt. We can recover... and everyone needs to pull themselves up and support the team they so dearly "love"!
Phil won a National title with a team that managed to get the ball to bounce their way more than once in that season, and everyone was giving the High fives(including me).
You know our beloved Peyton was not even on that team.... but I bet all of you support him to this day, even though he was a "loser" in college.
blhvols#210231 writes:
Let me ask one question. Were all of you happy when Auburn beat the gators? I was!!!!!
surfing_vol writes:
I hate to sound like another rider on the "Dump Phil" bandwagon, but I keep wondering where all the critics have been all along. So many losses in bowl games indicated a coaching problem long ago. Did it really take a really bad season and shellackings by Cal and Florida to wake everyone up?
IF (that is capitalized on purpose) the University were serious about the football program, we would see two messages to the coaching staff. First, no disciplinary problems. Come on guys, I don't care where or how the players grew up. They need to act like responsible adults and be held accountable. You screw up, you don't play. Period. Even if it costs games.
Second, change the play calling on both sides of the ball. The defensive secondary has always been unimaginative, even when we've had great players. The offensive play calling indicates a lack of awareness of the team's weaknesses. It's great to have a theory of winning games, but you have to reject the theory and try something new if it is not working.
Have you ever wondered why there have been no taping scandals involving Tennessee? Because any team can watch tape from 6 years ago and know what to expect this year.
agentorange writes:
if lsu beats the Gators, we can win the SEC. that is an indisputable statement of fact.
waterskier3#226480 writes:
we're joking if we think we're going to win out... alabama is licking their chops... ga is thinking the last time we played in knowxville we blew the vols out... the team quit on the field and they are underdogs to a team that suxs.....
I LOVE TN FOOTBALL BUT I SEE HOW BAD WE ARE AND JUST THINK EVERYONE ELSE SHOULD LOOK AT US OVER THE LAST 4 YEARS.. WE'VE BEEN REALLY BAD AND ITS JUST GOTTEN WORSE...
OldNumber7 writes:
Tennessee coaching has a way of making every team look super human - don't know what it is, but it's a fact (see Vandy, Memphis, Arkansas, Maryland, Clemson, Nebraska twice, etc....)
But the fact is, 59-20 at Florida is reduced to just Win-Loss - could have been 100-0. I hope everyone is energized and grabs this opportunity - but I'm not holding my breath...these coaches have screwed it up before, and the fundamentals that should have been pounded in last spring are not there.
arkyvol writes:
i don't understand this excitement. florida's loss only pointed out one very unpleasant fact--the gators are not the world beaters the vols made them look like. if anything, it proves that the chavis coached defense is worse than we imagined.
MajorVol writes:
Hey hiresanders and nccoltsfan, exactly how many national championships or even games have either of you won as a head coach. You both seem to have it all figured out. The Vols have a shot to get back in the hunt this Saturday. Win or lose the season will go on. It's not like they lost to a couple of slugs. How many teams in the country and I'm sure each of you will know could go to Berkley and the Swamp and come out with a win. Don't start praising Auburn because they still have 2 home losses to South Florida and (gulp) Miss State.
Go Vols!!! The real fans will be cheering you on Saturday in Neyland!!!
rootin4volz writes:
Holy Cow! SmokeDog72 can actually see into the future! Can you tell me what lottery numbers are going to win on Saturday so that I can just go ahead and pick 'em and win it all?
Let the damn thing play out, you bunch of Negative Nancy freaks. Yes, we've sucked at executing...Yes, the coaches bear the brunt of responsibility of coaching the boys to execute on every play...Yes, we've lost to two good teams (didn't we recognize that as a possibility from the get-go?)...Yes, we should seriously look at change if we drop one, two, three more...
BUT...football is a game where anything can happen in any given moment, and a complete 180-degree turn around is NOT impossible...it happens every year on every level. But no one can know until those moments play themselves out. So...shut the heck up and see how it actually plays itself out, you silly ding-dongs!
VolSwaff writes:
if he was refering to an SEC championship bid, he has to be kidding himself. Everything we do now is laughable. From putting a superman costume on a scout teamer to taking delight in a team losing that previously beat us 59-20. He can War Damn Eagle all he wants to but its not gonna matter when we continue to throw form tackling to the wind and hit rbs high, or when we play with as much fire as a girl scout troop. Were about to 5 yard stop route ourselves to a 1-3 record in our next 4 games PERIOD
jdcvols#230433 writes:
rootin, I believe most of us thought we would be 2-2 at this stage but what we were NOT expecting was to see us get blown out by Florida and a defense that is giving up 37 ppg. If they were close, then maybe the mood would be slightly different. It just proves that we are getting worse not better.
OldNumber7 writes:
Those of you that keep saying we lost to good teams - no kidding? I think everyone notices that. The point is, which you are too shallow to grasp, is that we get clobbered by good teams - teams that we should at least be competitive against. Our lines get manhandled. Our play looks sloppy. We repeatedly let mediocre teams play us well - which destroys any confidence that we can beat good teams....and my goodness, WE DONT. So stop with the we-lost-to-good-teams phooey and start looking around at the meltdown that has been going on for YEARS! Soon, you weenies will be settling for 4-8 seasons saying "Shucks, but we lost to good teams...Kentucky ain't half bad!"
vol4jesus writes:
Weenies...how delightful.rocketvol/cr/jw/tu chdn/etc have a nice day pumping out the bilge water of negativity(some of those posters are the same person with multiple posting names/personalities). We see the ship is taking on water and want it righted also. The difference is we are realistic and optimistic(guarded) in our perspective. You on the other hand offer dark side perspective only and apparently don't care about our players. Again, free country to post as you will so let it rip boys! Go Vols!! I'll be there to cheer you on to a victory hopefully.
jdcvols#230433 writes:
vol4jesus. are you kidding me realistic??? What is realistic is that you Fulmorons beleive that all is well on the hill! Realistically, IT IS NOT. Again, 99% of the attacks are for CPF.
imnotwithphil writes:
Hey Jesus - Don't forget me!!! I think the Vols and our Coach will be a bit less "ENERGIZED" after this weekend... That said, we do match up "OK" with UGA... so who knows... stranger things have happened (like last weekend's war chicken victory). Go Vols!
PS - Everytime I see a post from vol4jesus I'm reminded of one of my favorite movie lines of all time from "The Big Lebowski..."
TnVolFaninSmyrna writes:
First off, this will be my first post as a registered member. I've been lurking for several months, love the personalities that are currently here. Now, for the business at hand. I pulled this off of www.profootball.com/rumormill.htm. Cowher?
"KEEP AN EYE ON TENNESSEE, TOO
One of our friends in the media advises us that SEC guru Scott Moore said on Steve Czaban's FOX Sports Radio show this morning that, if Tennessee loses to Georgia this weekend, Phil Fulmer won't be back in 2008 as coach of the Volunteers.
If that happens, Moore said emphatically that the two primary candidates to replace him will be Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher.
Though Gruden is most often linked at the college level to Notre Dame, his wife was a Tennessee cheerleader. And with the money being paid to college coaches skyrocketing, it might not be much of a hit, if any, to the change purse for Gruden, if he leaves the NFL."
Ohh, the tangled web(s) we Tennessee fans weave...
bearyh#240689 writes:
Get a grip people....
The point of the article is that its not over till its over. Yes we were embaressed by FL. I live there so I can tell you it is worse for us here than any of you in TN. That doesn't change the fact that we still can win this.
Next, our defense isn't as bad as everyone thinks. Don't forget our defense was on the field for most of the second half during the FL game (and yes our offense should have used up SOME of the clock). They make mistakes, if they didn't they would be playing on Sunday not Saturday.
I wonder if Coach Fulmer gets it at times. Coach Fulmer has never been very "energetic" on the sidelines so I can't tell if he is really "on fire" or not.
I will root for them this weekend. Those of you that don't want to watch the LSU v FL game!
snowvol writes:
Someone wrote "two fumbles and a couple of tackles on punts and our season is different..." That's true. But what separates the great from the good or average is not making those fumbles that become gamebreaking (or back-breaking) plays and making those tackles on punts to prevent yet more gamebreaking or back-breaking plays.
And what has separated the Vols from the great teams over the past six years or so is exactly that: We make those kinds of mistakes more often, and with more regularity, than the teams we're chasing, both in the SEC and nationally. It is no accident that UT hasn't won an SEC Championship since 1998 and it is no accident we've not played in a BCS bowl since then, either.
TnVolFaninSmyrna writes:
Alas, we're not the only school with trouble issues. Tony Joiner of the "All-Mighty Gators" was charged with tresspassing over the weekend. Now, the question is, will he be dismissed from the team or will he be "suspended indefinitely"? My guess is the latter. Probably suspended for the Tampa Bay School for the Deaf and Blind and reinstated for Georgia.
MiserableFloridaVol writes:
I swear it's like Fulmer works for the News Sentinel. Does anybody know if he gets a check from them?
flstf writes:
The only losers I see are the ones here spouting off the same old gloom and doom drivel! What a pathetic fan base.
OBLEFT1 writes:
Speaking of Tampa Bay...NOW THAT IS THE COACH WE NEED TO GO AFTER!!!!! BRING HIM BACK HOME!
OBLEFT1 writes:
We need a coach with some fire, not fat, in their belly, and Gruden is the man.
TnVolFaninSmyrna writes:
sjt18, I knew he was charged with something more than trespassing, and it's my fault I didn't put that in there. Thanks for the clarification.
That's just typical. Starting safety on the national championship team gets arrested, charged with a felony, gets off scot free because charges aren't being filed. I guarantee if a Vol, Gamecock, or Bulldog fan got charged with the same thing at the same car lot he or she would be headin to the chair!
mjohnsonvols writes:
jwraymond (Boise St. fan) you are already looking at next week @miss St. You totally amaze me. Now you say we might win this week loose next week. Wow make up your stupid mind; wait sorry oh great one your great mind.
Pullingguard writes:
Oh Smokedog go on outside and howl at the moon. We all prosper from help from unforeseen places and that's way life goes, and football is no different. It's all about wins and losses and certainly the players, coach's and even the fans should realize this is a great opportunity to be taken advantage of with opportunity to win out and hopefully that will be good enought for SEC Championship game....
TheGreaterGood writes:
A good unbiased article. Of course the Middle School kiddies didn't read it, as reading is very difficult for them and writing is totally out of reach for them. But the sound and fury of their tantrums is unabated.
mjohnsonvols writes:
Not a Homer there rufus. I don't need a another idiot telling me that the world is coming to an end b/c we lost to Cal and Florida I have enough of those wonderful know it alls on this sight. More of you need the orange tinted glasses to support the team. If we have become so irrelevant moved to Boise and become part of Bronco nation. I bow down oh great one of football.
smith7206 writes:
I guess everybody would be happy if Fulmer had told the team that the staff and players were two groups of losers that didn't stand a chance at winning another game, right?
Oh, vol4jesus, you go brother! I'm also tired of these nattering nabobs of negativity. Some of them were Friends of Johnny which have wanted Fulmer's head since day one, others appear to have been taking classes in fan conduct from bammers and some are simply misguided followers of the pack lacking the intelligence and imagination to come up with anything original to say.
bustervols writes:
I will not tolerate anyone bashing my team. You're either with us or against us. Get on, or get off! Support the orange!
OldNumber7 writes:
Vol4jesus and smith7206 - you need to step back and do two things:
1) stop associating statistical, objective, and factual presentation of data that illustrates poor football program performance with negativity - they are two different things entirely. In my line of work, I get bad news all the time - but it's data and fact-based, it sucks - but it's real, and I separate emotion from facts and get on with business making objective decisions. (by the way jw that Colin Cowherd stuff has been amazing - I love that guy).
2) separate your love for Phil with what his job is - a highly compensated, high-risk venture that made him rich - yes, he's rich. He is expected to perform at very high levels for the University of Tennessee - and I, a bonafide giver, am holding him to it. Either he needs to make the right decisions and evolve this program, or Mike Hamilton needs to evolve it for him.
tennisvol writes:
Richt is 3-0 at Neyland. Fulmer should have no excuses this time since he has had two weeks to plan and get the special teams organized. I noticed in the paper this morning that TN has only won two games against ranked teams at Neyland in the last five years. Those teams were Florida and California. If GA blows the Vols out like Fla., it may be time for ole Phil to get the suitcase out.
missrvrvol writes:
Hope I am wrong...Brown and Moreno both run for 100 yards plus, and Georgia scores either a defensive or special teams TD. We will not have time to establish the run as we fall behind early. Georgia over UT in a laugher. Mirror image of what happened in Gainsville.
Hope you Fulmer-rons are still happy when this debacle on Sat is over!
NCCOLTSFAN writes:
Wonder what they feed UGA?
DennisVols writes:
UGA'a sefense struggled against an Old Miss offense that ranks close to the bottom in the SEC, They lost to a USC offense that has also struggled. UT's offense ranks near the top in scoring and passing and UGA defense ranks near the bottom in stopping passes.
UT wins this game by 10 but I know I will get to read all the post next week about what negitive things happened rather than the positive.
Keeping it Real!!!!!
SmokeDog72 writes:
Rootin4volz, go wipe Fulmer's rear. You are totally off. I wnat change to support the players. Not to pull against them.
oldbasshead writes:
Saturday is not the last game of the season. Win or lose, the rest of the games will be played. However, Saturday is a unique game in that CPF has had two weeks to prepare and a win puts the Vols back in the race. That should be enough motivation. If CPF can't pull it off Saturday, then he can't pull it off period. That should be all Hamilton needs to see that the dynamics of the current coaching staff just isn't working. Lose Saturday and CPF and his coaching staff should resign at season end.
SmokeDog72 writes:
Old bass head,
This game should not constitute believing that Fulmer and staff are really any better if we win. He should not be judged on one game. He should be judged over the last 5 years. Win or lose against Georgia, he deserves to go.
bigbluevol writes:
I'm just curious, but if we're judging him over the last five years, don't we have to consider the fact that he guided the team to the SEC Championship game in 2004? Now, you can say "but we didn't win." That's fine, but did you expect us to get there that year with two freshmen playing quarterback and then a transfer from LSU that no one wanted? The 5-6 season was a debacle. Last year was decent rebound effort with losses to the eventual national champion (1 point), LSU (4 points in the last minute), Arkansas (SEC west champ w/o starting qb) and Penn State (a disappointment, but Joe Pa owns UT Fiesta Bowl, Citrus Bowl, Outback Bowl). It has been up and down and if that's what led to Delmonico's firing then I see that Phil is in trouble. However, the last five years argument seems to exclude some success and focus largely on the 5-6 year. And before I get the kool-aid comments, I am aware that things haven't been as good as we would like and I agree that change needs to happen. I think that Fulmer has earned the chance to try to break this cycle and that means at least letting this year play out.
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