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Hey there vol_freak,
You seem to be the ringleader around these parts; I was wondering if you'd be interested in an interview to help raise awareness about Tennessee football to the Bay Area. I write for a Berkeley-based website (Cal student here), and everyone in the Cal football blogosphere is pretty preoccupied writing up their season previews, so I thought it'd be cool to reach out to the other side. You can open it up to your regular posters too if you'd like, the more input the merrier. I'll either use your responses or the best of the posters' responses in the interview.
Here are the questions I came up with:
First of all, let's clear up some misconceptions about Tennessee students/alumni, namely that you aren't all rednecks. Tell us what your university has contributed to the academic landscape to get rid of those football sneers.
There has long been a contention that SEC fans are more passionate and diehard in support of their teams, especially in contrast to the laid-back Pac-10. Having lived and travelled through the South in my formative years, I know how much you guys care about it, perhaps tooo much. Is this really a good thing, or does it burn you out (especially after a loss to Florida or LSU)?
I enjoy having the Warriors shock the world in May, the Giants and As stumbling to last place in summer, the 49ers and Raiders dancing down the standings. Tennessee has the Titans and the Vols. Would you like more sports, or is that all you need? What do you guys do the rest of the year in Knoxville to keep things hustling and bustling sports-wise?
I assume most of you were at Rocky Top last year. How much do you think the crowd contributed to the demolition of Cal? Or was the team that much better?
Why does UT seem to fall into complacency after certain games? You guys were dominant against us and then nearly got knocked off by Air Force the next week. Your teams have so much talent yet have fallen short ever since '98. Any idea where these lapses stem from? Does the team just get too psyched up after huge victories?
Break down the game for us. Other than the setting, there have been a few noticeable changes. We've lost Marshawn Lynch, a spectator in Neyland, and most of our defensive stars from last year. You lost [WR Robert] Meachem and most of the dynamic receivers that tore up Cal last year, and you won't have Coker available this week. What will be the key changes and matchups that fans on both sides should look out for?
This is all for fun, so it's ok if you want to mock the hippies of our town (I do it all the time). Also feel free to poke fun at yourself a little bit (I used to live in Florida, and it's always funny how SEC football is like War of the Tribes every year and how serious their fans are). It always comes out much nicer when you're the ones mocking yourselves.
Thanks for the help, and hope to hear back!
You seem to be the ringleader around these parts; I was wondering if you'd be interested in an interview to help raise awareness about Tennessee football to the Bay Area. I write for a Berkeley-based website (Cal student here), and everyone in the Cal football blogosphere is pretty preoccupied writing up their season previews, so I thought it'd be cool to reach out to the other side. You can open it up to your regular posters too if you'd like, the more input the merrier. I'll either use your responses or the best of the posters' responses in the interview.
Here are the questions I came up with:
First of all, let's clear up some misconceptions about Tennessee students/alumni, namely that you aren't all rednecks. Tell us what your university has contributed to the academic landscape to get rid of those football sneers.
There has long been a contention that SEC fans are more passionate and diehard in support of their teams, especially in contrast to the laid-back Pac-10. Having lived and travelled through the South in my formative years, I know how much you guys care about it, perhaps tooo much. Is this really a good thing, or does it burn you out (especially after a loss to Florida or LSU)?
I enjoy having the Warriors shock the world in May, the Giants and As stumbling to last place in summer, the 49ers and Raiders dancing down the standings. Tennessee has the Titans and the Vols. Would you like more sports, or is that all you need? What do you guys do the rest of the year in Knoxville to keep things hustling and bustling sports-wise?
I assume most of you were at Rocky Top last year. How much do you think the crowd contributed to the demolition of Cal? Or was the team that much better?
Why does UT seem to fall into complacency after certain games? You guys were dominant against us and then nearly got knocked off by Air Force the next week. Your teams have so much talent yet have fallen short ever since '98. Any idea where these lapses stem from? Does the team just get too psyched up after huge victories?
Break down the game for us. Other than the setting, there have been a few noticeable changes. We've lost Marshawn Lynch, a spectator in Neyland, and most of our defensive stars from last year. You lost [WR Robert] Meachem and most of the dynamic receivers that tore up Cal last year, and you won't have Coker available this week. What will be the key changes and matchups that fans on both sides should look out for?
This is all for fun, so it's ok if you want to mock the hippies of our town (I do it all the time). Also feel free to poke fun at yourself a little bit (I used to live in Florida, and it's always funny how SEC football is like War of the Tribes every year and how serious their fans are). It always comes out much nicer when you're the ones mocking yourselves.
Thanks for the help, and hope to hear back!
).
