NighthawkVol
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I guess I needed 2 sleeps before I could get this one posted. My wife was kind enough to offer her seat to my cousin so he could be there when we broke the streak. She’s become a huge UT fan since moving to Nashville from KC and she loves sitting in our seats in section W every Saturday, but she knows that he and I have been die-hards since birth and needed to be together for this.
My cousin picked me up at 5:00 a.m. Nashville time, we hit the road, made it to the Gameday set for awhile, went over to the SEC Nation set for a spell, watched the Lady Vols and Vols basketball scrimmages, got a great spot at the Vol Walk, got a quick bite to eat, got into the Mecca of College Football called Neyland Stadium an hour early, then proceeded to live and die with the ups and downs of the most exciting sporting event I’ve ever attended in my life. Dear Lord, what a game. The noise, the play on the field, the swing in emotions…just incredible. When I saw the official raise his arms that the field goal was good, I threw both arms in the air and shouted to the heavens as loud as I could as my cousin nearly tackled me in a bear hug. It was the most sheer joy I’ve ever felt about a sporting event. I didn’t cry tears. But I was very emotional. I’m glad he was there to share it with me. Thanks to my wife.
Afterwards, we got down on the field, hugged and high-fived everyone we could, and eventually left for supper. Dinner on Market Square, the best drive home in decades, and I finally crawled into bed at midnight. Our cat had been waiting up for me, so she laid on my feet and purred herself to sleep because I think she knew we beat Bama. I fully intended to sleep in. But I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and couldn’t stop thinking about the game. So I got up, put some ribs on the smoker, and re-watched it on VolFreak’s YouTube channel.
-The offensive line. Just wow. The improvement that group has made under this staff is simply amazing. The only sack allowed was a coverage sack. They created run lanes for the RBs. They gave Hooker time. At times, he had all day to throw. They’re not just “good enough” or serviceable. They’re a great offensive line. I think we can say that now. Cooper Mays is an outstanding Center. I never thought that would be the case. They went up against a front 7 of guys who will not just play in the NFL, but who will be NFL starters and stars in the NFL…and dominated them. Darnell Wright earned some money Saturday, but JJ Crawford also showed that he’s going to be a fine replacement for Wright at RT next year.
-How about our two RBs? Those guys run hard, they run tough, and they find creases. No, they’ve not shown themselves to be game-breakers, but they get tough yards. Wright carrying the pile a few times was beautiful. Both have gotten better as the year has progressed, much like the rest of this team.
-Not much more to say about Hooker and Hyatt. Their play speaks for itself. Keyton has been a nice plug-in for Tillman. I was kind of down on Keyton after the long sideline throw on which he slowed up on and seemed to misjudge (that’s a TD with Tillman), but he also came up with some huge catches to get 1st downs, especially the one that got us to midfield on the last drive. By the way, did anyone else notice the spot? He got to the Bama 48 but they spotted it at the 50.
-Josh Heupel is the best play-caller in America. He put on a clinic and just schooled Alabama’s defense. He outcoached Nick Saban. Saban’s team of 5* future 1st round draft picks had no answer for Tennessee.
-Shout out to Princeton Fant. Love using him as a hybrid FB/TE.
-The fumble on the mesh point that Bama returned for a TD was awful. But here’s the thing…in years past on a play like that, I would have thought, “well, that’s the game.” This year, I certainly felt like it was a huge negative play that MIGHT get us beat, but I didn’t think it was over by any stretch. I kept believing. And so did the players. They didn’t hang their heads. They got mad, got the ball back, and promptly went on a long TD drive. The attitude that Heupel has instilled in this program is something I haven’t seen at UT. And it filters down to the fans. We have swagger. But it’s not cocky swagger. It’s controlled, confident swagger. I don't think Alabama is used to throwing a haymaker like that, only to have the opponent get off the deck and bust them right back in the mouth. It might've shook them a little.
-After re-watching the game, the Dline played better than I thought and the secondary played a little worse. In the secondary’s defense, there were times when they held up for a long time and the Dline couldn’t get home, but that was usually because Bryce Young was making them miss with their feet. I have to give Young and Bama credit. He’s a GREAT player. He kept making plays in that environment and that’s a huge testament to him. That Bama OLine is great. Gibbs is great. We beat a fantastic football team.
-We played that game without the 2 CBs who started the season (Burrell and Hadden) and one of our starting Safeties (McCullough). I thought Slaughter was okay, but not as good against the run as McCollough. I will say that Bama completed some passes against good, tight coverage, especially against Charles. That kid is getting better every game. He and Hadden could actually be a really good pair of starting CBs in 2023. But one thing I noticed…a lot of the “bad” play against the pass was by our LBs. Beasley was just bad in coverage. He’s a see ballcarrier/hit ballcarrier type of LB. But he gets flat-out lost in coverage. He did that once on a 2nd & 24 right after Omari sacked Young, and Bama got a long completion down the sideline because of his bust. He also kept biting when Young pretended to run to the LOS, then Young would just throw it to Beasley’s man…that was the case on Latu’s TD in the north end zone. I hope he can get that figured out. They certainly have some film to show him.
-On Bama’s last drive that led to the missed FG, Charles and Rucker were both hurt. Our CBs were Turnage and a walk-on from Ensworth, #36. And we stopped them (although the Gibbs drop sure helped). With our #5 CB and a walk-on. Let that sink in.
-Omari Thomas is a beast. Played a helluva game. So did Jeremy Banks.
We’re 6-0. About to be 7-0. By the Kentucky game, we should have a healthy Tillman, Mincey, Hadden, and maybe McCullough. Just avoid injuries against UTM. Develop some young guys. Kentucky has a bye, which will help them. I am glad the UK game is not this week, though. We have an extra week to come down from this high. Regardless, UK will be a big game and I plan to be back in section W screaming my lungs out so we can get to 8-0 headed to Athens. I think we will. That could be #1 vs. #2 if we take care of business.
Oh…and my throat still isn’t back to 100%. But I play hurt.
My cousin picked me up at 5:00 a.m. Nashville time, we hit the road, made it to the Gameday set for awhile, went over to the SEC Nation set for a spell, watched the Lady Vols and Vols basketball scrimmages, got a great spot at the Vol Walk, got a quick bite to eat, got into the Mecca of College Football called Neyland Stadium an hour early, then proceeded to live and die with the ups and downs of the most exciting sporting event I’ve ever attended in my life. Dear Lord, what a game. The noise, the play on the field, the swing in emotions…just incredible. When I saw the official raise his arms that the field goal was good, I threw both arms in the air and shouted to the heavens as loud as I could as my cousin nearly tackled me in a bear hug. It was the most sheer joy I’ve ever felt about a sporting event. I didn’t cry tears. But I was very emotional. I’m glad he was there to share it with me. Thanks to my wife.
Afterwards, we got down on the field, hugged and high-fived everyone we could, and eventually left for supper. Dinner on Market Square, the best drive home in decades, and I finally crawled into bed at midnight. Our cat had been waiting up for me, so she laid on my feet and purred herself to sleep because I think she knew we beat Bama. I fully intended to sleep in. But I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and couldn’t stop thinking about the game. So I got up, put some ribs on the smoker, and re-watched it on VolFreak’s YouTube channel.
-The offensive line. Just wow. The improvement that group has made under this staff is simply amazing. The only sack allowed was a coverage sack. They created run lanes for the RBs. They gave Hooker time. At times, he had all day to throw. They’re not just “good enough” or serviceable. They’re a great offensive line. I think we can say that now. Cooper Mays is an outstanding Center. I never thought that would be the case. They went up against a front 7 of guys who will not just play in the NFL, but who will be NFL starters and stars in the NFL…and dominated them. Darnell Wright earned some money Saturday, but JJ Crawford also showed that he’s going to be a fine replacement for Wright at RT next year.
-How about our two RBs? Those guys run hard, they run tough, and they find creases. No, they’ve not shown themselves to be game-breakers, but they get tough yards. Wright carrying the pile a few times was beautiful. Both have gotten better as the year has progressed, much like the rest of this team.
-Not much more to say about Hooker and Hyatt. Their play speaks for itself. Keyton has been a nice plug-in for Tillman. I was kind of down on Keyton after the long sideline throw on which he slowed up on and seemed to misjudge (that’s a TD with Tillman), but he also came up with some huge catches to get 1st downs, especially the one that got us to midfield on the last drive. By the way, did anyone else notice the spot? He got to the Bama 48 but they spotted it at the 50.
-Josh Heupel is the best play-caller in America. He put on a clinic and just schooled Alabama’s defense. He outcoached Nick Saban. Saban’s team of 5* future 1st round draft picks had no answer for Tennessee.
-Shout out to Princeton Fant. Love using him as a hybrid FB/TE.
-The fumble on the mesh point that Bama returned for a TD was awful. But here’s the thing…in years past on a play like that, I would have thought, “well, that’s the game.” This year, I certainly felt like it was a huge negative play that MIGHT get us beat, but I didn’t think it was over by any stretch. I kept believing. And so did the players. They didn’t hang their heads. They got mad, got the ball back, and promptly went on a long TD drive. The attitude that Heupel has instilled in this program is something I haven’t seen at UT. And it filters down to the fans. We have swagger. But it’s not cocky swagger. It’s controlled, confident swagger. I don't think Alabama is used to throwing a haymaker like that, only to have the opponent get off the deck and bust them right back in the mouth. It might've shook them a little.
-After re-watching the game, the Dline played better than I thought and the secondary played a little worse. In the secondary’s defense, there were times when they held up for a long time and the Dline couldn’t get home, but that was usually because Bryce Young was making them miss with their feet. I have to give Young and Bama credit. He’s a GREAT player. He kept making plays in that environment and that’s a huge testament to him. That Bama OLine is great. Gibbs is great. We beat a fantastic football team.
-We played that game without the 2 CBs who started the season (Burrell and Hadden) and one of our starting Safeties (McCullough). I thought Slaughter was okay, but not as good against the run as McCollough. I will say that Bama completed some passes against good, tight coverage, especially against Charles. That kid is getting better every game. He and Hadden could actually be a really good pair of starting CBs in 2023. But one thing I noticed…a lot of the “bad” play against the pass was by our LBs. Beasley was just bad in coverage. He’s a see ballcarrier/hit ballcarrier type of LB. But he gets flat-out lost in coverage. He did that once on a 2nd & 24 right after Omari sacked Young, and Bama got a long completion down the sideline because of his bust. He also kept biting when Young pretended to run to the LOS, then Young would just throw it to Beasley’s man…that was the case on Latu’s TD in the north end zone. I hope he can get that figured out. They certainly have some film to show him.
-On Bama’s last drive that led to the missed FG, Charles and Rucker were both hurt. Our CBs were Turnage and a walk-on from Ensworth, #36. And we stopped them (although the Gibbs drop sure helped). With our #5 CB and a walk-on. Let that sink in.
-Omari Thomas is a beast. Played a helluva game. So did Jeremy Banks.
We’re 6-0. About to be 7-0. By the Kentucky game, we should have a healthy Tillman, Mincey, Hadden, and maybe McCullough. Just avoid injuries against UTM. Develop some young guys. Kentucky has a bye, which will help them. I am glad the UK game is not this week, though. We have an extra week to come down from this high. Regardless, UK will be a big game and I plan to be back in section W screaming my lungs out so we can get to 8-0 headed to Athens. I think we will. That could be #1 vs. #2 if we take care of business.
Oh…and my throat still isn’t back to 100%. But I play hurt.
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