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#52,726
#52,726
TN-POSSUM said:
That's sounds good and what I've been wanting since Ward retired..... description and emotion.


Bob was the sports anchor for WBIR (Knoxville News station) when I was a kid and he's never lost that TV mentality. I couldn't believe it when they announced Kesling was Ward's replacement. It didn't make any sense.


****

(I've read the story on here before but I can't recall the explanation why Kesling was the pick. Does anyone remember? )
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Same scenario following Pat, Saban etc. No one follows a GOAT and expects to succeed. (Not really the answer to your question).
 
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#52,730
#52,730
LadyVolette said:
They are just deflecting imo.. the few UT fans I have ever witnessed behaving badly were drunk off their a$$e$ and would not have had the coordination to do any of these things that they are throwing out.. all about 72 hours after the fact 😂
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I guess it's too much to expect bama fans to be graceful losers. But losers nonetheless.
 
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#52,731
#52,731
Football & Grits pod

Side note - David Ubben's mother passed away

David: the Tennessee Alabama game is one of the greatest regular season games, certainly the best game that I have ever been at, and the best environment that I have ever been at. After the field storming I came up with the idea to follow the guys carrying the goal post.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The fans came down in droves. The goal posts came down in pieces.

Chase McGrath’s 40-yard field goal skittered above the crossbar and between the uprights, and everything Tennessee feared was fantasy — or a bygone era — became reality.

No. 6 Tennessee 52, No. 3 Alabama 49.

The Vols are back. For real this time. And every goal a team can dream of is in front of a Tennessee team that went 7-5 a year ago after losing two dozen players to the transfer portal.

Hendon Hooker needed two plays and 13 seconds to gain 45 yards and turn Alabama kicker Will Reichard’s missed 50-yard field goal into an opportunity of a lifetime for the Vols. They took advantage on the strength of McGrath’s leg, Hooker’s arm and an impossible five-touchdown, 207-yard night from junior wide receiver Jalin Hyatt.

The 15-game losing streak to rival Alabama and Nick Saban, the king of college football? Dead. More than a decade of futility and a 17-year absence from the top five of the polls? Over.

Tennessee’s greatest hopes and dreams, however, are very much alive, and we may be witnessing only the beginning of a special season on Rocky Top. The fans felt it as they poured onto the field. Tennessee is 6-0 for the first time since, yes, 1998.

The celebration was on, and in minutes, fans were crammed shoulder to shoulder on Shields-Watkins Field.

“Tonight has been heaven. This is all we could have ever dreamt of,” said Ben Carroll, a sophomore at Tennessee.

Minutes after the ball cleared the crossbar, fans overpowered the security guarding the goal posts on the field and began their climb. Police pulled some fans off the goal posts, but to no avail. The goal posts’ fate was sealed the second McGrath’s kick cleared the crossbar.

Trevor Daniels, a wildlife and fisheries major at Tennessee, mounted it, but another fan fell back and scraped the cigar from his armpit down his side. Adrenaline pumping, he kept shaking the goal post.

After barely a minute of wavering, the goal post fell, and hundreds of fans wandered around the field looking for an exit. Don’t worry — Tennessee has replacement goal posts ready for next week.

“Open the gate! Open the gate!” fans chanted.

Police refused. Alabama’s team and locker room were beyond the gate. The police weren’t letting fans carrying goal posts and lit cigars through.

Instead, they shuffled the goal post around the field for a victory lap before finding an open gate in the north corner of the end zone underneath the Stokely Family Media Center sign. Fans streamed onto campus, and suddenly a goal post did, too.

“Go to The Strip!” a fan yelled.

That ignited a chant.

“To the river! To the river!”

Why not both?

And thus, the journey began.

Fitting goal posts out of a gate with no pilot is a tenuous exercise. One man, lit cigar in hand, rode the goal post on its way out of the stadium and attempted to direct traffic. A cart parked in the end zone ended up with a chipped windshield when one pivot went wrong.

Slowly but surely, the fans inched their way around the steel beams and concrete that comprise the frame of Neyland Stadium’s bowels. With every advance around a wall, post or beam, a cheer erupted. If fans didn’t have one hand on the goal post and the other on a traditional, celebratory cigar, they had their phones in the air chronicling the goal post’s journey out of the stadium.

Back inside the stadium, another group of fans tried an alternate exit: up the bleachers that previously housed a raucous student section. Police stopped them and held the uprights hostage in the stands.

Back on the northeast end of the stadium, another set of police ambushed the fans holding the goal post and pushed them out of the way. Fans unwilling to drop the goal post were forced to do so.

In a minute, the goal post’s journey stopped as fans streamed past. No one was riding the goal post anymore. It was sitting on the ground.

Another chant erupted with some colorful language, eventually shifting to boos.

One fan pushed back the police. He quickly was arrested. As he sat on a bench while police collected his info, another fan walked past him on his way home.

Hey, buddy, bail’s on me,” he said.

Police had no plan other than to guard the goal post and not let it get far.

“Do we call a wrecker or what?” one officer asked.

There were too many buildings and too much traffic to allow it. Instead, they maintained control and allowed fans to touch the post and take photos with it but no more.

“I’m gonna ask if I can have a piece. That’d look real good in my barn,” one middle-aged fan said. “I was here in ’98 when we took ’em down against Florida.”

Just after 8:40 p.m. ET, the Alpha Gamma Rho students tasked with taking care of Smokey emerged from the stadium and stumbled upon the abandoned goal post. They had to stop and take a photo with Smokey in front of the night’s most prized piece of memorabilia.

“What are you writing down?” a fan asked. “Can you write down that it feels like I’m in a dream?”

Two more fans walked by with chunks of the turf they’d torn up from the field. They planned to plant it back home as one of the world’s most sentimental pieces of sod.

But before they stopped at the curved upright from the south end zone, Carroll and Daniels were part of a group that got a pair of uprights out of the stadium and into the street before police could arrive and break up the party. They went out the same exit but sooner.

They took the party through campus and onto Cumberland Avenue, better known as The Strip on Tennessee’s campus. It’s the most populous bar district in the area, and it might never have been more packed than it was Saturday as an army of fans marched down the street with an upright on their shoulders.

“We were hopping over curbs, jumping fences. It was not easy,” Carroll said. “As we were walking through the streets, we were just a parade, and the cars would be honking and high-fiving us.”

For at least a few minutes, traffic laws didn’t exist and vandals were given clemency. All is forgiven on a night like this. And the police can’t hand out 500 jaywalking tickets.

The parade marched down Cumberland past the Walgreens and Cook Out and took a left onto Volunteer Boulevard, intent on reaching Neyland Drive, which runs along the banks of the Tennessee River.

Car and foot traffic thinned out a bit at that part of the journey, and one of the goal posts took a detour to Fraternity Row, where it would reach a final resting place, be sawed into pieces and divvied out for keepsakes.

Somehow, saws just appeared.

The other group of fans carried the goal posts to the water and tossed them in.

It was more of a baptism than a burial. Plus, goal posts float. Around a dozen of the fans who helped carry the uprights to the river jumped in and fished them out. Daniels’ overalls were soaked as he brought the goal post back to Fraternity Row to saw off a piece of his own.

Nights like Saturday don’t come around often in the sport, and around Tennessee, they’ve been even rarer the past two decades. Tennessee hadn’t beaten a top-five team since LSU in 2005. The Vols had lost 27 consecutive games against top-five teams since and hadn’t come within single digits of a top-five team since 2012.

And in the history of college football, top-three teams were 476-0 when scoring 49 points. It took Tennessee’s flash-bang offense to break that trend and make those teams 476-1.

Saturday, Tennessee experienced a euphoria it hadn’t felt in decades.

It was an exhausting, unforgettable highlight to an unforgettable evening of college football. The party won’t stop until well into the morning, and dozens of Vols fans will hold tight to their piece of history or a photo of history decades from now.

It’s a little piece of heaven, forever immortalized.
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David: the town was crazy. Before you can get into what this game means, you just have to appreciate it as a spectacle. I could not stop smiling, like in the press box. It was just incredible football being played. Some people don't like the 100+ point shootouts. Let me tell you, this was not a bunch of busted coverages. This was good offenses making really good plays. Two QBs refusing the lose. Young in a losing effort was a magician, and still got outclassed by Hendon Hooker in that game. Hooker pulled some Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes stuff at the end to set up the game winning field goal. This is why we love college football. This is the sport at its best. Witnessing the game as a fan was a privelage, witnessing it in person was even bigger. That scene, the fans. I'm still buzzing from it. It was unbelievable. Watching that game from the press box, and then down on the field for the last 8 minutes. I could not stop smiling. I am still in awe of that game. I am sure that all the fans that were there will never forget it. I will never forget it. I followed those goal posts like 2 or 3 miles. It was just a great, great night. From what I've seen, the TV broadcast reflected that.

Brody: I am in that group of people that doesn't want a 100 point shootout every time. But this was a perfect football game. Everything was like watching a chess match football game. The offense was excellence. Everything Bama did, they had to make plays. If anything, Tennessee was - not necessarily cakewalking, but getting open guys. Everything with the Tennessee-Florida game was wow neyland stadium is gonna be unreal, and this took it to another level. I can't really think of another comp where a fan base is having this ridiculous cathartic experience. We've seen bad teams finally have good years before and that's fun, but to have this game, and this hate your life experience that the fans have had. That is a different release when you get something like this.

David: part of it was that this was kind of out of nowhere. Even optimistic Vols fans were like ok let's improve on last year. Let's win some games, we've got some pieces but we still have holes, all this stuff, the offense will be good. Then you talk about the reception of the Heupel hire. It was not super well received. Most people kind of shrugged. It has become such a perfect fit because offense has the scheme, defense has the havoc, but big picture, Josh Heupel is an astoundingly normal person. There aren't many normal people that are head coaches. Some are quiet geniuses, but Heupel is this normal dude. That resonates with people. Especially when you've had Dooley and Jones and Pruitt. None of those guys really quite resonated with the fans the same way. The fans appreciate it, the players respond to it. The fans are in a dream state. They didn't have a lot of pressure going into the season, Tennessee is playing with so much house money right now. Every fan is like I can't believe this is happening. But on the field it's not like you're wondering how they're doing this. They're good! They have the best offense in the country. We are talking Tennessee in the playoffs which is just insane. It's not even that they're in the hunt, it's that it's going to be really hard to keep them out now. They would have to do something unthinkable to not make the playoff. That's crazy! As long as you don't get blown off the field by UGA. Tennessee will be in that game, it's gonna be close. There is no one dominant team in CFB this year. Is Tennessee the best team in the country? By resume they are. Vote them #1.

Brody: I can make the case. They have the scariest feature in the country. Their offense is scarier than UGA's defense. Hooker is the most in command of all of college football. They are in the drivers seat. I thought the defense would be an issue. They do not play bad defense. They cause pressure, all the time. Bama made great plays, but that's not against tennessees defense. I don't see them slipping up.

David: the secondary is not very good. But they have a bunch of guys in their front 7. Alabama used to bully Tennessee but Tennessee was physical. They are good on the OL and front 7. Tennessee matches up against UGA well.

Brody: that Pitt game was huge. They have Kentucky coming up, they'll be 10+ points favorite. That's the potential for a clunker.

David: but it's in Neyland. And don't have a disaster against SCar. Everyone is roasting Beamer by the way. If you beat UGA, you're in. That's that. If you lose, as long as it's close, you might be in. The committee loves resume. You're sitting at 11-1 and you have to love your chances.

[playoff scenarios and current standings]

Brody: this is real for Tennessee.

David: if you ask me now I will say Tennessee makes the playoff. The UGA game comes down to what it took for Tennessee to beat Alabama. Tennessee is mentally tough. Clutch moments. It looked like Alabama might run Bama off the field, they come back, Tennessee keeps playing. The scoop n score, the fans wearing the cup are like oh of course. But no Tennessee marches down the field. Rally from that. Defense holds. Offense makes great plays and you win the game. They said alright we got it. And it's lead by Hooker. His life was in the balance at one point. They are playing with house money, he's playing with house money. This team really does remind me of 2000 Oklahoma. The team that Heupel was a part of. Year 1 7-5, year two they kept winning games. There was no great team out there, they survived and won a title (@Enki_Amenra ). They aren't getting lucky, they're just winning games. Aside from UGA you've got a bunch of teams you should win. They don't have to impress, just don't be terrible.

Brody: playing Bama with a lead is like playing prime Tiger with a lead. They roar back. Tennessee won it. They've checked every box. They've won every game and passed every challenge. Pitt, Florida, LSU, Bama. The last challenge is UGA. This is great for college football.

David: the sleeping giant is back. This is great for CFB. They're great.
 
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#52,735
#52,735
VolsnCards5 said:
Swear to God if that Hooker thread was the source of his power and you people got it locked….
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Wish it wasn't locked, it was kinda cool commenting on some of the stuff being talked about from when he transferred here until now.

Were people being idiots in there tonight? NVM. . it's VN, not sure I even have to ask that, lol
 
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#52,736
#52,736
LadyVolette said:
He doesn’t paint the picture for you of what is happening, he messes up people’s names, says the wrong names, and is not very excitable lol
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Seriously, Brad nessler (a neutral play-by-play guy) gave a more exciting call of the final kick than did Bob Kesling.

I don't know how you follow up a legend like John Ward with somebody as lame as Bob kesling.
 
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#52,737
#52,737
jordan4vols said:
I think Mike Griffith is going to have a heart attack on Finebaum regarding Alabama losing (it’s about their mistakes and terrible officiating) and Burton being put in a bad position because the SEC isn’t hard enough on programs for storming the field.
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I had to look up who he was, he seems like a dork
 
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#52,740
#52,740
Orange_Crush said:
It's the offense. Mainly the wide splits. The wide splits do at least a couple of things. They force the defense to declare itself. The LBs have to declare whether they are going to be in the box for run/pass rush, or out wide to cover the receivers.

If they declare as in the box for run or blitz, the QB and line know it and can pick up appropriately. They also have defenders on an island and 1x1 against our WRs. The safeties also have to declare whether they're covering wide, and which side. Someone is alone on an island, and usually flat footed.

If they declare out in coverage, we run it down their throat.

Also, per pressure. They do get pressure. The pocket does collapse around Hooker a fair bit. He's just so good at moving around in the pocket that you don't notice how dirty the pocket gets sometimes.
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I think part of Heupels genius is not just the Xs and 0s stuff...the scheming itself. I have started to realize his real genius is teaching his QB and rest of the offense how to execute that scheme. I think of something that Hooker had said a couple of weeks ago about truly understanding the "fluidity" of the offense. I think they all do.

A lot of Coaches KNOW this scheme, but Heupel excels at TEACHING his players how to execute it.

Do you guys know what I mean? As long as we have Josh Heupel, we will especially have really good to elite QB play, and really good to elite offense as a whole...obviously it will ebb send flow from season to season as players come and go.

At one time when at UCF thanks to injuries JH was down to a QB that absolutely sucked (can't recall his name) and STILL somehow managed to wring a lot of yards and points out of his offense.

He is our Spurrier..no that is not right...he is our Heupel. Spurrier was a prick that although he got good QB play, he also damaged some of his guys confidence by being a massive jackass to them. Heupel goes about his job completely different.
 
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#52,744
#52,744
Ulysees E. McGill said:
I think part of Heupels genius is not just the Xs and 0s stuff...the scheming itself. I have started to realize his real genius is teaching his QB and rest of the offense how to execute that scheme. I think of something that Hooker had said a couple of weeks ago about truly understanding the "fluidity" of the offense. I think they all do.

A lot of Coaches KNOW this scheme, but Heupel excels at TEACHING his players how to execute it.

Do you guys know what I mean? As long as we have Josh Heupel, we will especially have really good to elite QB play, and really good to elite offense as a whole...obviously it will ebb send flow from season to season as players come and go.

At one time when at UCF thanks to injuries JH was down to a QB that absolutely sucked (can't recall his name) and STILL somehow managed to wring a lot of yards and points out of his offense.

He is our Spurrier..no that is not right...he is our Heupel. Spurrier was a prick that although he got good QB play, he also damaged some of his guys confidence by being a massive jackass to them. Heupel goes about his job completely different.
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Was about to have to toss you from the pub, but you quickly redeemed yourself. You’re spot on with how different Heupel and Sourrier are.
 
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