OneManGang
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Tennessee vs The Maxims vs South Carolina
The haints and boogers of the football world were out and about Saturday. Indeed, the first half of the game was downright scary for the Volunteer faithful. Tennessees offense which sputtered, coughed, and wheezed its way through the Alabama game last weekend, appeared to have given up the ghost altogether. The nadir of the Vols offensive woes came on Tennessees second possession when Gerald Riggs ran straight into the middle of the Gamecock defensive front and lost two yards.
Unfortunately, the line of scrimmage was the UT 1.
It didnt get any better even after UT recovered the ensuing free kick. Ainge promptly threw an interception which sparked a South Carolina drive that ended with a field goal. At the end of the first quarter, the Vol Nation was contemplating a scoreboard that read USC 5 - UT 0. As if that were not frightening enough, the first quarter stats showed the mighty Vols with exactly ONE, O-N-E, 1 yard of total offense.
Forget Jack Nicholson and his axe. Tennessees offense for the opening 27 minutes of the game was the stuff of Vol fans nightmares.
At the ten-minute mark of the second quarter, some genius on Tennessees offensive brain trust recalled that the Vols had another quarterback picking splinters out of his butt on the sidelines who could play Division 1 football. Brent Schaffer strolled out onto the turf at Williams-Bryce Stadium. Like a re-animated corpse, Tennessees offense twitched and started to rise off its bier. Then, on third-and-long, Schaffer was replaced by the heretofore ineffective Erik Ainge prompting Vol fans from Memphis to Mountain City to emit a collective What are they thinking? Then they hid their faces as Ainge threw an incompletion snuffing the drive.
Were the Vols doomed? Was the game replay going to be released as Day of the Domineckers? Was the bright light of the Vols 2004 season going to be an empty pumpkin shell with a guttering candle inside? Would the ghost of John Majors ignominious defeat in Columbia in 1992 (fittingly, also on a Halloween weekend) scare off what was left of UTs stock of good mojo? Would the Great Pumpkin be seen wearing a Power T in 2004?
Nope, not this time!
After doing exactly nothing for twenty-seven minutes in the first half and trailing 8-0, the Orange clad corpse finally arose and the Vols roared down the field to tie the game just before halftime. Schaffer directed an aggressive, VERTICLE attack down the field, then Ainge came in to launch a scoring toss. Schaffer then converted with a run for two and tied the score.
Tennessees offense exploded in the second half and hit Williams-Bryce Stadium with the force of 380 tons of munitions. Tennessee ran, Tennessee threw, and Tennessee scored. The Volunteer defense surrendered more points but none were decisive or even really threatening.
The ghoulies and ghosties fled Columbia, South Carolina, and instead performed their nefarious deeds in places like College Park and Chapel Hill.
So how did the team do compared to the Maxims?
1. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.
Despite its offensive struggles, Tennessee did not lose a fumble during the game. South Carolina was held to field goals in the first half despite running up big total offense numbers. This was compounded by a missed field goal that set up Tennessees first scoring drive.
2. Play for and make the breaks. When one comes your way SCORE!
Tennessee kept plugging and hanging around in hopes good things would eventually start to happen. They did.
3. If at first the game or the breaks go against you, dont let up PUT ON MORE STEAM!
This is the Key Maxim for Saturdays game. Tennessee refused to go into a funk, kept clawing and eventually good things DID happen.
4. Protect our kickers, our quarterback, our lead and our ballgame.
Unlike last week, the Vols did not sit on their lead, but kept building it and after taking a firm lead answered the Chickens score for score.
5. Ball! Oskie! Cover, block, cut and slice, pursue and gang tackle THIS IS THE WINNING EDGE.
Tackling is STILL subpar, and I doubt it will be fixed this year.
6. Press the kicking game. Here is where the breaks are made.
After closing the gap to fourteen points, the Chickens tried an onside kick. Most times the receiving team simply waits to see if the ball will go ten yards then try to fall on it. Tennessees Bret Smith jumped up, caught the ball in mid-bounce, and sailed 44 yards to the end zone. Game. Set. Match.
7. Carry the fight to South Carolina and keep it there for sixty minutes.
Really more like fifteen or twenty on offense, but it was enough.
In the end, it was the Spirit of General Neylands Maxims that banished the phantasms and vapors and kept the Vols from becoming The Great Pumpkin.
MAXOMG
© 2004 One Man Gang
The haints and boogers of the football world were out and about Saturday. Indeed, the first half of the game was downright scary for the Volunteer faithful. Tennessees offense which sputtered, coughed, and wheezed its way through the Alabama game last weekend, appeared to have given up the ghost altogether. The nadir of the Vols offensive woes came on Tennessees second possession when Gerald Riggs ran straight into the middle of the Gamecock defensive front and lost two yards.
Unfortunately, the line of scrimmage was the UT 1.
It didnt get any better even after UT recovered the ensuing free kick. Ainge promptly threw an interception which sparked a South Carolina drive that ended with a field goal. At the end of the first quarter, the Vol Nation was contemplating a scoreboard that read USC 5 - UT 0. As if that were not frightening enough, the first quarter stats showed the mighty Vols with exactly ONE, O-N-E, 1 yard of total offense.
Forget Jack Nicholson and his axe. Tennessees offense for the opening 27 minutes of the game was the stuff of Vol fans nightmares.
At the ten-minute mark of the second quarter, some genius on Tennessees offensive brain trust recalled that the Vols had another quarterback picking splinters out of his butt on the sidelines who could play Division 1 football. Brent Schaffer strolled out onto the turf at Williams-Bryce Stadium. Like a re-animated corpse, Tennessees offense twitched and started to rise off its bier. Then, on third-and-long, Schaffer was replaced by the heretofore ineffective Erik Ainge prompting Vol fans from Memphis to Mountain City to emit a collective What are they thinking? Then they hid their faces as Ainge threw an incompletion snuffing the drive.
Were the Vols doomed? Was the game replay going to be released as Day of the Domineckers? Was the bright light of the Vols 2004 season going to be an empty pumpkin shell with a guttering candle inside? Would the ghost of John Majors ignominious defeat in Columbia in 1992 (fittingly, also on a Halloween weekend) scare off what was left of UTs stock of good mojo? Would the Great Pumpkin be seen wearing a Power T in 2004?
Nope, not this time!
After doing exactly nothing for twenty-seven minutes in the first half and trailing 8-0, the Orange clad corpse finally arose and the Vols roared down the field to tie the game just before halftime. Schaffer directed an aggressive, VERTICLE attack down the field, then Ainge came in to launch a scoring toss. Schaffer then converted with a run for two and tied the score.
Tennessees offense exploded in the second half and hit Williams-Bryce Stadium with the force of 380 tons of munitions. Tennessee ran, Tennessee threw, and Tennessee scored. The Volunteer defense surrendered more points but none were decisive or even really threatening.
The ghoulies and ghosties fled Columbia, South Carolina, and instead performed their nefarious deeds in places like College Park and Chapel Hill.
So how did the team do compared to the Maxims?
1. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.
Despite its offensive struggles, Tennessee did not lose a fumble during the game. South Carolina was held to field goals in the first half despite running up big total offense numbers. This was compounded by a missed field goal that set up Tennessees first scoring drive.
2. Play for and make the breaks. When one comes your way SCORE!
Tennessee kept plugging and hanging around in hopes good things would eventually start to happen. They did.
3. If at first the game or the breaks go against you, dont let up PUT ON MORE STEAM!
This is the Key Maxim for Saturdays game. Tennessee refused to go into a funk, kept clawing and eventually good things DID happen.
4. Protect our kickers, our quarterback, our lead and our ballgame.
Unlike last week, the Vols did not sit on their lead, but kept building it and after taking a firm lead answered the Chickens score for score.
5. Ball! Oskie! Cover, block, cut and slice, pursue and gang tackle THIS IS THE WINNING EDGE.
Tackling is STILL subpar, and I doubt it will be fixed this year.
6. Press the kicking game. Here is where the breaks are made.
After closing the gap to fourteen points, the Chickens tried an onside kick. Most times the receiving team simply waits to see if the ball will go ten yards then try to fall on it. Tennessees Bret Smith jumped up, caught the ball in mid-bounce, and sailed 44 yards to the end zone. Game. Set. Match.
7. Carry the fight to South Carolina and keep it there for sixty minutes.
Really more like fifteen or twenty on offense, but it was enough.
In the end, it was the Spirit of General Neylands Maxims that banished the phantasms and vapors and kept the Vols from becoming The Great Pumpkin.
MAXOMG
© 2004 One Man Gang
