OneManGang
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Tennessee vs The Maxims vs UTSA
DATE: 23 September 2023
PLACE: Neyland Stadium
ATTENDANCE:101,915 (your results may vary)
FINAL SCORE: Tennessee 45 UTSA 14
To be a Vol fan these days is to be, in many ways, a pilgrim in an unholy land.
I came to realization many years ago that if Tennessee “fans” don't have something to b*tch, whine and moan about – they will invent it.
This point was driven home Sunday morning when I visited a thread discussing the flyby of a C-17Globemaster II transport from the Air National Guard unit in Memphis during the National Anthem Saturday. The assembled multitude roared its approval and the crew of the massive transport seemed to celebrate as well putting the ship through a series of “S” turns as they passed overhead.
Hand O' gawd, some nummy had to chime in griping about the cost of it all,
On a board I used to post on years ago, one of the denizens therein dubbed these people The Legion of the Miserable.
Oh, and their numbers ARE legion.
Crap, now they've got ME b*tching and griping! (bangs head)
Let's get to the football action! What say?
Tennessee took the opening kick and Dee Williams returned the ball to the Vol 19.
Joe Milton lined his team up and as the play unfolded, Yours Truly could hear John Ward calling the action: “Tennessee lines up, flankers left and right. Milton takes the snap and drifts left. Milton takes off! Milton breaks free!
Down to the forty!
Down to the 20!
15! 10! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1!
Give Him Six!
TOUCHDOWN TENNESSEE!
EIGHTY-NINE YARDS!
JOE MILTON!
ON PLAY NUMBER ONE!”
Extra points if you get the historical reference.
The contest, such as it was,was decided at that point.
Coach Heupel let Joe Milton play, not because the game was in doubt but because Bazooka Joe needed to regain his mojo.
Nico has the next two to three seasons to write his own chapter in Vol Lore. Joe is done after this season.
UTSA went three-and-out and the subsequent Vol drive was capped by a Dylan Sampson 10-yard scoring run.
UTSA's next punt was shanked. It fluttered for 18 yards when Cameron Seldon violated every rule of punt returning known and tried to scoop up the ball, failed and UTSA recovered. The Roadrunners drove to the UT 19 but couldn't convert on 4th down.
The Vols drove down to the 'Runner's 34, but the normally reliable Charles Campbell missed,
End of 1st Quarter
Score: Tennessee 14 UTSA 0
UTSA failed on 4th down to start the second quarter.
The Vol's drive featured an 18-yard touchdown pass to Kaleb Webb.
The on next Vol drive Bazooka Joe dropped a 48-yard dime to Keyton for a touchdown.
At this point, Milton's accuracy began to fall off. Unknown to those of us in attendance, he had tweaked his jnee and could not step into his throws, nor could he run.
The next Vol possession resulted in a Campbell field goal.
End of 2nd Quarter
Score: Tennessee 31 UTSA 0
For whatever reason, Tennessee seemed to take the third quarter off.
The Roadrunners took the second half kick and marched down the field, scoring their first points of the night. Milton was still having troubles and the Vols punted.
UTSA then got lucky and hit on a 43-yard pass for a touchdown.
… And thus ends the UTSA highlights.
The quarter ended with Tennessee driving.
End of 3rd Quarter
Score: Tennessee 31 UTSA 14
Milton hit three straight passes during the drive and then the Vols fed the Roadrunners a steady diet of Jabari Small who rushed five times for 16 yards including his 1-yard scoring run.
Tennessee's next drive was the Dylan Sampson Show as he took the first handoff for 29 yards and then took the second 41 yards to the Checkerboards.
St. Nico of Long Beach came in to bat clean up, did nothing of real note and that was that.
Final Score:
Tennessee 45 UTSA 14
*******
Certain fighter aces seem to have been born to fly the planes they areforever linked with, such as Manfred von Richtofen, the “RedBaron,” in his Fokker Dr-1 triplane; Eddie Rickenbacker and his SPAD; Greg “Pappy” Boyington in his F4U Corsair; Francis X.“Gabby” Gabreski in his P-47 Thunderbolt.And then there is the greatest of all the American aces, Dick Bong, in his P-38 Lightning. His is a story of an almost perfect union of mission, machine, and man.
TheMission: For the American campaign in the Pacific in World War II to succeed,Japanese airpower had to be defeated or eliminated. One factor of that war that jumps out is that no army won a battle where they did not possess air superiority, if not air supremacy. For the first years of the Pacific War, the Japanese A6M “Zero-sen” fighter reigned supreme. To defeat it, the US sent powerful fighters and superbly trained pilots to do the job. For the Navy and Marines, the now legendary F6F Hellcat and F4U Corsair would combine to knock down over 7,000 Japanese planes. The Army Air Force sent P-47 Thunderbolts and eventually P-51 Mustangs to the fray. They also deployed the plane that did more damage to Japanese airpower than any other: the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
The Machine: In January, 1937, the Army Air Corps issued a request for designs for a new fighter plane. This called for high performance at 20,000 feet and above, heavy armament and a a sizzling rate of climb. Lockheed had never built a fighter nor had they ever competed for a government contract. This did not deter them and they put a 37-year old engineer named Clarence “Kelly” Johnson in charge of the project. Johnson and his team originally worked in an old distillery that reeked from its previous use. Johnson and his guys dubbed their new digs “The Skunk Works."
What emerged from Johnson's drafting board was a fighter that, once seen could not be mistaken for any other. In essence, he took every existing fighter design of the day and filed them in the circular file. The design won the competition and was designated the XP-38 in June of 1937.
The key to the P-38 was a device called a turbo-supercharger. What this did was to suck in a quantity of the thin air at high altitude and compress it, feeding it to the engines to allow them to function as they would atmuch lower altitude. Johnson realized that the P-38 would need two engines and designed two long booms to hold the engines and their superchargers. The pilot would sit in a pod in the middle of the wing between the engines and all the guns would be in the nose.
The first prototype flew at the end of January, 1939. It was decided to fly it to Wright Field for further testing. Once there, Gen. Henry Arnold ordered it to make a speed run to New York City. On the way there the XP-38 was clocked at a jaw-dropping 420 mph making it the first fighter to exceed 400 mph in level flight. Unfortunately, engine trouble caused the XP-38 to crash and while the USAAC was very impressed with its performance it would be over a year before additional prototypes would be completed.
After Pearl Harbor, getting the Lightning into production and out to theoperational squadrons became a priority. Improvements were made throughout the production run and over 10,000 P-38s of all variants were produced.
Kelly Johnson's masterpiece: a surviving P-38 (Glacier Girl) alongside an F-35A (USAF)
The Man: General George Kenny was upset. He had a stack of complaintson his desk regarding the behavior of several of his fighter pilots. These complaints were from the governor of California, the Mayor ofSan Francisco, the owners of various businesses along Market Street and a lady who had her laundry blown off the line by a low-flying P-38. Among the worst offenders was a “blonde, blue-eyed cherub”named Dick Bong. Bong was ushered in to the general's office and Kenny began ripping him a new one. All the while, though, Kenny was getting the measure of this kid. He cited Bong's flying down Market Street at extreme low altitude while waving at the girls working inseveral office buildings. He then asked Bong how he handled the tricky air currents down there. Bong completely forgot where he was and launched into a detailed lecture on the low-altitude flying characteristics and excellent aileron control of the P-38.
Kenny knew he had his man.
He tore up the stack of complaints but ordered Bong to report to the lady with the laundry and to do whatever she wanted him to do.
When Kenny was named to command the 5th Air Force in the Southwest Pacific Theater he asked for 50 P-38 pilots.
Dick Bong's name was at the top of the request.
Richard Ira Bong was born on 24 September 1920, the eldest of nine children of Carl and Dora Bong of Superior, Wisconsin. After graduating high school, he enrolled at the local teachers college and signed up for private flying lessons. In May, 1941 he enlisted in the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program.
Eventually he qualified on P-38s and in November, 1942 was assigned to the 49th Fighter Group which was scheduled to receive the new fighters. To gain combat experience, her and other pilots were detached to the 35th FG and began to fly combat missions. On 27 December he claimed his first aerial victories, shooting down a Zero and a Nakajima “Oscar” fighter. He received the Silver Star for this action.
Back with the 49th FG Bong added to his score. On 26 July, for instance, he shot down four Japanese fighters earning him a DSC. He went home on leave at the end of 1943 and met a girl named Marjorie and they began dating. On his return, he named his P-38 “Marge.”
Bong and the other Lightening drivers learned what we now call “energy tactics.” In WWII, this involved getting above the nimble Japanese fighters and diving on them only maneuvering enough to get a shot. They would continue to dive past the enemy and then pull into a zoom climb and do it all over again.
When asked once about the secret of his success, Bong simply said, “I fly right up their a**.”
One day, Bong found himself flying cover over three American flyers in a raft. As he circled, he was horrified to see a crocodile swimming behind the raft. Bong turned and flattened drawing a bead on lizard. He opened fire and eliminated the threat.
In 12 April 1944. Bong downed two more Japanese and raised his total to 27, exceeding the total of Eddie Rickenbacker. Captain Eddie sent a case of scotch to the 49th as way of congratulations. Bong didn't drink and happily sipped a Coke and watched as his squadron mates went on an epic bender.
Bong was sent home to do a War bond tour and then served as an instructor pilot. He also attended gunnery school. Of the latter he remarked that if he'd had that training to start with he could have shot down “75 or a hundred.”
Bong came back in September as an instructor but with permission to fly combat missions.
On 17 December,Bong downed his 40th – and last – enemy plane.
He received the Medal of Honor for his achievements and was sent home, this time for good.
He married Marge and wound up as an Air Force test pilot assigned to the Lockheed plant and wringing out another of Kelly Johnson's masterpieces, the P-80 (later F-80) Shooting Star, the first American jet fighter to reach squadron service.
On 6 August 1945, American newspapers were filled with headlines about the dropping of the Atom Bomb on Hiroshima.
Just below these stories was another headline announcing that Maj. Richard Bong had been killed in the crash of a P-80 at the Lockheed test facility.
He was 24.
********
So,how did the Vols do against The Maxims?
1. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.
This was another of those games where UTSA's critical error was getting off the bus. Tennessee was by no means flawless – the third quarter proved that- but made no serious mistakes.
2. Play for and make the breaks. When one comes your way … SCORE!
Watching the film (I was in the stands) Milton seemed to recover and was back to normal for those last two scoring drives. One hopes that is the outlook for the USC game. He was putting on a clinic in the first and through most of the second quarters.
3. If at first the game – or the breaks – go against you, don't let up… PUT ON MORE STEAM!
Outside the third canto, the Vols played well, if not with the intensity they SHOULD bring to the ensuing SEC games.
4. Protect our kickers, our quarterback, our lead and our ballgame.
FLASH! GOOD EVENING MR. AND MRS. VOL FAN AND ALL BOATS IN THE VOL NAVY!
BE AWARE! JOE MILTON IS NOT HENDON HOOKER!!!
But, hey, ya know what? Hendon Hooker missed receivers! He threw interceptions – usually about 1-2 a game! He lost games to SEC opponents!
Joe Milton is 5-1 as a starter since Hooker's injury AND in those six games he has thrown exactly ONE interception.
… And you idiots think that HeadVol Heupel is going to bench this man for an untested freshman whose TOTAL EXPERIENCE in college football is 25 plays? Oh, I forgot, you guys know more about football than Josh Heupel and his coaching staff… yeah, that's it.
Really?
Tell you what … If Heupel is stupid enough to do that, I'll join you in calling for his immediate dismissal and to have his replacement culled from the Legion of the Miserable here using a random generator developed by Freak. Hell, better than that we'll rotate through you with each of you getting to coach a different UT game each week and show the football world your brilliance! I'm sure D-1 schools and the NFL will be beating down your door.
Happy now?
5. Ball! Oskie! Cover, block, cut and slice, pursue and gang tackle … THIS IS THE WINNING EDGE.
512 yards of total offense is a good day's work in anybody's book.
6. Press the kicking game. Here is where the breaks are made.
One stat that stands out is that Turbyville kicked off eight times and put them all in the end zone for touchbacks. Well done, young man!
7. Carry the fight to UTSA and keep it there for sixty minutes,
UTSA was done after play number one.
Next up are the Feather Merchants from Columbia, SC. The Vols were embarrassed in last year's trip to the Poultry Farm and lost Hendon Hooker. A measure of payback is called for. What say ye,Vols?
Suggested Reading:
Steve Birdsall, Flying Buccaneers: The Illustrated Story of Kenney's Fifth Air Force. Doubleday, 1972
Martin Caidin, Fork Tailed Devil: The P38, Digital History Books, 2001
Robin Higham and Abigail T. Siddall, eds., Flying Combat Aircraft of the USAAF-USAF. Iowa State Univ. Press, 1975.
Edward Jablonski, AirWar: Outraged Skies. Doubleday, 1971.
Richard Bong in his P-38 (USAF)
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