Twas the Night Before Kickoff - a poem of Christmas future

#1
Gandalf

Gandalf

The Orange/White Wizard
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#1

Twas the Night Before Kickoff: Vols vs. Buckeyes​


‘Twas the night before playoffs, and across Buckeye land,
The Vols were invading, their tickets in hand.
The fans dressed in orange, a raucous parade,
Turning the Horseshoe into Neyland Brigade.

The Buckeyes were reeling, TTUN in their head,
With Ryan Day’s job hanging by a thin thread.
“Lose to the hillbillies? Not even possible!”
Whispered Ohio fans with a fear almost audible.

But Josh Heupel stood tall, his Vols battle-tested,
With Nico Iamaleava, whose skills finally crested.
The freshman QB, calm and unshaken,
Ready to unleash fury where legends are awakened.

In a scarlet red suit, Will Howard took aim,
With Emeka Egbuka—a star of the game.
But Tennessee’s secondary rose to the call,
Blanketing passes, Boo caught them mid-fall.

The first quarter saw OSU strike with flair,
As cold winds whispered doubts through the air.
But the Vols roared back with their signature stamp,
And Sampson smashed through like the Biblical champ.

Every touchdown, every field goal so sweet,
Brought a familiar tune rising up from the beat.
“Rocky Top, you’ll always be,” the band played with might,
As orange-clad fans sang deep into the night.

Resolute without falter, intrepid Vols stormed ahead,
While Buckeye defenders wished they’d stayed in bed.
“Nico to Squirrel! A mid-air jump and dive to the end!”
The scoreboard lit up—Vols struck again.

From SEC toughness to Big Ten finesse,
This matchup tested which conference was best.
The Vols played smashmouth, relentless and raw,
While worry in the hearts of Ohio's faithful did gnaw.

The second half began, and Tennessee rolled,
With Nico’s deep strikes, strident and bold.
Howard to Jeremiah, a desperate reply,
But the Vol defense swarmed, dreams gone awry.

“Vols by fiddy!” the crowd roared with gusto,
When a pick by Pearce demonstrated just so
Rockytop played as he crossed the goal line,
While battered and broken stares the Ohio Oline.

The orange sea rose, their voices so loud,
As Heupel grinned wide, leading his crowd.
And with the final whistle, it did not feel close,
Vols 34, Buckeyes 17 as the host.

The flag now planted on OSU's 50 yard line
Onward to Oregon, give ducks a hard time.
They departed singing Rockytop in delight,
With the crown in reach, to all a good night!
 
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#4
#4
iu
 
#7
#7
Gandalf said:

Twas the Night Before Kickoff: Vols vs. Buckeyes​


‘Twas the night before playoffs, and across Buckeye land,
The Vols were invading, their tickets in hand.
The fans dressed in orange, a raucous parade,
Turning the Horseshoe into Neyland Brigade.

The Buckeyes were reeling, TTUN in their head,
With Ryan Day’s job hanging by a thin thread.
“Lose to the hillbillies? Not even possible!”
Whispered Ohio fans with a fear almost audible.

But Josh Heupel stood tall, his Vols battle-tested,
With Nico Iamaleava, whose skills finally crested.
The freshman QB, calm and unshaken,
Ready to unleash fury where legends are awakened.

In a scarlet red suit, Will Howard took aim,
With Emeka Egbuka—a star of the game.
But Tennessee’s secondary rose to the call,
Blanketing passes, Boo caught them mid-fall.

The first quarter saw OSU strike with flair,
As cold winds whispered doubts through the air.
But the Vols roared back with their signature stamp,
And Sampson smashed through like the Biblical champ.

Every touchdown, every field goal so sweet,
Brought a familiar tune rising up from the beat.
“Rocky Top, you’ll always be,” the band played with might,
As orange-clad fans sang deep into the night.

Again and again, the Vols stormed ahead,
While Buckeye defenders wished they’d stayed in bed.
“Nico to Squirrel! A mid-air jump and dive to the end!”
The scoreboard lit up—Vols struck again.

From SEC toughness to Big Ten finesse,
This matchup tested which conference was best.
The Vols played smashmouth, relentless and raw,
While worry in the hearts of Ohio's faithful did gnaw.

The second half began, and Tennessee rolled,
With Nico’s deep strikes, their story retold.
Howard to Egbuka, a desperate reply,
But the Vol defense swarmed, dreams gone awry.

“Vols by fiddy!” the crowd roared with gusto,
When a pick by Pearce demonstrated just so
Rockytop played as he crossed the goal line,
While battered and broken stares the Buckeyes Oline.

The orange sea rose, their voices so loud,
As Heupel grinned wide, leading his crowd.
And with the final whistle, it didnt feel close,
Vols 34, Buckeyes 17—a lopsided dose.

Vol fans planted their flag on Ohio State's 50 yard line
But onward to Oregon, to give the ducks a hard time.
And as they departed singing Rockytop in delight,
With visions of championships and to all a good night!
Click to expand...
@Gandalf the 'Bard' has spoken, Vol fans! Shakespeare (Bard of Avon) would approve your iambic pentameter. Great poetry! :cool:
 
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#12
#12
feathersax said:
@Gandalf the 'Bard' has spoken, Vol fans! Shakespeare (Bard of Avon) would approve your iambic pentameter. Great poetry! :cool:
Click to expand...
Many thanks! Iambic pentameter -
Now that's a word Ive not heard in some time
As a young wizard at Baylor, back in my prime. 😁

SDV said:
Bravo. AI assisted?
Click to expand...
Of course, but only for a rough first pass, then I had to rewrite much of it, since AI still makes a dog's breakfast of even the most eloquent prose. The few parts I didnt edit look gangly to me. If I had any real time to spend on it, it would have been much, much better. Clearly not the magnificent mellifluence of Tolkien but still, one does what one can in the time we are given. ;)
 
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#13
#13
Gandalf said:

Twas the Night Before Kickoff: Vols vs. Buckeyes​


‘Twas the night before playoffs, and across Buckeye land,
The Vols were invading, their tickets in hand.
The fans dressed in orange, a raucous parade,
Turning the Horseshoe into Neyland Brigade.

The Buckeyes were reeling, TTUN in their head,
With Ryan Day’s job hanging by a thin thread.
“Lose to the hillbillies? Not even possible!”
Whispered Ohio fans with a fear almost audible.

But Josh Heupel stood tall, his Vols battle-tested,
With Nico Iamaleava, whose skills finally crested.
The freshman QB, calm and unshaken,
Ready to unleash fury where legends are awakened.

In a scarlet red suit, Will Howard took aim,
With Emeka Egbuka—a star of the game.
But Tennessee’s secondary rose to the call,
Blanketing passes, Boo caught them mid-fall.

The first quarter saw OSU strike with flair,
As cold winds whispered doubts through the air.
But the Vols roared back with their signature stamp,
And Sampson smashed through like the Biblical champ.

Every touchdown, every field goal so sweet,
Brought a familiar tune rising up from the beat.
“Rocky Top, you’ll always be,” the band played with might,
As orange-clad fans sang deep into the night.

Again and again, the Vols stormed ahead,
While Buckeye defenders wished they’d stayed in bed.
“Nico to Squirrel! A mid-air jump and dive to the end!”
The scoreboard lit up—Vols struck again.

From SEC toughness to Big Ten finesse,
This matchup tested which conference was best.
The Vols played smashmouth, relentless and raw,
While worry in the hearts of Ohio's faithful did gnaw.

The second half began, and Tennessee rolled,
With Nico’s deep strikes, their story retold.
Howard to Egbuka, a desperate reply,
But the Vol defense swarmed, dreams gone awry.

“Vols by fiddy!” the crowd roared with gusto,
When a pick by Pearce demonstrated just so
Rockytop played as he crossed the goal line,
While battered and broken stares the Buckeyes Oline.

The orange sea rose, their voices so loud,
As Heupel grinned wide, leading his crowd.
And with the final whistle, it didnt feel close,
Vols 34, Buckeyes 17—a lopsided dose.

Vol fans planted their flag on Ohio State's 50 yard line
But onward to Oregon, to give the ducks a hard time.
And as they departed singing Rockytop in delight,
With visions of championships and to all a good night!
Click to expand...
Heck yeah!!!! Go VOLS!!! This fired me up!!!
 
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#15
#15
b
Gandalf said:
Many thanks! Iambic pentameter -
Now that's a word Ive not heard in some time
As a young wizard at Baylor, back in my prime. 😁


Of course, but only for a rough first pass, then I had to rewrite much of it, since AI still makes a dog's breakfast of even the most eloquent prose. The few parts I didnt edit look gangly to me. If I had any real time to spend on it, iBurmat would have been much, much better. Clearly not the magnificent mellifluence of Tolkien but still, one does what one can in the time we are given. ;)
Click to expand...
The Vols in Columbus, Ohio,
The Bug-Eyes cry "O Me, O My-O!"
Big Orange Volunters make 'em whine in their beers,
And Tenessee just makes 'em Cry-O!
(Burma Shave) :cool:
 
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#16
#16
Swiftybaby said:
Had some old Toby from the south farthing aye
Click to expand...

Actually, the one I am lighting up this evening is a blend from the Nic Haradrim of the Southlands (I believe you would call it Nicaraguan), a puro, swarthy and sweet in its dark embrace like its people. It was only after the Third age of course that they discovered (through the efforts of a well traveled halfling trader of the Tooks, if memory serves), that there was strong demand in the West for what they had previously seen as a noxious plant. The rest, I suppose, is history.
 
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#17
#17
Gandalf said:
Actually, the one I am lighting up this evening is a blend from the Nic Haradrim of the Southlands (I believe you would call it Nicaraguan), a puro, swarthy and sweet in its dark embrace like its people. It was only after the Third age of course that they discovered (through the efforts of a well traveled halfling trader of the Tooks, if memory serves), that there was strong demand in the West for what they had previously seen as a noxious plant. The rest, I suppose, is history.
Click to expand...
Poetic beauty
 
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#18
#18
feathersax said:
b

The Vols in Columbus, Ohio,
The Bug-Eyes cry "O Me, O My-O!"
Big Orange Volunters make 'em whine in their beers,
And Tenessee just makes 'em Cry-O!
(Burma Shave) :cool:
Click to expand...

To be fully Burma Shave style, it should have been on roadside signs going to the game

Even better - the last sign would be - YOU SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT A SQUIRREL! :p

5A3QqWT.gif
 
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#20
#20
Brought a tear to my eye.

What is the message board equivalent of a Pulitzer?

I was toying with a "Casey At The Bat" parody earlier in the week-but life got in the way ha ha. "Somewhere men are laughing and somewhere children shout-But there is no joy in Ohio, for the Buckeyes are out"
 
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