Have you ever had an appetizer that was so good, that it overshadowed the main course? Whenever the opportunity presents itself I dine at the Chart House. It is a chain of upscale establishments scattered across the country. Their crab cakes and lemon caper butter are an unbelievable combination. So good in fact, that when I order them as an appetizer by the time my filet hits the table I don’t even know why I ordered it. Maybe my eyes are just too big for my belly. Needless to say, after I pay the $90.00 tab reality hits me square in the jaw, like a shot from ole’ Honky himself. Why? Because regardless of how good those crab cakes are, they are still just an appetizer, and a patron should never be too full to enjoy a good filet.
Obviously, I am not a food critic. I just don’t want the Volnation to feel fat and happy after that win on Saturday. Yes, we escaped Lexington with a win. For that I am very thankful. This is not the time or place to complain, but right now I see the last five games as just an appetizer, and the main course is right around the corner.
What I don’t want to hear about after a game like Saturday is how far this football has come. Yes they are a pretty young bunch with some very speedy potential. However over the last five game stretch they have also shown enormous potential for ineptitude. In reality this team is 9-3 thanks to three place kicks. Yet, they have the number 9 in the win column and the number 3 in the loss column. Against Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina, games that should have been peanut butter and nanner sandwiches turned into heartburn inducing meals.
It has been said several times, but it is worth repeating. In the end, you are what your record says you are. By turning in gutsy and flawed performances this team is now poised to take a legitimate shot at the SEC Championship and a BCS berth. That makes any season so special, that looking forward is the only appropriate measure for Volunteer fans once again this week. Here are a few quick shots to the head that remind everyone of what is at stake in the match up.
– The SEC East is not an SEC Championship. Please do not confuse the two.
– Regardless of what Tony Barnhart has to say, unless they take a team field trip to
watch football in Atlanta this weekend, the services of the Georgia Bulldogs will not be required on Saturday night.
– Phillip Fulmer can pull the old “Eternal Sunshine on the Spotless Mind†trick if he coaches this team into a BCS bowl. Unfathomable losses to Cal, Florida and Alabama will immediately be replaced with fond memories of the accomplishments of one of the scrappiest UT teams in recent memory.
– The amount of luck required to get the Vols to this point cannot be ignored, yet in the college football landscape today everybody needs a few lucky bounces to come out on top. Will the Vols require this much luck next year? That is a different discussion for a different day.
– Erik Ainge (and his happy feet) has a shot to define his legacy by taking this team back to the promise land. He too is in a position re-write some pretty deplorable history. The fact that it is occurring against LSU, a team that provided him with the lowest point of his career is complete irony.
– National relevance is not overrated. A win over LSU and a win in a BCS bowl game will return the Vols to a national spotlight that will no doubt carry over into recruiting and into the preseason polls next year.
– The converse also remains true. If the Vols lose this Saturday night, regardless of how the game plays out, they will be relegated to “also ran†status immediately, and Volunteer fans will be treated to three days worth of talk about the worthiness of the UGA program.
– Both Cutcliffe and Chavis have work to do this week. If either sees the daylight for the next five days, I question their dedication to this program. I want to see some creativity on offense and some simplicity on defense. Once again it is time to block and tackle.
– On one hand, LSU presents some very favorable match ups for the Vols, especially on the offensive side of the ball. I look for favorable portions of Hester. If Miles has the sense to play Perrilloux, or if it happens out of necessity, the Vols may be in trouble. As long as Flynn is the QB and Miles is on the sidelines, LSU has exploitable weaknesses. On the other hand, this will be the speediest defense UT has seen all year…..without exception. I think it will take Erik and company a few series to get used to the level of play they will see on Saturday.
A majority of my mid-season ramblings centered around one question. What can the Vols do to make me think they can compete with the team that the Florida Gators will field next year? Initially the answer as been this: nothing at all. Right now, that really hasn’t changed. I haven’t been blown away by this five game appetizer. It tasted pretty darn good, but I am not full. I say bring on the main course. I say bring on the LSU Tigers, and bring home the SEC Championship. Any thing less is going to leave me hungry! Go Vols