Guitar Shots to The Head: Let Loose From the Noose

Frankly, the whining about the black jerseys has me scratching my head a bit. I know the Christmas shopping season is upon us, but this is football not “America’s top model”. We knew when it all started that these weren’t your parent’s Vols. If you were to Google the antithesis of Phil Fulmer, there is no doubt that Lane Kiffin would pop up in the first hundred search results.

The fact is, music and school colors are important to today’s recruits. Showing up in black jerseys on the same week that Lil’ Wayne puts you in one of his songs is fortuitous to say the least. I’m not really a “fashionista”, but I loved the black. I just wish we had black helmets as well.

Aside from the jerseys, it was fun to finally beat Spurrier at his own game. How many times did we watch his Florida teams capitalize on early Vol turnovers to put our team away in the first half? As the season wears on, Kiffin appears to be a younger version of the Ole Ball coach. He is brash, confident, and his players are now getting to the right place at the right time. Crompton is improving. Tennessee is getting rushing yards when they need them, and the freshmen on the defensive side of the ball are making special plays on a weekly basis.

With big wins over Georgia and South Carolina, it feels very good to be Back in Black.

Watching on television, my favorite moment in the game came during the last South Carolina possession. The defense had just made a play, and Montori Hughes nearly got into a shoving match with an SC offensive lineman. The camera immediately cut to the Tennessee sideline. There was Lane Kiffin staring intently at Ed Orgeron. Coach O had a sheepish grin that he couldn’t conceal. Kiffin took a few steps toward the field and shouted at Hughes. Then he quickly pointed to his head and said “Think!” “Think!”.

I loved the fact that Orgeron couldn’t quit smiling. It was the kind of grin that seemed to say, “This is just the beginning”. Kiffin refused to break a smile, but you could tell he wanted to grin as well.

Soon after that television moment, it hit me. Watching this staff keep Spurrier frustrated was pleasing on so many levels. I felt like Sylvester had finally digested Tweety Bird, or the Wile E had caught the Road Runner.

The upstart coach is now on our sidelines. The tables have turned. Kids around the country are lining up to play for these coaches. When Tennessee loses a four star recruit, three or four just like them are ready to commit. It isn’t blind luck. The coaching staff has created an environment that college aged kids cannot wait to play in. The black jerseys are certainly part of that, but they don’t tell the whole story. After all, Vanderbilt wears black all the time.

I’ve got that same Orgeron grin this morning. Tennessee has the perfect villain coaching our football team. He talks a good game, but prepares more than he talks. So I know it isn’t just the black jerseys. With this coaching staff, the black actually means something. The Vols are coming after your team, your recruits, and your coaches. Hide the women and children. The Tennessee Vols have let loose from the noose.