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A five or six-point win. That’s what the odds said.
The media experts predicted a close game — several went so far as to predict a Utah State upset. “Chucky Keeton, though,” we heard over and over of the Aggies’ Heisman hopeful quarterback. And really, it’s hard to blame them. With no returning starters on either line of scrimmage and a couple dozen freshmen expected to contribute, there were a lot of unknowns for the Vols heading into Sunday night’s opener.
The 38-7 final score told a different story, however, one that wasn’t indicative of just how lopsided the game really was.
I don’t know whether or not we might look back to this game as a turning point for Tennessee football. It’s still asking a lot to expect much from such a young team. But sitting in my seat for what was the first sell out for a home opener since 2007 (and I didn’t see many empty seats anywhere in Neyland Stadium), something felt different. Maybe it’s wishful thinking from someone who is sick and tired of five-win seasons. Or maybe, just maybe, this heavily freshman-laden team 118 is going to be one we look back on with the same fondness as other teams who were remarkable in one way or another.
For more consecutive years than I care to count, I’ve had a conversation with a friend of mine about the state of the Tennessee program. “Surely this is the bottom,” he says. “Possibly. But we said the same thing last year,” I respond.
With a brutal schedule, including a trip to Norman, Oklahoma looming in a couple of weeks, will this year be any different? No one can say for sure. But I can tell you this: when I heard Todd Kelly‘s name echo through Neyland Stadium after recovering a fumble from Utah State’s kick returner in the first quarter, it reminded me of a much better time in Tennessee football.
The Vols were coming off of a five-win season in 1988, when Todd Kelly Sr. stepped on campus. His freshman year was one of the great turnaround seasons in Tennessee football history. That 1989 SEC Championship team finished 11-1 and capped off the year with a New Year’s Day bowl victory and a top-five ranking. It was a truly memorable season. And it began a four-year run which saw Tennessee win 38 games.
I’m not quite ready to predict similar results for this year’s Tennessee team, but this young group of gutsy Vol players just might have what it takes to turn around a struggling program. Granted, the 80s weren’t quite the debacle we’ve witnessed this decade, but I count two five-win seasons, one six-win season and a couple of seven-win campaigns during that period.
Whatever the level of success this legacy class can achieve, I’m certain it’s going to be a fun ride. And maybe this talented young group can bring the same pride and swagger back to the program that many of their family before them experienced.
Wouldn’t that be something?
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