FanPost

I hate to do this, but we are going to win

It's Tennessee-Florida week! Usually it is the most exciting week of the year for me. I wake up everyday thinking about how much I hate the Gators. I usually am searching the web looking for great trash talking quotes or hoping to see that Chris Leak isn't going to play. I go from being excited to scared to death, because I know the Gators are always a tough team and they could very easily beat the Vols. However, this year I am not really that pumped.

It's Tennessee-Florida week! Usually it is the most exciting week of the year for me. I wake up everyday thinking about how much I hate the Gators. I usually am searching the web looking for great trash talking quotes or hoping to see that Chris Leak isn't going to play. I go from being excited to scared to death, because I know the Gators are always a tough team and they could very easily beat the Vols. However, this year I am not really that pumped.

First, I am in a rut. I compare it to a baseball player going into a slump. The baseball of life is the size of a grape right now and I have no chance of making contact at this point. The only way to get out of this slump is to keep swinging, because eventually I will make contact and get a hit.

Second reason I am not excited is I know the Vols are going to win. For the first time in many, many years I just know they are going to win. I know Florida is the better team and Tennessee is coming off a sketchy performance against the Air Force Academy. All of the obvious signs point to Florida in a big way. But the Vols are going to win and the reason makes me kind of sad.

In last Saturday's close call against Air Force, defensive lineman Justin Harrell went down for the year with a torn biceps. Harrell could have gone into the draft after last season and been a second or third round pick. He decided that he didn't want his last memory of Tennessee to be a 5-6 season, so he came back. While his story is sad, it could have been worse.

Vols starting corner Inky Johnson also was injured in the Air Force. While making a vicious hit on a ball carrier, Johnson sustained a terrible neck injury and has already had one surgery to repair torn blood vessels and will probably have to have several more surgeries to repair the nerve damage. Thankfully he is expected to recover and live a normal life, but will never play football again. Not that it really matters in the grand scheme of things.

During his senior season at Grims High School in Atlanta, Johnson was only receiving interest from one Division-I school, the University of Tennessee...at Chattanooga! Most Division-I schools thought he was too small to play defensive back at the college level. However, near the end of his senior season one of the Vols coaches, scouting another player, saw Johnson make two interceptions in a game and decided to offer him a scholarship on the spot.

During last season, the Vols lost cornerback Jason Allen and Johnson was forced in to playing time. Allen pulled him aside and basically taught him how to practice and prepare. Every since, Johnson has been one of the hardest working players on the team and always seems to have a smile on his face.

I have read several stories about Florida players talking about how they think they can shutout Tennessee and want to send a message to the rest of the country on how Florida is back. All the Tennessee players have passed up the chance to trash talk and said they are more focused on getting ready for the game and their fallen teammates. Defensive coordinator John Chavis has gone to the hospital every night to see Johnson and can't speak to the media about him without tearing up.

This week during a team meeting the players and coaches decided to put a sticker on their helmet with three connected rings. One of the rigs will have Johnson's number 29 in it. Another will have Harrell's number 92. The other ring will represent the rest of the team coming together for the two players. They have also dedicated the Florida game to them.

This is the human element coming out that can't be measured by odds makers in Las Vegas. Like the time the underdog New England Patriots passed up the chance to be individually introduced in the Super Bowl and decided to come out as a team. Everyone in America went, "Uh-oh!"

The Vols could have sat around all week and pouted and felt sorry for themselves, but instead they appear to be extremely focused. I hope I am right about this because I am picking the Vols to win 28-10.

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