So I've finally recovered enough from the Bama debacle to come out of hiding. And by recovered I don't just mean emotionally, but physically, as the horrid, scathing sunburn I received last Saturday has finally subsided and I have morphed into a mass of dead, flaking skin. Advice -- if you're going to a JP game, even in late October, don't leave the SPF in the car.
One good thing that came from the trip to Tuscaloosa was hearing my wife, who had never been to a college football game anywhere but Sanford Stadium and Neyland and wouldn't even call herself a college football fan if she didn't know how much I care about the game, announce to any Bama fan within earshot that they as a collective fan base are plain trash. Gosh, I love that gal. If you're wondering, it was the Rammer Jammer cheer that sent her over the edge -- by her estimation, the most classless thing she's ever heard. And I'm for sure not going to try and convince her otherwise.
I have convinced myself, though, that the Friday predictions -- however spot-on for the Georgia and Miss. State games - are an exercise in futility. This team is so sporadic that there's no way to actually predict what they're going to do. Instead, this week: Three things I hope happen Saturday night.
1. I hope that if something works on offense, we keep doing it, and don't inexplicably trash it for things that don't work -- Of course, this is a reference to the run game, circa last week. Arian Foster has been playing some dang fine football of late, and there's no reason not to take advantage of that fact. Really, our RBs are the most proven group of talent we have at out disposal, so why don't we let them shine?
I hope we don't have to hear "we should have run more" again this week.
2. I hope we can adjust to whatever Spurrier is doing successfully -- The incredibly fine work breaking down the break downs on defense done by Vol Navy this week just reaffirmed what I thought I was seeing in Bryant-Denny last Saturday. It's not so bad that our LBs were biting on the play fakes, it's that they kept biting on them well into the game when it was obvious that Alabama wasn't trying to run. This week we will probably see some similar stuff from Spurrier... his best bet is to run Cory Boyd, but being Spurrier, he will want to throw. The passing game is the Siren's song to him, and I'm sure he thinks there are some holes in this secondary. Whatever success his offense has has to be adjusted to or Tennessee will be on the wrong end of another rout, again.
3. I hope we don't run a reverse -- No, really. I hope we don't run a reverse. And if we do, I hope we at least do it with a sense of irony.
And finally, I just hope we win. I don't care how, just get it done.
But beating Spurrier by about 20 sure would be nice. Just sayin'.
Go Vols.