Commence the fifteen minutes of immediate post-game stream of consciousness! Woo!
Wow. I could probably say just that for 15 minutes. Just ask my family and my Boston Terrier, who got so frightened at one of my outbursts that she became incontinent. Carpet cleaner, somebody, quick. She was wise enough to leave after doing the deed, so, you know, good dog and all that.
First off, congratulations to the Kentucky Wildcats for a fantastic game. We had y'all down and pretty much beaten in the first half, but you rallied and made it a game. And what a game it was. One I will never forget.
Stealing from Peter's instant reaction posts now:
The outcome was: indeed, like Everest, K2, and Mars, all wrapped up into one, just not for the Kentucky fans. Putting enough discernible distance between the Vols and the 'Cats for society to permit one of them to claim they were better on this day was a feat requiring enormous effort and dedication. Consequences? The SEC Championship. We're going to Atlanta despite the Cal, Florida, and Alabama debacles. We're spending the week plotting revenge on the LSU Tigers for 2001, when they trampled the rose clinched between Casey Clausen's teeth.
The Offensive MVP was: Tie. Erik Ainge and Arian Foster. We needed both today like no other day. Arian, for grinding out both yards and clock, and Ainge for finding the right receiver and making the big play when Foster's efforts alone weren't enough to get us first downs. Bravo to you both.
The Defensive MVP was: Jerod Mayo. All game, you could see him adjusting to what Andre Woodson was doing and barking out instructions, conveying his knowledge and experience to the rest of the defense. No wait, what about Ricardo Kemp? Where in the world has he been all year? The guy was an absolute monster, getting at least a couple of really huge sacks. Dude. Dude. Really, though, this was a team effort. Got the stops when we needed them.
The offensive Offensive Player of the Week: Lucas Taylor. Sorry, buddy, love ya, but today wasn't your best. At least three drops I can remember in key situations. Still, you went for over 100 yards, I think, and we needed everyone of them, so woo for you, too.
The offensive Defensive Player of the Week: Hmm. Rico McCoy? Was he playing today?
LSU Fear Factor: Who cares? What a win today! Okay, well, yesterday, I was entertaining the thought of what outcome of the LSU Arkansas game would be best for us in the SEC Championship game, assuming we won today, naturally. (!) Initially, I wanted the Mad Hatter to blow out the Hogs and come in overconfident. Then, when that went out the window and the game went to overtime, I just wanted them to win in as many OTs as possible and be tuckered out. Then they lost, and I thought, well then, perhaps they'll be emotionally distraught and worn out. Well. We've now got our own challenge to overcome: an emotional high and a fatiguing game. So who knows? But tonight, who cares? Woo!
Hmm. Fifteen minutes goes by fast. Wow.