TOTAL UNABASHED HOMERISM ALERT: There were at least a few positives to take from Saturday's loss to Florida (you were warned). Tennessee did outscore the Gators in the second half (admittedly, UF knew the game was in the bag at halftime) and were +5 in turnovers for the game. While those might not be the most important stats from the box score, this one might be: UT shot 100% (15-15) from the foul line in the second half, proving they actually can shoot free throws. Hopefully that trend carries over to Tuesday night's game against LSU.
Speaking of, while the Florida game was only "pretty big" for the Vols, the upcoming stretch of home games is apocalyptic in nature for Tennessee's NCAA bid hopes. The chimera the Vols must slay comes in the form of LSU, Vandy, and Kentucky. Surprisingly, LSU is having the worst season of those three teams and needs this game as badly as the Vols do.
If, like me and many other Vol fans, you're rooting for Peyton Manning and the Colts in tonight's Super Bowl, be sure to check out Colts blog Stampede Blue today. Or, if you'd rather not see a Tennessee alumnus finally be rewarded with everything he ever deserved, you can root for Rex Grossman and the GatorBears at Windy City Gridiron. Communist.
Go Vols! Go Colts! Go Peyton!