Re-living the 2007 season. Because those who don't learn from the past are doomed to have a new coach next year.
Pre-game
Homecoming is a time to catch up with old friends in familiar places. You know, like Dominance, Mastery, and Power. After Dancing with Disaster against Steve Spurrier, we needed some of that.
Yes, this was the week that Demonte Bolden got suspended and LaMarcus Coker’s last chance went up in smoke, but Louisiana-Lafayette was coming to town, and we were looking forward to a breather.
The game
For future reference, this is what a breather looks like:
Eight drives, seven scores, all but one of them touchdowns. A defense that held the Ragin’ Cajuns to points on only one of 10 drives. A score of 59-7. Like I said, a breather.
There’s really not much else to say about this game. The only interesting bits I wrote afterwards were that Louisiana-Lafayette’s center had really poofy hair, that Jonathan Hefney was almost solely responsible for the Ragin’ Cajuns only points, that somebody blocked a punt, and that Lennon Creer looked really good.
This may have been the least-watched Vols game in the last decade. The crowd was absolutely pathetic, and the game wasn’t even televised. Even the pay-per-view folks were lounging in the hammock this weekend. Too bad, too, because that means that too many folks missed what will likely be the highlight of Antonio Reynolds’ career:
DeAngelo Willingham, I think it was, tipped the ball on an attempted screen pass, and Reynolds plucked it out of the air and set course for the end zone, a journey that, like Gone with the Wind, almost required an intermission. The denouement was the move he made at around the 10 40 where the QB had the angle on him and was going to help him out of bounds. The big guy actually juked him, and the QB went flying harmlessly into the coaching staff. The last ten yards to the end zone served primarily as credits set to celebratory song.
Antonio Reynolds Makes Sure UL-Laf made it into the second round of the Best Plays of 2007 Brackety-ish Thingy.
It was a good day all around:
Post-game
Well, it was good to see you, Dominance. Take care, Mastery. Don’t be a stranger, Power. We promise to write every day. For now, though, we have to get back to the edge of the precipice. Arkansas, Vanderbilt, and Kentucky are waiting.