Commence the 15-minute immediate post-game mostly incoherent and questionable-impression-filled ramblings.
Hot HOt HOT! There were three med-evacs in Section GG alone. I feel like I've been on a broken rotisserie for a long cycle. Well done, burnt and crispy on one side, rare on the other. I'm saying it was hot. And it was hot. Have I made my point yet? If not, hot.
Tee Martin, wooooo! It was great to see Tee Martin at midfield before the game as this week's living legend or whatever they're calling it. Clips of the '98 season, Tee's infectious smile, it was great. And bonus points for his kids' haircut. I only got a glance, but it looked like a Mohawk with spiraly embellishments cut into close-cropped hair on either side. Or maybe it was the rotisserie.
I don't know who it was, but somebody on defense popped a UAB running back really good on their first play. The guy actually kept going, but it sure looked and seemed like a statement hit.
Speaking of statements, Arian Foster made his on his first carry, busting out his favorite off-tackle play, angling out of bounds, and ending up yards down field.
BREAKING NEWS -- South Carolina just fumbled into the end zone on what could have tied the game. Steve Spurrier is not happy. Neither am I. We are both currently the same color to boot.
Now, back to the ramblings.
We ought to see if we can just get this into the playbook. Our kicker kept kicking off to the 2 or 3 yard line in the corner, our gunners would beat their men down the field and get blocked in the back for it. It seemed like UAB started a full handful of drives inside their own ten yard line.
Have you ever seen a running back use a hand to maintain balance and continue a run? Well some UAB dude did that with his head. Points for style.
Fulmer was 90% rage and 10% bad knees as he tried to catch up to Jonathan Crompton at the end of the half to bark at him for failing to get off a play with two seconds left in the first half. Rage is fast!
Credit this to hooper, but what's up with the in-game music? Pre-game included Livin' on a Prayer. Huh? Fine song, but let's just say that this song was not seleted by the team's motivational guru. I didn't recognize most of the rest of the songs accompanying video highlights during timeouts, but most of them would not be out of place on a Brahm's Anthology. So sleepy.
And finally, did anyone hear Will Overstreet's post-game three-minute radio screed? Woo, wow, and whoa. The essence: Booing your own players is a shameful, despicable practice. I heard this after Luke Stocker dropped his third pass, two of which looked like they could have been touchdowns, and when Crompton missed a wide open Brandon Warren on one play and then, on the very next play, missed him again in favor of throwing to Lucas Taylor deep in double coverage. Even worse than the booing, though, was the applause accompanying Stocker's exit from the game. I'm with Will. Don't do that.
Bottom line: our defense may be better than we think. We've got problems on offense. This should have been an opportunity for Tennessee to join the ranks of the truly elite teams with a 60 or 70 point game. UAB's defense was ranked 117th. We got 35 points against them. Based on that and on last year's score against Florida, my early prediction is 70-10. But maybe that's the heat exhaustion talking. Maybe not.