Gee, I could hear the strains to Rocky Top beginning to wail as I read this article. Poor guy is dreaming. Yes, they will have a rowdy crowd for about the first 5 minutes. We would do well to score early. I'm afraid pulling out all of the stops is out of the question. As the Gators have learned, the spread offense is not easy to learn. Tennessee is going to try to keep the ball on the ground and keep it away from us. I think our defense is up to the task of stopping their running game. I think our offense is up to the task of scoring lots of points. I see a game similar to last year, but not as high a spread.
Oliver Barry, CRS, GRI Real Estate Broker Halo Realty, LLC 700 E. Main St. Hendersonville TN 37075 [EMAIL PROTECTED] office: 615-822-3509 fax: 615-822-7741 mobile: 615-972-4239 -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Rick Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2008 10:49 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [gatornews] Crossville TN: ROCKY TOP BEAT: It's time for the Vols to bite back ROCKY TOP BEAT: It's time for the Vols to bite back By Frank Gale / Chronicle columnist September 18, 2008 04:33 pm - Here we are at the third weekend in September, so it must mean that the opponent this weekend is the Florida Gators. Judging from the Knoxville sports call in shows this week, not too many of the Big Orange Nation is looking forward to tangling with this bunch especially on the heels of last season's 59-20 blowout at the Swamp. Complete with a Heisman Trophy winner and odds on favorite to repeat, along with speed to burn, no one seems to feel that the Vols even belong on the same field as this team, which is one of the favorites to compete for this year's National Championship. But, before we write this group of orange clad warriors off, let's look at one fact. Only once in the past decade when Tennessee hosted the Gators has a game been decided by more than 4 points. That one game came in 2002, on the heels of a Vol victory the previous year at the Swamp, when Florida successfully avenged the loss by winning 30-17 in Knoxville. That is the good news; the bad news - Tennessee has only managed to come out on the right side of the score twice in home games against Florida during Phil Fulmer's head coaching tenure. Tennessee will certainly have the advantage of flying under the radar going into this contest as the Gators are having a hard time showing any respect for a team they dismantled in Gainesville last season. Added to that, the Vols will be starting a quarterback with a bad ankle and are still feeling their way through a different offensive scheme under new coordinator David Clawson. (Note to David): Now would be a good time to pull out all stops! With road games against Auburn and Georgia on the horizon, there is no time like the present to kick this offense into high gear. There appeared to be improvement last Saturday on offense (at least the running game) but it is hard to judge just how much improvement with a less than a stellar defense on the other side of the ball. UAB has an outstanding athlete in quarterback Joe Webb but little else on offense. Still, the defense got a good rehearsal in dealing with a mobile quarterback. Vol fans are hoping the 35-3 score was due to keeping things basic with Florida coming in the following week and not because of offensive under achievement. The answer to that and other questions will be answered in short order this weekend. Tennessee will need some fortunate bounces, no key injuries and a great game plan to pull this victory from the jaws of the dreaded Gators. With the schedule front loaded with good teams, this game , although not a must win, it is a must compete game as Tennessee hangs on trying not to see their season unravel before it really gets started. Of course, there are still those in the stands that feel it is OK to BOO student athletes who are on the field competing at the highest level. Did we not learn any lessons from the Chris Lofton situation last basketball season? Tennessee fans are better than that. Look for Tennessee to play up to the competition this weekend and Florida to walk into a hornets nest with a loud and supportive crowd behind the home team. The Vols will have to play virtually a mistake free game to pull the upset, which means no gifts for the Gators. The offense will need to help the defense by keeping the Florida offense off the field. The defense must improve their tackling this weekend and the special teams simply will have to play their best game of the season to contain the speed of Florida. Keep it close, then win it at the end, sending everyone home singing "Rocky Top" and proud to be wearing Tennessee orange. Go Vols!!!! Frank Gale is a Chronicle correspondent, and his column appears weekly. Copyright (c) 1999-2008 cnhi, inc. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
