Andy Staples finds a mockable moment leading up to tomorrow’s Meteor Game:
For those seeking further proof that the Florida-Tennessee series is in a strange place right now, consider this: The Knoxville Police Department issued stern warnings this week to any Tennessee fans considering storming the field at Neyland Stadium should the Volunteers beat Florida Saturday.
Storming the field? For beating a team that went 7-6 last year? The very idea seems offensive to anyone who remembers when this was the most important game in the SEC every year because these were the two best teams in the conference.
If there’s something that’s taken a little edge off of their meeting tomorrow, it’s not the idea that the two are playing for third place in the SEC East. It’s how colorless the two head coaches are, which shouldn’t be a surprise, given that they’re offshoots from the Saban Tree.
So instead of getting arrogant Fulmer-baiting from Spurrier, we’re treated to the insightful, ass-covering wisdom of Will Muschamp.
“It’s not add water, instant player,” Muschamp said. “I know we all think that because Rivals put 48 stars by their name, they’re supposed to just be an outstanding football player the moment they walk on campus. It’s not add water, instant player. It’s not. It takes a process to become a good player.”
And from his cohort? More of the same: “If we don’t win,” Dooley said, “the sky isn’t going to fall.” Even the Laner was more fun than that.
Who’da thunk orange could become so boring?
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“Add water, instant player.” Nice turn of phrase Boom.
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Or, in his case, “add Red Bull, instant as*hole.”
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Well, here in Knoxville, SOD did say if they got arrested storming the field, he would bail them out.
I actually heard a caller yesterday say that if Dooley wasn’t 3-1 in the stretch against UF, UGA, USCe and Bammer he should be fired. It’s gone from he needs to win eight games to keep his job to 10+ wins to stay. They’ve only played NCSU and Ga. State. My how expectations soar…….
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“3-1 in the stretch against UF, UGA, USCe and Bammer” ?!? Holy shit. That’s delusional even for a Tennessee fan.
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“My how expectations soar…….”
Got that right. Six days ago I was about to soil my boxers thinking we wouldn’t get past MO….and now….
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If I recall correctly, UuuTee was saying the same thing last year after destroying Cincinnati and some other lesser folk
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It staggers my imagination that either of these teams are actually ranked. The fact that they BOTH are proves we’re living in bizzaro world. Can someone please tell me what EITHER of these teams has done to deserve any sort of ranking?
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I hear you. Both teams are shadows of their former selves, and UTk has been in the shadows a lot longer than FU. But can you name 25 teams that you are pretty sure would beat both teams on a neutral field tomorrow? I’m not sure I could.
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What did UGA do last year to deserve their ranking? Let me help: they had that amazing D ranking, because they played no one.
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Played no one?!? Hey! They played TENNES… oh yeah. I see your point.
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They did win the SEC east
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In Florida’s case, you mean other than face a decent SEC opponent on the road in front of a hyped up crowd? You mean other than that?
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As weird as it feels… I gotta agree with Mike on this one.
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As weird as it feels… I’m cheering for FU.
Someone throw some water on Mike.
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This is the true definition of a meteor game. There are so many reasons to want both teams to lose. I guess the silver lining is that you can find something to like about whatever the outcome may be.
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Remind me again, how many times did A&M fold in the second half last year? Four? Five? Double digit leads all of them? Oh yeah that many.
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Whereas that’s true, you’ve got to give FU credit for adjusting at halftime… I mean, they were right on the cusp of getting blown out, and then they flipped the script, mainly because they were the better team with more talent and a better plan.
Man, I’m about to throw up from saying all of that. Quit making me defend this position!
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Texas A&M was 7-6 last season and has a new coach. Beating the Aggies ain’t that big a deal. Particularly by that small a margin.
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Should be a great game to watch for all of us. Shame the SEC and WWL pile games on top of games from 6-10PM every Saturday. I think Florida wins this game but it is amazing to hear UT fans buying tickets to Atlanta when 2 weeks ago they were arguing about who the next HC would be. Desperate, very desperate times for those folks to be relevant again. This type of foolish talk is the result of insecurity. This will be their 14th year without an SEC title, I remember how they were shocked anyone could go 20. They are getting in plain sight of the streak, and they didn’t have a Goff forever. I had already taken Florida in my pool picks, now they spit in Boom’s face. Verne is gonna miss a good one Saturday night, wish Blackledge was doing the color on this one.
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Foolish talk? You really speak of foolish talk on these boards? Amazing. God, do I love UGA fans.
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Why don’t you go f’ yourself pal. That’s all.
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Hooray for me!
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You would like it more than your Steely Dan would.
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You’re dating yourself.
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Hardly, it just sounds more poetic. And incidentally, it’s a crap band that only drafted off the shaky musical tastes expounded in NY and Los Angeles.
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Disappointed to read that from you, Stranger. Are you old enough to remember the release of “Can’t Buy a Thrill?”
I urge you to sample some “Live in America” if you consider them a “crap band.”
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Well, this JCB character got me riled up! In truth, I’ve never purchased a Steely Dan album, not even the $1 kind you can find at garage sales so I may have shot from the hip there. I tend more toward gut-bucket blues and roots and all of its derivatives. (perhaps if I see something by The Dan on the budget shelf I’ll drop $1.99 — but not a wooden nickle more) My animus toward JCB continues unabated.
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It’s only proper to date oneself before f*ing oneself.
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I seem to recall us storming the field in Athens when we finally broke the drought against Tennessee in 20000 and they weren’t exactly world beaters at the time either. Just saying…
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FWIW, I thought that was a mockable moment, too.
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Agreed
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Perched in the upper deck, I watched in mild embarrasment as my classmates stormed the field, given it was UT’s third loss that year, and we were ranked higher going in. But the drought had been long indeed, and my embarrassment soon faded into silly jubilation as I watched the uprights paraded through the streets downtown, and later witnessed the miracle of zero injuries sustained while my sauced buddies used a power saw to cut one one of them up into perfectly sized coozie-holders. I’ll never forget that night.
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I was a freshman caught up in the moment during the 2000 Tenn game when my date and I jumped on the field. I rememeber my good friend didn’t have a ticket and had to watch it on tv, but with all the chaos on the field, I see him on the 50 yard line carrying a part of the goal post. It might have been a little embarrassing, but like you, I will never forget that night. It was awesome.
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I was first to shimmy up the west end goal post in front God and family on espn. Fell off and just about got trampled to death. Damn those were some good times and great memories
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I was sitting in the lower level student section with some buddies. They all went and I refused and don’t regret it till this day (although every Tenn game is is fodder for a 20 minute argument about acting like you’ve been there before). Didn’t like it at the time but it has since brought countless hours of entertainment and conversations! But damn was downtown fun that night!
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Can u rec that?
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The good Senator writes;
“If there’s something that’s taken a little edge off of their meeting tomorrow, it’s not the idea that the two are playing for third place in the SEC East.”
Mmm….methinks you might be tweaking the collective noses of the woofing Gods. Unnecessarily, I might add.
Yes, I understand that UGA and USCe are co-favorites to win the SEC East. A view I do not necessarily disagree with. That said, even for the loser of this game, there is an awful lot of football still to be played. Particularly since there are six games against SEC East teams now.
TieBreakers have the possibility to be a whole lot more interesting.
The wife and I are headed up to Knoxville today. Should be great football weather for the game.
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Nice try. It’s Staples who’s suggesting that, not me. Did you read his piece?
Andy’s a Florida alum, by the way.
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Sorry buddy. I am going to disagree with you. What you wrote connotes an agreement with Andy.
And I don’t give a rat’s ass if he is a Gator alum or not. It is a game between two ranked opponents, the only one any SEC East team is playing this weekend.
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Your assertion might hold water if Bluto hadn’t included “the idea” in his sentence. You’re only seeing what you want to see.
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All I can say is it wasn’t my intent. My post is all about the boring. 😉
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Noted.
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Mike, once upon a time I might have been ambivalent about the UF/UT game, but that was before I married Mrs. EDS, a UF alum who’s about as rabid a fan as you could imagine. Not only will I be cheering for y’all, I think you’ll beat the hell out of the Knoxville crowd. I say that not only in the spirit of marital comity, but also because I believe y’all are the better team. And I like your comments here. Just don’t expect this kind of amity when the UF/UGA game rolls around. Hell, I don’t speak nicely to my own wife that weekend, so I sure won’t be polite to you then. But until then, good on you, good luck, and please beat the hell out of Tennessee. For me. Please. Thank you
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The talk on everyone’s part is pre-mature, imo, and it doesn’t matter who is flapping their gums. The only thing certain at this point is the East will be very interesting this season with four team’s fanbases still convinced they are going to win it going into the third week, and all four ranked., right or wrong. So much for the great West and poor East discussions we have heard for two years. The East still leads the West in SEC titles since the split, and Bama has only won one SEC title this century. Damned good league, too much putting each other down. I like our chances if we stay healthy but it will be a grind.
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Saban is colorless? I think 2 championships in 3 years and being ranked number 1 in each of the past 5 years is not really colorless.
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“Not really colorless”? I do not think the word means what you think it means. 😉
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You mean that he is colorful when he sneers at the press?
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Kiffen was, what, 7-5 in his one year at UT? Record’s got nothing to do with being a colorful character. Saban is a winner, but he’s boring as hell off the field.
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I’m scratching my head at CBS’s decision to take Bama-Arkansas — which was probably destined to be a laugher even before the Hogs got punked by ULM — as the 3:30pm headliner rather than Florida-Tennessee. Obviously the jury’s still out on whether this rivalry is truly “back,” but any opportunity to hype it as such would seem to be good for the “SEC on CBS” brand.
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They’ll be rocking the “Is Tennessee is back?” meme on gameday. You’ll probably need to keep a bucket nearby.
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CBS picked the Bama-AR game in the summer … seemed like a good choice then.
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Before the motorcycle accident that hurt the coach, exposed the affair, canned the coach, hired the clown, injured the QB, lost to ULM, killed the cat that ate the rat.
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At least Dooley is somewhat a gentleman. Boom is just a classless d-bag.
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“a classless d-bag.” Just add water and a touch of vinegar
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Well, he did go to UGA. So if he IS a classless d-bag, that might explain it somewhat.
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No, no. As he so clearly stated, even going to UGA, his heart was always in Gainesville. Thus, douchebaggery equates to his gatorness
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Nick taught them that it takes a process to become a good blinker
and first mate
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Dog in Fla.. Well played, sir. Touche.
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So glad they are rid of Fulmer, (That fat F___). Dooley will be great one day. I am taking Tennessee and the points.
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If you are taking Tenn, you are giving the points.
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A fool and his money are soon parted.
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If I read that right, the stern warning only applies to storming the field after a UT win . If they lose, apparently storming the field is all good, preferably with torches and pitchforks. 😉
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When can I start worrying about Vandy?
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Somebody has to carry that torch and you seem to be the leading candidate to fill the “Munson worry-wart” void. I would say you are late to the party already but I know you have been tied up with the FAU worriers. Go ahead, live dangerously, and remind us how tough Vandy played SC and Northwestern. And how Lil Jimmy has been keeping that offense vanilla just to spring the trap on UGA. I bet CTG doesn’t have any thoughts about Vandy and what happened at the end of the game in Nashville last year.
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I resemble that remark…..Mac, I got a real attitude adjuster saved up for all
you folks who insist on looking down the road before the curves.
At an opportune time….maybe before Vandy.
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At least Spencer Hall was able to gin up some trash talk for the game over at EDSBS.
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I don’t agree that UT and FU “will be playing for 3rd place in the SEC East.” Mizzou is better than both of them. Likely they will be playing for 4th place behind UGA, USCe and Mizzou. I’m not even sure about that as the Vandy team I saw against South Carolina has a good chance to beat both UT and FU if Vandy bounces back from the NW loss.
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Holy no idea what he’s talking about.
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OK! It’s official.
“We walk around campus and people just have that look, that Tennessee’s back,” Tennessee defensive end Darrington Sentimore said. What is up with these D players?
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Little taste of how it used to be, the OBC yesterday on Notre Dame participating in the ACC:
“One of my buddies said he couldn’t wait to see Notre Dame vs. Clemson in women’s softball. Gonna be a heck of a game.”
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OBC hits the trifecta: Notre Dame, Clemson and women!
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Say what you will about the man’s underlying psychology, but the ball-sac has never had a limit on the off-hand zinger.
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I think SOD’s orange pants more than make up for his lack of colorness.
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