It came to a close on a dreary rain soaked evening with the perfect party guest along to assure a happy ending. One of Coach Fulmer’s favorite punching bags went down for the count for the 24th consecutive time assuring that he was carried victoriously from his long-term place of business on the shoulders of the players who obviously loved him but couldn’t channel that admiration into solid performances when it mattered most. Too few victorious post-game celebrations in the Septembers and Octobers of this decade couldn’t be ignored or overridden by annual conquests of Vandy and Kentucky. Coach Fulmer however deserved to go out a winner as he has 100 more times than he exited a loser.


Even when a change is merited which certainly was the case here goodbyes are never easy. Especially when it’s one of your own whom you’ve grown up watching and cheering for. Coach Fulmer gave 34 of his 58 years in service to the University of Tennessee as a player, assistant and head coach. I have no doubts that this was his dream job and it meant more to him than any of us could ever imagine. The harsh reality however is the program is, and must continue to be, bigger than any one man. It belongs to the fans and in this season like no other the orange clad masses spoke loudly with their absence.


I was one of those on four occasions this season. I was again last night. It wasn’t my intention but a later than expected departure put me in a traffic backup at Watt Road with no end in sight. 20 minutes later I escaped the I-40 parking lot at Campbell Station Road and headed back to the house hoping that ESPN 2 would give me a glimpse of the ceremony honoring the seniors and especially Coach Fulmer. My fears were of course ridiculous considering TV’s penchant to overdo the off-field drama at the action on the field’s expense. It was over the top from the start and at times made me wish I had continued on, arrived late, and got soaked in the process. Despite the dramatic overload of the production I did find myself a bit nostalgic. Even the most ardent supporter of change (which I was and am) had their heartstrings tugged somewhat. You can’t simply erase 34 years from your heart or your mind and Coach Fulmer has undoubtedly served us and the University of Tennessee well.


Saying goodbye to a Tennessee icon was a hard thing to do but many times the right things are. It was hard for many of us to stay away from a stadium that we had habitually and ritually gathered in seven fall Saturdays for most of our adult lives. As the product’s entertainment level plummeted and Tennessee became strikingly uncompetitive with upper-division competitors and the UT Administration and power brokers seemed unfazed by either occurrence Vol fans were forced to do the unimaginable. Stay at the house. For many of us it seemed like the only way our voices could be heard and our wallets could match those of the jet setters in the sky boxes who were either too close to the head coach or too oblivious to poor Saturday performances to push for what had to be done. I’ve heard fans who took this stance referred to as “fair weather”. Nothing could be further from the truth. The vast majority of the Orange Nation never sets foot in Neyland but they are all equal owners of this great pastime. Those who stayed away are no more “fair weather” than those who attended are “enablers”. We are all Vol fans who want what’s best for the program expressing that desire in different ways.


Unification may be an impossible dream in this age of big money athletic programs but I look forward to the four season tug of war between Fulmer backers and program backers coming to an end. I look forward to Saturdays being about the kids on the field and the “T” on the helmet rather than the man with the headset. Let the healing and the inhalation of fresh air begin. I don’t know if Lane Kiffin is the answer. I don’t know if he is a wunderkind or a cheap convenient stop-gap. What I do know is that he will be judged by his team’s performance rather than his diploma, playing career, and booster affiliations. He will perform or be gone and at least if a change is needed it will be a clean and unemotional break. After two consecutive heart-wrenchers that will be as refreshing as terminations can be.

Thank you Coach Fulmer. You have served your alma-mater well and will be fondly remembered by all that wear the orange on the field, in the stands and at home. You coached the only Tennessee Football National Championship team that I probably will ever see in my lifetime, you ended Alabama’s stranglehold, you got us to Atlanta, and you were a great ambassador for my school. I wish you nothing but the best in any of your future endeavors. Good luck, and may God Bless.

Here are my Kentucky game observations:

THE GOOD:

GERALD JONES: I thought in pre-season that Jones could be the big-play guy we have missed since Robert Meachem left the scene. He has been hampered by QBs who couldn’t deliver and an unimaginative G-Gun package throughout much of the season. Saturday he did it on his own with 5 rushes for 67 yards and a TD and 3 receptions to go with it.

LENON CREER: Creer has a chance to be a rarity, a skill position player from Texas who may actually make a contribution to the Tennessee Program. He made the most of his 6 carries averaging 4 yards a try and scored a TD. He and Tauren Poole (I’m not sure Hardesty will ever be healthy enough to help) should give incoming coach Lane Kiffin a couple of solid young RBs

DENARIUS (Deep Ball) MOORE: All this guy does is get behind the secondary and make catches. I’m not sure why his opportunities have been so limited since the best thing both Jonathan Crompton and Nick Stephens do is throw the deep ball.

JONATHAN CROMPTON: Crompton had his best performance by far and much of it had to do with his ability to run when needed. His mobility should have been exploited more by the outgoing staff even if he did have some ankle problems early on.

DEE-FENSE; DEE-FENSE: Kentucky like at least half of the SEC is wretched on offense but Tennessee’s defense has been solid all year after the brain-lock in Pasadena. The Cats were held to a meaningless late TD; under 200 total yards and an ugly -22 in the second quarter.


THE BAD:

THE FIRST HALF: The viewing audience was probably limited to Vol and Cat fans, family and friends after the first 30 minutes of play. ESPN should have found someone with a European accent the first stanza because that’s as close as it gets to soccer. You could have put both offenses in the overtime format and it would have been a FG war. The Cats went comatose after their first two possessions and the Vols 12 play 35 yard TD drive to end the half was the ugliest scoring drive in football history.

THE UGLY:

THE WEATHER: It doesn’t seem to matter what week in the season it’s played Tennessee-Kentucky brings out the worst in the weather. Fulmerites believe the rain represented tears from Big Orange Heaven. The 40, 000 no-shows probably thought of it as a cleansing shower.

KENTUCKY’S EFFORT: The Big Blue must have been satisfied with being bowl eligible because they played as uninspired as any Kentucky team in recent memory. This is the first season I can ever remember when both Vandy and Kentucky seemed disinterested against their arch rival.

THE BEAUTIFUL:

A WIN IN COACH FULMER’S LAST GAME: Things have gone far off course under his watch but I’m happy that Coach Fulmer could go out with a win. Regardless of how you feel about him he has definitely been a tireless worker that deserved to celebrate his last day on the job.

THE LONGEST STREAK IN AMERICA CONTINUES: Twenty-four in a row and counting. And they can’t even say “wait till basketball season” any more.

IT CAN NOW BE ABOUT TENNESSEE FOOTBALL ONCE AGAIN: It seems as if every conversation concerning Tennessee Football since the end of the 2005 season has centered on Coach Fulmer and his job status. Thank heavens we can now all turn our attention to the games themselves. That will be a refreshing change of pace.

It was a fun weekend all the way around. I checked out the basketball Vols hard-earned victory versus the MTSU Blue Raiders at Murphy Center on Friday and extended the stay long enough to watch the football Vols break a three game losing streak and restore order within the state if only for one afternoon. Pearl’s feel for what’s right for the development of his squad is uncanny and his lack of fear of the backlash that would come from losing to an in-state non-conference opponent is commendable. The combination of the MTSU fan’s desperate hunger to beat big brother and the Vol fans fear of ridicule in defeat creates a big-time atmosphere hard to find in the pre-conference portion of the schedule.

Coach Fulmer and the Fall-Vols completed the weekend sweep with a workman-like victory over the Commodores in a game that only an old offensive lineman could appreciate. Tennessee controlled both lines of scrimmage and made a 20 point second quarter spurt stand up for a victory. Vandy on the other hand appeared to be a team that couldn’t perform under the pressure of a role reversal that had them favored to beat a team that they had gotten the best of only once in 26 years. Obviously tight in their unfamiliar role they played like a team with the pressure of the world on their shoulders and made thousands echo a familiar refrain upon exiting the stadium; “same ole Vandy”.

Here are the football game thoughts:

THE GOOD:

A SOLID RUNNING GAME: Tennessee’s offensive line was clearly the victor against their outmanned opponent’s D-line even when it became apparent that ALL we were going to do was run the ball. The Vols kept it on the ground to the tune of 51 attempts and averaged 4.4 yards per carry. Welcome to the season O-Line., nice of your alarm clock to go off before Thanksgiving.

DEFENDING THE RUN: Over the last couple of weeks the Vols have encountered a couple of offenses worse than our own and the treated Vandy accordingly. The Commodores ran it 28 times for a whopping 25 yards and to be frank I think those stats may be inflated. The Vols stoned them all day.

SACK ATTACK: Vandy entered the contest number two in the SEC in sacks but it was the Vols that harassed the quarterback all day long. Tennessee recorded six sacks for 40 yards and constantly rushed both Mackenzi Adams and Chris Nickson even when they failed to take them to the ground with the ball in their possession.

SEEING B.J.PLAY: He certainly wasn’t stellar but it was good to see B.J Coleman (4-8, 21 1 INT) get some time on the field. Our QB play has been atrocious so it is inexcusable that it took this long for him to have an opportunity. I only wish the staff would have let him play a little. The game plan was as if we had everything to lose when in reality all that truly matters was lost weeks ago.

THE BAD:

ANOTHER GIVEAWAY TD: Another week brings another pick-six. B.J would obviously like a do-over but regardless of how the game looked this was not your backyard. NOTE TO THE COACHING STAFF: A 40-yard pass into the flat is MUCH more dangerous than a throw down the middle of the field. At least if you get one picked between the hash marks one of our guys might make a tackle.

PLAYING SCARED: The last time I checked we’re not bowl eligible, we’ve lost more games than every team in program history with the exception of one; and our coach is fired. Yet we’re playing as if a loss to Vandy would eliminate us from conference, BCS bowl or National Championship contention. Here’s an idea. LET THE KIDS PLAY. Let B.J throw the ball down field and let Eric Berry or Gerald Jones throw it at all. We didn’t throw another pass after Reshard Langford’s 42 yard INT return for a TD with 4:02 left in the third quarter. The game looked like fricken Army-Navy without the passion.

THE UGLY:

SCORELESS 2ND HALF: As the day went along the weather got colder and so did our offensive attack. We should start punting on first down.

VANDY’S EFFORT: As I settled into my seat in a predominantly Vandy fan area one overzealous (or hammered) Dores fan hollered “show them what a bowl team looks like”. They looked like something that deserves to be in a bowl alright. Pass me the plunger. The only difference in this Vandy team and the others I’ve seen is there are enough lousy offensive teams in the SEC and so many bowls that a team that stinks can play during the holiday season. The shame of it is we’re not even that good. Enjoy the trip Vandy; you’ll be the only team in America that can walk to their bowl destination.

THE BEAUTIFUL:

ERIC BERRY: I’ve said it before but it can’t be emphasized enough. When watching #14 you are seeing one of the best players in program history. He has been worth the price of admission in a disastrous season. He has the ball-hawking skills of Deon Grant, the bring-the-wood physicality of Fred White and the broken field brilliance of Dale Carter. We will see him play for years to come.

Move over UTC and North Texas State. Make room on the wall of shame for the Wyoming Cowboys. The pokes who had lost 6 of 9 games including by 20 to Air Force, 29 to Bowling Green and 24 to New Mexico had enough to knock off The Vols and become the first Mountain West team to do so. It was a homecoming that was really a homestaying or homegoing depending on whether you decided to blow it off altogether or leave at halftime. In a year of disappointment, underachievement and stunningly inept play this was the worst of the worst. The players vowed to play with emotion and conviction and promised to shame fans and administrators that dared terminate their coach. In the end however it was another in a long line of empty promises emanating from the Tennessee camp. Whoever coined the old adage “when all is said and done more will be said than done” must have had the 2008 Vols in mind. It’s really too bad practices are closed to the public because apparently that’s where this team has its best moments. Had the decision to change direction of the program come a year later they could have closed games as well with little or no backlash. It’s one thing to have a bad season, it’s quite another to be so wretched that you are pitied and laughed at. It’s something I never expected to see as a Vol fan and hopefully never will again.

Here for some reason are my game thoughts:

THE GOOD:

DENNIS ROGAN: In a year when a couple of our most talented defensive backs have decided smoking dope and skipping class are more important than the team Rogan continues to be one of the few scholarship players determined to make the most of his opportunity and getting every drop of production out of his ability. 8 tackles, a 40 yard kickoff return and the Vols second fumble recovery on the season are a very nice day’s work.

TAUREN POOLE SIGHTING: With Arian Foster living the team motto that” it’s what you do in practice that really counts” sitting out the game Tauren Poole got his first extensive action and made the most of it averaging 4 ypc. He will be a very good running back under a staff that recognizes a football player when they see one.

NO GAME NEXT WEEK: Forget the team’s bumps and bruises the Vol faithful need a week off. I can’t imagine anything leaving you more mentally scarred short of seeing Rosie O’Donnell naked.

THE BAD:

RUSH DEFENSE: The defense has played well enough to win most games and did again Saturday but there is no excuse to give up 167 yards rushing to a team with no passing game at all.

COWBOY OFFENSE: I believe we met our match for offensive ineptitude. The Cowboys couldn’t score in Vegas if bankrolled by Donald Trump. Chris Stutzriem (8-16, 95 yds, 1 TD) looked like the fat kid whose youth-league coach dad decided should start at QB rather than be a 2nd string guard.

WHERE’S B.J COLEMAN? He’s already redshirted, Nick Stephens and Jonathan Crompton are terrible, so what’s the deal? Coach Fulmer says he needs to work on his “footwork”. With our current situation at the position the only footwork he needs to know is how to alternate putting one in front of the other in order to walk out onto the field.

THE UGLY:

QB PLAY: Where are Steve Alatorre and Jeff Olszewski when you need them? Stephens and Crompton combined to go 14-36 with 1 TD and 2 INTs. I take back what I said about Stutzriem above. These two make him look like Joe Montana.

OUR OFFENSE: I don’t know what to say about our offense other than it’s the worst of my lifetime. The problem is each week it sets a new standard for incompetence. Somewhere Bowden Wyatt is looking down saying “told you we should have stuck with the single-wing”.

WORST SEASON IN HISTORY IS NOW A PROBABILITY: Yesterday’s loss marked the second time in program history that we’ve been defeated seven times in a single season. Does anyone really believe the Vols will avoid an eighth and GULP possibly a ninth?

GIVING IT ALL FOR COACH: “We’re going to play with a lot of emotion”; “you may see a new Tennessee out there”; “we’re frustrated with the way we’re playing, and I hate to say it but we’re pissed off coach Fulmer is leaving because he’s a great coach. ‘This is for him. We’re going to leave it out on the field for him and for us. It’s not hard at all it’s easy”.

If what we witnessed yesterday was an emotional, lay it all on the line effort I’d sure as hell hate to see us go through the motions.

THE BEAUTIFUL:

CHANGE GONNA COME: I’m sure football was the last thing on Sam Cooke’s mind when he crooned one of the great tunes of all-time but it’s never been more fitting than for the Tennessee Football Program. Coach Fulmer deserves to be sent out in a respectful and appreciated fashion but it’s time to move on and eventually get Tennessee Football back to being an enjoyable, entertaining, and successful entity that we can all once again look forward to and celebrate.