UTVols News and Opinions

Welcome to Coach Scooter’s College Football Diary weekend preview! I am glad there is a game on Saturday so I can start watching ESPN and reading the paper again. A week of having to watch QVC and Telemundo was just too much to take, so I am glad I can start watching sports again. This week we can forget the pain of last Saturday because the mighty Arkansas Razorbacks are next. A win would put us back in the top ten in all likelihood, and with the Louisville loss, we could sneak back into the big bowl picture. Let’s look at Thursday’s game, as well as the week ahead!

#3 Louisville 25
#15 Rutgers 28

Rutgers was one of the first teams to start playing college football in 1869. They played Princeton in the first game, which was also Paul McGuire’s first game in the announcing booth. Before last night, Rutgers had never played a ranked team while they were ranked too, so they made sure to make this one a memorable occasion as the Scarlet Knights came from a 22-7 first half deficit to stun the Cardinals 28-25. The win keeps Rutgers unbeaten, and ended the BCS hops of Louisville.

Coach Scooter’s Red Ass Minute

I have to take a minute to vent. I got a little sick of all the “Luah-vull” fans calling the sports talk shows here telling everyone they were getting no love, and they had tried to schedule SEC teams but no one would play them, yadda yadda yadda. Well, Cardinals fans, as Aunt Molly always says, “You let your alligator mouth overload your jaybird ass.” I will write this as close to the point as I can, and if there are children reading this, please cover their eyes for a few seconds. Louisville is just a flash in the pan, nothing happening team that plays a weak schedule yet expects the college football world to kiss their fannys because they were unbeaten. Who has Louisville every beat, huh? And as far as the Louisville fans go, instead of flapping your gums on all the sports talk radio stations blowing nothing but hot air into your rotary dial phones, just go back to that high school football stadium of yours and eat Poppa Johns pizza while you try to figure out what bowl you will be going to. I hear the Bulgaria Sugar Beets Bowl is looking for a team…

Sorry about that, fans, I just had to vent for a second. Now let’s get on with the real college football news of the weekend!

Weekend Games

#19 Georgia Tech (7-2) at North Carolina (1-8)
12:00/LF/Bill Rosinski/Dave Archer

The Jackets are one win away from a trip to Jacksonville to play for the ACC Championship. The Heels are one game closer to having Butch Davis on their sideline. I spoke with Georgia Tech SID Allison George last week, and she assured me the Heels would not have either Butch Davis or Roy Williams on the sidelines, and that was a huge sigh of relief. Roy has blasted the Jackets on more than one occasion and the sight of his presens sends Buzz back to the Beehive quicker than a Louisville loss. (Couldn't resist that line) No Roy means no sweat; Jackets clinch on Saturday. Is Chan pointing the way to Jacksonville?

South Carolina (5-4) at #6 Florida (8-1)
3:30/CBS/Verne Lundquist/Gary Danielson

I wonder how much money Genius Danielson pays to whoever makes the game of the week decisions at CBS. “Oh, you don’t have to pay me any money, just put it in the contract CBS will do every game except for one or two in Gainesville this year.” How many times has that boil on the butt of humanity been in Gainesville this year to call the action of his beloved Gators? If I were Verne, I would call Pam Ward to see if she could hook him up at ESPN next year.

Alabama (6-4) at #12 LSU (7-2)
7:45/ESPN/Mike Patrick/Todd Blackledge

LSU? ARRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I just had a JaMarcus Russell flashback... I noticed the Bama fans wore bags on their heads last Saturday because the Unknown Comic was being honored at halftime...

#13 Tennessee (7-2) at #11 Arkansas (8-1)
7:00/ESPN2/Ron Franklin/Ed Cunningham

Talk about feeling like whale crap at the bottom of the ocean one day, then seeing “The King”, Ron Franklin doing a Tennessee game just makes you want to stand up and scream, YES!!!! I can’t wait to hear, “The line to make is…” and “He’s got five, he’s got ten.” For our sake’s though, I sure hope he doesn’t have to say that when Darren McFadden’s running the ball…

ESPN GAMEDAY HEADING TO FAYETTEVILLE THIS WEEKEND

For the first time in Arkansas history, ESPN College GameDay Built by the Home Depot will originate from the Fayetteville campus prior to the UT-Arkansas game.Tennessee has appeared in 16 games when the crew from GameDay was on site. The Vols record in those contests is 7-9, including a 5-4 mark away from Rocky Top. UT defeated South Carolina 31-24 on Oct. 28 in front of the GameDay cameras in Columbia, S.C.

VOLS NAME CROMPTON STARTING QB; SMITH AMONG FIVE GAME CAPTAINS

Redshirt freshman Jonathan Crompton gets his first collegiate starting assignment Saturday when Tennessee visits Arkansas in a Southeastern Conference matchup.

“Jonathan’s gotten most of the work with the ones this week and has continued to make progress,” Fulmer said. “He’s a young guy and he’s certainly going to compete, as we saw in the ballgame last week.”It’s important that he doesn’t go out there and make mistakes; those are the things that will get you beat. In the last ballgame, we had no offensive penalties and just the one turnover off the tipped pass. We had four takeaways and that gave us a chance to win the game. It’s going to be a very similar game this week.”

Asked about the effect on his young signal-caller of Saturday’s atmosphere, which includes an 8-1 Arkansas team undefeated in conference play and the hype surrounding the first-ever Fayetteville appearance of ESPN’s College GameDay, Fulmer seemed to shrug.
“I think he’s been a pretty cool customer about the whole thing,” said Fulmer, whose Vols enter at 7-2 overall and 3-2 in the SEC. “I was amazed at his confidence in the last ballgame, although this will be a bigger test for him in a hostile environment. It’s going to be a great experience.”

(Thanks - Rocky Top News)

Saturday’s game captains, announced Thursday by the head coach, are defensive tackle Turk McBride, linebacker Marvin Mitchell, offensive tackle Arron Sears, placekicker James Wilhoit and wide receiver Bret Smith.

Final Thoughts with Coach Scooter

I was listening to all the procrastinators, er, prognosticators this week, and all of them said the Vols would be pummeled by the Hogs. It reminded me of the line in A Few Good Men when Colonel Jessup was talking about surrendering their position in Cuba. Here is the way Coach Scooter and Coach B recited those lines earlier this week:

Coach Scoot: Let’s see here, Coach B. We have to play Arkansas and they are predicted to blow us out. Hmm, why don’t we call the NCAA and see if they will let us bring back Peyton Manning and Al Wilson for the game. Yes, I'm sure that's the thing to do. Wait, I have a better idea. Why don't we just forget going to Fayetteville? As a matter of fact, why don't we just cancel the rest of the season? Coach Cutcliffe, Coach Chavis, go on out there and tell those boys to come down off the plane. We’re staying in Knoxville for the rest of the year. Coach B?

Coach B: Yes, Coach Scoot?

Coach Scoot: Get me Coach Fulmer on the phone. Tell him we are surrendering our position in the SEC!

Coach B: Yes, Sir.

Coach Scoot: Wait a minute; don't call Coach Fulmer just yet. Perhaps we should consider this for a moment. Dismissed, Coach. You know, maybe we have an obligation to the young Vol fans out there. Maybe as writers for www.utvols.com we have a responsibility to our team to see to it that the men assigned to protect it are properly trained and are ready for action on Saturday…yes, I'm certain I've read that somewhere. And while the media’s suggestion of us being beaten senseless, while expeditious and certainly painless, might not be, in a matter of speaking, the Big Orange way. We are going to Fayetteville. We're gonna kick some Razorback ass!

For more college football news, don't miss my column on The Southern Ledger at: www.southernledger.com. The Southern Ledger is your source for news and culture in the southeast!

With that written, it’s time to get behind our brave boys in orange. It’s time to believe in what the coaches and players are trying to do. It’s time we throw all the naysayers off the Big Orange Bus and assert ourselves back into the top ten. Pull out those orange and white rosaries, repeat the game maxims, and never take Coach Fulmer’s name in vain. Send your questions and comments to volsdairy@yahoo.com. See you on Tuesday, Big Orange Nation! Go Vols!!