UTVols News and Opinions

Coach Scooter got an early Christmas present last Sunday as I got a chance to talk with Coach Fulmer during the Outback Bowl bid day press conference. I also got a chance to listen to comment made by Tennessee Athletics Director, Mike Hamilton, as well as Jim McVay, Outback Bowl President /CEO, and Outback Bowl Chairman Steve Schember as they gave their thoughts on the January 1st game.

Each member of the media got a few minutes with Coach Fulmer, so here are my questions:

Coach, congratulations on the bowl bid.

Thanks, Coach Scooter, we are very excited.

What does it mean to you to go back to the site where you got your first bowl victory as head coach of the Vols?

Well, I’ll be excited, I think we played Boston College then, and they were coached by Tom Coughlin. He’s still out there coaching in professional football, and anytime you play against someone you respect so much it really means a lot. I am really looking forward to getting back to Tampa.

Going up against a Big Ten team, do they present any type of different challenges in terms of talent, speed, defense or anything else that you might not find in an SEC opponent?

Well, we have great physical teams in our conference as well, and typically the teams in the Big Ten that go to the bowls run the football well, and our experience has been we have to strap it on because we know it’s Penn State. I haven’t seen tape on them yet, but I am certain that is the case.

Thanks, Coach, good luck!

Thanks, Coach Scooter, good job there!

Coach Fulmer went on to say, "We're very excited to be back in the Outback Bowl, and are honored to be playing a team like Penn State and Coach (Joe) Paterno. Like so many coaches, I've looked up to him for years. He's always had well-prepared, tough and athletic football teams and I'm sure this one is no different."

Coach Joe Paterno expressed his excitement in the Nittany Lions opponent. "Tennessee is a great opponent for us. They have a great football tradition and a very good team again this year. They played well in a tough league. It's going to be a challenging game for us.”

"I think this matches two of the tradition-rich programs in all of America," UT athletics director Mike Hamilton said. "When you think about Penn State and Tennessee, you think about excellence in fans, coaches and certainly football tradition. The opportunity to return to Tampa and be back where Coach Fulmer got his first bowl victory is significant for us."

“We are thrilled to have Coach Fulmer and the Volunteers as the SEC representative in our game,” stated Jim McVay, Outback Bowl President /CEO. “This is going to be an outstanding match-up with two terrific teams, some of the top players in the country, and two of the most successful coaches in the game.”

“This is a great match-up,” noted bowl Outback Bowl Chairman Steve Schember. “The fans are going to love seeing these two fantastic teams square-off while having a wonderful time in the Tampa, St Petersburg/Clearwater area.”

This will be Tennessee’s second appearance in the bowl game where they defeated Boston College 38-23 in the January 1993 game. That game was Coach Phillip Fulmer’s first as head coach of the Volunteers.

Tennessee's trip to Tampa marks the Vols' second appearance in the Outback Bowl and 46th bowl invitation, a figure that ranks second all-time. The Vols defeated Boston College 38-23 in the January 1993 Outback Bowl. That game was Phillip Fulmer's first official contest as head coach of the Volunteers.

Penn State owns a two-game bowl winning streak against the Vols, with wins in the 1992 Fiesta Bowl (42-17) and 1994 Florida Citrus Bowl (31-13). Tennessee won twice in the series in the 1970s, taking a 31-11 victory in 1971 and a 28-21 win the following season. Both regular season games were played in Knoxville.

The Outback Bowl is celebrating its 21st year and kicks off at 11 a.m. Eastern time on Jan. 1 in Raymond James Stadium. The game is telecast internationally on ESPN.

Weekly Observations

Yeah, I know we are supposed to root for the other SEC teams during bowl season, and for the most part, I will have no problem doing that. However, there is one team I cannot bring myself to root for, and no, it is not the Georgia Bulldogs due to the fact I loathe the “Chokies” from Virginia Tech almost as much as having to watch the Lifetime Movie of the week when Sweetie steals the remote control. The team I am talking about is…yes, you know it’s true...our buddies from Gainesville! Oh no, I feel it coming! It’s time for: Coach Scooter’s Red Ass Minute!

Coach Scooter's Red Ass Minute

Florida in the National Championship game is not completely wrong. I agree in some aspects of this because the Gators lost one game playing the toughest schedule in college football, they won the best conference in America and have a team that is worthy of a big game such as this. However, my beef with this whole thing is the WAY the Gators made it to the title game. If the world’s biggest crybaby, Urban Meyer, wouldn’t have pulled a Scut Farkas from A Christmas Story and pulled the arm of the BCS voters until they said uncle, I would have a lot more respect for him. Critics say while this was an unpopular move, it got results so it doesn’t matter.

My problem with the whole thing is the voters forgot what the sham of the BCS is all about: putting the top two teams in Glendale for the championship. The voters voted on the basis of not wanting to see a rematch, and not giving it to a team that did not win its conference. Where in the BCS rules does it say you have to win your conference? Where does it say there are no rematches allowed? The voting was done out of what the voters wanted to see, not on who the two best teams were, and that’s a croc. (No pun intended Gator fans)

If the Gators had not made it, we would have seen a cry fest similar to the time I walked up to the Krispy Kreme Doughnut shop just as they tunred off the Hot Doughnut light. Now that was a crushing blow to my day. Anyway, I have written it before and I will write it again, any coach that cries like a baby (See ’05 post game press conference after losing to LSU), and whines the way he did during the last month of the season will never be on my list of coaches that garner my respect.

Coach Scooter’s College Football Diary now gets to pass out its first post season award, and that is the National Crybaby of the Year Award. And this year, the award gores to Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer. (See trophy right)

Well, that’s all for today so let's get ready for the Vols date with the Lions on January 1st in the Outback Bowl. See you next week for more bowl news and the latest in recruiting. Until then, rub those orange and white rosaries, repeat your game maxims and never take Coach Fulmer’s name in vain. Go Vols!!