Good Old Rocky Top

Tennessee at LSU

Halftime Score: 0-21
End of 3rd Quarter: 7-24
End of 4th Quarter: 24-24
End of Overtime: 30-27

Yeah, you read that right. Tennessee beat LSU in Tiger Stadium - AND scored all of their points after halftime.

Best Story of the Evening: Rick Clausen - This guy came in at halftime and turned around a team that was literally falling apart on the field. I think that the first half was quite possibly some of the worst UT football I've ever seen.

MVP: The UT defense - They held Florida to three field goals last week when it should have been three touchdowns, and this week they did not disappoint in the 2nd half - two field goals is all LSU got after halftime - opening up a chance for the offense to come in and do some major damage.

Most Improved: Special Teams - So maybe God does micromanage. (j/k) Seriously though, there was some major improvement from the Florida game to tonight.

Best Moment of the Evening: Hearing Rocky Top blast through Tiger Stadium as thousands of LSU students wearing "Beat Tennessee" t-shirts filed out in a state of shock and disappointment.

I bleed orange. I love UT football, and I love watching them come back and dismantle LSU.

Watch out Ole Miss - we're improving and we're in Neyland.

save a horse

My vacation time has taken me to an exotic destination that is frequently under-represented by the big wigs in the tourism industry. There is nothing in the world quite like the Abilene Fair and Rodeo. Tonight, we went to the rodeo and watched some guys ride bulls that were bound in ways that are unspeakable and some other guys try to rip the heads of baby cattle. We petted some sheep and got one to try to ram through the fence to get to Adam – he seems to attract males of the animal persuasion. Now, you can’t go to the fair without riding some rides that at any moment could fall apart and kill you because they are made to break down and fit on the bed of a truck. We rode one that spun you around in a big circle, and then we rode the Tornado. That name pretty much sums up the ride. You are sitting on a contraption that spins in little revolutions while the whole thing is spinning in bigger revolutions – kinda like what the earth does around the sun. We topped off the evening with some fried Oreos, a funnel cake, and a fried snickers – the group of 8 of us now of a combined arterial function of approximately 3.5 chambers…mmmm…. funnel cake.

The highlight of the rodeo experience was not witnessed first hand by yours truly; rather Sara Kendall-ball had this experience last night at the fair. Apparently, there were some animal rights activists protesting outside the fairgrounds last night. During the rodeo, one of the fine upstanding citizens of Abilene made a comment about the protesters. It seems that this fine gentleman didn’t like the protesters and said, “they must be with those FEMA people”. Now, I don’t know what he thinks FEMA stands for – perhaps it’s “French for the Ethical Maintenance of Animals” or “Firefighters for Equality of Mammals Association”. Stuff like that makes you truly appreciate the education level displayed on a daily basis in the Big Country.

On a slightly different note, I had Sonic for lunch today, I went to Sonic to get a drink before dinner, and had dinner at Taco Bueno. The goal is to go to Sonic a total of 5 times while I’m down here – so I’m almost halfway there – woohoo! I think that we need to open a Sonic out in the L.C. – that puppy would be a cash cow!!!!! (can something be a puppy and a cow?)

Peace out from Texas. (pronounced Tay-haas)

the good stuff

The Thursday before Labor Day is one of the greatest nights of the year. Your mind is currently racing in a desperate attempt to figure out how and why I would make such a blanket statement. Especially in light of the national tragedy going on in the Gulf Coast region right now. How could this Thursday be better than Christmas, or almost as great as the month of March? One word… FOOTBALL!

Tennessee won’t make its grand appearance on Rocky Top until Saturday (12:30 est on GamePlan or Jefferson Pilot if you live in the region), which means I must wait about a day before embracing that beautiful orange and white checkerboard and singing at the top of my lungs. Still, Thursday was a nice start to a promising football season. On this particular Thursday night, the weather is perfect – that warm-coolness that encourages open doors and windows. The sound of crickets and the roar from what I can only assume is a Jr. high football game drift inside. (Do they play this early up here? Perhaps it was a scrimmage or something, but I digress.)

I watch a man I loathe, gracefully doing what he does best. Steve Spurrier (best known for creating the Gator legacy circa 1990, and who recently did a short stint with the Redskins – the NFL isn’t his game) has, judging from their first game, succeeded in turning around another flailing SEC team. While UCF is not a real test for South Carolina (they have the longest loosing streak in the NCAA which extended to 12 after last night's game), they are performing better than I imagined. Two touchdowns in the first quarter, and by the start of the fourth it was 24 to 3. They finished strong with a score of 24-15, not a bad start for a new coach.

I am by NO MEANS a South Carolina fan, and the only nice thing I can say about Spurrier is admiring his ability to coach from a non-biased outlook (yea right, I can’t stand the guy – and it is totally based in the fact that my blood runs Orange.) Yet, I’m glad to see them improve like this. It makes the Vols schedule even scarier, but I love the competition in the SEC and if this makes that better – bring it.

This is why I love fall - good sports, great weather, and most importantly good sports. ROCKY TOP, YOU’LL ALWAYS BE HOME SWEET HOME TO ME!!!!