Back from Neyland

[dencyguy]

What a great place to watch a game. Still, what brain surgeon decided to start a game in early September at noon? Nearly ninety degrees for pretty much the whole game, and not a cloud in the sky. Pretty brutal.

 

I was going to do an SEC post, but having spent the afternoon at the Tennessee game and the big game of the day--the throwdown between Florida and Charleston Southern--hasn't happened yet, I'll give you a bit of what I saw today:

 

1. Just to get it out of the way, Western Kentucky is a world-class creampuff. Since they're technically D-1, it's not quite Charleston Southern, but it's awfully close. This was their first game as an official D-1 school, and they looked suspiciously like the Browns did in their first game back in the NFL. Really terrible execution.

 

2. It's nice to see that WKU's most famous alum, RAC, is back in the game and apparently serving as WKU's mascot:

(Insert Fat Bastard baby-eating joke here)

 

3. Tennessee is going to be surprisingly decent this year. I'm not deceived by whaling the crap out of a lousy team, but there was a palpable difference between the energy level from the coaches and players on the field and on the sidelines then there was last year. And then there's the playcalling; UT actually threw the ball on first down today. Before you say, "So?" remember that this is a team that did things like run off-tackle to the right on eight straight plays last year, and which closed the season with a game in which the Vols threw one pass in the second half. It would have been boring if they had been able to run. As they weren't, it was like having an amorous Michael Clark Duncan as a cellmate every time you went to the stadium.

 

4. Another sign of change: Jonathon Crompton threw five touchdowns in three quarters today. He threw four all last season. For God's sake, four touchdowns. I liked the man, but that stat alone is enough to hire Phil Fulmer back just to fire him again.

 

5. The thing that really impressed me was the running game. Bryce Brown is a man out there already. In fact, the four players who had at least five carries today all averaged at least five yards a pop, and Brown and Montario Hardesty both went over 100.

 

6. With the exception of one drive, UT's defense is stout. No shock there, as they were #6 (I think) in the country last year with an awful team. They're thin on the d-line, so injuries might be a problem. That said, they held WKU to 9 yards in the first half.

 

7. Overheard from the student section: "Hey Kiffin! Where's Layla?" "Bring on Florida!" (Note: Be careful what you wish for. Yeah, we killed WKU, and we should beat UCLA, but Florida should win by double digits) And, my personal favorite, "Tebow's a tranny!"

 

8. Monte Kiffin is a great coach and a legend, but something I noticed today is that the man has a world-class combover:

 

I had probably noticed it earlier, but seeing it in person is all the more impressive. It's the kind of combover that looks at you and says, "Yeah, so? What are you gonna do about it?"

 

Dennis

Okay, for those of you wondering about the "where's Layla one," and because any thread is improved by it, here she is again. It should also be noted, alongside her general awesomeness, that she was about eight months pregnant when this picture was taken:

[Legacy Fan]

Okay, for those of you wondering about the "where's Layla one," and because any thread is improved by it, here she is again. It should also be noted, alongside her general awesomeness, that she was about eight months pregnant when this picture was taken:

And the look on Lane's face confirms said "general awesomeness." I'm guessing she's a jack of all trades, and might be a master of some too. Wowzers.