‘IT’S GOING TO BE A GREAT DEAL FOR US:good news for Tennessee Volunteers
After an exuberant victory, Tennessee is fined $100,000 and requires new goal posts.
The University of Tennessee football team is facing sanctions from its conference after jubilant fans stormed the field in a sea of orange to celebrate Saturday’s thrilling shootout victory over Alabama.
Additionally, the school needs assistance funding new goal posts because the spectators destroyed the old ones and had them removed from the stadium. Videos of the boisterous celebration also showed a crowd of people tossing a goal post into the Tennessee River that was close by as they carried it down the street.
The university was fined $100,000 by the Southeastern Conference for breaking the “access to competition area policy,” which stipulates that colleges must protect the players’ and fans’ safety.
The athletic department of Tennessee appears to be accepting of the fine; however, following the victory and celebration, it released a request for donations to cover the cost of replacing the goal posts at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. Up to $150,000 is being sought for that work.
“Y’all remember how we tore the goalposts down, hauled em out of Neyland and dumped em in the Tennessee River?” the institution posted on Twitter. Yes, that was really great. Anyway, it turns out that we need goalposts on our field in order to play the game next week. Could you all please assist us?
The appeal for donations came despite UT President Randy Boyd declaring in the midst of the excitement that “It doesn’t matter” how much it costs to replace goal posts if it means defeating Alabama. The school pays its coach $5 million annually, and this came after a nationally televised game watched by millions on CBS.
Tennessee’s 52-49 upset victory, albeit a midseason victory, ended a shootout between two of college football’s most exciting quarterbacks and a Top 10 team. As time ran out, the Volunteers won on a field goal.
For fans of the Tennessee Vols, the victory marked the end of 15 years of agony at the hands of Alabama. During that time, Tennessee declined into mediocrity while Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide won victories and national titles.
Their rivalry dates back more than a century; in Alabama and Tennessee, the phrase “Third Saturday in October” is frequently capitalized to denote the customary date of the game. Fans celebrate “Hate Week” in the lead-up to the game, which is best summed up by the well-known 2007 tirade by former Alabama student Irvin Carney, which goes, “I hate Tennessee.”
Nevertheless, Tennessee’s supporters lit victory cigars on Saturday, continuing a long-standing custom.
Before Saturday, neither team had lost. Following their victory, Alabama fell to No. 6 in the Associated Press rankings, moving the Volunteers up to No. 3.
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Tennessee football is shown by No. 1 Georgia how far Josh Heupel’s recruiting needs to go. Estes
Josh Heupel has improved Tennessee football beyond anything that could have been predicted in his first season, if nothing else.
So high, in fact, that real excitement, not fear, greeted a visit from No. 1 Georgia.
If self-respecting schools believe they are going to be embarrassed on the field, they don’t celebrate the return of Hall of Famers in every sport, as Tennessee did for this Saturday’s homecoming game. At Neyland Stadium were Peyton Manning, Monica Abbott, Todd Helton, and Candace Parker.
Heupel’s original squad had grown intriguing.That’s what happens when an offensive team has rapid point accumulation. It’s enjoyable. It feels like anything is possible, even though nobody is to blame.
So far, Tennessee has had more victories than bad losses. Pittsburgh should not have defeated the Vols. They could have easily defeated Ole Miss. If they were to play again, they would defeat Florida. And Tuscaloosa, Alabama? When the fourth quarter arrived, even that was competitive.
The Vols proceeded to defeat a highly regarded Kentucky squad in Lexington, and they had no cause to be afraid of any opponent, not even the top-ranked team in the country, or of their own limitations. The current ceiling in Tennessee had escaped our notice.
We now possess.
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The score accurately depicts how terrible Georgia’s 41-17 victory was. Despite their fierceness, the Vols had finally had enough, and the Bulldogs were simply too strong. Overly profound. Far too gifted. Too confident. Too aggressive on both scrimmage lines.
Smart’s strategy of recruiting helped Georgia close the gap with Alabama and move closer to its first national championship in forty-one years. Heupel’s only chance to keep raising Tennessee’s ceiling and close the gap with Georgia is through recruiting.
Hendon Hooker, the quarterback, narrowly missed a wide-open Velus Jones for a 72-yard touchdown, which was confirmed moments into the game. The Vols shrugged it off and continued playing, eventually connecting for a quick touchdown and a 7-0 lead through Hooker and Jones. A punch was thrown. Punch made it. Now it’s your turn.
But it felt seismic for Georgia. Up until Saturday, the incredible Bulldogs defense had never let up more than 13 points in a single game. (Hi!That was altered by the Vols.)
However, as the first part went on, a few things were made clear:
1. Georgia had, by far, the best defense Tennessee had faced during the Heupel administration.
2. And even in today’s college football, a strong defense can still defeat a strong offense.
Tennessee didn’t score again after its first touchdown until 3:38 of the fourth quarter, when the score was 31 points. The Vols had been slowly strangled by the Bulldogs long ago. Beginning in the second quarter, UT used 27 yards on 15 plays over the course of four consecutive possessions.
This ultimately turned out to be just another one of Georgia’s boring victories throughout the season, and it had nothing in common with Tennessee’s shootout victories.
The Vols didn’t just need to execute a few plays here and there. Even with their energy levels sapped by a flu virus, the other guys were strong enough to withstand Vols’ blows, smile at them, and carry on with essentially whatever they pleased.
According to 247Sports Composite rankings, only two teams have had the top recruiting class in the country over the last six years.
Alabama has completed four such runs. Georgia twice.
Longtime Alabama assistant under Nick Saban, Smart recently gave a soliloquy on the significance of recruiting to Georgia’s success, stating that “No coaching is going to out-coach players, so the best coach to ever play the game better be a good recruiter.” Everyone will tell you that we have good players, which is why our defense is strong.
Tennessee hasn’t had a class that ranks higher than 10th nationally over the previous six years, while Georgia hasn’t had a class that ranks lower than sixth.
The Vols’ bad news is that. The good news is that Heupel has been providing plenty of grounds for prospective players to have faith in his abilities in Knoxville.
The Vols have performed exceptionally well for their weight class. Considering all the transfers this season, they have excelled greatly. It appears that Heupel’s offense will be a recruiting magnet and a nightmare for SEC defensive coordinators for years to come.
It’s impossible not to think that Heupel’s initial brushstrokes on canvas are far superior to those of his previous few predecessors. Though cautious as optimism still needs to be for a football program marred by scandal, it feels right in Knoxville. That was done by Heupel.
But in order for Tennessee to contend for titles once more, he needs to accomplish a great deal more.
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