Crimson Red Sports

The third Saturday in October is still all about Crimson and Orange but I don't think the intensity of the fans is anywhere near where it used to be. Many years back you could be anywhere near Legion Field, Neyland Stadium and now Bryant Denny early in the morning and already be hearing the Roll Tides and Go Vols. Yesterday I was around the stadium four hours before game time and never heard one yell for either team and it seemed very strange compared to the earlier years. Even after the game started, the stadium was never really that noisy unless one of the teams made a big play. There was much talk on the many sports outlets during the week about the rivalry between Bama and the Vols and had it lost it's luster, my vote is yes. The argument on the Bama side is that most of the Bama students are now from out of state and  know very little about Bama's history in football and this could be true. I just wonder how long Bama will hang on to Tennessee being their choice of playing them every year, the SEC has grown some with new rivalries now being made.

So much for the stadium talk and so let's talk some football. I found it a little hard to decide on whether Bama played that bad or Tennessee played that good for most of the game. Maybe it was a case of the teams being a little more evenly matched than what all of the analysts had us believing. I was very skeptical of which Bama team might show up Saturday especially after the big game with Texas A&M the Saturday before. Bama has been known to have a bad game following such a big game. I thought Bama got off to a good start yestrerday but then seemed to find ways  to shoot themselves in the foot with penalties and bad decisions. I will say I'm not so sure about some of the calls that were called against Bama as well as some that were not called. Sometimes I think the SEC officials just get lost in the flow of the game.

There was a lot of talk earlier in the season as to whether Coker could  handle the QB job at Bama. After each game there was always plenty of talk about whether he could bring the Bama team back if they were trailing late in the game as all the great QBs at Bama have done. I was guilty of this as well, I just had my doubts about the mental side of him being able to handle that situation. After traveling to Georgia to see the team play in that monsoon, I came away from there with a different opinion of his abilities, he was a different QB in that game. Little by little he has shown us fans that he can handle the pressure even though I still think he needs to remember to get rid of the ball rather than take the long yardage sacks as he did yesterday. When the game got midway through the fourth quarter yesterday I got pretty nervous because I felt that the only reason that Bama was in the game was because of the defense and they were now looking tired and could they hold the Tennessee offense at the end. Thanks to the defense again as they stopped Tennessee by taking the ball away and gave it to Coker and the offense. The time had come for him to show that he could lead the team to a win when trailing late in the game and he did what most thought he couldn't do, he got them into the end zone on a beautifully executed play where every player on the offense did their job and Bama won.

So as bad as the rivalry atmosphere may have seemed before and during the game, it all changed at the end of the fourth quarter, it seemed like the days of old with the Tennessee fans screaming holdem and the Bama fans screaming for a touchdown. Maybe the young ones got a glimpse of what the blue haired fans, us seniors, are all about when they reminisce about the past history of this rivalry and how important it is for Bama football. There were a lot of cigars being smoked after the game which is symbolic for Bama to do after a win against the Vols but I don't think most of them really understood that Bear Bryant started this and this was his way of saying we just beat you again.

Hopefully the younger ones will remember the excitement of the fourth quarter last night and how it felt to win a game that seemed hopelessly lost and to smoke that cigar. Hopefully they will want to go to Knoxville next year remembering how it feels to beat Tennessee and to carry on this great rivalry that some of us have enjoyed for so many years. I can still remember the banner at Legion Field that said"Nothing Sucks Better Than A Big Orange". Roll Tide Roll!!!

Good report.  I also thought there were a couple of questionable calls.  The no call on the PI and the no call on the hold on the TD run.

 #+  Excellent, Jamos.  Yes, us 'blue hairs'  :unsure: remember the good ole days of the rivalry.  This year it was the 4th Saturday.  Maybe that's why we didn't play well; peaked early.

Unfortunately, my first Tennessee game in person was a mess.  My date forgot her ticket, I had to pay $40 for a replacement (repaclement), and Bama lost by 3 touchdowns.  Must have been 1969.  

Best game against Tennessee was probably the 1966 game in the rain.  Great win: 11-10!

(http://goldenrankings.com/ngolden41/KenStablerPassingVsTenn.jpg)
Stabler (back when he had knees)

Great insight, J! I'm just glad we won. When you think about it, I like the way we won yesterday, by ripping their hearts out by giving them the hope that they could beat Bama, only to be beaten in the end, once again.  :clap:

These 2 guys were sitting in a bar watching the UT-Bama game. One of the guys had his dog with him. Bama scored a TD and the dog went crazy, running around and barking like his tail was on fire. The other guy asked "What in the world is your dog doing?" The other guy responded, "Oh, ole Duke loves watching Bama play, and he gets excited every time Bama does well".

The first guy said "Really? What does he do if Tennessee wins?" The other guy responded, "I don't know, I've only had him 9 years".

 :D

I think the up & down nature of the rivalry is what impacts the loss of luster. For instance, long winning streaks seems to be the norm which tends to cause fan bases to lose their passion for the game. We are currently on a 9 game win streak, tending to make Tide fans complacent & depressing Vol fans. Before that (1995-2006) the Vols won 10 of 12 games, with one Tide win & a tie. Then, from 1986-1994, Bama won 8 & tied 1. 1982-1985 we had 4 Tennessee vicories & of course, from 1971 to 1981 were 11 straight Tide wins. I think these streaks have rubbed the shine off a once intensive rivalry. Previous years, the rivalry experienced similar streaks.


 :4:

I was doing some research in a small town south of Knoxville back in the 1990s.  A grad student and I spent the day on a farmer's property visiting and taking samples.  The farmer was a rabid Vol fan, had his flags flying and wore an orange jacket.  He appreciated the rivalry, and we had fun reminiscing about the 60s.

Wonder what he thinks of 9 straight?  Pretty sad for those old hard-nosed fans!

 :)

 :lol: :lol: :lol:

Good stuff J.

Wife and I grad'd in Jan 67..moved to Chatt..the viles beat us for about 5 straight years..my mailbox was painted orange, my truck hubcaps were painted orange, my underwear was dyed orange, I had to wear a sign with the score around my neck at work, I had to wear a Vol shirt and sing rocky top..ya'll get the picture?

money bets are for chumps..ya gotta make bets that sting your pride.

I hate orange, I hate fatboy fulmer, I hate Knoxville, I DO LIKE Bill Battle.

go to hell, tennersee, go to hell (thump, thump)

I hate the cow college even more.

all you young whippersnappers oughta get with the program..uh.. the process!

:lol:   #+ #+

Thanks, Jamos! #+

Great perspective J.   :clap:

It seems that this rivalry does have its streaks.  11 is the magic number if Bama is going after a record. 

  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Saturday_in_October