So we just destroyed Wake Forest 41-7 and are likely headed to either the Liberty Bowl or Music City Bowl.
This time last year, with two victories and no head coach and smarting from a blowout at the hands of the Demon Deacs, who'd have thought we'd be headed to a bowl.
We've got a heck of a head coach. Oh, and we've got a 1,000-yard rusher in Zac Stacy. And blue-chip recruits lining up to play for us. And we finished with an impressive road victory.
And did we mention that Tennessee is staying home?
What are your thoughts on this special season?
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Donkeys fly, hell freezes over, UK beats UT and...
Vanderbilt just made a field goal.
We're leading Wake Forest 3-0 after forcing a Wake fumble on the game's opening possession.
James Franklin's being saying all week that Carey Spear would be our field goal kicker this week but then Ryan Fowler appeared on the field to boot the 33-yarder.
I'm sure that really tricked the Demon Deacs. But hey, maybe the best way to take pressure off our kicker is to make him think he's not kicking.
Yep, Tennessee always beats the you-know-what out of Kentucky!
Well, Derek Dooley's not celebrating today like he just won the Super Bowl. He's not saying that his team always beats the you-know-what out of Kentucky. Oh, and he's not making hotel reservations for late December in Nashville or Memphis.
Know why?
Because Mr. Orange Pants just led the Vols to their first LOSS TO KENTUCKY IN 25 YEARS.
Hahahahaha!
Vanderbilt's future's bright regardless of how the Wake Forest game turns out
About 30 minutes from kickoff in Winston-Salem and I'm pulling for the Wildcats over the Vols in Lexington.
Yeah, it would be nice for the Commodores to play a bowl game in either Nashville or Memphis, and for the Vols to play in a bowl game, well, nowhere.
Of course, while the Cats just forced a punt and are trying their best to take care of business, the Commodores must take care of business too.
I'm not nervous about this one, though. I think we've got a decent chance to beat Wake Forest and I believe we'll play much better than we did last week. But I also believe that we don't need to win this game for the season to be a success. Sure, it'd be really nice to get another month of practice.
But I'm not going to freak out if we lose. Think what we've learned about this team since September:
1. We've found us an outstanding head coach.
2. We've got an offense that can find a way to move the ball and score against top-flight SEC defenses.
3. We've found a quarterback, we've developed a decent offensive line, and our receivers are making tough catches in traffic against SEC defensive backs.
4. We're getting commitments in droves from SEC-caliber players.
5. We're taking Top 5 teams to the wire.
6. We're nearly unstoppable on our home turf.
7. The future has never been brighter if you're a Commodore fan.
None of this changes if we lose today, but heck, let's top it off with a something we haven't done this season (win a road game) and do something nobody thought we could do (win six games and go to a bowl.
Let's do it!
Yeah, it would be nice for the Commodores to play a bowl game in either Nashville or Memphis, and for the Vols to play in a bowl game, well, nowhere.
Of course, while the Cats just forced a punt and are trying their best to take care of business, the Commodores must take care of business too.
I'm not nervous about this one, though. I think we've got a decent chance to beat Wake Forest and I believe we'll play much better than we did last week. But I also believe that we don't need to win this game for the season to be a success. Sure, it'd be really nice to get another month of practice.
But I'm not going to freak out if we lose. Think what we've learned about this team since September:
1. We've found us an outstanding head coach.
2. We've got an offense that can find a way to move the ball and score against top-flight SEC defenses.
3. We've found a quarterback, we've developed a decent offensive line, and our receivers are making tough catches in traffic against SEC defensive backs.
4. We're getting commitments in droves from SEC-caliber players.
5. We're taking Top 5 teams to the wire.
6. We're nearly unstoppable on our home turf.
7. The future has never been brighter if you're a Commodore fan.
None of this changes if we lose today, but heck, let's top it off with a something we haven't done this season (win a road game) and do something nobody thought we could do (win six games and go to a bowl.
Let's do it!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Vandy likely bowling in Birmingham if it beats Wake Forest
At last night’s press conference, James Franklin finally made reference to a bowl berth, without saying the “B” word. He said, “I love these guys and I want to play with them as long as I can, and the only way I can do this is to win this week.”
If Vandy does beat Wake Forest to become bowl eligible, he’d likely get six full weeks to prepare for a bowl game. That’s because, with the loss to UT, Vandy likely fell to No. 10 in the bowl order.
Here’s the order of bowls with SEC tie-ins by payout:
1. BCS Championship Game: Jan. 9, New Orleans, La.
2. Sugar Bowl: Jan. 3, New Orleans, La.
3. Capital One Bowl: Jan. 2, Orlando, Fla.
4. Cotton Bowl: Jan. 6, Arlington, Texas
5. Outback Bowl: Jan. 2, Tampa, Fla.
6. Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Dec. 31, Atlanta, Ga.
7. Gator Bowl: Jan. 2, Jacksonville, Fla.
8. Music City Bowl: Dec. 30, Nashville, Tenn.
9. Liberty Bowl: Dec. 31, Memphis, Tenn.
10. Compass Bowl: Jan. 7, Birmingham, Ala.
If Vandy had won Saturday, it would have bounced UT from the bowl picture, leaving nine SEC teams and lining up the Commodores for a berth in either the Music City Bowl or Liberty Bowl. And if Florida had lost next week to FSU, and Vandy had beaten Wake Forest, then at 7-5 Vandy would have likely garnered a Chick-Fil-A Bowl berth over a 6-6 Florida team.
Instead, we collapsed in Knoxville. Now if Vandy wins in Winston-Salem on Saturday, which is a shaky thing to count on, then the Commodores will likely land a bid in the Compass Bowl, which plays on Jan. 7 and gives James Franklin lots of practice time. I can think of much better places to spend the first Saturday in January than ancient Legion Field in Birmingham, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Unless Tennessee loses to Kentucky, which would likely send Vandy to replace the Vols in the Liberty Bowl.
Unless Mississippi State somehow loses to Ole Miss in Houston Nutt’s finale, which would likely send the Commodores back to the Music City Bowl.
I know, I know. We’ve got to beat Wake Forest, and that won’t be easy.
If Vandy does beat Wake Forest to become bowl eligible, he’d likely get six full weeks to prepare for a bowl game. That’s because, with the loss to UT, Vandy likely fell to No. 10 in the bowl order.
Here’s the order of bowls with SEC tie-ins by payout:
1. BCS Championship Game: Jan. 9, New Orleans, La.
2. Sugar Bowl: Jan. 3, New Orleans, La.
3. Capital One Bowl: Jan. 2, Orlando, Fla.
4. Cotton Bowl: Jan. 6, Arlington, Texas
5. Outback Bowl: Jan. 2, Tampa, Fla.
6. Chick-Fil-A Bowl: Dec. 31, Atlanta, Ga.
7. Gator Bowl: Jan. 2, Jacksonville, Fla.
8. Music City Bowl: Dec. 30, Nashville, Tenn.
9. Liberty Bowl: Dec. 31, Memphis, Tenn.
10. Compass Bowl: Jan. 7, Birmingham, Ala.
If Vandy had won Saturday, it would have bounced UT from the bowl picture, leaving nine SEC teams and lining up the Commodores for a berth in either the Music City Bowl or Liberty Bowl. And if Florida had lost next week to FSU, and Vandy had beaten Wake Forest, then at 7-5 Vandy would have likely garnered a Chick-Fil-A Bowl berth over a 6-6 Florida team.
Instead, we collapsed in Knoxville. Now if Vandy wins in Winston-Salem on Saturday, which is a shaky thing to count on, then the Commodores will likely land a bid in the Compass Bowl, which plays on Jan. 7 and gives James Franklin lots of practice time. I can think of much better places to spend the first Saturday in January than ancient Legion Field in Birmingham, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Unless Tennessee loses to Kentucky, which would likely send Vandy to replace the Vols in the Liberty Bowl.
Unless Mississippi State somehow loses to Ole Miss in Houston Nutt’s finale, which would likely send the Commodores back to the Music City Bowl.
I know, I know. We’ve got to beat Wake Forest, and that won’t be easy.
James Franklin: "Wait till we've been here two years"
Listen to what James Franklin said in his postgame press conference when a reporter asked why Vandy can’t get over the hump:
“We’ve won 5 games — we’ve won 4 games in the last two years combined. Our kids fight and compete every single week. We’re recruiting better than ever. The culture’s been changed.
“We still got steps to take like everybody in the country but the culture has changed. These kids have invested, the coaches have invested, we’ve competed and played against everybody, everybody in the league, and we’ve been here 11 months.
“Wait till we’ve been here two years. You’ll see real culture change, I can guarantee you that.”
He did mention “obscure calls” from officials and injuries to the offensive line but his message was that his team played “awful” in the first half and still found a way to compete, and that he takes full responsibility and that “I’m gonna get it fixed.” When somebody asked what Tennessee did to stop his offense, he said: “They didn’t. It was us. We didn’t play well. You’ve got to run the offense, you can’t turn the ball over.”
As he left the field last night, Franklin yelled to the UT fans. “We’ll be back,” he said.
“We’ve won 5 games — we’ve won 4 games in the last two years combined. Our kids fight and compete every single week. We’re recruiting better than ever. The culture’s been changed.
“We still got steps to take like everybody in the country but the culture has changed. These kids have invested, the coaches have invested, we’ve competed and played against everybody, everybody in the league, and we’ve been here 11 months.
“Wait till we’ve been here two years. You’ll see real culture change, I can guarantee you that.”
He did mention “obscure calls” from officials and injuries to the offensive line but his message was that his team played “awful” in the first half and still found a way to compete, and that he takes full responsibility and that “I’m gonna get it fixed.” When somebody asked what Tennessee did to stop his offense, he said: “They didn’t. It was us. We didn’t play well. You’ve got to run the offense, you can’t turn the ball over.”
As he left the field last night, Franklin yelled to the UT fans. “We’ll be back,” he said.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
So where's James Franklin's press conference?
I was particularly interested to hear Franklin's press conference after the game. But right now the official Vandy athletic site only has some postgame quotes from him.
No video, which usually pops up within an hour of the final horn.
Meanwhile, video from Dooley's entire postgame press conference is posted on the Vol's site. Plus, Houston Nutt and Joker Phillips both sat and talked about blowout losses to the Commodores while they were separated by only a flimsy wall from the Vandy locker room, which was rocking with noisy celebration, and those rather painful interviews were posted on their school's sites soon after they were taken.
No video, which usually pops up within an hour of the final horn.
Meanwhile, video from Dooley's entire postgame press conference is posted on the Vol's site. Plus, Houston Nutt and Joker Phillips both sat and talked about blowout losses to the Commodores while they were separated by only a flimsy wall from the Vandy locker room, which was rocking with noisy celebration, and those rather painful interviews were posted on their school's sites soon after they were taken.
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