10 Smokey vs Uga
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| photo courtesy of dawgdayafternoon.blogspot.com |
By no fault of his own, Uga's Russ can't compare to Smokey IX. Sure, Russ has overcome adversity in his 6-year lifetime (the loss of his half-brother, Uga VII, and the untimely passing of "Big Bad Bruce" Uga VIII), but there has to be a reason Georgia officials refuse to annoint Russ as Uga IX. Perhaps they have a pup-in-waiting, but until Uga IX is proclaimed and brought forth, Smokey IX is the clear winner here. Also, Smokey IX is performing with a torn ACL! Sure, he's got 3 good ones, but even Justin Hunter had to be put on the shelf for the season to recover. The ACL is no joke, and Smokey IX is a true VFL, still leading his team onto the field every game. He doesn't need a dog house for shade, and he damn sure doesn't need a sack of ice to lie on. When Neyland is rockin', Smokey is a-howlin'. Two-bits, four-bits, Smokey's on the prowl. All for Tennessee, stand up and HOWL!
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| photo courtesy of govolsxtra.com |
9 The Great QB Debate Aaron Murray vs. Tyler Bray
For this to even be a similar comparison, I looked at 8 games (the total amount of games Tyler Bray has started minus the Buffalo game -- couldn't find a decent comparison for Murray's 9th game) and 8 comparable games for Aaron Murray. See the attached image. Obviously it's close. Both are 6-2 in the games compared. Murray's completion percentage is slightly higher, but his attempts and yards are significantly less. Plus Murray had AJ Green. Bray also has a better TD/int ratio.
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| click to enlarge |
8 Neyland Stadium
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| photo courtesy of tnjn.com |
It's been a long time since Neyland was packed. A really long time. But it's also been a long time since there was a buzz around the team. Sure, Tennessee lost to Florida, but the Justin Hunter injury really dealt a blow. Also, the freshmen LBs got lost in coverage. And the special teams. BUT, the team believes, the coaches believe, the media believes, Vegas believes, and the FANS BELIEVE! The UT ticket office is projecting a sell-out, and for an ESPN2 7:00 game, Neyland will be basked in that beautiful orange glow. When the Pride of the Southland parts to the form the T and the team erupts onto the field, the atmosphere will be electric. The SEC east is up for grabs, and it's time we take another step towards of the front of the line.
7 The Pants
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| photo courtesy of derekdooleyonline.com |
Much ado has been made about Dooley's orange pants (check out the belt buckle!). Tennessee people love them, everyone else thinks they're gaudy, loud, and hideous. Bill Battle rocked the orange pants back in the 1970s, and Johnny Majors sported orange polyester trousers in the '80s. Derek Dooley has embraced a cultural tradition few outside this area understand. Orange. Is. Beautiful. Just like Bruce Pearl with his orange blazer paying homage to Ray Mears, Dooley dons the orange pants in celebration of the rich history that is Tennessee football. So, the power of the pants will get Dooley his biggest win yet, and give him solid ground to stand on while leading Tennessee back to the top of the SEC.
6 Dooley vs. Dooley
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| photo courtesy of footballspeakers.com |
If you ask Derek Dooley if this game means anything special because of his family ties to the Georgia football lineage, he'll tell you, with a straight face, absolutely not. I tend to disagree, respectfully, of course. Dooley needs this game. His father, Vince, the long-time coach and athletic director at Georgia, refuses to wear orange. His mother, on the other hand, wants desperately for her "precious" to succeed. Not only does Derek Dooley need this game for familial purposes, he also needs to plant a stake in Georgia's recruiting heart. The dam is leaking right now, and more and more Georgia High School players are leaking out. Dooley can burst the dam wide open with a win this weekend. Georgia fans are already fidgetting and can't take many more shortcomings by Richt and his staff. A loss to Tennessee could send Georgia into a tailspin.
5 Weapons
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GET SUM
photo courtesy of arkansasonline.com |
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| photo courtesy of govolsxtra.com |
For Tennessee: Tyler Bray and the passing game. For Georgia: Aaron Murray, Orson Charles, and Isaiah Crowell. On defense, Georgia is losing Cornelius Washington, but high profile, 5* recruit Ray Drew will be there in his place. Plus, they've got Rambo -- Always a plus. Tennessee won't be able to run the ball, but it won't matter. Tyler Bray will sling it all over the field to Da'Rick, Zach Rogers, DeAnthony Arnett, Mychal Rivera, Tauren Poole, Marlin Lane, or whoever else is open. There's a game Tyler Bray plays in the huddle, it's called "Who hasn't scored yet?" That's where 26 TD passes comes from.
4 Payback
41-14. Last year's score in Athens. Don't think for the second this team hasn't forgotten about it. After a heartbreaking loss to LSU, Tennessee came out flat and shellshocked. Georgia trounced, and Aaron Murray lit Tennessee up with 4 total touchdowns.
3 The Heimlich
Georgia, Georgia, Georgia. You have perfected the art of the let down and mastered the role of choke artist. You have learned how to lose, and forgotten what it feels like to be a dominant team. You get smacked around by Boise State (they're good, I get it), then find a way to lose against South Carolina. And that's just this year. You lost your bowl game last season to UCF. UCF!? And don't forget Colorado. In 2009, you lost to Kentucky. Wait, what? Kentucky?? KENTUCKY!
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| photo courtesy of sadfans.wickedsick.org |
Hell, even Lane Kiffin found a way to embarrass you. Sure, Tennessee has had it's share of bad luck recently, but it doesn't even compare to Georgia. Tennessee has had 3 coaches with mediocre signing classes (compared to other SEC schools). YOU ARE GEORGIA! Your state produces some of the best football talent in the country! What're y'all doing down there!? You accept all this mediocrity, and expect for it to just get better. unfortunately, it all sounds familiar. See Point 2.
2 Fulmer Syndrome
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| photo courtesy of govolsxtra.com |
And here we are. Now, to be honest, there's no comparison between the successes of Phillip Fulmer and Mark Richt. Fulmer won a national championship. HOWEVER, Fulmer set the precedent for Mark Richt in the way his Georgia career is winding down. Tennessee fans have seen all this before. Highly touted recruiting classes decimated by busts and thugs who get kicked out of school. An arrest record longer than a 6-year old's christmas wish list. Severe lack of player discipline. Hiring assistant coaches who would never be offered jobs at other SEC schools. Not firing said terrible assistant coaches. Richt got complacent, and it's biting him hard right about now. Randy Sanders was a scapegoat for Tennessee, much like I'm sure Mike Bobo will be for Richt. Georgia is falling apart, and the rest of the SEC is watching it happen. Tennessee is going to mollywop Georgia this weekend in Knoxville, and unless Richt pulls a Mack Brown and fires everyone, he may as well start putting his resume together. And it won't include a national title. I hope your new coach knows CPR.
1 VolNation
The infamous thread. A VolNation classic: Reasons We fixina whip Georgias Ass
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I leave you with this. The devil went to Georgia for a reason. He got along with the locals. And something about a soul and a fiddle. But just remember this: whenever you hear the Battle Hymn of the Republic being played by some marching Red Coats, you can always sing along. Now remember, especially in the presence of UGA faithful, to scream the final line.
Glory, Glory to 'ole Georgia.
Glory, Glory to 'ole Georgia.
Glory, Glory to 'ole Georgia,
THE CESSPOOL OF THE SOUTH!
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| photo courtesy of ERIC FREAKING BERRY! |
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