An Outside View

Who to blame for the loss By Terry Smith news@theheraldnewspapers.com Saturday evening arrived with great expectations. The Tennessee Volunteers would take a bite out of the hated Florida Gators and take early control of the SEC East. Police would shut down Cumberland Avenue and students would party on The Strip all night long. This would be a signature win marking the Vols’ return to national prominence. The heat would be off of Coach Phillip Fulmer with his Vols being mentioned with the likes of Ohio State as possible national champs. You know what they say about the best laid plans. The Gators ruined it all with a hard fought 21-20 victory over the home-standing Big Orange. The game film has been broken down. Coaches and members of the media have given their takes on why the Vols lost. We’ve heard some legitimate reasons and some pretty flimsy excuses. Who is really to blame? Here are some possibilities. Noah – If Noah hadn’t taken two pesky alligators on the ark with him, we wouldn’t’ have to worry about Gators. The Officials – When in doubt blame the zebras. They only called twice as many penalties against the Gators as they did the Vols. If it had been three times as many, the Vols may have won. In other words, bad officials needed to be worse. One Arm Advantage – UT defensive lineman Justin Harrell had to basically play with one arm. To be fair, they should have made the Florida offensive linemen tie one arm behind their backs. Ron Zook – Why did he have to go get himself fired? He surely would have figured out a way to lose that game. Randy Sanders – The former Vol offensive coordinator had to be the one in the press box calling plays after UT went up 17-10. Run, run, pass. Run, run, pass. Randy Sanders – We should have kept the guy. He NEVER had a team rack up -11 yards on the ground. The Knoxville Police – If the men in blue would leave the men in orange alone, the Vols would have more players to battle the Gators. Harold Ford, Jr. – The Memphis Democrat was at the game wearing orange and campaigning for the U.S. Senate seat. He must have given the pre-game speech. Bad move. Everyone knows Ford is weak on defense. The Single Wing – Steve Spurrier did not come to UT when he graduated from Science Hill High School in Johnson City because he didn’t want to play the single wing. If UT had ditched the antiquated offense two years earlier, Saint Steve would have been a Vol and never would have built the Gators into a powerhouse. Dallas Baker – Two years ago, the Gators and Vols were in almost an identical situation when Florida receiver Dallas Baker was flagged for a personal foul penalty. The 15 yards were all James Wilhoit needed to kick a game winning 50 yard field goal. Where was his left hook this year when the Vols needed it? Neyland Renovation – With the renovation of Neyland Stadium, there are 2000 fewer seats meaning the Vols have that much less of a home field advantage. Las Vegas Oddsmakers – The Vols heard all week that the Gators were giving them three points. Doesn’t that mean UT won by two? Weight Watchers – UT’s offensive line slimmed down during the off-season and then promptly got pushed around by the Gators’ defensive line which was bigger and stronger. The Schedule Maker – Phil Fulmer doesn’t beat the Gators very often in September but he is a perfect 1-0 when playing the last game of the season against them. Move the Kentucky game to September and Florida back to November. Phil Fulmer – Forget that. He’s just the head coach.