Great finish....Tenn probably should have won and I question mightily why Lane Kiffin decided to hole up with 35 seconds left instead of trying to shorten the kick by running another play or two. If Fla plays well tonight I can't see a reason for Bama to remain #1 in the AP.....no Tds and a shaky 2 point win over a 3-4 team. Check that....BIG IF......Tebow just threw a 103 yard pick 6.....13-10 now. Yikes!
Just classic SEC football by two teams with rock solid D's. As the saying goes, it's a shame one team has to lose a game like that.
What an absolute war! Hats off to both teams who clearly left their hearts on the field in that game. It was Jeff Ramsey who first educated me back when I lived in California that despite the buildup and the sexiness of the UF-UT rivalry, Alabama is the rivalry. It didn't take me long living here to discover that as big as the Iron Bowl is, Tennessee is the team to beat for the Tide. Both squads did themselves proud today.
Corey, as usual, Jeff was right. The importance of the UT - Fla game is more because it is more difficult to overcome a loss in that game being in the same division. However, when it comes to historical significance, Bama is hands down THE game. If there was one game that I could attend every year, I would choose the Bama game.
Obviously a very tough loss Tom. Is there any criticism flowing in Vol land with regard to Kiffin's refusal to try and advance the ball further after UT gained a first down at the 28 with 45 seconds left? When considering what Lincoln had not accomplished from that distance I just could not agree with decision by the Tenn staff and I would be pretty livid if I were a Vol fan. Grant me the fact that when I think Florida has squandered an opportunity to win and the coaching staff has blundered I am not too proud to criticize my Gators loudly. So....what is your take on this because I myself was practically screaming at the TV for Tenn to advance the ball.
No MCG, there is not and you will not manufacture any here either. We got the chance to possibly win the game due to a fumble by a Bama back that had never lost a fumble in his career. How many fumbles have Tennessee backs lost over the last two years? Lincoln has been a good kicker. He was due for a good one. The odds were with him. This is exactly what you would have been saying if Tennessee pushed closer and lost a fumble in the process! Unlike the "internet fans" for Florida that Bill speaks of, Tennessee fans see a change in the mindset of the players due to a change in the coaching staff. We see the tide turning and like what we see. Kiffin has my respect and my knowledge that he knows 100 times what I know about coaching this team. You will not get what you want from me.
Cindy just found this. I think that my previous thoughts are backed up by this statement by Kiffin: Complete article
Hey, I've been critical of Kiffin for some of his remarks, but for sure not for the way he managed that game yesterday. Time was short, they were within the distance for their kicker and they ran the clock down to 4 seconds. That was the smart thing to do, who would think a 360 pound lineman could block two kicks up the middle. I am still not an admirer of Kiffin, but I do believe that Tennessee team is looking pretty good and will be competitive for the East again very soon.
Bill, I hope that some day, I can get to the point that I don't read between the lines on Dave's post. This goes back to the time when he readily admitted using lower case V and T due to his hatred of our program. I cannot read anything from him without thinking about that statement. I do not expect you our anyone other than a Tennessee fan to admire or respect Kiffin. I see the look in the Tennessee player's eyes. It is a "I think I can" look. In years past, it was a "Oh crap, how bad are we going to get beat" look. The efforts we are putting out now will turn that look into a "You're goin' down" look soon. That is when I expect our opposition to respect Kiffin. I don't ever hope for, nor do I want admiration for Kiffin from our opposition. We admired Ray Goff at Tennessee. Ray Goff never beat Tennessee. :wink: We at Tennessee despise Spurrier... not because he beat us, but because he was a Tennessee boy that went to Florida. We loved Doug Dickey until he went to Florida. I hated the administration for bringing him back as Athletic Director. I think you all remember that I couldn't stand the sight of the man and even told him so at the Fiesta Bowl during the NC game. He did great things for Tennessee but I could not get past the fact that he betrayed Tennessee by leaving.
Nobody has commented on this and by no means am I stating that it should have happened. However, that kid that blocked both field goals COULD have cost Bama the game. The announcers (idiots that they are) even commented on it. Immediately, after blocking the kick, while the ball is still rolling around on the ground with the play still active, he takes off his helmet and runs toward the sideline. It wasn't and SHOULDN'T have been called. But it could have. We know that anything can happen with SEC officials. If that was called, it would have been a defensive penalty that the game could not end on. Tennessee would have been marked 15 yards closer and 4th down with an untimed down. 15 yards closer and Lincoln has a better chance of making the kick. He could have still missed it. I have now learned that Lincoln has a Quad injury that is limiting his ability. That young man needs to learn to harness his emotions before he does cost his team a win.
Since he took off his helmet after the change of possesion I do believe it still would have been Alabama's ball. Might be why they let it go.
I think I would have to disagree with you Terry. The change of possession does not occur when the ball does not cross the line of scrimmage until the ball is downed. A Bama player fell on the ball AFTER he had ran about 5 yards with his helmet off. 5 yards for that big man is a few seconds. Like I stated, it shouldn't have been called... but with SEC refs, you never know. The loss of that non-call did not beat Tennessee, the Tennessee kicking game and the Bama defense beat Tennessee.
BuckeyeT just posted on the Purdue topic that progress is being shown and a creampuff comes up next for OSU. We have been showing progress to stand tall against the Bama defense. Although South Carolina is no creampuff, they are in no way as strong as Bama or Florida. Next week we lick our wounds in Knoxville and host the Cocks at home.
That game with S. Carolina could be a tough one for you Tom. I think Spurrier has brought them along this season.
I can't tell from the video's I've seen online. They show the block, they show some Alabama players downing the ball and it is past the line of scrimmage. They show Cody running with his helmet off but I can't sync up when he took his helmet off and when the Bama guys downed the FG.
1st and 10, we ran the ball. 2nd and 10 we lined up with 9 seconds to go and downed the ball with 4 seconds left. 3rd and 10, we snapped the ball from the 27 yard line to kick from the 34 yard line. Cody comes over the line to hit the ball at the 29 yard line. There is a spot where it shows him snatch his helmet off at the 33 yard line running to the sideline with the ball still moving at the 28 with #8, Jones covering the ball about 2 seconds later. There was no change in possession because it was 3rd down and the ball did not cross the line of scrimmage. I record all the games to DVD for General George Edwards, retired commander of the Air Force Base here in Austin who is a big time Tennessee fan. I just went back and viewed all of the above in slo-mo while typing this. I did not want it called. But it could have cost them the game!
It would have been fun to see that called in Tuscaloosa and then Tenn kick the winner. I wonder in what ditch they would have found the bodies of the refs!
I'm sure coaches all across the country tell their players to keep their helmets on, that it's a penalty. I watched that So. Fla/Cincy game last week and a Cincy player made a great effort to stretch out and score (which was later reversed as his knee was down before he got the ball over the goal line. But he jumped up and ripped his helmet off in the endzone and celebrated, a flag flew and he realized what he did wrong and looked pretty devestated on the bench as it went from 1st and goal at the 1 to 1st and goal outside the 10 a much different situation. Seems simple keep your helmet on, I wonder why some kids just have to rip them off?