Tide Fans -
Rolllllllllllll Tide!!!! Hell yes, I love beating Tennessee! I am writing tonight from New York, where they could care less about college football. So, I have had to walk around with a sh*t eating grin on my face all day without any acknowledgement from any fans - except for one dude on the airplane that gave me a Roll Tide! It's ok, because even if I don't get to share my joy with other Tide fans, I can live with the pure inner joy of crushing the big orange! Man it felt good to watch Fulmer wince in pain on the sideline as Saban and The Tide were handing out their 2nd ass whipping in a row on his team. Did I already say how much I enjoyed and am still enjoying this win?? Eat it Fulmer!!!
This game started just about how I thought it would. I knew the vols and their fans would be all fired up thinking they could pull the upset. I also knew as soon a Lou Holtz predicted UT to win that we had this game in the bag! A few stupid mistakes on our part kept Tennessee in the game early, but the Tide finally got into their businesslike performance and started putting unanswered points on the board. There is nothing I love more than watching a long clock consuming drive that ends up with 7 points - it is delightful. Our bevy of running backs started cruising down the field, and JP was passing with great accuracy - it was beautiful! We actually had 10 more passing yards than rushing - I loved the switch up on play calling - great game plan. Julio just gets better every week, and plays like a seasoned veteran. Roy Upchurch is just a spaz when he gets the ball - he just flies down field - it is great!
Our defense was just powerful. The blitzing, pass coverage, run coverage, etc... it was all incredible. Tennessee did not know where we were coming from - several plays it looked like we had about 15 guys on the field - they were flying everywhere. Rashad Johnson played awesome, and led with the most solo tackles. Donta Hightower and Josh Chapman had great games as well. Just a very solid performance from our defense. Just a very well rounded game on both sides of the ball for Bama.
Saban, once again has done an excellent job of preparing our team to play in a very hostile environment. I mean, look at our road games this year and see how well we have played! Seriously, let's put the white jersey's on at home and see what happens! Our players played 4 quarters this week, and never let up in the second half - that was nice to see after we have had some squeakers lately. I think Saban's message of finishing is finally starting to set in. I for one am very "pleased and happy" about this performance!
Players I love from this week:
- JP Wilson (Great game...just looked really solid)
- Julio...need I say more!
- Roy Upchurch (3rd string and just runs wild when he gets the ball - very fast)
- Rashad Johnson (several huge blitzes, and some great coverage)
- Leigh Tiffin (solid kicking!!!!)
Things we need to change so I can sleep better:
- Just stay focused on the next opponent - 1 at a time!
I know Tennessee sucks this year, but this was a big win for us. Anytime you have to play a rival at their place - throw the record books out. Everyone thought we were prime for an upset, but we crushed that notion. To be honest - I was more nervous about this game than I am LSU. This was the game I thought we needed to escape to reach our goal of an SEC championship, and we got it done! If we can keep playing games like we did in this one, then we are on our way to Atlanta, and possibly something even bigger! I know we have some big games left, but if we keep playing like we are, I feel confident about our chances. Man it feels great to be playing good football again - we have waited a long time for this Tide Fans, so enjoy it. Go ahead, walk with a little more swagger, and stick your chest out - we deserve it! We are the Alabama Crimson Tide, and this is how it is supposed to be!
A quick shout out to all the Bama fans who made the trip to Knoxville - you guys were loud - it was awesome!!
Until next week...Roll Tide my friends...Roll Tide!
Jason
