I got to Knoxville Friday around 18:00. Got checked in to my hotel and unpacked ready to rock and roll.

Being the glutton for punishment that I am I immediately headed for Cumberland.

The Cal Ecker Band was the live venue of the night and they rocked, absolutely rocked. I bet they played Rocky Top a half dozen time in the almost 8 hours I was in the club, with the entire room screaming the song at the tops of their lungs.

I partied out at The Tin Roof until about 15 till 3 am. I was pumped, tired, blitzed and psyched all at once. (I have since learned that there is a Tin Roof in Nashville, which means at some point I may have to check it out) I wandered back to my truck and drug my exhausted carcass in to my hotel room at about 03:30.

****

<-The best damn shirt of the night!

****

06:00. Alarm goes off and I’m up and at them again. Cold shower, hot coffee, throw my duster on since its raining and head down the stairs witht he music from last night still ringing in my ears.

Grab some biscuits from the continental breakfast. One thing I have learned from years of road work: The reason why they call it a continental breakfast? Eat enough of them and you become the size of one. My present frame not withstanding I was in the truck and headed to Neyland by 8 am.

I have a spot on Maplehurst that never let me down. I parked the truck and headed for the Stadium. Picked up some spending cash from the ATM line, and grabbed my tickets from the Will Call gate.

I made a bee line for the Volunteer Village. I can almost always get some good souvenirs here and you can usually get autographs as well later.

The Tennessee Dance Team

Here is where I began to get nervous. While it was early there was still people milling about fairly well.  A good sized crowd had gathered. The Tennessee Dance Team was present and they tried to get several cheers started, but the reaction was muted at best. Out of about 70 people present, maybe 3 responded, myself one of them. I began to worry. This was not typical of my past experiences on such hallowed ground as campus.

Smokey arrived, and attempted to get a rise out of fans. Posing for numerous pictures, and even going so far as to harass the Game Radio Announcers he managed to bring a almost silent crowd of the lethargy that seemed to permeate the area.

Still the crowd remained solemn.

The mood was quaint, people milled about. Children got their face painted, but still it was almost as if over 100,000 people as one stood on baited breath: will we win? Will we fall at home?

I lined up with the rest for the Vol Walk. Most felt as I did. We wanted win, but a loss was not going to surprise us. But we wanted the win.

Scalpers were out in force “Hey man, sell me your ticket?” I must have looked perplexed based on his reaction to my face but I asked for curiosities sake “How much?”. After all it had drizzled all morning, and the three hour drive to Nashville on Friday night was akin to driving in a car wash for the same amount of time: torrential down pour. “$20 bucks” came the reply. I was astounded. “I’m gonna sell you a $70 ticket for $20 bucks? Are you kidding?” “Hey man they’re not gonna win anyway.” he retorted and stormed off.

The weather, his reaction, and the crowds mood seemed to all coincide. Cloudy, cool, rainy. Dreary. As if at any moment the thunder would roll in, lightning strike and the rain wash out our hopes for a SEC win. If only we had known just where the lightning would hit.

****

The bus arrived. The lead bus, no sooner than was halted, began to rock to and fro like a thing possessed. The crowd stirred. Smokey and the Band began their march down the corridor of fans, the crowd began to move…

The door finally opened, and out stepped Tennessee’s heralded hopeful: Lane Kiffin. His dress belayed the weather, a suit of Grey.  Our Gandalf the Grey would soon become our Gandalf the White, but we did not know it at the time.

The Team itself finally spurred the crowd as the boys came out, dressed in black like undertakers for a soon to be passing UGA, grinning ear to ear, slapping hands, high fives, shaking hands almost as if they knew. They knew what they held in store, they knew they were not going to let Georgia out of Neyland Stadium with a win. They gleamed it, and just exuded it. They crowd roared for the first time in the 3 hours I had stood on campus. It would not be the last.

Pride of the South Land Band

As the entered the stadium, so followed the crowd. Many of us knew we would miss other parts of the entertainment for the day, but I for one was anxious. I wanted the game to start, I wanted the bleachers to rumble, the clouds to part, sun pour down on our team and the score board to sing. I got part of my wish anyway.

My View of the Field

My view was decent, for being in the nose bleed seats. The only real downside is the blasyed lights across the field after a while hurt the eyes.

There were a few, like myself, who were anxious for the game to begin. They too had already made themselves comfortable, retrieved their drinks, and had no intention of leaving until Half time.

Hell I didn’t intend to leave then, nor did I.

To the bitter end, I thought to myself.  I just didn’t yet realize for whom.

The team gathered at the end of the field. They got fired up, they got motivated. What ever they all did, they need t do it from now on.

Georgia took the field to get warmed up as well.

I took this picture thinking to myself I would caption it “Georgia already playing dead on the field”…apparently it was a precognition, but I’m still proud to use it.

Finally it was to begin.

The Pride of the Southland band took the field.

The opening ceremony a time honored tradition at UT.

The T was formed, and the boys took the field.

Georgia attempted to usurp the moment by taking the field at almost the same time.

Sadly for them, they never took the field, they only borrowed it for a few moments at a time before ultimately plain giving it back to us.

**************

The game began.

It started as a dull roar, that escalated throughout the stadium.  The Vols were on the field, not to play dead. Not to make interceptions. But to play ball.

The thunder did come, as 100,000 people beat their feet against the bleachers.

The lightning did blast as fireworks over the Tennessee River exploded again and again.

The rain came too, but only on poor Georgia, who despite every effort, every attempt to get momentum on their side, proved to be an effort in futility.

The scoreboard did hum as the number just kept climbing.

As completed pass, after pass, after run after Hardesty run, after touchdown. The crowd at first seemed unbelieving, almost unwilling to acknowledge what their eyes saw after the first touchdown. After Cromptons first five completed passes, the crowd was beginning to understand. Our boys had come to play frickin football, by gawd.

Someone behind me started the old yell of “WhoooooooooooOOOOAAAAA NELLY!” and then the game was off to the proverbial  races with Hardesty leading the way.

The famed flying squirrel took place right in front of me (and 2 stories down) , and I have to confess from our view it looked like he was completely out of bounds. The replay told the story though, and I can assure you no one cheered the less.

Mid game motivation

Half way through the game the boys again got fired up, a breather, a blast of fresh air. Why was it needed I have no idea, but the Orange Volunteer freight train was in full force, and running wide open over a horridly unsuspecting Uga, who while residing on the tracks in process of licking himself, came to be staring in horror as they came bearing down on him without even so much as a whistle for warning.

*******

The game was over. Like a lamb it came in. Like a Lion it went.

The crowd was over the top excited. We had won our first SEC game of the season, we had destroyed a neighboring states team, and low and behold our Quarterback (whom I will readily confess I have been a huge detractor of) suddenly was performing…well like a quarterback! Spirits were high, and by the time I made it to Calhouns, I was tired, elated, and ready for cold beers.

Seasonal Harvest Beer and Hot wings at Calhouns

***

Calhouns holds a sort of special memory for me.

The first time I was married, the ceremony was performed about 30 minutes east of Knoxville, in town called Sevierville.  The Justice of the Peace there ran a Feed & Seed store called Temple’s. Thusly I can say I was married in a feed and seed store, standing next to bags of grass seed and fertilizer.

Afterwards we went to dinner. At Calhouns.

I haven’t ate here since. But today was special, and I had hoped to meet some other folks here. Unfortunately between issues with my truck and a parking space, as well as the game itself we missed each other. We’ll work it out in the next run.

Still the beer was indeed cold, and the hot wings divine.

From there it was back Cumberland, and to the Tin Roof where Tony Phillips was playing live that night. It proved to be another late night for yours truly. After several hours of beer, and dancing, it was almost 3 am when last call was sounded.

Once again I crawled my way back to my hotel.

In the end it’s your typical Knoxville game day weekend. Crowded bars, boisterous fans, and myself.

Now as I sit recovering, and trying to concentrate on my work for the day I have to ask myself one very important, burning question.

Should  I  buy tickets to South Carolina this coming weekend?

Peace out!