I could do about 50 posts on the ups-and-downs of the 2007 Tennessee Vols football team. But I’ll just write one long post here about what I thought of this past season…

First off, let me say that overall I was actually satisfied with the season, and this is why: we had three really rough games that were just hard to watch. Nevertheless, thanks mainly to Florida’s struggles, we had a chance to win the best conference in the country and DID win the toughest division in college football, and we pulled through. I doubted. Many times – the entire second half against Carolina, the entire week leading up to the McFadden game, down 24-9 in the 4th quarter against Vandy, the closing minutes of regulation and 2nd OT against Kentucky. But, wow, did our guys show some heart and some guts.

It was a rough September. The Cal loss was kinda, sorta, not really expected. Our defense couldn’t have tackled me that day, and Cal would have beaten everybody. We still had chances, ie, not punting to MeSean, and not throwing three straight times from their 2-yard line. But two weeks later was so much worse…

Let’s face it, I haven’t seen Tennessee get blown away as bad as Florida did to us September 15, 2007. The times it has happened, it’s either been expected (no Ainge at Arky in ‘06, against #1 Miami in 2002 (sorry, no video)), kinda a fluke (the fumble fiasco vs. UGA in 2003, the “lateral” against Bama in 2002), or not that big a deal (the Orange Bowl against Nebraska in Peyton’s last game). Three times – I saw each of them live and in person – they have been utterly embarrassing: the Peach Bowl no-show against Maryland, the ass-whipping on our own field against Auburn with GameDay watching in primetime (worse), and last year (worst). I’ll have a post devoted solely to the Gainesville trip the Florida week, but I have never felt so embarrassed and so mad to be a Tennessee fan as I was that day leaving Gainesville.

Then, we completely, and I mean COMPLETELY dominate Georgia. I enjoyed watching us physically beat the crap outta them as much as watching us hang 51 on them in their own stadium the year before. As expected, LSU lucks past/beats Florida, and we’re in control of the division again. Get by Miss State thanks to the running game, and I’m thinking we got a chance to run the table and win the East, if we could just get past the Bammers…

Where the dominant feeling post-Florida was embarrassment, the feeling leaving Tuscaloosa going back to Knoxville that October day was just flat-out pissed off. Our coaching staff absolutely blew that game. We play a prevent zone, making an average John Parker Wilson look like the freaking Heisman winner. Then we’re gashing Bama with Foster for 5 yards a carry, and we throw it all over the place and forget about Montario Hardesty, who had just seemed like he was getting it going after being eternally injured. After ever-so-slightly getting my hopes up for winning the East and having them dashed, I gave up on us – better put, I just hoped we didn’t quit altogether a la 2005.

The South Carolina game almost killed me. After watching Georgia get Florida outta the race and going up 21-0, all I can do is laugh inside Neyland Stadium and say “We so don’t deserve another chance…” And of course we blow that lead, and probably shouldn’t have won that game (thanks to: LaMarcus Coker for his last play as a Vol – a big kick return, Jacques McClendon, Daniel Lincoln, and Blake Mitchell/Ryan Succop).

Watching McFadden/Jones run for a zillion yards against South Carolina was scary – there was no way in hell OUR defense could stop them. I was wrong, our defense played it’s best game of the year to that point. I mean, McFadden made the vaunted LSU defense look very, very average. And he had as many TDs our game as I did (ZERO), and Felix had 3 yards and we knocked him outta the game.

We proceed to do everything possible to lose to Vanderbilt. It was like Bama all over again – Arian Foster runs all over them one drive, and we throw 15 straight passes. Honestly, if that Vandy player doesn’t rough Britton Colquitt, we lose. That play, and you could tell at that moment cuz the crowd woke up, changed the game. We come back, and Dennis Rogan sets up the go-ahead FG, and saves the day on the ensuing kickoff. After a garbage interference call, Vandy’s gotta long FG for the win. First glance, I thought he had pushed the thing WAY left. Then it hits the upright. Almost died again, but laugh it off…undefeated at home in 2007.

The Kentucky game almost killed me too, about 100 times. Of course, we get a big lead, blow it, and play 4 OTs when we should have won the game in regulation. OT #2, Ainge throws a pick, and Kentucky’s got the game won…they line up for the FG, I’m on my knees at my house begging for a miracle, and we block the thing. Tennessee NEVER blocks ANY kicks (unless we’re playing Georgia). Side note, Eric Berry takes that back for six if his head isn’t ripped off. OT #4, Ainge FINALLY stays in the pocket under pressure and hits Austin Rogers. We stop Woodson on their two-pointer, and I feel more relief than joy, to be honest…

I don’t want to talk about the LSU game. We had that game won, our defense was knocking people out, in ALL ORANGE too (we looked GOOD in all orange). Poor Erik Ainge leads us there (we’re not there without him) and then throws two decisive INTs (3:52-4:02 of this great video for both), and that’ll be his legacy. After all that I was put through, being there to see us lose like that was just frustrating and tough. It was a similar feeling to the Ohio State Sweet 16 choke in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. It was upsetting and angering, but at the same time, you had to realize that our team played their asses off in the face of so many adversities, of so many instances where we could have, would have, and should have laid down and quit (like we did in Gainesville), and you had to admire the job our players and our coaches did with this team.

Unlike 2006, we won our consolation bowl game. And Wisconsin was better than that Penn State team. A top-12, 10-win season in today’s SEC? With a new secondary and new WRs? That’s fine by me. Am I absolutely thrilled with that? No way. That championship drought is getting really long now, and we need to get one soon. I think this year, despite the media love-fest with Tebow and with Georgia, might be our best chance. With the new offensive staff, the new style of QB (Mountain Values), and our badass secondary, I’m really excited and hopeful for 2008.