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What If Tennessee Had A Non-Conference Rival

Written by: TJ Jackson (@jtj1996) It is no secret that one of the best things about college sports are the deep rooted rivalries. Collegiate rivalries can span over multiple sports, defy conference ties and can be among the best rivalries in sports. An out-of-conference rivalries might mean nothing as far as the quest for a conference championship goes, but for fans, alumni, students, coaches and players they often mean everything. Many schools have a clear cut out of conference rival like Georgia and Georgia Tech or South Carolina and Clemson, but others aren’t as fortunate. As for the University of Tennessee, the Vols actually have some good candidates, but despite that they do not currently have a clear cut non-conference rival they play even every other year. The most compelling candidates are Memphis, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, West Virginia and Oklahoma. Oklahoma Sooners, Big 12  Recent matchups with the Sooners in football have been fairly memorable, but not in a good way for the Tennessee faithful. The Volunteers also often run into the Sooners in Softball, a series where the Lady Vols have seen success. However, the problem with a rivalry against Oklahoma is that the schools are just too far apart (862 miles) and the Sooners already have established rivals in Oklahoma State and Texas. Plus the Sooners would likely rather add a school like Missouri, Colorado or Nebraska who are all closer and they have more ties to then a school as far away as Tennessee. Although, while maybe not right away on the gridiron a match up between Oklahoma and Tennessee would be very competitive in several other sports. West Virginia Mountaineers, Big 12  Staying in the Big 12, the next option [...]

What If Tennessee Had A Non-Conference Rival2018-12-04T17:58:43-04:00

An SEC Christmas Vacation

Written by: Alex Abernathy (TheAbernasty) Ahhh Christmas time is upon us and the football season is wrapping up quicker than most would like. With Christmas approaching and college football’s regular season closing, it got me thinking; I really love SEC football. I also have watched the movie Christmas Vacation about 400 times. There has to be some way to tie together my two loves right? What if every SEC team’s football season could be described as a character from the movie? Sounds like a tall order, but that’s exactly what I’ve done. Which character best personifies your team’s season? Read along and find out, but fair warning – you might not like who you get. Alabama- Mary Mary is the beautiful woman that Clark runs into at the clothing store and later fantasizes about her swimming in the pool he wishes to open at his house. Mary is used throughout the movie as a symbol of perfection. She’s something that Clark and undoubtedly others, chase after even though they know they can never have her. If that isn’t Alabama’s football season in a nutshell, I don’t know what is. This team has been untouchable all season and no one looks like they can stop the Crimson Tide. Teams lust after Bama much like Clark with Mary. They will continue to fantasize about one day being the top dog, but for now it’s nothing more than a fantasy. Auburn- Clark Sr. Movie Quote: Clark: Our Holidays were always such a mess. Clark Sr.: Oh yeah. Clark: How’d ya do it? Clark Sr.: I had a lot of help from Jack Daniels Clark Sr. has learned something that Auburn fans are also rapidly having to come to [...]

An SEC Christmas Vacation2018-12-01T12:58:45-04:00

All Roads Lead to Mizzou

Written by: Paul Bristol (@PaulBristol1) Once again, Volnation is left with the timeless question... Is Tennessee going bowling? This roller coaster of a season has left the Vols with five wins and two games left to play. The opponents remaining on the Vols’ schedule have been giving Tennessee fits within this decade. Kentucky, who Tennessee defeated in Neyland, was coming off of their second loss of the season against the No. 6 Georgia Bulldogs and they are folding in the month of November once again.   Since head coach Mark Stoops was hired on at Kentucky, the month of November has not been kind to him. Stoops and the Wildcats have lost 17 out of the 22 games towards the back end of the regular season. The Wildcats have not beaten Tennessee in Neyland since 1984. Despite being ranked 11th entering Neyland Stadium last week, the Vols were able to shut them down 24-7, putting them closer to bowl eligibility. The Vanderbilt Commodores have been doing their best Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde impersonation after starting out the year strong with two blow out wins over MTSU and Nevada. However Vanderbilt and head coach Derek Mason have lost four out of the last five games them have played in 2018. The team left on the Vols’ schedule that Tennessee does not hold a winning record over is the Missouri Tigers. Missouri made their first appearance in the Southeastern Conference in the year 2012. The Tigers recorded two SEC wins that year. One of their two wins came against Tennessee in a nail biter, with a score of 51-48, in Knoxville. Since then, Missouri has a winning record of 4-2 over the Vols and they have [...]

All Roads Lead to Mizzou2018-11-17T13:01:21-04:00

Derrick Rose: The Return?

Written by: Andrew Bowen (@andrew_bowen45) Derrick Rose, a name often associated with “tragic” or “unlucky” due to his injuries. The 2011 MVP was projected to be one of the best to ever play in the NBA. This was all cut short due to Rose tearing his ACL in 2012. He then tore it two more times and continuously was battling injuries, causing him to start bouncing from team to team. Rose is currently on the Minnesota Timberwolves and was having a pretty good season trying to bounce back yet again. However, on October 31st, 2018, something incredible happened. Rose scored 50 points, a career high for him, in the Wolves win over the Utah Jazz. Watching these highlights, you saw Rose looking like his old self again. He was scoring and shooting and making plays all over the court just like he did in 2011 with the Chicago Bulls. He revealed in several interviews that the reason he tore his ACL was that no one taught him how to safely land off of a jump shot or a dunk, thus leading to his injuries. Rose seems to have figured out how to land without hurting himself and this could be the start of something special yet again. Rose’s story has become a fan favorite nationally, especially in Chicago, as he is from there and played for the Bulls for most of his career. When Rose scored 50 points that night, he cried tears of joy in his post-game interview and was greeted to a standing ovation. The real question lingering after watching that amazing performance is... Is Derrick Rose back? Yes. Yes he is folks. Many don’t want to believe it and say that this [...]

Derrick Rose: The Return?2018-11-13T00:57:32-04:00

Does Zion Williamson Overshadow Other Talent At Duke?

Written by: Andrew Bowen (@andrew_bowen45) As college basketball gets started, one freshman has garnered a lot of national attention. Coming out of high school he was compared to Lebron James, the No. 1 power forward in the nation and had over a million followers on Instagram before his senior year. If you don’t know who I am talking about yet, I am referring to the one and only Zion Williamson. Now, going to Duke came as no surprise at all, but when his friends Cam Reddish, R.J. Barrett and Tre Jones joined the mix, things got pretty interesting. Now that Duke has all of this talent, the real question is, is Williamson overshadowing the other talent? You could say he is or you could say he isn’t. Watching some pregame footage of Williamson has shown that he is a post offense threat, but that is not the entire Duke offensive game plan. He does not overshadow the entire roster simply because of this, three point shooting. If Williamson had a consistent jumper and three point shot, then maybe he would begin to over shadow the others. However, Barret is a lethal three point shooter and a pure point guard who gets his teammates the looks that they need. Along with that, Jones and Reddish are huge three point threats and can drive into the lane when needed. Williamson is the big name on this roster that always jumps out at scouts and fans, but people need to realize that there is so much depth within this team that Williamson cannot be the sole star of this Duke team. For being this young of a team and having these high expectations, you should fully be expecting [...]

Does Zion Williamson Overshadow Other Talent At Duke?2018-11-13T00:34:00-04:00

Who Is The Saints Utility Man Opening Eyes Across the NFL?

Written by: Alex Abernathy On the New Orleans Saints first offensive possession of the 2018 NFL season they orchestrated a brilliant drive and marched right down the field against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They where faced with 3rd down and two, from the five-yard line. It’s a perfect situation. With talent littered all over the field including, Rookie of the Year, Alvin Kamara, All-Pro wide receiver, Michael Thomas and let’s not forget, Super Bowl winning quarterback, Drew Brees, the Saints could do virtually anything they wanted to on the ensuing play. So, what did head coach Sean Payton do? He flags down his future first ballot, hall of fame quarterback and pulls him off the field. Over the loud speakers, Saints fans hear PA announcer Jerry Romig tell the crowd, “now entering at quarterback, Taysom Hill.” Who? Into the game comes a slightly more muscular looking Drew Brees wearing number seven. He lines up in the shotgun alongside Kamara. The ball is snapped. It’s a quarterback option. The stranger receiving the snap looks to his right and sees veteran defensive end Vinny Curry awaiting unblocked and ready to pounce. Hill reads it perfectly and hands the ball off to Kamara. The running back scampers up the middle untouched to the house. Touchdown Saints. Football fans across the country applauded the touchdown, but no one could help but ask themselves, “who is that guy?” Hill has continued to see action at quarterback in the last few games subbing in at odd times and running a multitude of different plays— some successful, some not so much. Eventually, in the third quarter of the Saints week five matchup against the Redskins, he subbed in on a first and [...]

Who Is The Saints Utility Man Opening Eyes Across the NFL?2018-11-11T10:13:44-04:00

Tennessee vs. No. 11 Kentucky Football Preview

Written by: Jake Wallman (@WallmanE75) Tennessee hosts Kentucky on Saturn for the 114th edition of the rivalry formerly known as “Battle of the Beer Barrel”.   While the presentation of the barrel to the winner of the game ended in 1998 the hate these two have for each other is alive and well. When Kentucky makes its way into Neyland Stadium Saturday they won’t only see a stadium, but a house of horrors as the Wildcats haven’t won in Knoxville since 1984. Since then it’s been 16 straight losses with an average score of 37.4 - 16.3 in favor of Tennessee. But now it’s Kentucky who’s enjoying a 7-2 season with a bowl berth already in place who’s looking to take advantage of Tennessee while they’re down. A win would further Kentucky’s opportunities at two things: a New Year’s Six bowl appearance and an eleven win season which would be the first since 1950 when Paul “Bear” Bryant was roaming the sidelines in Lexington. A win would give them six wins in the SEC which would be the first time since the program went 6-0 in 1977. Tennessee on the other hand? Well the Vols are just trying to stay afloat and reach the six win mark to earn a spot in post-season play. Injuries, inconsistent play across the board and just overall being out-matched in some games have plagued Tennessee this season.   Now let's take a look at how Tennessee matches up with Kentucky and what the Vols need to do to reach win number five and stay on track for a bowl game.   When you look at the numbers on offense for the Vols, nothing really jumps out as an amazing stat. The offense is [...]

Tennessee vs. No. 11 Kentucky Football Preview2018-11-10T14:11:31-04:00

Tennessee Soccer vs. Louisville NCAA Tourney preview

Written by: Gus Tomazeli (@Gustavotomazeli) The Tennessee women’s soccer team, ranked No. 12 nationally, will start their NCAA tournament run at home for the second year in a row. The Lady Vols will face the Louisville Cardinals at Regal Soccer Stadium, Friday, Nov, 9th at 5 p.m. ET, as revealed by the NCAA Selection Show last Monday afternoon. After finishing the regular season as the second-best team in the SEC, with 13 wins, 2 losses and 3 draws and a heart break elimination at the hands of the LSU Tigers after tying the game in regulation and losing in penalty-kicks in the Quarterfinals of SEC Tournament. Tennessee has also been ranked in the Top 25 of the United Soccer Coaches poll every week this season and currently sits ninth in the RPI. As for UT's opponent, the Louisville Cardinals finished their regular season with 6 wins, 4 losses, no draws and a fifth place finish in the ACC. As for the ACC tournament, the cardinals were eliminated by Virginia in the Quarterfinals. The last time the two teams faced each other was in Nashville on Oct. 30, 1998, as the Vols routed the Cardinals 6-0. For Friday's game, the tickets will be $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors and the first 100 UT students will receive free entry with a valid student ID. Also, Fans that attend Friday's soccer match will have the opportunity to obtain free tickets to the Tennessee men's basketball game vs. Louisiana, set for a 7 p.m. ET tipoff Friday at Thompson-Boling Arena. Starting after the match reaches 60 minutes in, UT Fan Experience will begin distributing vouchers for the men's basketball game upon exit from Regal Soccer [...]

Tennessee Soccer vs. Louisville NCAA Tourney preview2018-11-09T14:24:04-04:00

Chicago Blackhawks Fire Joel Quenneville

Written by: Nicholas Hill (@Nickoverthehill) It is the end of an era in the Windy City as the Chicago Blackhawks have fired head coach Joel Quenneville after a disappointing 6-6 start to their season. This comes on the heels of the Blackhawks missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in Quenneville’s tenure as head coach last season. Quenneville, nicknamed Coach Q by fans, won three Stanley Cups while coaching Chicago since the 2008-09 season, winning the Cup in the 2010, 2013 and 2015 seasons. However, since defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015, the Blackhawks have failed to win a Stanley Cup Playoff series losing to the St. Louis Blues in 2016 and the Nashville Predators in 2017 who notably went on a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals. The latter series was a sweep, which the Chicago Blackhawks have never seemed to recover from. Quenneville finished with 452-249-96 record as the head coach of the Blackhawks. Chicago announced that they would promote Jeremy Colliton to become the 38th head coach of the Blackhawks. Colliton was previously the head coach of the Rockford IceHogs of the American Hockey League, who are the primary minor league affiliate of the Blackhawks. He was able to improve the IceHogs from a 25-39-9 record the year prior to his arrival to a 40-28-4 record in his first season as head coach, a 15-win improvement. The IceHogs also made the semifinal round of the AHL Playoffs underneath Colliton last season. Prior to his coaching career, he was a NHL player for the New York Islanders off and on between 2005 and 2011, splitting time between the Islanders and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL, spending a [...]

Chicago Blackhawks Fire Joel Quenneville2018-11-08T02:33:22-04:00

Falcons Move to 4-4 After Win At Washington

Written by: JT Jackson (@jtj1996) One month ago the Atlanta Falcons were 1-3 and looked like a team that would be nowhere near the playoffs. However, with a 4-4 record after a sound beating of the Washington Redskins in the nation's capitol on Sunday the Atlanta falcons now find themselves right back in the wild card hunt. The falcons are currently seventh in the NFC and at the midway point of the season appear to be playing their best football. On Sunday the Falcons had their best defensive performance of the season when the held Washington to only 14 points. Foye Oluokun led the defense with five solo tackles and was a consistent presence in the Washington back field. Safety Damontae Kazee recorded an interception with about seven minutes left to seal the game for Atlanta. This kind of showing against a division leader might be exactly what this injury plagued Falcons defense needed to propel them into the second half of this season. The defense was not the only part of this Falcon team that may have found their “mojo” on Sunday. As, Atlanta’s offense flexed some serious muscle as well. The unit was perfect on third down conversions heading into half time and was able to have success on the ground and through the air. Matt Ryan was 26-38 passing for 350 yards and 4 touchdowns. The only blemish came in the second quarter when Ryan threw an interception while trying to find Calvin Ridley in Washington territory on what appeared to be a mis-ran route by the rookie receiver. Sunday’s performance also marked Ryan’s 50th 300 yard game in his career which is the 12th most in NFL history. The real feel good [...]

Falcons Move to 4-4 After Win At Washington2018-11-08T02:10:44-04:00