Wasn’t it riveting to see Butch Jones reveling in his first Vol Walk with thousands of fans lined up to cheer as “Team 117” entered Neyland Stadium to begin a new era in UT’s illustrious football history?
Then how about that blowout victory in front of a near-sellout crowd? And, boy it was awfully accommodating of the rain to hold off just long enough for everyone to return to their vehicles and dorms.
Certainly there were some pleasantries to take away from Saturday – kind of like the pleasantries found in playing with puppies.
But in regards to what happened on the field: forget Austin Peay.
The rebuilding, undermanned Governors were the worst team to play at Neyland Stadium since Louisiana-Monroe in 2000 when UT won 70-3.
Having a dress rehearsal is nice, but the Vols were more likely to lose the costume fitting on April 20 in the Orange and White game than get beat by Austin Peay.
And if you’re looking ahead, trying to rationalize a way UT can beat Oregon or Florida on the road, here’s a reality check.
Tennessee needs to show up in a big way if it wants to beat Western Kentucky on Saturday. That’s a fact, which needs to be considered before any hypotheses are made regarding what was learned in the drubbing of an inferior opponent.
And it goes beyond the simple reason of WKU proving its legitimacy with a drama-free 35-26 win over SEC foe Kentucky to open the season.
It also extends past the fact that it is former Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino leading the Hilltoppers to Knoxville.
What Saturday’s game boils down to is psychological disposition – a term synonymous with mornings in the UT football program.
During a morning practice on Aug. 12, Jones launched into a tirade regarding UT’s inability to correctly execute a punt protection scheme and challenged his team to break its “losing habits.”
Among the habits he alluded to, one is UT’s lethargy against mid-level opponents. Both Troy and Akron hung with the Vols until the fourth quarter in 2012.
That Troy game – like Saturday’s contest with Western Kentucky – was a noon kickoff.
With nationally relevant road games against two of the nation’s top teams looming ahead, UT plays at noon against a Sun Belt opponent that will be hungry to knock off a second SEC team in as many weeks.
No longer is it the beginning of the Jones era. No longer is the opponent Austin Peay. The Hilltoppers are coming to Knoxville with the intention and talent to derail Tennessee’s momentum before it actually gets going.
The fans have not yet had Jones screaming at them over a megaphone in the morning to challenge their psychological disposition. That wouldn’t work.
So in case you missed his thanks to the student section after Saturday’s game, he subtly but surely challenged the mentality of the fans – specifically the students – again on Monday with all eyes focusing now on Western Kentucky.
“It’s a noon game and it becomes a little bit different,” Jones said at his weekly press conference, “and we need everyone there to help us win and impact this football team. So I want to say thank you to our student body.
“And we need you.”
David Cobb is a junior in journalism & electronic media. He can be followed on Twitter @DavidWCobb, emailed at [email protected] or reached in the office at 974-0646
