TENNESSEE/ALABAMA ADVENTURE

The following recaps Mark Rogers and Jackson Alexander's trip to the Tennessee/Alabama game in Knoxville on October 25, 2008.

My college roommate, Jackson Alexander, transferred to Tennessee and made the football team as a walk-on when we were sophomores. He played one season and came back to Abilene. We've been meaning to go up to a game for the last several years and finally made it happen.

The trip was not without its disasters.

I forgot my driver's license and had to be searched and searched again using credit cards and insurance cards to make it through security.

Then Jackson left his car keys on the parking lot shuttle at DFW.

Then we went to the wrong gate and had to run .656 miles (I looked it up) in about 5 minutes in boots, jeans and with our luggage to the correct gate for the flight which (according to the flight attendant) we were 60 seconds away from missing.

And that was all within the first hour of the trip.

Once we got there, things settled down and we were able to enjoy ourselves. We made it to campus on Saturday at around noon leaving around 7 hours to kill before kick off.

The Tennessee/Alabama game is an interesting phenomenon. Not an in-state rivalry, but is a lot like OU/Texas - the states are connected, most of the time the game has national title or the very least conference title implications, etc...

I couldn't believe how many cars had Tennessee and Alabama flags. Or how many people were in groups that were split right down the middle...half wearing crimson, half wearing orange.

You don't see that at Texas/OU. You're either all Texas or all OU. I think it has to do with the fact that there are so many extended families that branch out all over the southeast. My mom is from Alabama and has a huge family from the coast up to Birmingham into Georgia and Tennessee.

I think that's what makes SEC football so intense. There are so family close connections between families, players and coaches.

Anyway, back to the pre-game. I got to stand at the front of the line during the "Vol Walk" when the players and coaches walk to the stadium from the athletic offices. Philip Fulmer slapped my hand in what will probably be one of his final "Vol Walks".

The band went marching by soon after the players which completed the electric feel on campus.
It was crazy because as bad as Tennessee has been this year, those fans still get up for games like they're in the national title hunt. Unbelievable dedication.

And not one seat was empty in the monstrous structure that is Neyland Stadium. More than 106,000 people. I've been to the Cotton Bowl many times and to a few Texas games in Austin(before the major renovations there) and have never seen anything like it.

The first half was a close game much to the chagrin of the Alabama fans whose section we were sitting in.

You could just feel the upset developing.

That's when Tennessee decided to try a long field goal in a 6-3 game. I've talked about it on the webcast before...in a situation like that - a low-scoring, defensive struggle - field position is king.

You win field position, even as an underdog, and you have a great shot at winning the game.
Tennessee lined up for a field goal, which I was sure was going to end up being a quick kick, and they kicked the field goal...???!!!

No one could believe it, not even the Bama fans.

It game the Tide a short field which they used to score the game's first touchdown and that was all she wrote.

The game never had the same feel. Had Tennessee punted, pinned Bama deep and preserved the three-point defecit, the second half would have been much different.

As it turned out, Bama won 29-9 and secured their #2 ranking for at least another week. Most of the fans had departed with a few minutes to go in the game. No doubt had Tennessee won, there would have been a huge party and celebration right there on campus. That would have been fun to be a part of...

My buddy and I made it back home with no other major catastrophes, but it was definitely a trip neither of us will forget.

Sorry for the tepid tone of this post...it was also posted on www.bigcountryfootball.com - my Abilene Reporter News blog.