VOLuntarilyConservative

And in the only game that really matters.

One thing is for certain...

One of these men won't be at the season opener next year against Cal:


Randy Sanders
UT Offensive Coordinator since 1998
Calls plays for the offense ranked 96th in the country in scoring
Paid $162,813 per year to stifle a great collection of offensive talent



Rob Huddleston
UT Football Fan since 1982
.912 Winning % on NFL2K3 and 7-time Defending Fantasy Football Champion
Paying lots of $$$ to watch excellent talent wasted

Yes, lots of folks played a key role in UT's humiliating 3-point loss to an equally impotent Alabama team, but Sanders has been the common thread in the recent string of disappointment and - I'm sorry to say - must be let go. If Phillip can't see that through his loyalty to Sanders, then - I'm sorry to say - he must also be released from his contractual duties. I never thought I'd say it, but Fulmer is playing not to lose (which is the same thing as saying that he is playing not to win). Yes, he is a fantastic recruiter, but the players do not develop during their four years on The Hill and are consistently not placed in situations where they can succeed. Two examples - 1) Corey Anderson's head was not in the game, having whiffed on a block on the previous play, but who was the focus of a screen pass on the biggest play of the game? 2) On third down and a country mile on what proved to be the game-winning drive, Antonio Gaines - the 5'9" Sophomore who played RB in high school and is still learning the CB position - was locked up in one-on-one coverage with D.J. Hall, who was the only Alabama WR that caught anything all night. Both plays proved to be disastrous for UT, and both were the direct result of personnel blunders by the coaching staff.

This has to end. UT has managed to parlay one of the most talented teams in the country and a #3 preseason ranking into a three-way tie with South Carolina and Vanderbilt for third in the SEC East. While no one should overlook USC or Vandy (Memphis and Kentucky are horrible and can be overlooked, while Notre Dame may pound UT to a pulp and can be chocked up as a loss), UT is probably looking at a 7-4 record and - dare I say it - a birth in the Music City Bowl or the Independence Bowl. Honestly, Fulmer and Sanders should pull "a Bobby Knight" and refund their salaries to the university. After all, Mike Hamilton was counting on a BCS birth this year to help fund the Neyland Stadium renovations. That's history, and the bowls we are currently looking at will actually result in a net loss after expenses such as hotel rooms, travel, etc., are accounted for against the slight bowl payout. A refund by Fulmer and Sanders would certainly help.

Am I just blowing off steam? Not really. I am mad, but my anger with this coaching staff has been building this year. I have always believed the UT football is bigger than any one man, whether it be Doug Dickey, General Neyland, Johnnie Majors, Peyton Manning, or Phillip Fulmer. I'm not writing off my allegiance to UT by any means. On the Monday after the Georgia loss a few weeks back, a fast food worker commented that I picked a bad day to wear my UT polo. I responded that this was the perfect day to wear it, because now was the time when fans don't turn on their team. I'm not turning on them now, either. However, for the good of the team, I am posing the question as to if new leadership is needed. Now that I live within walking distance of the greatest athletics facility in all of sports, I feel especially attached to the fortunes of UT football. That is why there is no question as to where I will be next Saturday night when the Gamecocks come into town.


See you at the stadium. Your team needs you.