Tuesday, September 08, 2009
A Big Orange Tuesday
Things are looking up on ole Rocky Top after Saturday's pasting of Western Kentucky.
First, word surfaced from out of the guys at Volquest.com that 4-star quarterback Tyler Bray, who had witnessed firsthand the resurgence of the Big Orange against the Hilltoppers, had decommitted from San Diego State and was now headed to Knoxville to play his high school ball. Bray, who stands at 6'6" and weighs in currently at just over 200 lbs., burst on to the recruiting scene after stellar performances at summer football camps, taking home the overall MVP award at the elite Ultimate 100 camp and outperforming other UT targets like Jesse Scroggins, Blake Bell, and Barry Brunetti at the Elite 11 QB camp. Bray is rated the 6th best pro-style QB in the nation by Rivals and the 115th best overall player in America. Bray is striving to gain another 20 lbs. of muscle before arriving in Knoxville next January as a mid-term enrollee.
(For those in Knoxville, it was quite funny to listen to infamous Volquest stalker/Knoxville News Sentinel sports reporter Dave Hooker on his radio show today. Hooker continued to swear on the air that Bray was not committed to UT throughout the day, all in the face of stories on Volquest - complete with quotes from Tyler himself - that verified Bray's commitment to the Big Orange. I just find it funny that the KNS can't seem to have any "inside sources" despite their best attempts, while Volquest.com continues to scoop the Knoxville newspaper at nearly every turn. For orange-blooded fanatics like myself, the $9.95 per month that buys a subscription to Volquest is a no-brainer when compared to the alternative.)
Then came this quote from Coach Lane Kiffin - a call to arms, if you will - aimed at the Big Orange Nation that will be welcoming UCLA to Neyland Stadium this Saturday:
"We really need our fans. We need our stadium to be rockin'. We need our stadium to understand that we need them on all defensive plays, but especially third downs.
"Here's a quarterback making his first start on the road. Here's a left-tackle making his first start on the road vs. a great right end (Chris Walker). Here's a junior-college guard making his first start on the road. We need a our fans a lot, we need our stadium to be rockin' to help us win this game."
Hopefully, UT fans can grow off of a very good crowd (given the start time and opponent) from this past Saturday and create an environment similar to the one that California experienced 3 years ago when they made the cross-country trip to Neyland Stadium.
Finally, another Eric Berry for Heisman video is out. This one was debuted at the Western Kentucky game, and it was a crowd-pleaser. Catchy tune, for sure.
Labels: Football
Permalink posted by Rob Huddleston @ 4:57 PM 
