Tennessee Vols and North Carolina Tar Heels Face Off In Music City

Well, it has been a long season and it’s not over yet.  In fact, some would say that their favorite part of the season is here.  It’s College Bowl Season and for the Tennessee Volunteers (6-6) and their fans that means an instate matchup with a border state rival named the North Carolina Tar Heels (7-5). 

Most young fans would not consider the Tar Heels a rival.  However, the two teams have met 31 times with the Vols holding a 20-10-1 advantage in the series, which hasn’t seen the two meet on the field since 1961 which was a heartbreaking 22-21 loss for the Volunteers.

The current versions of these teams may not know each other well or have a lot in common but there is an eerie similarity in the coach’s records. 

Tennessee’s first year head coach Derek Dooley has an overall record dating back to his years at Louisiana Tech of 23-26.  Butch Davis’ record at the University of North Carolina is 26-23. 

The Tar Heels’ last bowl win was in the 2001 Peach Bowl against Auburn. 

Tennessee’s last bowl win was the 2008 Outback Bowl against Wisconsin.

The Vols have opened as slight underdogs to the Tar Heels.  Various sources have them anywhere from 1.5 to 3 point underdogs which might be good news for the Vols.  Underdogs have won the Music City Bowl in six of the nine games.

The inaugural Music City Bowl was the 1998 edition which pitted Alabama and Virginia Tech.  The Hokies destroyed the Crimson Tide 38-7. 

True Freshman Eli Manning got his career off to a hot start in the Music City Bowl being thrown into action against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the fourth quarter in 2000. Manning led the Rebels to 22 unanswered points in a 49-38 loss. 

The largest crowd in Music City Bowl history is 68,621 which watched the 2007 contest between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Florida State Seminoles. 

This year’s matchup should be a mostly orange affair as the Vols should be the home team, wearing their orange jerseys and a good number of Tennessee fans bought up tickets before the Tar Heels even knew they were going to be attending the bowl.

This brings us to the statistical matchup of the two teams.

The Vols come into the game on a four game winning streak and playing as well as they have all year.  The freshmen and young contributors are starting to gel and Tennessee fans can only wonder how good their team will look after the bowl practices which amount to an extra spring practice session. 

The Vols are averaging 27 points per game while giving up 24.7 on defense. 

The Tar Heels are averaging 24.9 points per game and allowing 22.9 while they have won only one of their last three games heading into the December 30^th matchup with the Vols.

The Vols and Tar Heels shared a common opponent in 2010 and that was the LSU Tigers.   The Tar Heels faced LSU in Atlanta to open the season amid the cheating scandal involving most of their roster.  Since and including the 12 players suspended for that game, the Tar Heels have lost over 32 players this season to either injuries or suspensions at various times.  Obviously some of those players have since returned. 

Tar Heels senior quarterback T.J. Yates is second in the ACC in total offense.  He threw for over 400 yards against LSU, FSU, and NC St., as well as 325 yards against UVA. 

Two key players are injured and are unlikely to be back for the Heels. 

RB Johnny White, who was the Heels most explosive player this season, broke his collarbone in the FSU game and Yates’ favorite target TE Zach Pianalto broke his leg against UVA. 

Baring any injuries in practice, the Vols will have most of their players healthy and ready to play. 

The Vols will not care about personal achievements when they take the field in Nashville but several of them can reach milestones during the game.

Freshman quarterback Tyler Bray who didn’t play meaningful snaps until the second half of the Vols last loss at South Carolina, needs 463 passing yards to reach 2,000 on the season.

Senior wide receiver Denarius Moore should have an easier time with his milestone.  The Vols wide out needs just 88 receiving yards to reach 1,000 for the season. 

Junior tailback Tauren Poole should have an even easier time getting his six rushing yards which will have him top the century mark for 2010. 

The Vols under the on field guidance of Tyler Bray should have a pretty easy time throwing the ball around the field against the Tar Heels.  The front seven of the Tar Heels is strong defensively and their quarterback and wide receivers are strong but the defensive backfield will be overmatched against the Vols size and speed. 

Bowl games are oftentimes won by the teams that show up focused and prepared.  Those are staples of Dooley’s game plans.  This game won’t be one that the Vols can show up for and prance to an easy victory, but if they continue what they have been building during the second half of the season, a fifth win in a row and a winning overall record await them.

Prediction:   Tennessee 37  Tar Heels 17 

One last thing, for those fans attending the game, don’t forget about the MusicFest and Battle of the Bands on Wednesday the 29^th from 5-7pm central.  MusicFest is the ultimate party atmosphere downtown the night before the game. Thousands of fans will converge on world-famous 2nd Avenue (corner of 2nd & Broadway) for the outdoor party featuring the bands and cheerleaders of the Tennessee Volunteers and North Carolina Tar Heels.

The band Little Texas will perform a FREE concert prior to the Battle of the Bands. Multiple venues will open their doors to Bowl fans for a memorable downtown event where various genres of live music will be played. Also Zac Brown Band will be performing at Bridgestone Arena at 7 p.m. Tickets for that concert are $25. 

Violations or Not, Above All, Pearl is a Salesman

Orange Light Special, Aisle Four.

Hello, Vol Mart shoppers, we have a special on one redeemed basketball coach over here on aisle four.

Bruce Pearl has had a rough few months. By now you have heard about all the recruiting violations, Bruce lying and then telling the truth about them, the punishments that Bruce has received for them and now its time for everyone to forgive him for them.

A lot of Tennessee fans might have already forgiven him. For those that were holding out, Bruce did what he does best on Monday.

He marketed himself as he always does. He symbolically climbed up on the lunchroom tables all over again and in one 33 word sound byte (which actually wasn’t supposed to be one since he had already asked for cameras to be turned off), he endured himself to any remaining Tennessee fans that were trying to find a reason to not like him as much as they did when he was taking the Vols to the Elite Eight last season.

“I’ve made mistakes, I clearly did, but what I was hoping for was that some other dumbass would get on the front page and take me off the hook,” Pearl said.”I miss Lane Kiffin.”

Bruce Pearl is not only my “homeboy”, he is a genius.

He couldn’t have done a better job at getting on a Vol’s good side if he bought Johnny Majors a round, told Kelley Washington that he is the greatest, handed Peyton Manning another Super Bowl ring, or told Pat Summitt that Geno Auriemma just retired.

Kiffin is still and will forever be public enemy number one for Vol fans. By invoking his name, and while doing so taking a shot at him, Pearl cemented himself as a Vol. He made it clear that he is “one of us”.

Not bad for a guy who has lied, been fined, and been suspended in the last few months.

Now the question is who’s buying?

Tis the Season To Be Fired.

Fa La La La La, La La La La

It’s already happened to Wade Phillips of Dallas, Tim Brewster of Minnesota and Dan Hawkins at the University of Colorado.

Today the Minnesota Vikings fired Brad Childress.

This is the time of year that universities and professional teams out of playoff contention often decide that they can “do better” than their current successes or failures and cut ties with the coaches and coaching staffs that have been working toward the common goal of winning.

Some administrators and general managers make the right decision. Some however do not.

Bottom line, there will be plenty of other people that will be fired this year.

Now I take a few guesses at who those people will or should be.

Vanderbilt - Robbie Caldwell. This was always a one year gig for Caldwell unless he won. 2 games won’t be enough.

Clemson - Dabo Swinney. Clemson made lots of mistakes with their change a few seasons ago. Not only did they fire an established coach and replace him with an unproven guy, but that guy hasn’t produced.

Washington State - Paul Wulff. The Cougars are about to go through a lot of changes in the new Pac 16 Conference. They can’t afford to sit back and not try to show a commitment to winning. Even though Wulff is a homegrown product, they need to act.

West Virginia - Bill Snyder. The Mountaineers haven’t had the success with Snyder that they did with Rich Rod. If they keep Snyder at the helm, they will stay in the middle of the pack in the Big East, which when translated to a REAL Conference, would be near the bottom.

Texas A&M - Mike Sherman. The Aggies turned a bad season around with two upsets of Oklahoma and Nebraska, so this firing will probably not happen. However, Sherman is not the man to lead the Aggies to Conference Championships…regardless what conference that is in the next few years.

USC- Lane Kiffin. Do they really need a reason?

San Francisco 49ers - Mike Singletary. Mike’s deal runs through 2012, but this season’s bad start after a more competitive 2009 is being seen as a step back in the Bay area. It can’t help that the Raiders are playing better.

Carolina Panthers - John Fox. Fox won’t be back next year, and it looks like he might not make it until the end of the season. The Panthers are 1-9 and the only saving grace is that the players haven’t given up on him.

Cincinnati Bengals - Marvin Lewis. The Bengals are awful. How can a team with the offensive fire power that they have, be playing that poorly? They should be either killing teams or at least winning high scoring games. They aren’t. They are 2-8.

Denver Broncos - Josh McDaniels was 8-8 in his first season and 3-6 so far in 2010, McDaniels also had a public dispute with a former QB which should have been kept in the locker room. I’m not sure if the Broncos’ ownership will give up on him this quickly, but it should.

Who do you think will or should be fired as we finish up 2010?

Post your comments below.

Predictions come easy this time of year.

It’s November in the Volunteer State and that means winning football is here again.

Since Phillip Fulmer took over the reins of the Volunteer’s program fulltime in 1993, Tennessee has had a record of 59-11 in the month of November and has not had a losing record in the month since 1973 (1-2).

This season’s final two opponents are a combined 1- 49 against the Vols in the last twenty-five years.

In 2010, Vanderbilt and Kentucky have their own recent histories plaguing them. We’ll look at those problems as we take a look at predicting the final two REGULAR SEASON games for the Vols.

Saturday November 20th Nashville Tennessee 7:30 Eastern Time
Tennessee (4-6, 1-5) at Vanderbilt (2-8, 1-6)
Tennessee has found itself of late with true freshman Tyler Bray at quarterback and a patchwork defensive secondary that has shown statistical improvement, all be it against inferior competition compared to the month of October’s schedule.

The Vols have scored 102 points in the last two games while holding their opponents to just 28 in 50-14 and 52-14 wins over Memphis and Ole Miss.

Vanderbilt is averaging 18 points per game on offense (12.29 in SEC Games), and they are allowing 31.6 points per game (35.29 in SEC contests).

Uh oh.

To make things worse on the Commodores, Tyler Bray has more passing touchdowns in the last two weeks (10), than the Vanderbilt offense has all season (9).

Double Uh oh. Want more bad news?

Last week in a 38-20 loss to Kentucky, the Vanderbilt defense gave up 263 yards……….on FOUR PLAYS.

Tennessee’s offense the last two weeks has gained and 509 and 441 yards respectively.

Seen enough? Me too.

Tennessee: As much as they want. (52)
Vanderbilt: 10

Now we move to the final home game of the season.

Saturday November 27th Knoxville Tennessee 12:21 Eastern Time
Kentucky (6-5, 2-5) at Tennessee (5-6, 2-5)* [*Predicted record]

Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Tennessee beats Kentuc……. Oh, you HAVE heard that one?

Well, I guess you have. Tennessee has beaten the MILDcats twenty five straight seasons, 12 straight in Knoxville, 29 times in my 31 years on this planet, and 41 times in the last 45 years.

Seen enough? Me too…..but, I won’t leave you hanging without some statistical nuggets.

Mmmmm Nuggets.

You’ve already seen the gaudy offensive numbers that Tennessee has been putting up as of late and they should continue against Vanderbilt. What you don’t know are Kentucky’s numbers.

The MILDcats, (EVERY Tennessee fan should refer to them as this….if Ole Miss can adopt a black bear as a mascot, Tennessee can adopt a new name for a team that they own.) are averaging 34.7 points per game (28.57 in the SEC) and allowing 28.9 (34.6 against SEC opponents).

What that tells me sports fans, is that Kentucky’s four non-conference wins helped to pad their statistics, MILDcats fan’s expectations and Vol fan’s reservations.

Do not be fooled Tennessee fans; this IS your father’s Kentucky team. Hell, it’s your grandfather’s Kentucky team, and that STILL means a Vols win.

Tennessee: 41
Kentucky: 24

That will give Tennessee a 6-6 record and a trip to a bowl game.

Remember when Mike Hamilton canceled the series with North Carolina for next season because the Vols needed to “lighten the load”?

Too bad Mike.

Vols vs. North Carolina in the Music City Bowl in Nashville December 30th 5:30pm Eastern.
Tennessee: 37
Whoever Might Still Be Eligible (UNC): 24

Wins are good, but Friends Make a Game Great.

So this was just going to be another Tennessee football game for me. Game number 103 in person, and the 76th game at Neyland Stadium on a day after the new statue honoring one of the greatest coaches of all time was dedicated on the west side of the stadium bearing his name.

TJ McNamara who owns www.bringhomethevols.com and this site www.tradingo.com had told me ahead of time that he would have passes for me that would get me into the Tennessee Terrace.

That was going to be a nice addition to my game day ritual. I had never been inside the Tennessee Terrace, and quite frankly, being of modest means, I probably wasn’t going to be seeing the Terrace anytime soon.

My wife and I headed up to the Terrace before the gates opened to the public to help TJ with a set up for the bleachers and seats that he sells from Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium. The Terrace was great. It’s clean, neat and has better concessions than the rest of the stadium. My wife and I who normally sit close to the Terrace in the upper deck had just planned on using the passes to use cleaner restrooms and have better food choices.

That is until TJ sent me a message in the 1st quarter. TJ invited us over to the East sideline luxury boxes.
This was another place that I wasn’t going to be seeing anytime soon without the great friendship of TJ.

The Vols were already up 21-0 after Eric Gordon’s 46 yard interception return and here we were riding an elevator up to the highest level of the stadium and Aramark’s box, which is owned by VP of Operations Tim VanderMeersch.

Tim, his wife and the rest of his box were gracious enough to allow two people that they hadn’t met to experience a Tennessee game in a way that few fans can say that they have. It was a pleasure to meet him and I very much appreciate his hospitality.

We weren’t in the box very long before we noticed that we knew people in the box beside Tim’s.
Carter County Sherriff Chris Mathis who went to school with my wife’s brother and Keith Bowers who is the Carter County attorney and was recently hired by Bluff City to be their city attorney and his family were enjoying the game just on the other side of the glass.

Back inside Aramark’s box, we were enjoying the game even after Ole Miss scored twice in the second quarter and had cut the Vols’ lead to 28-14.

We were enjoying good conversation, meeting new people, and watching the Vols score just before half to stretch the lead to 31-14.

At halftime, we made our way to the area to get the complimentary food, and just before heading back to the box, we noticed former Vol QB and United States Congressman Heath Shuler. My wife is a Redskins fan so of course she had her picture made with him. Congressman Shuler was an absolute joy to talk to and could not have been friendlier.

Back inside Tim’s box, we were meeting new people and making new friends.

In a world where fans of SEC teams can come together to enjoy one other’s company, former Ole Miss’ football player and track athlete Lawrence Goodine and his wife (who are expecting a child) were also in Tim’s box.

Lawrence was taking the rough game in stride and was a pleasure to get to know. By this time, the Vols were up 38-14 and would add two more scores to win the game 52-14.

On a day that the Vols won their first SEC game and moved one step closer to earning a bowl game invite while piling up 442 yards and a season high 52 points as well as seeing freshman Tyler Bray rack up another 323 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, it was the time spent with friends old and new that made me feel like I was backing a winner.

As a fan, wins and losses are an important part of the experience.

But on this fall Saturday, on the banks of the Tennessee River inside of the stadium that Neyland built, I was much more than just a fan of a 4-6 football team.

I was a friend to many, and as wealthy as any person in any sky box.

Thanks to everyone for making Homecoming 2010 a day to remember.

Leave Cam Newton Alone!

Not since Britney Spears has there been a superstar that has received as much media scrutiny as Auburn’s Cam Newton.

I’m actually surprised that Newton hasn’t taken the same path that his bargain laptop took while he was at the University of Florida and flown out of his dorm window.

In today’s society, if the media wants you to be ruined, you’re going to be ruined. Just ask Lindsay Lohan, John Rocker, The Unabomber and Sarah Palin’s daughter’s baby daddy.

Come on people! What’s so bad about what Cam Newton MIGHT have done?

So he cheated in college, right? Who hasn’t done that? I went to college for one term, didn’t even complete some of the courses that I took, and I had a coed ask me to help her on a test, and if I did we would go out. Best night of my life, up until then.

He bought a stolen laptop….who wouldn’t? If someone came to you and told you that they had a new Ipad and they would sell it to you for a hundred and fifty bucks, but it might have come off the back of a truck that just happened to be on its way to the Apple store at West Town Mall, but didn’t make it with the full shipment, and you were a college kid, wouldn’t you?

If you answered no to the above question, then you’re either too young to understand economics, or too old to remember that you bought a stolen laptop….err, I mean a stolen eight track player when you were in college.

Then of course we have the allegations that Cam, or “his people” asked for money for his services coming into this season.

Really? No, Really? Coming into this season, the only thing that Cam Newton had done on the Football Bowl Subdivision level was hold Tim Tebow’s halo while Urban Meyer polished it……so to speak.
Newton’s Florida stats were 21 rushes for 113 yards and 4 touchdowns, while his passing was an even more pedestrian 6-12 for 54 yards and 0 touchdowns.

Don’t bring up junior college stats either; Brent Schaeffer anyone?

With all the Reggie Bush and USC stuff going on, who would risk asking for money for a player that has done as much at the top level of his field as Sarah Palin has done for US Foreign Policy?

Cam Newton asking for money to come be your team’s quarterback, is like Bret Farve asking to come take photos at your kid’s birthday party with his cell phone, it’s like Rush Limbaugh asking for money to be your pharmacist, it’s like Nancy Pelosi asking for money to be Speaker of the House.

Cam has had it rough enough without the media and everyone else piling on.

In Biblical terms he is “Lot” to The University of Florida’s “Moses” (Tim Tebow ).

One brought the Florida people to the Promised Land, and the other one better not look back if he knows what’s good for him.

Run Cam Run, and whatever you do, don’t look back.

Best Way for Vols to Start 2011, Finish 2010 Strong

Before I talk about the Vols, I want to introduce myself to you. My name is Scott Felts, and I am the Chief Blog Editor here at Tradingo Sports. Tradingo Sports is going to be the place to come to read and talk about sports of all kinds. This blog will discuss the biggest sports news of the day, as well as focusing on the University of Tennessee, because let’s face it; I’m the Chief Editor, and I like the Vols. I make no apologies for that, and will never hide from it. I challenge fans of other teams to engage me in respectful banter, because there is a good chance that I am going to do the same to you.

Tradingo Sports is also your place to come to find truly remarkable pieces of sports memorabilia. I personally like the seats taken directly from Neyland Stadium, as I have a bench in my home, but I am truly surprised at just how many different things that Tradingo Sports either already has available or is working on bringing to you. Some of the things you are going to find here are truly, one of a kind!

Ok, enough about me, for now. Just know that you can reach me any time at scott.felts@tradingo.com Now on to the Vols.

The 2010 Tennessee Volunteers are not where they want to be with a 2-6 record going into November, but they can do a lot for themselves in 2011 if they can string together four wins and make it to a bowl game, and the extra practices that come along with it.

That quest begins this weekend on the banks of the Bluff City, Memphis Tennessee in the western end of the state, makes its way back to Knoxville for a homecoming test with the Ole Miss Rebels (Black Bears), winds its way to the capitol city of Nashville and a date with the Commodores and then finishes at home against the Kentucky Wildcats and the nation’s longest winning streak over any FBS opponent (25 straight games).

The game this weekend in Memphis should be the easiest test of all for the Vols. The Tigers are struggling themselves with a 1-7 record under first year head coach Larry Porter.

Those struggles are no surprise when you look at the Tigers statistical numbers. Coach Porter’s offensive is averaging a mere 13.9 points per game and his defense is allowing 39.4 on average. Those numbers are a direct result of being outgained 451.9 yards to 274.9.

Tennessee will look to take advantage of the Tigers’ weaknesses, but their averages aren’t exactly the stuff of legends. The Vols are outgained 403.1 yards per game to 320.9 which leads to an average score deficit of 29.4 to 21.4.

The Vols should however love the drop off in competition for the last month of the 2010 season. Through the first 8 games, the Vols faced four opponents that were at the time ranked in the top ten nationally as well as trips to division rivals Georgia and South Carolina. The Gamecocks lead the SEC Eastern Division and were ranked 17th when the Vols lost to them last week after coming back to tie the game late in the third quarter.

The Vols last four opponents, who Tennessee needs to win every game against to make a bowl game, all
have losing records, and have a combined record of 10-23. For a matter of reference, if you remove the opening contest with FCS UT Martin and the University of Alabama Birmingham game, six of the Vols first eight opponents have combined for a record of 37-12.

There haven’t been many things go in the Vols favor in 2010, but as their fans look to the end of the season, it appears that, just like things here at Tradingo Sports, change is exactly what is coming.