Monday musings...

Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

Yes, USC turned over the ball, but each of those turnovers was forced. Pressure caused the picks, and excellent ball-work caused the fumbles.

We also should've had a pick in the end zone on USC's first TD drive. If we had done that, SC may have well folded the tent.

On 3rd and 4 in the 4th quarter, I said to myself, "We should just line up and pound it twice here, if necessary. If we don't get it, we don't get it." What did we do? Throw two incomplete passes. It's easy to be a coach in the stands.

I can't stand people who are silent when things are going well and screaming at the coaches when things are falling apart. I had one of those right behind me, and I went ahead and told him just as much. He wasn't getting on the coaches much after that. I must be very intimidating.

The ghost of Collins Cooper came back and occupied the body of Ryan Succop.

I honestly think that we will win the East with a 5-3 record. Everyone will lose at least one more game except South Carolina, and we'll have the tiebreaker over the Cocks and the Dawgs.

A 5-3 team vs. a 7-1 national championship contender in the SEC title game. Sounds familiar. Maybe Ainge will get hurt and Crompton will run us to a victory while LSU fumbles away the game in the second half.

Aren't I getting a little bit ahead of myself? No, of course not.
I'm getting WAY ahead of myself.

The name "Arian" almost became a curse word in the state of Tennessee. Does he only fumble in the most critical situations?

It blows my mind at how much more valuable basketball tickets are than football tickets. I've been checking out the prices on eBay - you can expect to pay two grand for a pair in the lower level at the new Tommy Bowl. That's anywhere in the lower level - I'm not talking center court here.

It was pretty chilly in the stadium on Saturday night. Finally. One more layer would've helped the situation.

Should I go to the game next week? Would it be a more valuable use of my time to do yardwork and listen on the radio?

Spurrier's genius is shown in the fact that he is able to recognize when his quarterback is going to lose him a game. He will immediately pull that QB out and insert another. Most of the time, this will improve his team's play, as it did on Saturday. He's not afraid. He doesn't coach not to lose. He tries to win, and doesn't hesitate to act.

I really would've liked to see USC's practices this past week so that I could compare the practice play of Smelley and Mitchell. There was no comparison out on the field during the game. You know, though, that Mitchell has won a game at Neyland. There's a lot to be said for that, and it probably should've been taken into account when picking a starter. The choice may have cost the Cocks the ball game.