The Goat Pen

A Neyland Stadium crowd announced generously as 84,189 was treated — or subjected? — to:

A Neyland Stadium-record 103 points.

A staggering combined 175 offensive plays, 99 of them by Troy.

And a record-setting 1,439 yards of offense.

The final points came via Marlin Lane’s 9-yard run with 1:25 to play, followed by Michael Palardy’s PAT kick.

That broke a 48-48 tie, but on this day, the Vols were hardly home free.

Tennessee’s defense still had to get a stop — and it hadn’t gotten many all day.

Over the final 78 seconds, the defense bent a little more but it didn’t break. Troy’s fourth-down pass from the UT 40 sailed incomplete and the clock ran out.

Finally, after 41 days, Tennessee (4-5) had a victory, ending a four-game spate of losing against ranked SEC opponents.

The carnage showed Troy (4-5) with 721 yards of offense, the most ever allowed by a UT defense.

“It’s a bad defense,’’ said Dooley, “we didn’t really have an answer for anything.’’

The Vols countered with 718 yards, a school record.

Tyler Bray’s arm authored 530 of them, breaking Peyton Manning’s 1997 UT single-game passing record.

10ac wrote:If they can build a 40 million dolar practice facility and put in a "club level" at Neyland, you'ld think a mil for Cut would be pocket change.

Big Orange Junky wrote:Puter or anybody that is close to Knoxville or may have some more info. Any thoughts on this?

Seems like the demise of our football program was more political than coaching with the "changes" made. This is per Doug Matthews on 104.5

He basically said Thornton Academic center built for athletes is now being run by the academic side and athletes aren't welcome. The AD reports to the Chancelor instead of UT system president and this is supposedly for the firs time in 80 years or so. All of this changed b/c the Board of Trust is made up of political appointees from Bredesen who didn't care for UT athletics that did things to harm athletics, diverted funds, raised admission and grade standards for athletes to the highest in the SEC (I am assuming he is meaning public not private, can't see them being tougher than Vandy). Now athletics is being run by the acaedemic side and they have to report to them. Said that the reason Fulmer couldn't keep Cut was that the acaedemic side wouldn't allow him to give him a raise because the professors didn't like high paid coaches. Cut wanted a million, then Fulmer wanted Marrone or Kippy (I think) but they wouldn't pay that either. They gave him 300 grand and said hire who you can with that period.

Said that's the reason so many turned us down with the Dooley hire is because of that, they put the clamps on things, hampered the amounts allowed for salary citing POS Scumbag as the reason and that it wasn't just the roster but the fact that the boss of the coach would be the enemy of the coach, the english department. Even some reports that there is a showdown now about this whole deal with the AD and Cheek with the AD threatening to leave. No coach could win in that enviornment including The General himself.

If this is his doings it will change my opinion of Bredesen, who I thought did a pretty good job, but piss on him if he is the cause of this crap.

Big Orange Junky wrote:Seems like the demise of our football program was more political than coaching with the "changes" made. This is per Doug Matthews on 104.5

Big Orange Junky wrote:... hubs seems to be confirming it (wouldn't pay for cut or other assistants for fulmer, paid for ...