Deep Thoughts: 11/7

Written By Tucker Harlin

By Clayton Kilgore

Greetings, fellow Vols fans. It’s been a few weeks since you’ve had the intense pleasure of reading my written words, so I guess I’ll start by apologizing for the absence and deprivation. 

I’m playing catch-up, so just hang with me. 

Let’s shake it up.

The truth is, the Deep Dives take a long time. so I’m switching gears. Instead of Deep Dives, we’ll go with Deep Thoughts. I think this’ll be better. Maybe this will drop twice a week, maybe three, I’m not sure. Just make sure you log your ass onto Fanrun Radio dot web for this and other elite content.

No, I didn’t do a Deep Dive of Alabama, nor did I do one for Kentucky (as if they deserve one) - instead I attended the Alabama game and did extensive in-person research. Just as I suspected, the beers were cold and tall, just like we like ’em. I had to have one of every flavor to ensure they weren’t poisonous. 

Then, I watched the Kentucky game at home with friends because we couldn’t find a babysitter. Kids are awesome except for when you wanna go to Neyland and get disgusting with your friends. 

Re: Alabama: Shoutout to my friends in section DD that didn’t have me forcibly removed from a second Alabama contest. All my yelling was merely constructive criticism and I am a passionate fan, it was all for the good of the team. Everything’s better when you win and we were hugging by the end of the night, I love you all.

And to the kind woman in front of me, let this serve as my official apology for blasting your shoulder blades with my kneecaps at least a dozen times. I know, I’m the worst, but I was nervous. Your patience is greatly appreciated wherever you are. 

I can’t get enough of the Vols defense that just KEEPS showing up when it matters most. From the Great White Safety, Will Brooks, with the near pick-six last week against the Mildcats to Jermod McCoy’s one-handed pick in the end zone to stymie the Tide and take points off the board, this is a group that has stepped up in the biggest spots time and time again. 

As good as they’ve been, it’s not all the defense.

Quick Appreciation Paragraph: Dylan Sampson is second only to Ashton Jeanty with 19 rushing touchdowns. We’ve had some devious bastards come through at running back and he’s at the top of the list. RECORD-HOLDER Dylan Sampson is what he shall go by and watching the entire offense, all ten of ‘em, rally to push him into the end zone to break the record was cool as hell. 

Quick Appreciation Paragraph #2: I know he dropped a TD pass (in his defense, he got popped), but the rest of his game and this effort block downfield by Miles Kitselman was, to put it lightly, what we like to see. 

How could I forget James Pearce almost taking Brock’s Vandagriff head off?

And for everyone whining and clamoring about Nico, you got what you wanted. 

The growth and development some had been hoping to see was on full display last Saturday. I’ll say it again: Nico is good, don’t worry. He was on time, he was accurate, and he was decisive. He didn’t make any big mistakes and, if not for a few ill-timed drops, he would've gone nuclear. We should feel thankful that we have a young quarterback that’s mature enough to be bought in and not concern himself with anything but wins. 

Damn, y’all. It’s truly a great time to be a Tennessee Volunteer.

Now that we’re caught up, here’s what I’m thinking about this week:

This is exciting, more steam. 

  • How about that piped-in crowd noise, y’all? What an idiot Chris Stewart has to be to have said that on the air. I actually can’t believe his dumb ass was so discombobulated by a stadium that everyone in the world knows is organically loud. Pull his media credentials, if you ask me. It’s dangerous to spread lies and propaganda like that. You gotta be a rare breed of idiot to say that on the radio call, but he is from Alabama, so I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised (zing). 

Vols fans are the best in the nation.  

  • The DARK MODE UNIFORMS for Kentucky were chill. Nothing beats the classics, but if that set gets the lads going for a feisty conference game, I’m all for it. Especially when the opponent is emptying the tank trying to play spoiler (which we’ll see again).

  • I love Lee Corso just as much as the next guy, but how long are they gonna do this? They know better than I do, but I just don’t wanna see him go out any way other than on his own, that’s all. I know Kirk Herbstreit is his handler and watches out for him, but it’s only a matter of time before he goes off the reservation and gets overly weird with it, right? That’s just what olds do.

  • College football’s parity is on full display and the 12 team playoff is making the regular season a sweat. There are legitimate elimination games left and right, everyone is better thanks to NIL, it’s truly scrumptious. There are some folks worried about college football being ruined by two super-conferences in the not-so-distant future blah blah blah. I can’t bring myself to care about that right now. There’s not a rational argument to be made that what we’re being given is a much better product than before on a week-to-week basis, and I can’t wait to see what happens this Saturday. 

  • Travis Hunter is the Shohei Ohtani of college football and I’m not sure people are appreciating him enough. He is historically good, and there’s a cacophony of college football stuff to pay attention to, so I’ll shine some light on him right quick. 

It’s kinda weird if you just look at him; he’s 6’1” 185 lbs. and looks like he could get broken in half, but it’s quite the opposite. He’s actually a certified assassin. When you watch him play it’s like he’s a Westworld host, forged out of metallic filaments and synthetic muscle with fast-twitch programming, designed specifically to be dominant on a football field. He’s playing both sides at a God-tier level, enjoy him while he lasts in college (then I suppose you can enjoy him in the NFL). 

  • I’m weird. I don’t mind when Daylight Savings Time ends. 95% of people want to act like it’s the end of the world. Yeah, it gets dark earlier, cry me a river. Who cares? I love Thanksgiving and Christmas and that’s confirmation that those are getting close.  

  • What an exchange after the FAU vs. UCF game. Love a good handshake standoff: 

  • In the running for the best catch of the football calendar year: 

  • Doesn’t get much better than this touchdown celly: 

  • Alabama and LSU is the game to watch this weekend. No love lost between these two rivals:

    (For what it’s worth - I think Georgia runs Ole Miss out of their own stadium)

That’s it, the tank is empty. That’s everything that’s been on my mind. My brain’s storage is now freed up and I can start again.  

Glad you were able to get a little taste.

In the meantime Go Vols, beat Mississippi State, and have a fantastic finish to your work week. More to come. 

Tucker Harlin
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