Thursday, October 12, 2006

ESPN: Ivan Maisel Mentions Cal

Here is the link.

2. Tennessee's third-quarter onslaught in the opener against California

The Volunteers had heard it for eight months. No, make that nine months. They didn't play in December. For the first time in Phillip Fulmer's 14 seasons as head coach, they didn't go to a bowl. Fulmer had his first losing record (5-6). He didn't like that very much, and he made sure that his players didn't enjoy themselves, either. Fulmer rehired his close friend, David Cutcliffe, to reshape the offense. The players rededicated themselves to the weight room. They got sick of hearing about the decline of the Vols. They got tired of hearing about how this would the season that the Golden Bears challenged USC for supremacy in the Pac-10.

From the first play, Tennessee became the aggressor. They dominated the first half against Cal, yet led only 14-3 at intermission. By the time 6:29 had elapsed in the third quarter, the Vols led 35-3. Cal tacked on a couple of touchdowns against the scrubs. Tennessee has returned to the top 10. So, too, has Cal, making what Tennessee did in the opener all the more amazing.

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