Back in Black

It was a rainy Halloween night in Knoxville, Tennessee and the color black was on everyone's mind. Rumors had been swirling for weeks that the Vols would break out the controversial black jerseys for the game against South Carolina. Some fans argued that Tennessee's colors were orange and white and to wear black was a break from tradition. Insert first year head coach Lane Kiffin and you never know what to expect. After warming up in all orange uniforms, the team went to the the locker room and the anticipation in the stadium was off the charts. As the team gathered in the tunnel before running the "T", everyone was trying to get a look at the team to see if the rumors were true. On a normal gameday, the captains come out before the team and when there was no sign of the captains, we knew that the black jerseys would be worn. The "T" opened up and the stadium erupted when Lane Kiffin and Eric Berry led the black and orange clad Volunteers onto Shield Watkins field. Say what you want about black jerseys and tradition but that stadium was electric and the team came out with a fire and passion in the first quarter that caused three South Carolina turnovers and led to 21 points for the Vols. Kudos to Mike Hamilton for listening to the players and getting these jerseys in for the game. If wearing a black jersey gets these kids fired up, you have to make it happen if you are the coach or athletic director. The team found out that they were wearing the black jerseys on Friday night when Lane Kiffin had Eric Berry address the team and he unzipped his jacket and was wearing a black jersey. The word is that the team went into a frenzy and they were jacked up throwing chairs and being the Tennessee Wild Boyz that Kiffin envisioned. That emotion translated to the field and the Vols took care of business on Saturday night and made it a treat for those who were in attendance.

It was a great night in Neyland Stadium and you can feel that we have turned the corner and are actually a good football team again. I told my friends Chris and Carrie that coming to the games is becoming fun again. This team is as exciting to watch as any I can remember and the SEC is officially on notice that the Vols are back... In Black!