Why THIS Game Really Matters

First and foremost – because if we lose we are mathematically eliminated from the SECW race (would have 3 losses, behind head-to-head w/ OM who only has 3 SEC games to go). I know it’s a long shot at best but there’s still a lot of football to be played. And championships are what we play for. Right?

But here’s where things get interesting. This will be the first year since the schedule shift (early 2000’s) that we will play OM before Bama (way it used to be) in TS. I don’t mean to make light of OM’s efforts against us over the years. They deserve credit. But what we’re usually playing for and what they’ve been playing for haven’t been the same. Moreover, like it or not, our peak intensity has usually been reserved for Auburn (Tubs era), Bama (Saban era), and UF (Meyer era). ’03 was an exception.

For the first time in a while, I expect our best effort vs OM Saturday night. For us to win:

- AJ is going to have to play his best game as a Tiger by far. And CCC is going to have to do a great job calling plays.

- Don’t be negative in the TO margin (OM, to their credit, has made a living off TO’s this year).

- Stop OM’s rushing. Don’t know why but reading Detillier’s comments on DandyDon, Freeze has seen something scheme wise on our D that he knows he can run against.

We’ve all heard how UTenn had 0 yds rushing vs OM. That’s impressive. But wanna know how much UTenn had vs UF? 28