OneManGang
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Tennessee vs The Maxims vs Arkansas State
Great Day, I've never seen so may people ready to do the Gay Street Bridge Swan Dive after a victory!
Chill, people. Tennessee is on the way back, but they ain't there yet. This season will bring thrilling victories. It will also bring losses that will have the assembled multitudes wondering if the team has ever played a down together. The SEEDS of greatness are being sown. Harvest won't be for some time yet. Enjoy the wins, look for positives in losses and settle in for the ride.
*bangs head*
Not many people recall the day we nearly lost Arkansas: not the University or the team but the STATE.
September 20, 1980 was a normal day for the men of the 374th Strategic Missile Squadron based at Little Rock Air Force Base. The squadron controlled nine LGM-25C Titan II intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Titan II had a 9,000 mile range and carried a W-53 thermonuclear weapon with a 9 megaton yield. These missiles were in concrete silos scattered around the small town of Damascus in the central part of the state about 50 miles north of Little Rock.
At 1835 that evening (6:35pm) an airman performing maintenance near the top of the silo had an "oops" moment. He was using an oversized socket wrench to adjust a large bolt when the eight pound socket slipped off the handle and began a long fall. It finally bounced off one of the missile supports and hit a pressurized fuel tank in the first stage and punched a hole in the tank.
One of the peculiarities of the Titan II was its fuel. Most American "liquid fuel" rockets use liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The Titan II used an immensely corrosive hydrazine fuel and oxidizer system called a "hypergolic" fuel. Hypergolic fuels are made of two chemicals which are kept separate because they explode when mixed. In a missile such as the the Titan II this meant that the engines did not need an igniter to fire. The concept was pioneered by the Germans in WWII who used hypergolic system to power their Messerschmitt 163 rocket fighter. A number of Me-163 pilots and ground crew were killed when the safety systems failed and the fuel exploded.
In any event, the hydrazine fuel spewed into the silo and everyone in the complex evacuated. The leak spread for some nine hours. A team was sent in to evaluate the leak and assess the likelihood of being able to clean up the mess. The team had just exited the complex and were sitting on a low concrete wall when at about 3 AM a rumble came from deep in the silo. Guys scattered as this could mean only one thing, the hypergolic fuel was exploding. The resulting blast blew the 740 ton silo door several hundred feet to the northeast and sent the W-53 on a parabolic course that ended over 200 yards away on the side of a nearby highway and several cars went by before the warhead was recovered. One airman was killed by falling debris and twenty-one others were injured.
Fortunately for all, the PALs (Permissive Action Links) in the warhead worked and not only did the infernal contraption not go off (the lethal fallout zone would have reached Nashville) but no radiation leaks were detected.
Clean-up and decommissioning of the site set the taxpayers back over $200 million. The entire Titan II fleet was decommissioned by 1987, replaced by Minuteman Missiles which used far more stable solid-fuel rockets.
Interestingly, Jonesboro, Arkansas, home of Arkansas State University would probably have been reduced to a radioactive wasteland by the hypothetical explosion of the W-53 in this incident being due east of Damascus.
Arkansas State came into Neyland Stadium Saturday and threw a scare into the Vols early but couldn't generate enough firepower to prevail.
So how did the team do compared to the Maxims?
1. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.
After last week's sterling effort against Utah State, perhaps some sort of let-up was inevitable. Head Vol Butch Jones was noticeably upset by this. The Red Wolves were generally assumed to be more formidable than the USU Aggies last week, and yet fans seem surprised this was a hard-fought victory. Go figure. Both teams still had some mental breakdowns but the Red Wolves' were fatal, snuffing promising drives. Tennessee's offensive line still has problems with pass protection and run blocking - the gaudy numbers (168 yards rushing and 247 passing) for each notwithstanding.
2. Play for and make the breaks. When one comes your way SCORE!
In the two games so far the Vols have owned the mythical "Red Zone" and have scored every time they've ventured there save one.
3. If at first the game or the breaks go against you, dont let up PUT ON MORE STEAM!
Arkansas State punched the Vols square in the mouth, scoring a touchdown on their first possession. This could have been a perfect opportunity for a young team to get down on themselves. Instead, the Vols scored on their next three possessions while the defense held the Red Wolves to their initial six points until late in the second quarter.
4. Protect our kickers, our quarterback, our lead and our ballgame.
Kick rushers are still getting entirely too close to Matt Darr but Worley spent far less time running for his life. The defense stood tall again when it mattered.
5. Ball! Oskie! Cover, block, cut and slice, pursue and gang tackle THIS IS THE WINNING EDGE.
This Maxim speaks directly to effort. One thing that is truly different from last year's team is that there has been virtually no let-up in either of the games so far. This doesn't mean there haven't been mental errors or such but, I have to say that the Incredible Disappearing Vols seem to have been banished.
6. Press the kicking game. Here is where the breaks are made.
Matt Darr, on paper, had a fairly good outing, What the stats don't show is that much of that 40-yard average came on one or two kicks. there was an embarrassing 20-something or two mixed in there. Not good enough against SEC competition. Aaron Medley hit everything except one field goal. George Bullock looks to be a dandy kickoff man. Kick coverage needs work - a lot of work - before facing Oklahoma's tribe of speed merchants come next Saturday in Norman.
7. Carry the fight to Arkansas State and keep it there for sixty minutes.
Again, this Maxim speaks to effort. So far, things are looking up.
Arkansas State was a far better team that Utah State. They fought harder and had more weapons across the board. They are not, however, an SEC-caliber program. This was, however, just the kind of game Tennessee needed. The Red Wolves played well and took advantage of Tennessee weaknesses. The Vols had to work hard to earn their 34-19 win. This kind of game tells the coaches and players exactly what needs to be fixed without damaging the young Vols' confidence.
The preliminaries are over. Real life as an elite program makes itself felt when the Vols roll into Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners are tough, they're hot, and they're lucky. This time next week, we will know a whole heck of a lot more about the state of Tennessee football in 2014.
Brick by Brick, Baby!
MAXOMG
© 2014
Keeping Your Stories Alive
Great Day, I've never seen so may people ready to do the Gay Street Bridge Swan Dive after a victory!
Chill, people. Tennessee is on the way back, but they ain't there yet. This season will bring thrilling victories. It will also bring losses that will have the assembled multitudes wondering if the team has ever played a down together. The SEEDS of greatness are being sown. Harvest won't be for some time yet. Enjoy the wins, look for positives in losses and settle in for the ride.
*bangs head*
Not many people recall the day we nearly lost Arkansas: not the University or the team but the STATE.
September 20, 1980 was a normal day for the men of the 374th Strategic Missile Squadron based at Little Rock Air Force Base. The squadron controlled nine LGM-25C Titan II intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Titan II had a 9,000 mile range and carried a W-53 thermonuclear weapon with a 9 megaton yield. These missiles were in concrete silos scattered around the small town of Damascus in the central part of the state about 50 miles north of Little Rock.
At 1835 that evening (6:35pm) an airman performing maintenance near the top of the silo had an "oops" moment. He was using an oversized socket wrench to adjust a large bolt when the eight pound socket slipped off the handle and began a long fall. It finally bounced off one of the missile supports and hit a pressurized fuel tank in the first stage and punched a hole in the tank.
One of the peculiarities of the Titan II was its fuel. Most American "liquid fuel" rockets use liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. The Titan II used an immensely corrosive hydrazine fuel and oxidizer system called a "hypergolic" fuel. Hypergolic fuels are made of two chemicals which are kept separate because they explode when mixed. In a missile such as the the Titan II this meant that the engines did not need an igniter to fire. The concept was pioneered by the Germans in WWII who used hypergolic system to power their Messerschmitt 163 rocket fighter. A number of Me-163 pilots and ground crew were killed when the safety systems failed and the fuel exploded.
In any event, the hydrazine fuel spewed into the silo and everyone in the complex evacuated. The leak spread for some nine hours. A team was sent in to evaluate the leak and assess the likelihood of being able to clean up the mess. The team had just exited the complex and were sitting on a low concrete wall when at about 3 AM a rumble came from deep in the silo. Guys scattered as this could mean only one thing, the hypergolic fuel was exploding. The resulting blast blew the 740 ton silo door several hundred feet to the northeast and sent the W-53 on a parabolic course that ended over 200 yards away on the side of a nearby highway and several cars went by before the warhead was recovered. One airman was killed by falling debris and twenty-one others were injured.
Fortunately for all, the PALs (Permissive Action Links) in the warhead worked and not only did the infernal contraption not go off (the lethal fallout zone would have reached Nashville) but no radiation leaks were detected.
Clean-up and decommissioning of the site set the taxpayers back over $200 million. The entire Titan II fleet was decommissioned by 1987, replaced by Minuteman Missiles which used far more stable solid-fuel rockets.
Interestingly, Jonesboro, Arkansas, home of Arkansas State University would probably have been reduced to a radioactive wasteland by the hypothetical explosion of the W-53 in this incident being due east of Damascus.
Arkansas State came into Neyland Stadium Saturday and threw a scare into the Vols early but couldn't generate enough firepower to prevail.
So how did the team do compared to the Maxims?
1. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.
After last week's sterling effort against Utah State, perhaps some sort of let-up was inevitable. Head Vol Butch Jones was noticeably upset by this. The Red Wolves were generally assumed to be more formidable than the USU Aggies last week, and yet fans seem surprised this was a hard-fought victory. Go figure. Both teams still had some mental breakdowns but the Red Wolves' were fatal, snuffing promising drives. Tennessee's offensive line still has problems with pass protection and run blocking - the gaudy numbers (168 yards rushing and 247 passing) for each notwithstanding.
2. Play for and make the breaks. When one comes your way SCORE!
In the two games so far the Vols have owned the mythical "Red Zone" and have scored every time they've ventured there save one.
3. If at first the game or the breaks go against you, dont let up PUT ON MORE STEAM!
Arkansas State punched the Vols square in the mouth, scoring a touchdown on their first possession. This could have been a perfect opportunity for a young team to get down on themselves. Instead, the Vols scored on their next three possessions while the defense held the Red Wolves to their initial six points until late in the second quarter.
4. Protect our kickers, our quarterback, our lead and our ballgame.
Kick rushers are still getting entirely too close to Matt Darr but Worley spent far less time running for his life. The defense stood tall again when it mattered.
5. Ball! Oskie! Cover, block, cut and slice, pursue and gang tackle THIS IS THE WINNING EDGE.
This Maxim speaks directly to effort. One thing that is truly different from last year's team is that there has been virtually no let-up in either of the games so far. This doesn't mean there haven't been mental errors or such but, I have to say that the Incredible Disappearing Vols seem to have been banished.
6. Press the kicking game. Here is where the breaks are made.
Matt Darr, on paper, had a fairly good outing, What the stats don't show is that much of that 40-yard average came on one or two kicks. there was an embarrassing 20-something or two mixed in there. Not good enough against SEC competition. Aaron Medley hit everything except one field goal. George Bullock looks to be a dandy kickoff man. Kick coverage needs work - a lot of work - before facing Oklahoma's tribe of speed merchants come next Saturday in Norman.
7. Carry the fight to Arkansas State and keep it there for sixty minutes.
Again, this Maxim speaks to effort. So far, things are looking up.
Arkansas State was a far better team that Utah State. They fought harder and had more weapons across the board. They are not, however, an SEC-caliber program. This was, however, just the kind of game Tennessee needed. The Red Wolves played well and took advantage of Tennessee weaknesses. The Vols had to work hard to earn their 34-19 win. This kind of game tells the coaches and players exactly what needs to be fixed without damaging the young Vols' confidence.
The preliminaries are over. Real life as an elite program makes itself felt when the Vols roll into Norman, Oklahoma. The Sooners are tough, they're hot, and they're lucky. This time next week, we will know a whole heck of a lot more about the state of Tennessee football in 2014.
Brick by Brick, Baby!
MAXOMG
© 2014
Keeping Your Stories Alive
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