Casey Clausen

#1

dduncan4163

Have at it Hoss
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#1
Watching some of his games tonight reminded me once again how much of a leader he was. I never understood why so many fans dislike him they way that they do.

The kid was a road warrior and never got rattled. I find myself missing him more and more as the years go by.

2001 Florida, 2001 Mich, 2003 Miami, 2003 Bama, are some examples. He didn't always put up big numbers but he always had control of the huddle and never once got rattled. The Kid was smoother than Exlax on a July TN Night.


His sophomore season of 2001 was especially impressive. The Vols won at Arkansas (13-3) in a driving rainstorm; at Alabama (35-24) behind a dominating fourth quarter; at Notre Dame (28-18) with a second-half surge; at Kentucky (38-35) after twice rallying from 21 points; and, finally, at Florida (34-32) in a game for the ages. "I loved being out there competing with my guys in somebody else's backyard," Clausen said. "It was an `us-versus-the-world' mentality and it was a lot of fun."
Clausen finished 3-1 against Alabama and won twice in Gainesville.
"Alabama was a great rivalry game and as I got older, I understood it more," he said. "I learned what Tennessee-Alabama meant, and it definitely was a great experience playing in that game every single year.
"And that Florida game in 2001, it was unbelievable - back-and-forth, back-and-forth the whole game and a crazy atmosphere. It was great for us to get that win."
Clausen says butterflies before and during a game were never a factor for him.
"When I played, I never really got that nervous," he said. "I was just out there playing with my guys and was a pretty intense and vocal player. Now back here in California, I'm way more nervous watching on TV. It's kind of funny."

Love him or hate him you have to admit he was Ice Cold and a Road Warrior.
 
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#5
#5
I'll have to say that i wasn't a huge fan of his while he was here. I never liked his throwing ability or his Val Kilmer wanna be haircut. But looking back at his career now, i gotta give him some credit. He won a lot of games and was a great leader on the field. I would put him higher on my list if he could have won a championship with that 2001 team.
 
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#7
#7
I'll have to say that i wasn't a huge fan of his while he was here. I never liked his throwing ability or his Val Kilmer wanna be haircut. But looking back at his career now, i gotta give him some credit. He won a lot of games and was a great leader on the field. I would put him higher on my list if he could have won a championship with that 2001 team.

I agree that if he would have won the SEC and lead us to the Rose Bowl in 2001 he would be considered a legend today.
 
#12
#12
Clausen was the best UT QB behind Manning in the last 20 years for all the reasons listed in the op.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
 
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#15
#15
Clausen was an incredible 14-1 on the road, including two wins in Gainesville and two wins in Tuscaloosa, his only loss coming at Auburn in 2003. Don't forget the whooping he put on Mich and ending Miami's 26 game home win streak. Oh and that first victory in Gainsville just happened to be Steve's last home game as coach.

Casey brought a lot of heartache to a lot of home crowds in those days.
 
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#17
#17
I never really liked him when he was here but there is no denying what the guy did for UT. He is one QB that didn't let the crowd bother him at all. Once he got on the field it was all business. Got to thank the guy for some good memories on the field.
 
#19
#19
Kinda depressing to watch for me. Ya, there was some good games but towards the end, all the tough games were wins against teams like vandy and kentucky. The crowd in Knoxville should never be going crazy because vandy missed a last second field goal that would have beaten us. I mean, come on! It's the frikin commodores! That should never be a close game in the first place! I can't wait till we get back to the place to where we go into games like that, not wondering if we'll win, but by how much we'll win.
 
#20
#20
Kinda depressing to watch for me. Ya, there was some good games but towards the end, all the tough games were wins against teams like vandy and kentucky. The crowd in Knoxville should never be going crazy because vandy missed a last second field goal that would have beaten us. I mean, come on! It's the frikin commodores! That should never be a close game in the first place! I can't wait till we get back to the place to where we go into games like that, not wondering if we'll win, but by how much we'll win.

even Manning only beat Vandy once by more than a TD in his 4 starts
 
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#22
#22
How did his recruitment come about? Did Cutcliffe find him? Did Fulmer find him? Was he one of the many that attend the U.T. summer football camps and they discovered him there?
 
#23
#23
There was no quit in Clausen. That's what concerns me about Bray after the KY game. Rick Clausen didn't have much talent but would he have mailed it in like Bray did in that game? That game was the low point of TN football history... because he and some others flat out quit.
 
#25
#25
What were the BAMMERS reactions after that play?

They got quite...but the stadium did not. Vols were there in force and we blew up!. That was just the first of many moments were each fan base went from "we've won" to Dangit!

95 will always be my favorate but that 03 game was the best damn football game I've ever been to. After the game all of us were shaking each others hands, Bammers and Vols alike, saying damn good game.
 

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