Periscope Depth

[SubVet676]

Up Scope.

Buc-ee's update. Went by there around lunch time Friday. I was hungry, and just short of hangry.

Pro tip: Never, ever go to a Buc-ee's when you are really hungry.

Got a Texas cheesesteak burrito, beaver chips, and a lemonade. Headed out to the truck for a mobile lunch.

Could only eat about half of the burrito and chips. Felt like I weighed 300 lbs; blood pressure was probably 280/165; saw faint blue spots everywhere I looked; and almost got on the Interstate in the wrong direction. Not a food coma, a food stroke.

Someday, they will find me in a Buc-ee's parking lot. With a smile on my face.

Side note: If there's a Buc-ee's near you, just go sit in the parking lot for half an hour one day. You will see things that make the "People of Walmart" stuff pale in comparison. Park, grab a drink, and just enjoy the show. No cover charge.

Down Scope.

 

[JustFunnN'Orange]

Up Scope.

Buc-ee's update. Went by there around lunch time Friday. I was hungry, and just short of hangry.

Pro tip: Never, ever go to a Buc-ee's when you are really hungry.

Got a Texas cheesesteak burrito, beaver chips, and a lemonade. Headed out to the truck for a mobile lunch.

Could only eat about half of the burrito and chips. Felt like I weighed 300 lbs; blood pressure was probably 280/165; saw faint blue spots everywhere I looked; and almost got on the Interstate in the wrong direction. Not a food coma, a food stroke.

Someday, they will find me in a Buc-ee's parking lot. With a smile on my face.

Side note: If there's a Buc-ee's near you, just go sit in the parking lot for half an hour one day. You will see things that make the "People of Walmart" stuff pale in comparison. Park, grab a drink, and just enjoy the show. No cover charge.

Down Scope.

First, Thanks for Your Service!!!
Second, I probably know the answer but, did you navigate the trenches around Timor Leste....N of Australia..in the middle of Indonesia??

I spent almost 3 yrs on that island and happened to see two "towers" while I was there........legend was....Subs navigated those trenches to Disappear...because they were very deep and be lost to sattelites.

 

[SubVet676]

First, Thanks for Your Service!!!
Second, I probably know the answer but, did you navigate the trenches around Timor Leste....N of Australia..in the middle of Indonesia??

I spent almost 3 yrs on that island and happened to see two "towers" while I was there........legend was....Subs navigated those trenches to Disappear...because they were very deep and be lost to sattelites.

Nope, I was strictly an "East Coast" guy. Western Atlantic, LEO Ops, Med, Northern run, and a couple of places I can't remember anymore.

As for the rest of it, no idea.

 

[SubVet676]

Up Scope...no close contacts.

"Home is where the heart is." How many times have we heard that, or said it?

Trust me, it's true. I was raised in East Tennessee, and as a many generations Vol fan. I still remember my first game in Neyland Stadium. I was 11. Vols beat Auburn in Neyland Stadium. My first case of a lifelong affliction of "chicken skin" when I hear Rocky Top and see the Vols running onto the field.

One of the best days of my life.

I left Tennessee at 17 to join the Navy and "See the World". Lived in VA, SC, and GA. Visited numerous other countries on liberty. Made a life away from God's Country...Tennessee.

But no matter where I was, what I was doing, or whatever else was going on...home was always where my heart was. In Tennessee. And with the Vols.

Lived a thousand lives, and died a thousand deaths cheering the victories and mourning the losses. During football season, my whole week centered on the results of the last game, and the hope for the next. I had the good fortune to be on the USS Tennessee when they won the Natty. Unfortunately, we were at sea for that game, but the entire crew...even the non-believers...cheered when news of the victory reached us via the sub broadcast.

That was another good day.

Fast forward to today. After what seems like a biblical level of wandering through the desert of irrelevance and disappointment, UT Football is back. Josh Heupel and his staff have UT pointed back towards the Promised Land. UT is relevant again. We're not there yet...but we're close.

In 13 days, UT Football is back. And this old heart is already starting to swell in anticipation of what lies ahead for the 2025 Vols. Win or lose, home is where the heart is...and my heart is stuck somewhere around the 50-yard line of Shields-Watkins Field, in Neyland Stadium.

Looking forward to my next bout of chicken skin. And the tears that just seem to come out of nowhere when I see the POTS Band break into the "T", and out comes the Vols. In that moment, no matter what else is going on...my life is perfect.

Go Vols. I am blessed beyond words at having had the privilege to grow up in East Tennessee, and to be a Volunteers fan.

Honestly, I don't think it gets any better than that.

Down Scope.

 

[Orangeburst]

Up Scope...no close contacts.

"Home is where the heart is." How many times have we heard that, or said it?

Trust me, it's true. I was raised in East Tennessee, and as a many generations Vol fan. I still remember my first game in Neyland Stadium. I was 11. Vols beat Auburn in Neyland Stadium. My first case of a lifelong affliction of "chicken skin" when I hear Rocky Top and see the Vols running onto the field.

One of the best days of my life.

I left Tennessee at 17 to join the Navy and "See the World". Lived in VA, SC, and GA. Visited numerous other countries on liberty. Made a life away from God's Country...Tennessee.

But no matter where I was, what I was doing, or whatever else was going on...home was always where my heart was. In Tennessee. And with the Vols.

Lived a thousand lives, and died a thousand deaths cheering the victories and mourning the losses. During football season, my whole week centered on the results of the last game, and the hope for the next. I had the good fortune to be on the USS Tennessee when they won the Natty. Unfortunately, we were at sea for that game, but the entire crew...even the non-believers...cheered when news of the victory reached us via the sub broadcast.

That was another good day.

Fast forward to today. After what seems like a biblical level of wandering through the desert of irrelevance and disappointment, UT Football is back. Josh Heupel and his staff have UT pointed back towards the Promised Land. UT is relevant again. We're not there yet...but we're close.

In 13 days, UT Football is back. And this old heart is already starting to swell in anticipation of what lies ahead for the 2025 Vols. Win or lose, home is where the heart is...and my heart is stuck somewhere around the 50-yard line of Shields-Watkins Field, in Neyland Stadium.

Looking forward to my next bout of chicken skin. And the tears that just seem to come out of nowhere when I see the POTS Band break into the "T", and out comes the Vols. In that moment, no matter what else is going on...my life is perfect.

Go Vols. I am blessed beyond words at having had the privilege to grow up in East Tennessee, and to be a Volunteers fan.

Honestly, I don't think it gets any better than that.

Down Scope.

 

[malinoisvol]

Up Scope...no close contacts.

"Home is where the heart is." How many times have we heard that, or said it?

Trust me, it's true. I was raised in East Tennessee, and as a many generations Vol fan. I still remember my first game in Neyland Stadium. I was 11. Vols beat Auburn in Neyland Stadium. My first case of a lifelong affliction of "chicken skin" when I hear Rocky Top and see the Vols running onto the field.

One of the best days of my life.

I left Tennessee at 17 to join the Navy and "See the World". Lived in VA, SC, and GA. Visited numerous other countries on liberty. Made a life away from God's Country...Tennessee.

But no matter where I was, what I was doing, or whatever else was going on...home was always where my heart was. In Tennessee. And with the Vols.

Lived a thousand lives, and died a thousand deaths cheering the victories and mourning the losses. During football season, my whole week centered on the results of the last game, and the hope for the next. I had the good fortune to be on the USS Tennessee when they won the Natty. Unfortunately, we were at sea for that game, but the entire crew...even the non-believers...cheered when news of the victory reached us via the sub broadcast.

That was another good day.

Fast forward to today. After what seems like a biblical level of wandering through the desert of irrelevance and disappointment, UT Football is back. Josh Heupel and his staff have UT pointed back towards the Promised Land. UT is relevant again. We're not there yet...but we're close.

In 13 days, UT Football is back. And this old heart is already starting to swell in anticipation of what lies ahead for the 2025 Vols. Win or lose, home is where the heart is...and my heart is stuck somewhere around the 50-yard line of Shields-Watkins Field, in Neyland Stadium.

Looking forward to my next bout of chicken skin. And the tears that just seem to come out of nowhere when I see the POTS Band break into the "T", and out comes the Vols. In that moment, no matter what else is going on...my life is perfect.

Go Vols. I am blessed beyond words at having had the privilege to grow up in East Tennessee, and to be a Volunteers fan.

Honestly, I don't think it gets any better than that.

Down Scope.

100% agree. I too left God's country at the age of 17 to join the USAF and see the world. I moved back after being gone for more than 25 years. Aint nothing like Rocky Top, the opening of the T, and Tennessee Orange.

It's awesome to be in a foreign country, sporting the Power T , and getting a "Go Vols" while walking around.

 

[SubVet676]

Up Scope...

So...Lane Kiffin is trolling UT again. Something about a post to UMiss fans referencing their upcoming game against Georgia State, and how UT lost to them a few years back. Maybe he felt like he needed to energize the team, or the fan base.

Or maybe he was just being the Lane Kiffin we all know now. Zebra can't change its' stripes.

Either way, it was a cheap shot. Just the latest in a long series of them directed at UT...and UT fans.

I have nothing against the University of Mississippi...their football team...the fans...the State...or anything else down that way.

Lane Kiffin? Here is where I veer off.

Talented coach. Terrible excuse for a man. I have no respect for him, and never will. That seems to be a common theme among those who have trusted him over the years. If it were up to me, his time at UT would be forever erased from the UT record books.

But let's end this PD visit on a positive note...if I read on the news that an elephant had escaped from the Oxford Zoo (assuming they have one), and that in the process it had trampled Lane into a bloody smear on a sidewalk on the UMiss campus...I would do whatever it took to DoorDash 100 pounds of peanuts to that elephant.

There...positive finish.

Down Scope.

 

[SubVet676]

Up Scope...

So, CFB Week 1 is (almost) in the books. Let's raise #1 MFM; get a fix; and maybe ventilate for a few minutes.

Sometimes the stories write themselves. The media wonks are going to have a field day this year with the comparisons between Nico and Joey. I could go a lot farther with this one, but I'll just sit back and watch the drama unfold. Yes, Joey will have a bad game here and there, and Nico might have a good one or two, but we all know who got the better end of this trade. This one's gonna be fun to watch.

What's the Over/Under on Shane Beamer saying something stupid by 7:00 PM this evening? Whatever the over is, I'll take it.

Texas, Ohio State, LSU, Clemson, Bama, FSU. Are all mortal. Right now, there's not much vertical separation between being 1-0 or 0-1. It's a long haul to the CFP, and nobody is in or out at this point. But out of these 6 teams, I think at least 2 don't make the CFP.

Deion needs to retire. He won't, but he has nothing left to prove. It's time to place his long-term health above his short-term coaching career.

Good Lord, who's that guy wearing #6 for Tennessee? I speak of Mr. Joey Aguilar, of course (the other kid ain't bad either). Syracuse might not win 10 games again this year, but Fran Brown can coach, Angeli can sling it, and they have a pretty tough RB. Play a little better defense, and they're in the hunt for a major bowl. All that being said, Mr. Aguilar looked like he'd been on the team since May...of 2024. That throw he made for the TD...running to his left...across his body...dead on target...is a warning to opposing DB's, and a hint to UT's backs and receivers. Keep working to get open, and Joey just might find you. Folks, we have ourselves a gamer at QB. Stay healthy, and UT is going to be a tough out anywhere.

Tommy Castellanos may be the most-hated person in Alabama this morning. But he's barely ahead of Kalen DeBoer...

If you didn't have tears in your eyes when you watched Lee Corso make his Final Pick, you have no heart. I really didn't care either way which team won, but for Lee's sake I'm glad the Buckeyes won. He deserved to go out a winner. Class act, that man.

Mike Keith won't make us forget John Ward, but will remind us of him for (hopefully) many years to come. If you are anywhere near the UT Campus, you need to take a 5-gallon jug and go fill it with whatever is coming out of the tap up on the Hill. With a tip of the cap to Mr. Vitello, the UT Athletics Department is hitting one dinger after another when it comes to UT Athletics. Forget the KoolAid...drink the water.

So...back to the quiet comforts of the briny deep for this long-retired bubblehead. You won't see me, but I'll be watching. And listening.

Down Scope.

 

[SubVet676]

Up Scope...

Short visit to PD this week. Not much message traffic to transmit.

Expect extra visitors in Knoxville next Saturday. I haven't looked, so it might already be set, but I'll be surprised if either ESPN Gameday or the SEC Network are not broadcasting from just outside Neyland Stadium next Saturday.

Joey Aguilar. Bless his heart. The good kind. He's a baller.

Nico. Bless his heart. Not so much the good kind. His stock is dropping faster than Cracker Barrel.

Florida. Billy Napier needs to go ahead and find a real estate agent.

Georgia next. UT can win this game. Or lose it. But if the UT team we've seen through the first 2 weeks shows up next Saturday and keeps their wits about them, I like their chances.

Meaningless Stat of the Week. Tennessee had 734 yards of offense against ETSU. That just happens to be the hull number of the USS Tennessee (SSBN-734).

Down Scope.

 

[YankeeVol]

Up Scope...

Short visit to PD this week. Not much message traffic to transmit.

Expect extra visitors in Knoxville next Saturday. I haven't looked, so it might already be set, but I'll be surprised if either ESPN Gameday or the SEC Network are not broadcasting from just outside Neyland Stadium next Saturday.

Joey Aguilar. Bless his heart. The good kind. He's a baller.

Nico. Bless his heart. Not so much the good kind. His stock is dropping faster than Cracker Barrel.

Florida. Billy Napier needs to go ahead and find a real estate agent.

Georgia next. UT can win this game. Or lose it. But if the UT team we've seen through the first 2 weeks shows up next Saturday and keeps their wits about them, I like their chances.

Meaningless Stat of the Week. Tennessee had 734 yards of offense against ETSU. That just happens to be the hull number of the USS Tennessee (SSBN-734).

Down Scope.

They announced it Saturday night lol

 

[SubVet676]

Yeah, I should have checked before I posted. I'm up at 0530, so no excuses.

I love what Heupel has done with this team, but it's UGA until it ain't. Aguilar gives me hope, but top 2 CB's out worry me.

I think it's either a heartbreaker UGA win, or a heartstopper UT win. Spread coming down only means the early money is on UT.

Sometimes that's a clue, and others it's not. I just can't get a read on this one.

Whaddayouthink?

 

[Tin Man]

To paraphrase, Pound them, Vols! Pound them!

Unrelenting aerial and ground assault on offense. Score at every opportunity. Confound their offense. Build frustration. They’ll commit errors. Score on their errors.

 

[YankeeVol]

Yeah, I should have checked before I posted. I'm up at 0530, so no excuses.

I love what Heupel has done with this team, but it's UGA until it ain't. Aguilar gives me hope, but top 2 CB's out worry me.

I think it's either a heartbreaker UGA win, or a heartstopper UT win. Spread coming down only means the early money is on UT.

Sometimes that's a clue, and others it's not. I just can't get a read on this one.

Whaddayouthink?

It's all good.

I think the Vols pull it out.

Oh, and GO ARMY. BEAT NAVY.

 

[SubVet676]

Up Scope...

I wasn't planning to come up to PD this soon, but there's been a Yankee (the VN type, not the Soviet missile sub that you can hear miles away) sniffing around and so I thought I'd pop up and see what's happening up topside...

Belichick / Hudson / Pats / UNC. Honestly, who cares? But the Media keeps making this a weekly / daily thing, so...we are forced to decide whether to click on the link to see the latest news none of us care about, or turn our attention to things that really matter, like:

New Transfer Portal rules. There's an easy way to screw anything up. Just get the government, politicians, or lawyers involved. Here, we hit the Trifecta, with all three having a say. The best analogy here is that the NCAA is sitting in a nice Italian restaurant, and they dump a full plate of spaghetti, meatballs, and sauce in their lap, and the issue is "How do I get out of this without making it a total disaster?" Too late now. That's where we were, and largely are, with NIL and the Transfer Portal. So the latest..and almost good...rule is a single window that opens before the NC game is played. Close, but no cigar.

Can we stop pretending that academics has anything to do with this anymore? Forget the argument about semesters / quarters, or whatever. It's not about...and never was about...student athletes. It's all about money. Always was, and always will be now. FBS football is now the NFL Minor League, and so let's take a hint from the actual pros. Transfer portal opens the Monday after the NC game; open for two weeks; and that's it. 5* WR Catchemall Moneyball cares not one iota for his 1.8 GPA at Ustabemy University. He's only interested in the money he'll make next season at MyNew University, and his position in the NFL Draft.

Just call it what it is, figure out a timeline, and go with it. Amateurism at the CFB level is officially dead once you go north of DII. It is what it is. Go root for Carson-Newman. I do. I heard they still play actual college football there.

UGA @ UT. Disclaimer: I have lived in Georgia since 1993. I'm a UGA fan 364 days out of the year. But when it's UT -vs- UGA, I'm all Vols regardless of the odds. And I have suffered enough over the last 8 years. I promise you, none of you celebrated the "Dobbnail Boot" game as much as I did. So this week is a source of self-inflicted anxiety for me. I probably need this win more than the Vols do, since they can still have a good, if not great season, with a loss to UGA. That being said, I have examined this game from every angle I could find. Odds, history, predictions, chicken bones, Miss Cleo, King Tide, ask my dog...all of that and more. And I'm left with this: If it is a close game...if UT does not blow out UGA (unlikely) and UGA does not blow out UT (less likely, but...), I think it comes down to (a) a 4th quarter turnover or on downs, or (b) a last-minute field goal to determine this game. I'm wrong a lot, but that's where I am. Go Vols. Win it by 17 so everyone who reads these words can laugh at me. Nothing would make me happier.

(sigh) It's only Tuesday, and I'm already tired. Saturday can't get here fast enough. Y'all be careful out there.

Down Scope.

 

[SubVet676]

Up Scope…

It’s been a tough week to be a Vol fan, and a conservative. And an American. I need not elaborate; all here know what I’m talking about. That being said…

3rd and Chavis Banks. Those of us with enough gray in our hair to make it a natural part of our annual Halloween getup remember the days of “3rd and Chavis”. Now, we have “3rd or 4th and Banks.” I’m beginning to wonder if part of the interview process for the UT Defensive Coordinator position includes a mandate to play soft on 3rd and long. Or 4th.

Yes…injuries played a part. Yes, Coach Banks had a good year last year. Yes, he has gotten better over time. But two things stand out to me here: (1) a maddening ability to make the opposing offense look good when we really need the out, and (2) I don’t remember the game…think it was against Syracuse…but the camera was on the Coach’s Box, and Coach Banks. As the defense lined up, I saw him lean over and grab the mic away from the “communicator” (to the leader of the defense, I’m assuming), and yell some type of adjustment. Probably happens all the time in every coach’s box. But for whatever reason, I was left with the thought that Coach Banks was reacting, and not anticipating. Again, I’m sure it happens a lot, but for some reason it left me wondering if he had that “feel” for the game that all great DC’s seems to have.

Maybe it’s just the “Jimmy’s and Joe’s”, and doing the best you can with what you have. But for some reason, I just don’t think a Banks defense is ever going to be the reason UT wins anything ending in the word “championship”. And defense wins Championships.

Orange Man good…really good. Man, did we ever hit the lottery with Joey Aguilar or what? This young man looks like he was made for the Heupel offense. I could go on, and on, and on…but you see what I see. This kid is special.

We owe UGA. This one hurt, and it will be hard to make up the lost ground without some help from the ‘Dogs. It is what it is. But we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on Saturday, and personally I think we owe them one down the road. Thinking back to the Hobnail Boot / Dobbnail Boot games, we owe them one in Athens next year.

Now what? The season isn’t lost, or over by any means. Mathematically, 11-1 is still possible. Of course, so is 2-10. Neither one, IMO, will happen. Trying to avoid TLDR here, so I’ll just say that no SEC team fears this defense, and every SEC team is worried about this offense. Until and unless the defense gets healthy/improves, another 3 losses will not surprise me. At some point the offense will have an “off” game; opposing DC’s are burning the midnight oil trying to find a way to slow us down; and then I expect Murphy to make an(other) appearance somewhere down the line. Some counted the UGA game as a loss. I did not. I was at 9-3, and so now I’m at 8-4. I’m wrong a lot. The pollsters apparently had a lot of respect for the OT loss; UT held its’ place in a couple of the major polls. I’ll defer to their wisdom, but…8-4 until I see more defense. Especially on 3rd and 4th downs.

‘til next time…Down Scope.

 

[SubVet676]

Up Scope…

Been almost two weeks since we last popped up and took a look around. Was thinking about it last night, but Sonar reported numerous transient noises that sounded like…in their words…”cowbells”, so figured it was best to stay deep until whatever that was cleared my AOR.

Upset Saturday, or Reset Saturday? Or maybe both. 4 of the Top 10 teams fell in Week 5. Granted, 3 of those came against (lower) ranked teams, with two of those being on the road. On top of that, 4 of the Top 10 were idle, so…4 out of the 6 that played took their first “L”. I’m not a math major, but that’s like around a 66% “upset” rate, right? So was this an upset Saturday, or simply a shakeup of the Top 10 that gives us a better idea of who does, and does not belong in the CFP hunt? I’ll go with the latter, while I watch preseason #4 Clemson argue with Boston College over who’s picking the color of the carpet in the ACC basement this week.

Fact is, the preseason and early season rankings are nothing more than a SWAG, and fodder for “internet cred” debates on thousands of sports sites and fan blogs. It is what it is.

Take that to the Bank(s) On the one hand, there’s a UT defense that is ranked down there with Tulsa and Army in YAPG (373.4); and sharing their driveway with Charlotte and Central Michigan in PAPG (29.0). UT edges out UAB by 1/10th of a yard in PYAPG (259.2), and trails mighty Stanford by only 1 yard in RYAPG (114.2). Of course, none of those other teams played UGA, so…

Meanwhile, the UT defense gave up 34 points to the Cowbell Clangers, who averaged 32 PPG against the likes of Southern Miss, Arizona State, and Northern Illinois, yet while doing so also managed 5 sacks; 11 TFL’s; a scoop & score; and a Pick 6. And a critical stop when we absolutely had to have it.

One of these things is not like the other, except that they’re both the same thing. What gives?

For every critic of Tim Banks, there is a defender. For every stat that is ugly, there’s one that looks good. And for every head-scratcher of a play, there’s a “Hell Yeah!” fist-pumper.

I give up. Maybe he’s good, or bad, or lucky, or unlucky. Or all of that. I do know he’s responsible for a marked increase in my liquor budget during football season.

So I guess we just bank on Banks. Except for when we can’t. The only beneficiary of this whole debate is John Chavis, who no longer has to hear the “3rd and Chavis” jokes when he’s watching a UT game in public…

Totally made up Rumor of the Day Right now, in a deep, dark corner in the very bowels of Davis Wade stadium, a very wealthy Bulldog booster is handing over a used Jeremy Pruitt McDonalds bag full of Ben Franklins to the stadium custodian who snuck into UT’s locker room before the game and mixed some type of sex lube into all the hand sanitizer bottles. That’s the only reason I can think of for the dropped passes and the two ricochets that homed in on a Bulldog defender like a MK-48 on a noisy target.

And while I’m there…OPI? OMG.



Until next time…Down Scope.

 

[Tin Man]

OPI should be reclassified OGI (official game interference)