Football time in Tennessee!

Once upon a time, in a world pre-Jake, I was not a football fan. I actually was pretty oblivious to the game and had no idea what really happened on the field. As Jake and I started dating, that changed pretty quickly. I learned what "downs" were, how to tell who was on offense and who was on defense, and what got what score.

My first year at UT, I got my first taste of Tennessee football. While I still cared little about the game itself, the traditions that make UT football legendary soon became part of my life as a UT student. As I spent my fall Saturdays gearing up in orange and heading over to Neyland, I came to love everything Tennessee football.

This is my second football season away from Neyland. Last year, the pain was dulled by a miserable season on Rocky Top. I had the LSU Tigers to distract me from the depression that was Fulmer's last season. Yet this year we've got a new coach, and thus a new lease on life. Watching Tennessee football on TV, seeing everyone's pictures on facebook, and reading status updates on Twitter make me home sick for Rocky Top.

One of the things I miss the most about Tennessee football is the routine Jake and I fell into our last years on Rocky Top. We'd start the morning by watching GameDay on Espn. We'd then head over to OCI for cheese bings - walking down the strip and taking in all the sights and sounds. Walking back towards campus, we'd walk off those bings by trapsing all over the campus visiting our friends' tailgates. We'd tailgate hop, visiting with friends, until about 30 minutes before kick off, when we had to go on into the stadium. Getting to experience UT football with Jake and making those memories with him is so important to me and I am so glad to have done it.

I didn't start out college thinking I'd get homesick for UT every time I felt a slight chill in the air, heard a marching band practicing, or ate rotel but now I can't help myself. I'm a VOL through and through and even appreciate the technique of football a bit now!