By The Continuous News Desk

Published: October 7, 2007

  For three weeks, Tennessee’s football team has been a bunch of bums, unworthy of carrying on the program’s great tradition.
  But in the span of 8 1/2 hours Saturday, the Volunteers’ 59-20 loss Sept. 15 at Florida has almost been forgotten. Now, the focus is again on the present and what can be accomplished.
  Amazing how one excellent game and a second straight Florida loss can change the outlook.
  UT’s 35-14 woodshed job of Georgia, combined with the Gators’ epic 28-24 defeat at gritty LSU, now leaves the Vols in control of their East Division destiny.
  Granted, there are few easy games in the SEC, but the orange-clad team which cavorted up and down Neyland Stadium for 3 hours and 16 minutes Saturday sure looks a lot more capable than those guys who missed tackles and gave up long kick returns as though they were a dime a dozen during September.
  “You can go home and the wife will treat you differently,“ quipped defensive coordinator John Chavis.
  It was Chavis’ unit which set the tone with five 3-and-outs in the first half. Georgia’s dull game plan helped, but the Vols finally played like a typical SEC defense, stopping the run and hassling the opposing quarterback.
  “I think the defense played pretty good,“ reserve linebacker Ellix Wilson said. “We had fun.“
  It’s been said that few coaches circle the wagons quite like Tennessee’s Phillip Fulmer. That was proven again Saturday when the embattled leader had his team ready to play their best game in his most critical game since the 1998 national championship game.
  A loss would have dropped the Vols to 0-2 in the East and heated up Fulmer’s seat to even more uncomfortable readings.   
  Now, UT, South Carolina and Kentucky are the East’s only one-loss teams and the Vols still have games with both remaining.
  One game is an 8 percent sample size in a college football season, but if UT goes from here to nine or 10 wins and a good bowl game, it’ll be easy to find the season’s turning point.