gchatz w/ rachel

just got done firing rachel up, and now i'm going to do it for you too.

me: ARE YOU FEELING AWESOME ABOUT TOMORROW
rachel: YESSSS
i cant even hardly stand it
it feels like college days
that glimmer of hope
that chance that ill see goal posts go down
it feels so vintage UT!
basically, i feel alive again
me: i know
i think we are now the favorite
rachel: i think so too, but i dont really want it
makes me too anxious
me: im not even worried at all
i feel like i KNOW we're going to win
rachel: really?
me: and decisively
rachel: i want to feel that way
i really do, but i cant get there
me: it just has to happen
we cant go on being losers any longer
rachel: no we cannot
and we wont
me: this is our moment
if not now....then i dont know when
rachel: you just gave me goose bumps
me: this is when all is set right in the world again
when things go back to normal
rachel: it does feel that way

me: MY PRESIDENT IS BLACK, AND THE TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS ARE WINNERS.

i know what you're wondering...

how is smokey feeling two games into the season, coming off his own injury?

well, i'll tell you. HE IS FIRED UP!

Tennessee isn't just more aggressive on defense this season. It's also more aggressive at the mascot position.

Backup long snapper Matt Giampapa experienced that firsthand last Saturday at Neyland Stadium.

"Smokey did nip Matt on the hip coming back on the field after halftime," said Jimmy Stanton, UT's associate athletic director for communications. "I am told that nothing remotely serious resulted from that." (via)

GIT 'EM SMOKE! (just not our players from now on, ok?!)