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Monday, October 25, 2010
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Issue 46
E D I T O R I A L L Y
PUBLISHED SINCE 1906
S T U D E N T
Reggae comes to Knoxville in form of duppy a jamba
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DiPietro elected next UT president After extended search process, committee chooses close-to-home candidate according to DiPietro, is the matriculation within the UT institutions, citing initiatives aiming at the important goal of Tennesseans obtaining degrees in shorter times. DiPietro outlined three areas of focus in an attempt to increase accessibility for students. “No. 1, we always have to recruit talented people,” DiPietro said. “No. 2, the advantage we have is the Oak Ridge National Lab. If we want to reach the top 25, we’ve got to take advantage to that. And lastly, we have to make sure we work with the medical center to make sure they have a lot to do
op a five-year comprehensive compensation approach for compensation of our salary, salaries of our faculty and staff.” The election as president of the UT system is a reversal of roles in some respects. DiPietro is now expected to work with The UT Board of Trustees concluded its presidential and also manage fellow peers in a greater capacity. search this past Friday with the election of Joe DiPietro as the Before joining UT, DiPietro served with Chancellor Jimmy 24th UT system president. Cheek at the University of Florida as dean of the College of Out of 71 applicants for the position of president, the vote Veterinary Medicine from 1997 to 2006. from the Board came down to two candidates, DiPietro and “Jimmy and I have traded roles back and forth, and I’ll Brian Noland, producing an 11-10 vote in DiPietro’s favor. remind him that he was an assistant dean when I was a dean Though a single vote at Florida.” DiPietro said. determined the election, “There is not a problem with trustee Karl Schledwitz prethat. We disagreed at the viously assured everyone that University of Florida, but it’s whoever was elected would about getting the job done. have complete support of the At times you have to agree to Board. disagree. I don’t see that “This is going to be a very being problematic at all.” divided vote, but I hope that According to the search the message coming out of committee, Noland is the here is that this is not a dividchancellor of the West ed board,” Schledwitz said. Virginia Higher Education “A divided vote is different Policy Commission and has than a divided board.” previously served as associIn his last president’s ate executive director at the report to the Board, Interim Tennessee Higher Education President Jan Simek Commission and was responacknowledged the gravity of sible for helping develop and choosing the best candidate implement the Tennessee for UT system president. Education Lottery “Selection of the president Scholarship program. is a critical decision that In a little more than five must be made well and with months, the search firm great thought,” Simek said. Witt/Kieffer, given a budget “We must keep focus on what of around $212,000, is best for UT as a whole.” embarked on an effort to proSimek reiterated the duce the widest range of responsibilities set by the accomplished applicants who Board for the next UT presimeet the qualifications set by dent, which included serving George Richardson • The Daily Beacon the board. as the face and voice of Joe DiPietro greets visitors after his first press conference as UT system president on Friday, Oct. 22. DiPietro Though the search comTennessee in higher educa- came to UT in 2006 as the vice president for agriculture and rose to chancellor of the Institute of Agriculture mittee fielded applicants tion. before being named president of the entire UT system early Friday. from across the United DiPietro has served as States, the exhaustive search chancellor since 2006 and oversees the UT Extension, ended with the Board of Trustees choosing one of UT’s own AgResearch, the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural with getting us there.” Just hours after being named UT president-elect, DiPietro for the first time since President Joe Johnson’s service from Resources and the College of Veterinary Medicine. DiPietro said that experience is a key quality that he will fielded questions regarding tuition increases and faculty 1991 through 1999. salary issues. DiPietro has not set an official date to assume office but be bringing to the position of president. “The key is that when you go through those procedures already set his first priority of assembling a team and begin“I’ve been at three major land grants now,” DiPietro said. “I’ve been faculty member, I’ve been an assistant director, and you work with tuition and figure out what you have to do ning the communication process. DiPietro has earned his bachelor’s, doctor of veterinary associate dean, assistant dean and now a vice president and a to keep the place moving, you always need to be wary of the fact of that you need to create financial help for those students medicine and master’s degrees at the University of Illinois, chancellor. I think that experience is what prepares me and who need it,” DiPietro said. “I think we’re on the right track Urbana. He and his wife, Deb, have three children and six knowing what the land grant mission is about.” One of the biggest challenges facing the UT system, now with the compensation advisory board. We need to devel- grandchildren.
Kyle Turner
News Editor
Program pairs students with alumni David Johnson Staff Writer Since 2009, the Tennessee Apprentice Program has been working to introduce undergraduate students to alumni in their respective fields. Established through the Office of Alumni Affairs, the program is designed to support and motivate students, especially during the crucial transition from college to a career. The program’s self-proclaimed mission is “to serve students and alumni of the institution’s flagship campus through mentoring partnerships.” It achieves this goal by giving students an opportunity to preview what life is like in their prospective line of work. Patrick Wade, director of alumni programs at UT, explained how the program works. “The program is a job-shadowing opportunity that connects alumni with students who wish to learn more about a specific career field,” Wade said. “The Tennessee Apprentice Program enables students to shadow alumni for one day in Knoxville, in their hometowns or in another city of their choice during the months of March and April.” Undergraduate students are paired with alumni who know their particular field well, have experienced the same coursework and who genuinely want them to succeed. “An apprenticeship allows students to explore potential future careers and connect with alumni who have been in your shoes and want to help guide you in the right direction,” Wade said. Mike Keith, alumni mentor, sees the program as a way to give back to the university and help encourage future students in his career field. “My career was enhanced dramatically by
Tennessee grads who chose to give me their time, their attention and their advice,” Keith said. “Fellow Vols made the difference for me at key moments. Through the Tennessee Apprentice Program, I hope that I can do the same thing for this next generation.” Each student apprentice spends a full, mutually agreed-upon day following his or her alumni mentor through a normal day of their career. Throughout the day, mentors are encouraged to give their student a taste of daily life and introduce them to some of the responsibilities their jobs entail. Many of the participants are given various demonstrations, and some even receive hands-on training. Regardless of whether the student is fully committed to his or her career or still on the fence, Wade assures that the Tennessee Apprentice Program is an invaluable experience. “Students may find that a prospective field is just what they had always hoped it would be, or they may find that a field of interest is much different than expected,” he said. “Interested students have nothing to lose and a lot to gain by signing up for the program.” As far as eligibility goes, the Tennessee Apprentice Program is for any undergraduate student at UT who is interested in an opportunity to experience his or her career field of interest firsthand. Former applicants and participants in the program are also welcome to apply. While the dates vary from year to year, applications for students wishing to participate in the 2011 Tennessee Apprentice Program are currently available, and all submissions must be made before Jan. 21, 2011. For more information on how to apply for a student or alumni position in the program, visit alumni.utk.edu/apprentice.
George Richardson • The Daily Beacon
The colors of fall line the sidewalks for students heading to and from class along Andy Holt Avenue on Friday, Oct. 22. The hottest summer on record for Knoxville has finally come to a close with mild temperatures in the forecast for the next week.
2 • The Daily Beacon
InSHORT
Monday, October 25, 2010
Wade Rackley • The Daily Beacon
Fireworks go off as players run through the T at the opening of the Alabama game Saturday, Oct. 23. While fireworks came early, thanks to a 59-yard touchdown run by Tauren Poole, they failed to come often as the Vols fell to the Tide 41-10.
Oct. 20
Crime Log
A UT student reported that some items were stolen from her gold 1995 Honda Accord while it was parked in the N21 Laurel Avenue and 16th Street parking lot between 7 p.m. on Oct. 17 and noon on Oct. 19. A UT student reported that his bicycle was stolen when he left it parked outside the Humanities building between 5 p.m. and 7:20 p.m. A UT student reported that her student ID was stolen while she was studying in the second floor, North Commons computer lab in Hodges Library. A UT staff member reported that a former student checked out a loaner laptop from the Hodges Library circulation desk and did not return it. The staff member stated that the suspect checked out the laptop at 9:42 a.m. on Jan. 30, 2009. —Compiled by Robbie Hargett Compiled from a media log provided to the Daily Beacon by the Universty of Tennessee Police Department. All persons arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. People with names similar or identical to those listed may not be those identified in reports.
1881— Pablo Picasso, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century, is born in Malaga, Spain. Picasso’s father was a professor of drawing, and he bred his son for a career in academic art. Picasso had his first exhibit at age 13 and later quit art school so he could experiment full-time with modern art styles. He went to Paris for the first time in 1900, and in 1901 was given an exhibition at a gallery on Paris’ rue Lafitte, a street known for its prestigious art galleries. The precocious 19-year-old Spaniard was at the time a relative unknown outside Barcelona, but he had already produced hundreds of paintings. Winning favorable reviews, he stayed in Paris for the rest of the year and later returned to the city to settle permanently. The work of Picasso, which comprises more than 50,000 paintings, drawings, engravings, sculptures, and ceramics produced over 80 years, is described in a series of overlapping periods. His first notable period — the “blue period” — began shortly after his first Paris exhibit. In works such as The Old Guitarist (1903), Picasso painted in blue tones to evoke the melancholy world of the poor. The blue period was followed by the “rose period,” in which he often depicted circus scenes, and then by Picasso’s early work in sculpture. In 1907, Picasso painted the groundbreaking work Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, which, with its fragmented and distorted representation of the human form, broke from previous European art. Les Demoiselles d’Avignon demonstrated the influence on Picasso of both African mask art and Paul Cezanne and is seen as a fore-
runner of the Cubist movement, founded by Picasso and the French painter Georges Braque in 1909. In Cubism, which is divided into two phases, analytical and synthetic, Picasso and Braque established the modern principle that artwork need not represent reality to have artistic value. Major Cubist works by Picasso included his costumes and sets for Sergey Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes (1917) and The Three Musicians (1921). Picasso and Braque's Cubist experiments also resulted in the invention of several new artistic techniques, including collage. After Cubism, Picasso explored classical and Mediterranean themes, and images of violence and anguish increasingly appeared in his work. In 1937, this trend culminated in the masterpiece Guernica, a monumental work that evoked the horror and suffering endured by the Basque town of Guernica when it was destroyed by German war planes during the Spanish Civil War. Picasso remained in Paris during the Nazi occupation but was fervently opposed to fascism and after the war joined the French Communist Party. Picasso’s work after World War II is less studied than his earlier creations, but he continued to work feverishly and enjoyed commercial and critical success. He produced fantastical works, experimented with ceramics and painted variations on the works of other masters in the history of art. Known for his intense gaze and domineering personality, he had a series of intense and overlapping love affairs in his lifetime. He continued to produce art with undiminished force until his death in 1973 at the age of 91. —This Day in History is courtesy of History.com.
Monday, October 25, 2010
NEWS thousands of responses to survey questions from 1952 to 2006. This isn’t because the poor do not know their financial situation. In fact, the authors found that the poor were more acutely aware of wealth differences than the rich to the point of overstatement. Instead, the authors speculate that elites such as political leaders play a large role in distracting and shaping public opinion about issues such as welfare. The authors also believe the media may be a key factor in how government programs are framed in the public eye. For instance, in good economic times the media focus on individual achievement, which may influence the poor to oppose government programs. During bad economic times, the media focuses on people being down on their luck and the government helping them. Kelly is currently working to determine the causes of his surprising finding. He hopes his next discovery may help halt the seemingly inexorable rise in inequality.
UT Professor finds economic inequality self-reinforcing When the gap between the haves and have-nots gets larger, one would think the have-nots would want more help, most likely in the form of government programs, to fight rising inequities. Not so, Nate Kelly, assistant professor of political science at UT said. Kelly, along with Peter Enns of Cornell University, conducted a study analyzing economic inequality and public opinion toward government intervention. The study has been published in the October edition of the American Journal of Political Science and can be viewed by visiting http://web.utk.edu/~nkelly/papers/inequality/KellyEnns_preprint.pdf What he found defies expectations. As the rich become richer and the poor become poorer, both sides reduce their support for government programs such as welfare. This desire only increases as the economic gap widens. Therefore, inequality is a self-perpetuating phenomenon. The researchers came to this conclusion by analyzing hundreds of
UT Board of Trustees approves fundraising proposal The UT Board of Trustees approved a proposal to boost UT’s system-wide fundraising efforts by transitioning to an interdependent foundation model. The board ended its meeting by electing Joe DiPietro, UT Institute of Agriculture chancellor, as the University’s next president. For more information about DiPietro, visit http://www.tennessee.edu/. The Foundations Study Committee, created by the board in 2008, has reviewed the effectiveness of the UT Foundation, which is currently a small fundraising arm dependent on the University for support. Most of the University’s fundraising efforts are centered in the Office of Development with officers on each campus. The committee recommended changing the UT Foundation to an interdependent foundation, which would require less direct support from the University. The goal would be to raise at least $100 million more a year by 2020. Structurally, certain UT development staff would
Joy Hill • The Daily Beacon
Dreama Davidson of VYB Dance Company leads students during I AM DANCE in the UC Ballroom on Thursday, Oct. 21. Davidson is famous for her work with performers like Brooke Hogan, NFL cheerleaders, Jadakiss and Montell Jordan.
The Daily Beacon • 3 be leased to the foundation, and the UT Foundation’s affiliation agreement with the University would have to be altered. Tennessee Comptroller Justin Wilson attended the meeting and spoke in favor of the proposal. With approval from the trustees, the university can now seek approval from the General Assembly during next year’s legislative session. Interim President Jan Simek gave his final report to the board as he will return to the UT faculty when the next president takes office. In other action, the board approved a program of study leading to the degree of Ph.D. in energy science and engineering at UT. The program is integral to the Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education (CIRE), set to open this coming fall. In collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, students will be able to specialize in nuclear energy, bioenergy and biofuels, renewable energy, energy conversion and storage, distributed energy and grid management and environmental and climate sciences related to energy. The program is expected to bring in 20-40 new graduate students per year. CIRE also is home to the UTK-ORNL Distinguished Graduate Fellowship Program. The center was launched with $6.2 million in startup funding, provided through a one-time commitment of Gov. Phil Bredesen to UT. The board also approved a master plan for UT Martin, which includes proposals for new academic buildings and student housing, approved bylaw amendments concerning the now vacant Chief Internal Auditor position, authorizing the chair of the Audit Committee to make interim appointments and to identify candidates for recommendation to the Audit Committee and approved the agreement between the UT Health Science Center and Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital for a new pediatric specialty faculty group practice that will allow the children’s hospital and the University to jointly recruit highly trained, highly sought-after pediatric specialists to Memphis.
4 • The Daily Beacon
Monday, October 25, 2010
OPINIONS
Tops &Bottoms
Rocky
Falling — The UT student at the feet of the Tide master In Star Wars, young Anakin Skywalker is taken under the wing of Obi-Wan Kenobi to learn the ways of the Jedi, a task Kenobi is convinced will ensure that the galaxy one day be rid of evil. Instead, as most of American pop culture could attest to, Anakin Skywalker becomes the twisted villain Darth Vader, the persona that ultimately helps Skywalker defeat and kill an elderly ObiWan en route to attempted dominance over the universe. Every student must one day leave his or her master and, if teachings served the student well, defeat the master at his or her own game. On Saturday, UT fans saw a young Derek Dooley and his Vols do the exact opposite: fall to the dark lord of the coaching universe in Alabama’s Nick Saban. Dooley, who coached under Saban at LSU, has routinely credited the Crimson Tide’s leader as his mentor, but Saturday’s 41-10 drubbing at the hands of the boys from Tuscaloosa exemplified two things: the talent discrepency between the two rosters and the sizable mountain Dooley needs to climb in order to reach Saban, who currenly sits at the mountain’s peak. Though Alabama only dominated the Vols for one half of football on Saturday — three touchdowns in the third quarter don’t lie — it’s entirely likely that Saban isn’t looking over his shoulder to worry about Dooley’s Vols anytime soon.
Columns of The Daily Beacon are reflections of the individual columnist, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or its editorial staff.
Poetry overlooked as form of entertainment No tes on A r t a n d L i te ra t u re
Rising — Zombies in downtown Knoxville
by Just when it appeared safe to venture into downtown Knoxville, zombies put a damper on the fun. Not really, but large masses of the undead did fill Market Square on Saturday afternoon for an event benefiting the Second Harvest Food Bank. The event, known as the Knoxville Zombie Walk, also served as part of Thrill the World, which aims to break the record for most people simultaneously dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Those in attendance featured zombie costumes and fake blood, a sight that surely made Alabama fans think twice about returning to Knoxville in the future. Soon after, the zombies did exactly what zombies tend to do in their spare time: dance to “Thriller.” The Beacon hopes this sudden burst of zombie population doesn’t deter students and other Knoxvillians alike from venturing downtown — trust us, things aren’t as scary as they seem. Rising — Juan Williams on Fox News In a move that cannot currently be discerned as either spite or irony, Fox News has offered a contract to the guy that they kind of helped get fired. Juan Williams, the now-former news analyst for National Public Radio, was canned last week for his remarks on Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor” related to Muslims in traditional garb on airplanes. “I’m not a bigot,” Williams said. “You know the kind of books I’ve written about the civil rights movement in this country. But when I get on the plane, I got to tell you, if I see people who are in Muslim garb and I think, you know, they are identifying themselves first and foremost as Muslims, I get worried. I get nervous. “Now, I remember also that when the Times Square bomber was at court, I think this was just last week. He said the war with Muslims, America’s war is just beginning, first drop of blood. I don’t think there’s any way to get away from these facts. But I think there are people who want to somehow remind us all as President Bush did after 9/11, it’s not a war against Islam.” When host Bill O’Reilly injected his comments about the Islamic Mosque that had been proposed to be built on Ground Zero, Williams went on to add, “Hold on, because if you said Timothy McVeigh, the Atlanta bomber, these people who are protesting against homosexuality at military funerals — very obnoxious — you don’t say first and foremost, ‘We got a problem with Christians.’ That’s crazy.” NPR apparently thought this was enough to sack Williams, as he was not within NPR policy. Luckily for Williams, Rupert Murdoch felt a little differently from NPR. Fox News kindly offered Williams a $2-million, three-year contract on the network, with more extensive air-time and input. Here’s to one door closing, right? THE DAILY BACON • Blake Tredway
Amien Essif
This summer I was designated as the official lawnmower of my parents’ yard. After the novelty wore off and I grew bored, it occurred to me that I could listen to my iPod while I mowed. But my second epiphany was that I didn’t have an iPod. This is no accident, either. It has always been my philosophy that when I’m outside, I don’t want to be looking at a screen or plugging my ears, even with good music. But I thought of another option, one that seemed out of place for someone of my generation, and thus all the more exciting: I would memorize poetry. In fact, I had already been carrying Tennyson’s “Ulysses” in my wallet for some time now, but I rarely took the time to re-read it. The pleasure I got from keeping the poem in my wallet was more like the pleasure one gets from having a tattoo on one’s butt cheek: You never see it, but you sometimes get the chills when you realize you’re sitting on something special. Anyway, before attacking the lawn in the blazing heat of Knoxville’s worst summer on record, I read over “Ulysses” a few times and tried to get the first couple of verses into my head. Then, as I mowed, I started from the beginning: “It little profits that an idle king, by this still hearth, among these barren crags ...” And if I forgot a word or a line, I would just skip to the next one I knew. “I cannot rest from travel; I will drink life to the lees ...” These lines gave me chills as I mauled down pine cones and maple twigs, no less so as I write them now. By July, I had the poem memorized, and I would recite it every now and then to myself or to a friend if the situation evoked it. It seemed like a cool trick, and I felt like I had done something useful and permanent for myself. But the real beauty of it didn’t hit me until later when I was sitting on a bench in Chicago, peoplewatching along the lakefront. If I had had an iPod then, I would have been listening to music. But I didn’t, so I started reciting “Ulysses” in a silent voice — a recitation coming from within.
Jim Holt, in an essay for the New York Times, writes, “Mere memorization (of poetry) gives way to performance ... It’s a physical feeling, and it’s a deeply pleasurable one. You can get something like it by reading the poem out loud off the page, but the sensation is far more powerful when the words come from within.” I’ll admit here that while I have “Ulysses” memorized, word for archaic word, I don’t know what much of it means. But as I said one of these mysterious lines to myself — “Life piled on life/Were all too little, and of one to me/Little remains ...” — the meaning hit me like a shiver of air or a first swig of wine. Ulysses is dying, I thought. Life piled on life is not enough to satisfy him, yet he only has a little of his one life left to him. I let the tragedy of this hit me in the poetic way, where you don’t feel the pain of it, only the beauty. And I wondered what it would be like if I had a hundred poems or a thousand poems memorized. As an English major, I’ve read or skimmed my fair share of the Great Classics, but for half of them, I couldn’t recount the plot, much less revisit individual lines and turned phrases. It’s a shame that I don’t carry these words around with me, and I’m always reminded of Bradbury’s “Farenheit 451” in which the survivors of a cultural holocaust recall all the words to all the books they had ever read in order to recreate human cultural history. Fifty years ago — and most parents and grandparents will attest to this — students were taught poetry through memorization. I don’t resent the current emphasis on critical thinking, of course, but it is sad that we’ve more or less dropped our cultural inheritance on the road to some new ideal student: the student with access to so much information that he or she has no time for any individual piece of art. Poetry now is seen as “easy” literature because it is short and usually available on the Internet for free. But poems as individual creations have become decorations rather than culminations of experience. Therefore, memorize a poem. Find a favorite, something that made you shiver when you first read it, and put it in your head. It is nothing short of discovering a new way to appreciate art. And you won’t need and iPod. —Amien Essif is a senior in English. He can be reached at aessif@utk.edu.
Justice system has flaws, but still works A Vie w fr om t h e B ot to m by
Wiley Robinson
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The Daily Beacon is published by students at The University of Tennessee Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Tuesday and Friday during the summer semester. The offices are located at 1340 Circle Park Drive, 5 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0314. The newspaper is free on campus and is available via mail subscription for $200/year, $100/semester or $70/summer only. It is also available online at: http://utdailybeacon.com. LETTERS POLICY: The Daily Beacon welcomes all letters to the editor and guest columns from students, faculty and staff. Each submission is considered for publication by the editor on the basis of space, timeliness and clarity. Contributions must include the author’s name and phone number for verification. Students must include their year in school and major. Letters to the editor and guest columns may be e-mailed to letters@utk.edu or sent to Zac Ellis, 1340 Circle Park Dr., 5 Communications Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-0314. The Beacon reserves the right to reject any submissions or edit all copy in compliance with available space, editorial policy and style.
Saturday night in the Fort, I happened by a scene on 17th and Laurel, just a bit above that annoying four-way stop above Nero’s and Fort Sanders Yacht Club: Two huge, shirtless white males were stomping around in what was hopefully an artificially induced rage, demanding any passing group of two or more guys to fight them. The real momentum was coming from this enormous young man whose body looked like something out of Street Fighter. He would run around, bellowing incomprehensible challenges and actually assault people passing by with hard shoves and total area violation. While the other, smaller guy got in his share of meaningless intimidation, he did not stomp around quite as hard, assault people as much or cry out for blood quite as loudly as his steroid-munching friend. Almost immediately upon coming across this — the kind of stuff you have no choice but to stop and watch — the couple was harassing and intimidating a group of five or more white dudes with guttural noises, shoves, facial and body gestures; of this group, the two largest started visually preparing for fisticuffs. At one point, the scene perfectly resembled an arcade fighting game, with two opponents facing each other in rhythmic, looping, fighting stances, lacking only health meters. But then somebody got punched in the face, and a sloppy but genuine fight broke out. It’s very hard to tell if the fighters — probably your average, grocery-shopping members of society during the day — had some sort of unconscious social contract with each other to not severely injure, or if they were really just that bad at fighting, because nobody got seriously hurt. After the larger group dispersed, and the huge, insane dude took a few minutes to yell some more in apparent victory, the couple started really harassing people who obviously didn’t want to fight. But before I could reach my phone to call the police — a renewed empathy for the bullied suddenly washing away the novelty of the situation — a brown pickup truck with two guys who had had a minor role in the previous fight pulled up next to the instigators.
Upon confidently disembarking the truck, it became apparent that one of them was brandishing a handgun. I can only guess that these dudes were attempting to make up for their lack of involvement in the fight by utilizing the power of the great equalizer — perhaps bringing a gun into a well-lit, high-traffic area on a homegame night seemed like a good idea at the time. Ironic how the people who actually did the least fighting took the situation the most seriously. He pointed the pistol at the steroid guy (who’s the alpha now, huh?), whose body language suddenly became very neutral. Upon seeing the handgun, his higher brain functions, which did not appear to have existed, were suddenly tapping on the shoulder of his self-indulgent primal instinct whose “night out” it had been: “This is the last time crystal meth gets to plan the evening, primal instinct.” Terrified yet completely intrigued, I had to keep watching and find out if the irrational, adrenaline-fueled behavior had reached its cap or if there was still more to come, but nary 45 seconds after the brandishing of the pistol did a police officer serendipitously drive past, stop and authoritatively hop to bust some heads. Higher brain functions ruled the day once more, and the four quarrelers started to nonchalantly walk away pretty quick. Maybe they got arrested, maybe they shot it out, but the police report is probably in this very paper. The point is, all of chaos and lawlessness of this uncommon display of recklessness didn’t have the gravity of the cop’s assertive gait. At first, I was incredulous at the interruption of my social observations, but the sudden presence of law and order in this “Lord of the Flies” world I had been in for past six or seven minutes was inspiring. These two guys completely broke the boundary of even the terrible things I find appropriate; they were verbally and physically assaulting bystanders with great animation and intensity, and they were subsequently threatened with the novel occurrence of “vigilante” retribution. But under American law, the guys who brought the gun to the party, no matter how selfish or selfless the reason, are in way deeper trouble than the the physical assaulters. A public disturbance on the route I walk to school that was characteristic of a third-world country (or at least somewhere slightly farther from an American university) was diffused with expedience and certainty. With all of the injustice in our justice system, I was grateful for this intervention. —Wiley Robinson is an undecided sophomore. He can be reached at rrobin23@utk.edu.
Monday, October 25, 2010
The Daily Beacon • 5
ENTERTAINMENT
Duppy brings reggae to the Strip Country star comes out of retirement Chris Bratta Staff Writer Knoxville’s music scene received a different sound Wednesday. Duppy a jamba, a reggae group from the greater Cincinnati area, provided a different sound for the Strip’s oldest rock ‘n’ roll venue, the Longbranch Saloon. This group has a unique mixture of percussive and melodic instruments that lend to their sound. “We play a mix of reggae, rocksteady and jazz music that is geared towards making people dance and have fun,” Brian Gilronan, duppy a jamba’s saxophone player, said. Gilronan, as the lone horn player in the group, received multiple praises from the audience as he serenaded them with his instrument. “I think it was interesting that people kept screaming for more Brain (Gilronan’s nickname),” said J. Duckworth, the group’s guitarist and vocalist. Jeff Rickels, who plays djembe, and Daniel Peterson, who plays the drum kit, moved the audience with their simultaneous and syncopated rhythms. Their mid-set drum break showed an amazing grasp of musicianship. Additionally, Michael Felger on bass and Ax Duckworth on organ provided the backing needed to produce this style of music. Duppy a jamba has visited Knoxville at least once every year for the last three years, and it does not plan on stopping.
“We really do love playing at the Longbranch, and we would like to get down here more often,” Gilronan said. “The stop in Knoxville is a relatively short drive when looking at their overall goal, to get to New Orleans.” On this tour, the group will be playing old songs, as well as a new song from its unreleased record “Licking River Rocksteady.” The record will be coming out next year. “It is going to be pretty much rocksteady and early reggae,” Duckworth said of the new record. “It will be a lot more organ sounding. It is a little more thought out and have more of a diminished tempo.” Gilronan added that, “it is more of a concept album than the last one.” With six people packed on the stage playing charged music, their live show was extremely intense. The soulful and worldly sounds resonating from their instruments sparked a sense of enjoyment from the crowd, which rarely gets to enjoy reggae performances in Knoxville. Additionally, duppy a jamba provided a sense of reggae and rocksteady that is unique to the genre itself. The band’s music can be heard at www.myspace.com/duppyjamba, and it can be added on Facebook. Much like the name of this band, its musical performance stuck out to the audience, and its sound was on par with other touring acts. Duppy a Jamba provided a brief, but well received, taste of Knoxville’s northern neighbors.
says Williams' return comes with an important reminder. Associated Press “He’s one of those people, when you lisNASHVILLE — Don Williams isn’t ten to those old records, reminds you that doing interviews now that he’s come out of you don't have to scream at people to get your point across,” the singer said. “We retirement, but that’s no problem. His return has his fans in the business went through this style of music in doing plenty of talking about the laid-back Nashville where it was the Jeffrey Steele icon who has launched a tour and is being school of songs, where it was, ‘Rah rah rah inducted into the Country Music Hall of rah rah rah.’ It was a great thing for Nashville and we had a good time doing it. Fame on Sunday. Williams will miss the ceremony with a But at the same time, let’s dial it back again and let it be more about case of bronchitis, his the song and hearing manager Robert Pratt somebody sing. I had to said. But Williams’ dial myself back and go influence will be celeremember what a brated and can still melody is.” be heard on the radio Williams grew up in today in singers like Texas and spent the Joe Nichols and Josh early part of his career Turner. And Keith in rock, country and Urban recently namefolk groups. He started checked Williams, a solo career in 1971 saying the voice of and scored his first hit “The Gentle Giant” in 1974. His first No. 1 reached across the was “I Wouldn't Want to globe to him in Live If You Didn’t Love Australia and drew Me” and 42 of his 46 him to country singles landed in the music. top 10 from 1974 to “He’s the epitome 1991. He won the of what we want to Music be,” said Rory Feek, • Photo courtesy of Don Williams Country Association's awards of Joey and Rory, who have been opening up for Williams on for best male vocalist and best single for his tour. “He walks out with a cup of coffee “Tulsa Time” in 1978. He’ll be inducted and sits on a barstool and sings songs and into the Hall of Fame along with the late just visits with the audience. And we love Jimmy Dean. Williams, who still wears his trademark that for 30 years he can just be himself and not have to change anything, and it endears short-brimmed cowboy hat and beard, won fans with his rich voice and unique storypeople so much.” Williams announced his retirement in telling style. Among those admirers was 2006 and completely disappeared from the Feek family. Rory Feek’s father loved public life. The 71-year-old’s induction Williams and his songs hold a special meanbrought the spotlight back to a man who ing for the family. The chance to tour with had 17 No. 1 hits, but wasn’t often on the Williams came with many emotions. “I grew up with songs like, ‘She Never shortlist when today’s fans tick off their Knew Me,’ — he just played them a 100 favorites. The genre turned in a different direction million times,” Feek said. “So anything in the 1990s and early 2000s. First came having to do with Don is special. I told my honky-tonks, then rock riffs echoing off sister about it and she just broke down arena walls, shouldering aside his deep bawling because it’s so close to home for voice and gentle delivery. Randy Houser us.”
• Photo courtesy of duppy a jamba
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35 Viva ___ 36 Does some mending 37 Pleased 38 Suffix with Siam 39 Daring 40 Roger who played 007 41 Batter’s position 43 It might produce a snore in Sonora 44 Capital of Suffolk, England 46 Hold 47 Saying “Please” and “How do you do?,” say 48 Tense 49 Chief Norse god 50 “Blondie” cartoonist is not old? 56 Chop up 57 Anouk of le cinéma 58 Mongols’ home 59 Fifth Avenue landmark 60 Lords and ladies 61 Retained
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6 • The Daily Beacon
Monday, October 25, 2010
ENTERTAINMENT
Kings of Leon releases new album, ‘Sundown’ Associated Press NEW YORK — The Kings of Leon took more than musical cues when they opened a concert tour for U2 a few years back. They learned that ambition isn’t a dirty word. That lesson is clearly evident on “Come Around Sundown,” the rock band’s first collection of music since the hits “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” made them Grammywinning stars. The album cover’s palm trees recall the Eagles’ “Hotel California” (16 million sold) and the music inside is epic and inviting. “If the world is looking for a big band from our generation, we at least want to give it a shot,” said 28-year-old singer Caleb Followill, one of three brothers and a cousin in the group named for his grandfather. “We’ll put ourselves up there against anyone because we’re very competitive and we're family. Yeah, we’ll give it a shot. I’m not afraid to at least try.” The admission cuts against the grain of an ambivalence toward success that has run strong in the rock ‘n’ roll world — coinciding with its diminished influence as a force in popular culture — and the Kings’ own wrestling with good fortune. The Beatles and Elvis Presley never thought twice about wanting to be big stars. The attitude is different today, perhaps dating to Bruce Springsteen’s pulling back from his “Born in the USA” stardom and, especially, the suspicion that Pearl Jam and Nirvana felt about popularity. An underground ethos took hold. Most rock artists prefer being part of a subculture and don’t make the effort to break through to a wider audience, said Brian Hiatt, senior writer at Rolling Stone magazine. “It has kind of messed with fans’ heads and confused fans about what is acceptable and what is not,” he said. The quality of work almost doesn’t matter; many fans will simply dump a band when they become popular, he said. For four albums, the Kings of Leon were
underground darlings in the United States, with more mainstream appeal overseas. Things changed with the “Only by the Night” disc in 2008. Buoyed by the hit songs, it sold north of 6 million copies. That messed with the Nashville, Tenn.based band’s heads. Followill told Spin magazine that they got bigger than they wanted to be. “You feel like you’ve done something wrong,” he told the magazine in December of last year, in a quote he’d live to regret. “That woman in mom jeans who never let me date her daughter? She likes
my music. ... Not cool.” Kings of Leon were approached to have their music covered on the Fox television musical series “Glee” and turned down the opportunity. Hiatt can see where the band is coming from. “If you want to be a rock star, you have to keep your credibility,” he said. “You need to be offending someone.” Followill acknowledged this week that the popularity initially scared him, making
him wonder if he had lost his edge. That’s when he thought back to his time spent with U2 — one of the few remaining rock bands that can fill a stadium yet remain a creative force. It’s not a bad life, traveling to gigs in plush jets instead of drafty vans. “You have to step up to the plate and say, ‘All right, do I have it in me to be one of the biggest bands?’” he said. “Even though that’s a lofty goal, you have to come to terms and say, ‘Can I take the pressure?’ We all agreed that we could. There are definite-
edges from being smoothed away. Yes, there are naysayers. The website The Zeitgeisty Report seemed visibly angry at the size of the bandwagon: “They’ve become the band that vacuous idiots and bimbos think is ‘edgy’ only they're anything but now.” But initial reviews have leaned positive. “They’ve made an album with an oldfashioned commitment to greatness, a determination to fashion something bold and original,” wrote Neil McCormick in the Telegraph newspaper in Britain, where the Kings are seeking their third No. 1 disc. Reaching the same spot here is a goal they may reach next week. It’s no coincidence the Kings released “Come Around Sundown” a week before Taylor Swift dropped her new disc. The Followill brothers Caleb, 31-year-old Nathan and 24-yearold Jared grew up as the sons of a fundamentalist Christian minister who traveled around the South. They sought big-city energy in recording the new disc in New York. The band, which also includes cousin Matthew Followill, 26, tends to kick around musical ideas in sound checks or in the studio, with Caleb retreating to write lyrics when they settle on a tune they like. Caleb's particularly proud of the song “Back Down South,” where the band invited friends to sing and add a fiddle. It illustrated the strengths of using the • Photo courtesy of AccuSoft Inc. studio as an instrument of experimentation, an approach ly times where we are second-guessing and he’d like to expand upon in future recordwondering why we thought that because ings. there is so much negative that comes along Their father resisted rock ‘n’ roll when with the positive. People are going to hate his sons were growing up, Followill said, you and people are going to want to see you and now he's one of their biggest fans. fail because you reach a certain level.” Caleb is also pleased to be making someAny remaining self-doubt wasn’t evident thing of the family name. Before, Followills in the music. Kings of Leon don’t fall prey mostly were known for painting houses. to an indie rock small sound, esoteric for “We’ve still got a lot of family painting the sake of being so. Guitars soar — U2 is homes,” he said. “But they’re wearing a handy reference point here, too — but Kings of Leon T-shirts while they’re doing Followill’s distinctive rough croon prevents it.”
Lady Antebellum plays at gas station Associated Press RICHFIELD, Wis. — More than 1,000 people showed up at a rural gas station Thursday to help Lady Antebellum relive its “worst gig ever.” The country trio played their hit song “Need You Now” along with two others during a free concert outside the Mayfield Mobil station in suburban Milwaukee. “This is definitely one of those things we will remember,” said singer Charles Kelley after the show. “Forever,” added singer Hillary Scott. On the opening day of Wisconsin’s deer hunting season in 2007, the fledgling group performed at a nearby truck stop-diner at 5:30 a.m. About 15 people were eating breakfast when they showed up with a local country radio station, WMIL. In February of this year, when a magazine asked the now multiplatinum-selling band to describe its worst gig ever, Kelley reached back to that moment. “It was at the butt-crack of dawn to kick off hunting season,” Kelley answered. “Everybody was sitting there eating. They didn’t know who the hell we were.” On Thursday, Kelley said his comments were taken out of context because he also said they had a lot of fun. After Thursday’s performance, Lady Antebellum took several audience questions. A woman asked if fame had changed them. “We hate people,” Kelley joked, drawing laughter from the crowd. “My heels have definitely gotten higher,” Scott said. She later added: “The three of us being in a band together, there’s very much a grounding effect. We don’t let any of us get the big heads.” Laurie Perry, 45, and Julie Aumann, 47, both of nearby Hartford, said they were among the original 15 or so people at the first appearance. “I remember them sitting at the table and Charles was a very nice guy and came up and shook our hand,” Perry said. “I didn’t really know who they were. They were singing up at the counter a little bit and I thought, ‘These guys are pretty good.’” They are big fans now. “I feel like now we are their original supporters so we came back, we’re loyal and we love them,” Perry said.
Monday, October 25, 2010
The Daily Beacon • 7
Vols, Lady Vols take opening meets Preston Peeden Staff Writer The Tennessee Vol and Lady Vol swim teams took to the water to face the Louisville Cardinals at the Allen Jones Aquatic Center on Thursday. This was the first combined dual meet for the Vols, and they emerged victorious on both sides. Men’s The men opened their regular season with a commanding win against the Cardinals, 197 to 103. Overall, out of a possible 15 men’s events, the Vols had someone finish first in all but four. One hero for the Vols was Budapest, Hungary, native Norbert Kovacs, who swam his way to three individual wins. “Norbert had a solid day,” UT head coach John Trembley said . One race that Trembley specifically pointed out was Norbert’s 200-yard butterfly, in which he faced a tough international competitor in Louisville’s Pedro Oliveira. In that race, Norbert was able to come back in the final 50 yards and touch out Oliveira at the wall, beating him by 0.2 seconds. “I really wanted to do my best,” Kovacs said. “Coach talked to me about making some changes this week, and I feel like I was able to make some of them.” On the boards, the Vols were able to take first, second and third in the 1- and 3-meter events. Michael Wright, the senior co-captain, took first in both events. In the 1-meter, he set a personal best and pool record with a score of 414 points. “I feel great, I hit a personal high and I feel I did my best,” Wright said. Other performances of note were turned in by Mike DeRocco, who won two individual events, and Ryan Harrison who took first in the 200-yard freestyle. On his team’s overall performance though,
Trembley was unimpressed, citing a loss of focus and intensity in the middle of the meet. “There were spots where we did (remain focused): Norbert’s 200 fly, Michael DeRocco’s swims today and of course diving,” Trembley said. “But we’ve got a long way to go.” Women’s Like the men, the Lady Vols downed the Cardinals 186-113. This meet was the first home meet for the team, and its first against Louisville since last year’s loss to the Cardinals on the final relay. Powered by three individual-event wins by freshman Linsay Gendron and a pool record for Kelsey Floyd in the 200-yard butterfly, the Lady Vols were able to cruise through the meet, placing first in all but three events. “Today was a nice day for us,” head coach Mike Kredich said. Kredich said that it was good to see several swimmers back in the water after time off from injuries, especially junior Jenny Connolly. Connolly returned strong from an abdominal surgery on the first of the month, taking first in two individual events and one relay. “I feel great,” Connolly said. “I did so much better than I thought I would.” Connolly’s swim in the 100-yard backstroke was good enough to make the NCAA Zone-B cut times. As for other performances, Kredich found one of the most impressive to be Linsay Gendron’s 200-yard freestyle. Gendron took first in the 200 with a time of 1:47:98. Her performance came as a surprise because it followed her victory in the 1000-yard freestyle, the event directly preceding the 200yard freestyle. “After the 1000, I had to reset, and I wanted to win,” Gendron said. “(And) that’s what I did.” On the boards, Victoria Lamp had a clean sweep of both events. The Lady Vols’ next meet will be Sept. 29 against Cumberland (Kentucky).
Joy Hill • The Daily Beacon
A UT swimmer powers ahead in the breaststroke during Tennessee’s first dual meet of the season against Louisville on Thursday, Oct. 21. Tennessee won the meet in large part because of performances from Norbert Kovacs, with three individual wins, and Michael Wright, who set a new record in the one-meter springboard event at Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center.
8 • The Daily Beacon
Simms, Bray forced into quarterback debate amidst sputtering Vol offense
THESPORTSPAGE
Monday, October 25, 2010
Alabama proves too much for Vols UT falls 41-10 as Vols’ defense proves unable to stop Tide in second half
Matt Dixon Sports Editor There’s an old saying in football that if you have two quarterbacks, you have none. While that might be a slight exaggeration, it has plenty of merit. When true freshman Tyler Bray entered the game early in the second quarter Saturday against Alabama, replacing starter Matt Simms, the Vols trailed the Crimson Tide 10-7. UT then committed three pre-snap penalties with Bray under center, going three-and-out and were forced to punt. Many Vols fans have wanted Bray to have the starting role since the team’s Orange and White game in the spring. Bray’s expectations for the season were tempered a bit after throwing an interception against UT-Martin in the team’s season opener. But at Georgia two weeks ago, Bray led a mostly freshmen offensive unit straight down the field against the Bulldogs before turning over the ball on downs near the UGA end zone. Message boards began to flood with posts about Bray getting more playing time. While Bray is more talented than Simms, and clearly the quarterback of the future on Rocky Top, he is still just a freshman. It’s been a long maturing process for the Kingsburg, Calif., native, both physically and mentally. Last Monday, UT coach Derek Dooley surprised some by saying the game plan heading into the Alabama game included getting Bray significant snaps, preferably in the first half. The experiment failed, no doubt about it. After the game, Simms said he was disappointed to be taken out of the game in such a critical situation but understood it was what the coaches wanted to do. “Yeah, they know exactly how I feel about that,” Simms said of the coaches. “I knew the plan going into the game was to get (Bray) a few drives or whatever. By the way things were going in the game at that moment, I really didn’t think that I was going to get taken out — later on in the game maybe. “They stayed true to their plan and I respect that, and I thank them for being honest with me, but at the same time those drives right there, I feel like I need to be out there, because I feel like I’m missing out on plays that could have been made or penalties that could have been avoided.” While Dooley has yet to see a revolving door at quarterback in Knoxville, Vols fans know all too well how it ends. In 2005, UT entered the season with a lofty preseason ranking of No. 3 in the country. Sophomore quarterback Erik Ainge was suppose to lead the Vols to an SEC title and possibly a national championship. Instead the Vols finished the year 5-6, and it was senior Rick Clausen, not Ainge, who was the most productive passer for the Vols. Whether Ainge was still recovering from a season-ending shoulder injury from the season before or was mentally not ready to handle a full playbook, he simply couldn’t repeat the success he had during his freshman campaign, when he helped lead the Vols to the SEC Eastern division title. In 2008, former five-star recruit Jonathan Crompton was ready to finally take over the starting quarterback duties for the Vols. Expectations were high, as he was being compared to fellow North Carolina native Heath Shuler. Crompton’s 2008 season was disastrous, especially the season opener at UCLA and the game at Auburn. Crompton was benched in favor of backup Nick Stephens and eventually Chattanooga-native B.J. Coleman at points late during the season . The 2008 Vols finished the season 5-7, in large part because of inept play from the quarterback position. While Simms’ play this year has been far better than the play of Ainge in ’05 and Crompton in ’08, UT coaches felt that Bray at least gave the team a better chance to win against Alabama. Because the experiment failed, Dooley will receive his fair share of criticism for the move. Maybe he deserves it. Regardless, Vols fans should remember how the ’05 and ’08 seasons transpired, especially at the quarterback position, before wanting Dooley to keep changing the Vols’ starting quarterback. As much as it pains some to admit, Dooley still knows more about this team than the 102,000 fans sitting in Neyland Stadium each Saturday.
UT coach Derek Dooley felt as though Bray wasn’t quite himself during the contest, but he did see signs of growth and maturity. “He struggled early,” Dooley said. “He didn’t look like himself that first series. Then he came out and did some things.
Tennessee headed to the locker room down 13-10 after executing a 47-second drive from its own 19-yard line. Simms orchestrated the drive by handing the New uniform tops, two quarterbacks ball off to Poole, who had runs of eight, and a half of defensive stops were not 13 and 15 yards, before freshman kicker enough for the Tennessee Volunteers to Michael Palardy hit a field goal from the topple No. 7 Alabama (7-1, 4-1 SEC) 33 yards out. Saturday, losing 41-10. “That defense is good,” The Vols (2-5, 0-4 SEC) Dooley said. “The problem battled for a half and seemed we’re having is (scoring to have a handle on slowing points). Our challenge is Alabama’s rushing attack, doing it consistently. We just as the last few Alabama score there and we’re still opponents had managed. clawing around, we’re still This set off a record night hanging around.” for Greg McElroy, Julio The momentum that was Jones and the Alabama passcreated with the end-of-half ing game, which saw Jones drive was quickly deflated set the Alabama single-game with a few passes between receiving yards school McElroy and Jones to start record with 221 yards on 12 the third quarter. catches. McElroy finished Jones, who ended the the night with 264 pass first half with 107 receiving yards, and the Crimson Tide yards, added two catches of defeated the Vols for the 38 and 19 yards to take fourth straight time, a streak Alabama down to the UT 1it hasn’t accomplished since yard line. Alabama’s Mark 1992. Ingram would punch in a Just as in last year’s game, touchdown from there, and Tennessee looked set to put the Tide would never look some pressure on the highly back, scoring 28 unanranked Crimson Tide. With swered second-half points. 8:44 remaining in the first Tennessee would eventuquarter, Vols running back ally drive down the field in Tauren Poole hit the left gap George Richardson• The Daily Beacon response to a Trent for a 59-yard rushing touchdown, putting the Vols on Tyler Bray gets sacked by three Alabama players on Richardson 65-yard runthe board first. Saturday, Oct. 23. The Vols worked a combination of Bray ning touchdown, but an Tennessee’s defense and Matt Simms at quarterback against the Tide but were errant pass attempt from Simms to Gerald Jones at seemed poised and ready to only able to put together 159 passing yards on the day. the goal line was picked off stop Alabama’s offense on by Alabama’s Robert Lester and returned key third downs, after Nick Reveiz hur- He’s still a freshman.” Simms, who finished 12-for-22 passing to the UT 20. ried McElroy on a third-and-seven from Bray, who finished the night 5-of-14 the UT 19-yard line, which forced with 117 yards, and Bray would continue to swap out throughout the game, each for 39 yards and was sacked twice, led Alabama to settle for a field goal. “As a defense we compete for a half — taking a series or two until Simms threw the Volunteer offense for the rest of the tackling, wrapping up the running backs, an interception at the goal line in the game, but the Alabama defense was too filling gaps,” Reveiz said. “The second middle of the third quarter and was much for the young signal caller and a half I thought we fell apart, which seems knocked down on the play. He would not Tennessee team that has had trouble return to the game. piecing together four solid quarters this to be a story that keeps coming.” The rushing attack for Tennessee season. Though Alabama was able to drive “The third quarter, obviously, was the down the field again after a Tennessee proved effective against a stingy three-and-out, it again had to settle for a Alabama defense. The long run by Poole difference,” Dooley said. “There were big field-goal attempt from the Tennessee 8- early would prove to be the only long run plays and some key throws to Julio yard line. The kick hit the left upright, he would break, but he still finished the (Jones). Then we made a bad decision on night with 117 yards on 14 carries, snap- third down-and-goal. The worst case, we and the Vols again found new life. Unfortunately, the orange offense con- ping Alabama’s 41-game streak of not could have cut it to 14 and climbed back allowing a 100-yard rusher since Ole in it. Give them a lot of credit. They’ve tinued to sputter. Tennessee backup quarterback Tyler Miss’ BenJarvus Green-Ellis ran for 131 got a really good, big, fast and physical team.” Bray completed his first first down of the on Oct. 13, 2007. “We still have a lot of things we are The Volunteers hit the road to game and then threw three incomplete passes. Bray took his first meaningful needing to work on,” Alabama defensive Columbia, S.C., to take on the South snaps at home for UT against a strong end Marcell Dareus said. "We are just Carolina Gamecocks at 12:21 p.m. coming into our own.” Saturday. SEC defense.
Colin Skinner
Assistant Sports Editor