Vols, Smokey Gray Jerseys, Georgia & What It All Means

Sep 28, 2013; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones during the second half against the South Alabama Jaguars at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 31 to 24. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Sometimes in life you just need that little extra.

The Tennessee Volunteers will be getting that little extra this Saturday when they take on the Georgia Bulldogs in Neyland Stadium.

The Vols will finally be putting those fancy new smokey gray uniforms to good use against Georgia.

Typically when the Vols go with different uniforms, good things happen, as Tennessee’s Jason Yellin pointed out today.

There’s something about wearing an alternate uniform that tends to give players that little bit of extra needed confidence. The Vols will need that extra confidence against a Georgia team that’s coming off a huge win over LSU.

Saturday’s game against Georgia is Butch Jones’ biggest game thus far as the Vols head coach.

Sure the games against Oregon and Florida were huge games, but this is Jones’ first home game against an SEC opponent.

The Vols have played three home game so far this season, against lackluster opponents.

A lot of fans were very disappointed with Tennessee’s play in their win over South Alabama this past Saturday. Butch Jones was understandably as upset, but he was able to focus on the fact that it was indeed a win.

In retrospect, the game against South Alabama had all the makings of a “trap game”. It was wedged in the midst of a brutal September/October schedule, right in between Florida and Georgia.

Neyland wasn’t it usual rocking self on Saturday and the players didn’t have the same enthusiasm as they did early in the season.

But the Vols came away with the win. In the win/loss column, the final score doesn’t matter.

A lot of fans have the thought process that success for the Vols this season can only be obtained by winning eight or so games. That’s just not logical.

Even the almighty Nick Saban didn’t win eight games during his first season with Alabama.

Saban went 7-6 during his first season in Tuscaloosa. His Crimson Tide squad narrowly defeated a pre-Kevin Sumlin Houston team at home, before losing in Tuscaloosa to Louisiana Monroe.

Of course Saban did have a few notable wins in first season. Specifically against #16 Arkansas and #20 Tennessee.

Which brings us to the Georgia game and those smokey gray uniforms.

So far Butch Jones has done about what we expected him to do. Everyone assumed the Vols would be 3-2 heading into their showdown with the Bulldogs, and that’s exactly where they are right now.

Jones gets a pass for this season due to the extreme lack of talent he’s inherited, but if he really wants to make his mark, he needs to do it against Georgia this week.

That’s why I think Jones chose the perfect time to break out the smokey gray jerseys.

Most folks assumed, and were hoping, that Tennessee would choose to use the jerseys during a night-game.

While I’m sure that was the original plan, it just so happens the Vols need a spark this weekend.

This is the Vols sixth game of the season. You don’t have to be a former college football player to realize the season is a grind. This will be the perfect way to get some extra blood pumping against Georgia.

On top of the added confidence it should give the players, it should also help get more fans in the stands.

Last weekend’s fan showing was, in a word, pitiful.

Neyland stadium is one of the greatest venues in all of sports. You get seven Saturdays a year to take in a football game at Neyland. I can’t understand why the stadium isn’t near capacity each and every home game.

Hopefully Neyland will be rocking 102,000 plus this Saturday.

The Vols will undoubtedly be more mentally focused. There’s no reason to believe that Tennessee can’t pull off the upset. Even though Georgia is coming off a big win against LSU, they’ve shown weaknesses this season, especially in their defense.

Tennessee will have to be much more crisp on offense than they have been so far this season. Georgia is still a much faster team than the Vols, which means everything will have to go perfect for Tennessee to win.

Whatever happens Saturday, I just have a feeling that Jones is going to eventually get that big win that Vols fans have been desperately waiting for since 2009.

When he does, it’ll give Vol fans a small glimpse into what Butch Jones has in store for this storied Tennessee program.