yes, tennessee, there is a santa claus.....

.....and his name is David Cutcliffe.

What a difference a year and an offensive coordinator makes! Even the bride commented about how well the play calling was mixed with run and pass plays. Erik Ainge seemed to be the quarterback every Vol fan hoped he'd be. The receivers actually ran their routes, blocked effectively and caught passes. Robert Meachem was phenomenal despite being sick and having to throw up between offensive series. The line blocked. And the running backs ran hard.

But as good as the offense was, it was really the defense that won the game. Sure, Cal scored 18 points in the second half, but they did it against our second-and third-teamers. The defensive line looked very good. The secondary provided tight coverage all game long. The linebackers were unbelievable, flying all over the field and making plays. In fact, wherever the ball went, there was a group of orange shirts.

The 12th man was effective in Saturday night's game as well. Over 106,000 were on hand to provide more noise than the Cal football team has ever known. That sea of orange on my television screen looked so good.

On my way in from the parking lot this morning, a friend of mine who's a Georgia fan said, "Yeah, I hope your Vols get really cocky right before the Georgia game." I think that could have happened last year after a win like this one. But not this year. It's a different team, different coaching staff, different attitude.

One game down, 11 more to go. Well, 12 if you count the SEC Championship.....