Dooley and Vols look for “John Hancock” moment at Arkansas
by Scott Felts
John Hancock served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He is remembered for his large and stylish signature on the United States Declaration of Independence, so much so that the term “John Hancock” has become, in the United States, a synonym for “signature”. According to legend, Hancock signed his name largely and clearly so that King George could read it without his spectacles.
Derek Dooley and the Tennessee Volunteers (4-5, 0-5) will travel to Fayetteville Arkansas to play the 8th ranked Razorbacks (8-1, 4-1) on Saturday and will be looking for more than their first SEC win of the season.
Every new coach that succeeds at his new school has a “signature win” that lets the team, the fan base and the college football world that he is “the guy” for the job and that his team is on its way back to the top. Derek Dooley is still looking for that win.
Last season’s near win at LSU might have been that win, so too the Music City Bowl in Nashville could have served that purpose well. Unfortunately for Dooley and the Vols, both games were losses and a slew of injuries in 2011 have made sure that the big win that Big Orange fans crave, remains at arm’s length.
Saturday’s opponent offers an interesting opportunity for Dooley and the Vols. The Arkansas program has provided several recent coaches their signature wins and even a close call for Vanderbilt’s James Franklin just two weeks ago.
The 2005 Florida Gators had their share of wins for new coach Urban Meyer including defeating 4th ranked Georgia in a close game in Alltel Stadium that many would have seen as a signature win. Florida owns Georgia recently however, and even though the Gators won that game, it was the Bulldogs that represented the East and eventually won the 2005 SEC Championship.
In 2006, the Gators defeated Tennessee in Knoxville, but for the same reasons Georgia can’t be a signature win for a new Gator coach, the win against a Tennessee team that ended up losing four games in 2006 can’t be looked at that favorably either. Later that season the Gators defeated 9th ranked LSU but then fell to 11th ranked Auburn the following week. Questions still remained for the Gators until the SEC Championship game when the Gators beat 8th ranked Arkansas 38-28 on way to their first SEC Championship since 2000 and eventual National Championship win against Ohio State.
Gene Chizik got his signature win in his second season with the Auburn Tigers during their undefeated run to the National Championship. Auburn had begun the season 6-0, including a win over then 12th ranked South Carolina which many would argue could have been that win for Chizik, but the eight point victory over a Gamecock team that hadn’t yet proven itself still made many on the plains nervous when the 12th ranked Arkansas Razorbacks rolled into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Chizik and the Tigers answered the critics however with a 65-43 romp that let everyone know Auburn was for real and their QB Cam Newton was the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy.
When Nick Saban joined Alabama in 2007, he didn’t have as much to prove as Chizik and Meyer. Everyone knew Saban was a winner, having won a National Title at LSU before his stint in the NFL. Alabama simply wanted Saban to win, and even though 2007 saw the Tide lose four of their last five games to finish 6-6, it was the 3-0 start (the fifth Alabama coach since 1900 to start 3-0), which concluded with a 41-38 win over 16th ranked Arkansas that propelled the Tide to a 6-2 start and set the stage for Saban to recruit well and finish the 2008 season 12-0 and win an SEC and National Championship in 2009.
Now, I’m not saying that a win over Arkansas on Saturday will lead to a 2012 National Title for the Vols, but recent history does show that it takes a big signature win to get a program back on track and reach that level.
If Tennessee wins at 8th ranked Arkansas and finishes the 2011 season with wins against Vanderbilt, Kentucky and a bowl opponent still to be determined, the 8-5 record would certainly make Vol Nation much more comfortable going into 2012.
The Arkansas Razorbacks program has certainly done its share to build up SEC programs and new head coaches. In fact, every Vol fan remembers the Razorbacks role in the Vols’ 1998 National Championship season. The “stumble and fumble” moment could be considered as garish and bold as a large fanciful signature on a document declaring Independence from your former King.
What’s one more “John Hancock” moment between old friends?
