Across the street from the Torchbearer, two vendors were selling barbeque - one the common version, the other laced with Jack Daniels. The Jack Daniels line was the longest, by far. “Must be some reason for that”, Cap figured, as he joined the JD line. The wait seemed like an eternity, but when he bit into his sandwich he had no regrets – awesome!
 
He strolled blissfully across the street wiping the delectable sauce from his chin, and became mesmerized by the Torchbearer’s flame, when swimming through his consciousness he heard the strains of ... a fiddle, behind him, playing Rocky Top. He turned around and sure enough, a young girl, obviously very talented, was burning up the strings, drawing a crowd. Cap dropped a bill in her open fiddle case and joined the line along the sidewalk for "Vol Walk."
 
A few minutes passed as the crowd grew and then he saw him - head coach Phillip Fulmer leading a long line of Vol players through the crowd, toward the stadium. Fans reached out for high-fives from their passing warriors, who quickly disappeared into the throng.
 
As soon as the team was gone, people around Cap took off like they knew where they were going. He followed the crowd toward University Center, where, at the base of The Hill, the marching band - The Pride of the Southland Band - was performing their "Salute to The Hill."
 
Then the band came rumbling down Fulmer Way, 300-strong, blasting away with Rocky Top, and into Neyland, where the battle awaited.
 
Inside, Cap found his seat: lower upper deck, south end zone, halfway between the goal posts. The checkerboard end zones lit up the lush grass surface as the huge oval filled.  Orange-clad Vol diehards, for the most part, but the lower northeast corner was filled with the red of Alabama fans, who made their presence known in no uncertain terms. 107,709 - ready for action, yearning for victory. 
 
The three Tennessee mascots - Vagabond, the costumed Smokey, and the master - Smokey, the coon-tick hound - roamed the sidelines. The band took the field, marching and playing the music of gameday: Down the Field (Here’s to Old Tennessee), Fight Vols Fight, The Alma Mater, and of course, Rocky Top.
 
From there, the band moved to the north end, where they formed the "Power T," and a few minutes later, Smokey the hound led the team out through the T, to a tumultuous welcome.
 
Tennessee kicked it off. As the Volunteer kicker started forward, crowd roaring, the voice of the Tennessee P.A. man boomed over the speakers, “It’s football time in Tennessee!” – and the ball was in the air.
 
Everyone wanted to see Casey Clausen - and they didn’t have long to wait.  The Vols held, and on UT’s first offensive play, Clausen threw deep, hitting Donte’ Stallworth for a 44- yard gain. Neyland trembled from the roar of the Volunteer Faithful. But the Alabama defense dug in and the game remained scoreless until Clausen connected with Cedrick Wilson for a 23-yard TD, with 2:51 left in the first quarter, 7-0 Vols.
 
The Vol defense took the field and the P.A. announcer was back, “And Smokey’s on the prowwwwl…!”, he moaned. The Vol fans responded, “aououououo…” the howls swept through the stadium.  The defense held, and momentum was a friend wearing Orange.
 
UT kept coming. Vol freshman Jabari Greer forced the Tide punter to take an 8-yard loss, and Alex Walls hit on a 31-yard field goal late in the second stanza, 10-0 Tennessee, at halftime.
 
‘Bama drew first blood in the second half, on Neal Thomas’ 50-yard field goal, 10-3 UT,  but the Volunteers struck back, starting at their own 20-yard line. Clausen hit Will Batholomew for 16, Travis Henry rumbled up the middle for 20 and it was Clausen deep to David Martin for 38 yards to the 6-yard line.  From the 3, it was Clausen to Cedrick Wilson on a screen pass for the touchdown, Vols 17, Tide 3, 9:08 left in the 3rd stanza.   
  
 The Crimson Tide answered on Andrew Zow’s 17-yard TD pass to Jason McAddley at the 6:26 mark in the 3rd, UT 17, ‘Bama 10.
 
Then Clausen took the Vols on a 55-yard drive to a field goal, with passes of 17, 11 and 14 yards, plus an 11-yard bootleg.  Walls toed it through with 1:14 remaining in the 3rd period, Volunteers, 20-10.
 
As the sun dropped out of sight, the lighting in Neyland produced an unusual effect. Unlike the glare of lights in most stadiums, here, a softer glow emerged around the field - pleasant, friendly.  It was Tennessee’s day – all day long.
 
And it was about time. The fourth quarter had not been kind to UT all season, but today it was different, thanks to the defense. The Vols shut ‘em out the rest of the way, and the hay was in the barn, Final: Tennessee 20, Alabama 10.
 
As the final minutes ticked off the chant started, grew and spread throughout the stadium, “It’s good to be a Tennessee Vol….It’s good to be a Tennessee Vol…" over and over, again and again. Then it was over, sending thousands of giddy Vol fans down the ramp, onto the darkened campus, as the Pride of the Southland Band played the beautiful “Tennessee Waltz.”
 
For these fans it was sweet, and with Casey at Quarterback it promised to get sweeter, in the future. The Tennessee Volunteers would win their last six regular season games that year, landing a berth in the Cotton Bowl. As for Casey Clausen, he would finish the season and the next three as Tennessee’s starting quarterback, and become the Vols’ second leading career passer.
 
Cap moved through the cool evening air across the campus, pulled by the crowd - toward The Strip.
 
Down Melrose, past the Days Inn at Cumberland. The motel had been taken over this weekend by visiting Tide fans, and even in the face of defeat, they didn’t back off. A band was set up out front of the motel, playing "Sweet Home Alabama," loud and clear, relentless.
 
But to Vol fans, the song was just ‘Bama’s cry in the darkness - this was Tennessee’s night, Smokey’s night - a night to howl. And there’s no better place to howl after a Vol victory than on The Strip.
 
By the time Cap made it to The Strip, the blowout had a full head of steam. While many fans headed out of town, thousands stayed, to live it up. The bars, restaurants, and sidewalks on The Strip were packed.
 
Bands were set up out front in several places, rockin’ out. Smiles and laughter, all around. In Liquid Knoxville, Buffalo Wild Wings, O’Charley’s, The Cumberland Grill, and all points in between - these people were happy. A victory over a hated rival is indeed a glorious victory, and now, at the end of a long day, it was time to let your hair down and have some fun.
 
A big touch football game was raging in a tailgate parking lot - players feelin’ no pain. Cap watched and laughed.
 
The party roared for hours. Finally, Cap retrieved his car and rolled slowly to the Hampton.  Back in his room, he caught the GameDay Final Show, with scores of today’s showdowns across the nation. What a day.
 
As the screen faded to dark, he closed his eyes and revisited the question that he had faced on Thursday night: Just where is Rocky Top?
 
He fell asleep grinning, because now, the answer was clear:  Rocky Top is a state of mind - a Smoky Mountain Spirit - found wherever the Vol Nation rises up in support of Tennessee Volunteer football and follows Smokey the coon tick hound into battle.
 
Rearview Mirror
Cap woke rested, relaxed, and upbeat Sunday morning. He packed quickly and rolled out, back to Cumberland. The Strip was deserted, peaceful now - an illusion really. The street was littered with remnants of last night’s rowdiness, but still, looking at it in its present state, no one would suspect the scene of just a few hours ago.
 
He downed a cajun chicken omelette at O’ Charley’s, then wheeled past Neyland, onto Cumberland, and toward I-40 as the Supersphere faded behind him.
 
Knoxville - what would he remember about a Tennessee Vol football weekend?
 
The Strip, The Hill, The Torchbearer, University Center, The Tennessee River and the "Vol Navy," the Pride of the Southland Band, “Here’s to Old Tennessee”, the "Power T", the checkerboard end zones, Neyland Stadium, Smokey, the coon-tick hound and - more than anything - that haunting mountain melody which he would surely hear any time he thought of Tennessee…
 
Out on I-40, cruising west, Cap pulled out his Rocky Top CD, slid it into the player, and chose the original version:
 
"Wish that I was on Rocky Top, down in the Tennessee hills; ain’t no smoggy smoke on Rocky Top, ain’t no telephone bills..."