Nichols: Tennessee vs. Texas sets table for Wild West-style showdown in Omaha
OMAHA, Neb. — A lone tumbleweed blows across the landscape. Wind howls in the distance. Spurs jangle in the dust.
We knew it might happen at some point in this year’s College World Series, also known as “The Greatest Show on Dirt.”
And now, the showdown is here: Tennessee vs. Texas.
Mano a mano. One UT vs. the other UT. Winner plays on, loser goes home.
By this point, you’ve heard all the hoopla (and probably then some) about today’s matchup.
But the point can’t be overstated: No. 3 Tennessee vs. No. 2 Texas will be a grudge match. A fight to the death. A horn-locking afternoon (pun intended) between two of the best teams and most electric fan bases in college baseball.
So, before we get into the analysis, here are a few interesting off-field comparisons and edges to carry you into today’s first pitch (1 p.m. CT, ESPNU).
PMS 151 vs. Texas burnt orange
Firstly, we come to the obvious: the orange comparison.
So let’s get this out of the way now: I will admit that my childhood room was, for a time, burnt orange. And I liked it.
On four walls, Tennessee orange doesn’t work. It’s too “out there,” at least for my 8-year-old taste.
But in uniforms? That orange pops like nothing else in the country.
It’s what makes Tennessee unique, as compared to the Longhorns’ interesting mix between red, yellow and muddy brown.
It’s what makes that “Vols” script so sweet, whether the cursive is set in white across a bright orange jersey, or emblazoned in orange across what might be the best cream uniform in all of baseball (sorry, Braves).
In total, Tennessee’s PMS 151 is one of the great colors in all of sports, and I think the designers at Nike would agree.
Therefore, it is that vibrant orange — at least when combined with the Vols’ stadium-shaking, well-traveled, SEC-tested fans — that gives Tony Vitello’s club our first off-field edge. 1-0 Tennessee.
Famous alumni
Secondly, we come to the alumni chapter.
No, not that group of people you meet with every week to cheer on your team from a random bar in a city you moved to for work.
I’m talking about the part of this column where we go into another noteworthy off-field comparison between these schools: the famous graduates.
And the lists are pretty impressive.
For Tennessee, we’ll start with Peyton Manning. Fittingly known as “The Sheriff,” Manning is an NFL Hall of Famer, a Vol legend, a speech communications graduate and the 1997 Heisman winner — in the hindsight of everyone not named Charles Woodson.
Also, Manning is famous for saying “Omaha” a lot — especially in his stint with the Broncos — and the GIF was used plenty last Sunday when Tennessee clinched its spot in you-know-where.
Manning even made a hilarious appearance in a Tennessee video last week, correcting Tony Vitello on how to properly pronounce the CWS host city’s name.
But where may he not need to make an appearance? TD Ameritrade Park, specifically on Tuesday afternoon — at least if Tennessee wants to win.
In recent years, Manning — although beloved across The Volunteer State — has become notoriously associated with the Vols losing when he’s in the stands.
So, while the alumni status is great, and Manning has done far more than his fair share for the University of Tennessee, I think it’s fair to say fans don’t want him anywhere near Nebraska anytime soon.
Aside from Manning, another famous Tennessee alum is ESPN personality Paul Finebaum.
Of course, Finebaum cut his teeth at Tennessee’s student newspaper, The Daily Beacon, before graduating with a political science degree in 1978.
He’s since skyrocketed to become arguably the most famous SEC football personality of all time, as well as the most hated man in the state of Alabama.
Now, on to the Longhorns.
For Texas, no name rings more synonymous than Mr. “Alright, Alright, Alright,” Matthew McConaughey.
As an actor, McConaughey first broke through in the 1993 comedy Dazed and Confused. He followed that with some more supporting roles before landing a leading performance as small-town prosecutor Jake Brigance in the movie adaptation of John Grisham’s A Time to Kill. That book is still one of my favorites, and McConaughey was phenomenal.
He’s mainly worked in romantic comedies since, and he received an Emmy nomination for his role in True Detective.
But McConaughey has done much more than act, as shown by his “Minister of Culture” role on the 40 Acres. What does that role entail? I’m not entirely sure.
What I am sure of, though, is that Texas will continuing giving Greenlights — also the name of McConaughey’s insightful 2020 novel — to any idea sparked by its most electric, eclectic alumnus.
Besides McConaughey, two other famous Texas alums are Laura Bush and Owen Wilson.
I really couldn’t choose one to list, so I went with both. It probably isn’t a good thing that I have a hard time choosing between a former First Lady and a blond-haired actor whose most famous word is, “Wow,” but let’s get into it.
Bush is technically a Master’s degree graduate from Texas, as she received her Bachelor’s degree at SMU before gaining a library science degree in Austin.
She married former President George W. Bush in 1977, and she focused on health, education and literacy initiatives as First Lady of Texas.
As First Lady of the United States, Bush did even more. She continued to advance her trademark interests of education and literacy by establishing the annual National Book Festival in 2001, encouraging worldwide education. She also advanced women's causes and represented the United States during disease-focused foreign trips.
Since leaving the White House, she’s made several more public appearances, most recently at the 2021 inauguration of President Joe Biden.
With Wilson, his most famous word is, as mentioned, one syllable. But he’s done much more than that in an illustrious comedic career.
An American actor, producer and screenwriter, Wilson earned an Academy Award nomination for the 2001 film Royal Tanenbaums. He also starred in the 2011 film Midnight in Paris — another good one if you haven’t seen it — and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.
Wilson’s more famous comedic roles can be seen in Wedding Crashers, You, Me & Dupree (severely underrated), The Internship and the Night at the Museum series.
Wilson also turned in a tear-jerker in Marley & Me, and he became America’s most beloved race car in his role as the voice of Lightning McQueen in the Cars series.
Again, those are just a few alumni from each school. But just like his days against Florida, Peyton Manning can’t win here. Texas takes this off-field edge by a landslide. 1-1 tie.
Rick Barnes, overall athletic record
There’s really not much that needs to be written here. Barnes has done well at Tennessee, albeit without living up to some lofty expectations.
But his lone Final Four appearance did come with Texas, so the advantage there goes to the Longhorns.
If we’re digging into basketball, though, then we might as well spread the wealth — like Danny White should plan to do with Tony Vitello — across all meetings between the two UT’s.
The Vols are 31-21 all-time against the Longhorns in football, men's basketball, women's basketball and baseball. Tennessee’s baseball team is undefeated against Texas, with wins in 2008 and 2012.
Basketball fans will undoubtedly remember Chris Lofton’s dagger over Kevin Durant, a shot that still sends ripples across Thompson-Boling Arena when the highlight is played.
Between Rick Barnes’ Final Four run in Austin, Chris Lofton’s shot and the overall matchups, I think we can give this edge to no one: a tie. 2-2 after one earned point apiece.
Remember the Alamo
You had to know it was coming, even though it and the other three (four?) criteria listed above have no actual bearing on the final outcome of today’s game.
If your high school history teachers were as good as mine, you’ll know the story well.
In November of 1835, Davy Crockett and 30 other men headed west for Texas. They stopped in Jackson, Tennessee, and moved on to Little Rock before arriving in the Lone Star State in early 1836.
On February 8, Crockett arrived at the Alamo Mission. Just over two weeks later, General Antonio López de Santa Anna led soldiers in a siege on the building.
On February 25, over 200 Mexican soldiers positioned themselves outside the Alamo’s walls before firing at will. Crockett and Company returned the favor, sending the Mexican soldiers into a retreat after a 90-minute battle.
Another battle took place on March 6, during which Crockett died in valiant defense of the Alamo as Mexican soldiers took control.
Santa Anna was eventually captured during 1836’s Battle of San Jacinto, as Texan forces shouted to “Remember the Alamo!” Sam Houston then forced Santa Anna to sign an agreement intended to conclude hostilities.
That agreement also marked the first steps in Texas’ independence from Mexico. Texas officially became the 28th state in the Union in December of 1845, although the formalities were not completed until 1846.
So, long story short, the Tennessee Volunteers helped save Texas, giving the Vols today’s final off-field advantage.
Total off-field score: 3-2 Tennessee.
The nitty gritty: on-field insight
If you’ve come this far, congratulations. You’re finally at the important part.
While the aforementioned comparisons are all in good fun, what really matters is what happens between the white lines.
And that’s where Tennessee takes the last advantage in this column.
Yes, Texas (47-16) will be angry coming off a heartbreaking 2-1 loss against Mississippi State on Sunday night. Yes, Texas outlasted one of college baseball’s favorite stories in USF, beating the Bulls 4-3 and 12-4 in the Austin Super Regional.
But the Horns have also hung back-to-back losses three times this season, while the Vols (50-17) are 15-1 after losses.
Three of those aforementioned 15 wins came in an SEC Baseball Tournament that started with the Vols losing on a controversial call to Alabama. Also, Tennessee has six winning streaks of at least five games following a defeat, per Mike Wilson of the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
The only back-to-back drops came against Indiana State in late February.
Four months later, the stakes are far higher. Win or go home.
But the Vols have had their backs against the wall plenty of times before. Just look at those examples from Hoover, or revisit Evan Russell’s grand slam against Vanderbilt, Max Ferguson’s walk-off against Arkansas or Drew Gilbert’s walk-off grand slam against Wright State.
So, yes, Vitello was right when he said Sunday that the Vols are “built for this.”
But Tennessee’s coach added that his team has a “brand name to bounce back.”
That kind of imprint tends to work well on cattle — especially when considering Jason Russell’s fiery statement to WBIR.
“He’s got something burning inside,” Russell said. “I can promise you, the state of Tennessee, their best effort will be put on that field.”
See y’all at TD Ameritrade.