Getty Image
In case you’ve been asleep, or off the grid, for the last 72 hours, the entire state of Tennessee is currently in a state of euphoria.
That’s because the Tennessee Volunteers picked up their biggest win in decades on Saturday. The sixth-ranked Vols used a walk-off field goal to No. 3 Alabama. Not only was it a huge victory over a rival that Tennessee hadn’t beaten in 15 years, it also placed the Vols squares in the national title picture for the first time in over two decades.
So yeah, things have been pretty crazy down in Knoxville of late.
The chaos started immediately after the game when Tennessee fans ripped the goalposts out of Neyland Stadium. They then paraded the goalposts around town, eventually dumping them into the Tennessee River.
Because goalposts are not cheap and Vols AD Danny White knows to strike while the iron is hot, the school launched a fundraiser on Sunday to pay for a new set of goalposts. The odds that the money raised actually goes directly to new goalposts seem a bit unlikely.
But what do we know?
The celebrations didn’t stop there, and Vols fans even turned to thank god, literally, for the big win.
Tennessee Fans Sing Rocky Top In Church After Big Win After Alabama
Few things are more important in the south than god and football. So Twitter user @RealTCutt had a theory for how Tennessee fans would celebrate the win the next day.
I thoroughly look forward to the video of the church pastor who snuck Rocky Top into the song sheet this morning
— Thomas Northcutt (@RealTCutt) October 16, 2022
As it turns out, he was onto something.
I was just joking but ITS REAL. ROCKY TOP x SUNDAY SERVICE pic.twitter.com/wLBfMRLSY2
— Thomas Northcutt (@RealTCutt) October 16, 2022
Yup, that’s a church choir on Sunday morning after the big win belting out Tennessee’s (unofficial) fight song, “Rocky Top”, in front of what looks like a part excited, part perplexed audience. It turns out they weren’t the only church to do this.
The win over the Crimson Tide clearly meant more to Vols fans than anyone could ever know.
I thought it looked familiar, that’s was my Papaws church…we had his funeral there in December 2019. He started going to #Vols games in the 40’s. I’d like to think he was at this service in spirit Sunday listening to them sing that. Higher Ground Baptist Church. #VFF #VFL #GBO https://t.co/nutvQQosxe
— Ericvol2096 (@EricQuiz2096) October 17, 2022
https://twitter.com/joseph_dycus/status/1581863375939678210?s=20&t=lBjv1e-VzACLXiL7pPhlOQ
The full song lyrics, however, aren’t exactly fit for church.
https://twitter.com/A_Pasta_Sea/status/1581978917237555201?s=20&t=lBjv1e-VzACLXiL7pPhlOQ
The SEC: It just means more.