Defining Moment For Erik Ainge
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Saturday afternoon in The Georgia Dome, the LSU Tigers and Tennessee Vols will battle to represent the SEC in the Bowl Championship Series. Much of the misguided focus of the game has been upon Les Miles and his potential Baton Rogue exit for his alma mater in Ann Arbor.
The real story, however, is about the opposing quarterback Erik Ainge. It will be his final SEC game as a Tennessee Vol - his final chance to cement his legacy as one of the great Tennessee quarterbacks. Win? Ainge enters the conversation beside Peyton, Tee Martin, Andy Kelly, Heath Shuler and Condredge Holloway. Lose? Ainge is one of the great unfilled potential stories in UT history.
From the moment Ainge committed to the Vols, the promise of this 6'6 kid with a cannon arm had Tennessee fans thinking about the next Peyton Manning. Of course, there was also the chance of becoming the next Casey Clausen. Like Ainge, Clausen came to Knoxville as a highly-touted prospect and sure-fire NFL 1st-rounder. Clausen never progressed from the time he came to UT, though he did lead the Vols to some great victories (two wins in the Swamp, no less) and was within a game of playing for the National Championship in 2003.
Ainge's legacy in Knoxville is difficult to determine. On one hand, he seemed to be handed the reigns to the team in 2005 despite being out-played by Rick Clausen (Casey's brother), made some of the worst decisions ever seen by a Vol quarterback (the interception from his own endzone against LSU will forever haunt his legacy), never beat Florida as a starter and never won an SEC championship. He is, somewhat rightfully, held accountable for the 5-6 2005.
On the other hand, Ainge's career has blossomed over the last two seasons under David Cutcliffe. It is fairly reasonable to suggest that he floundered under former offensive coordinator Randy Sanders (who has blown my mind by being so imaginative and effective at Kentucky) the same way Tee Martin (post-Cutcliffe) and Clausen both floundered. Injuries have dogged him as well - he missed part of his freshman season after an injury versus Notre Dame and hurt his neck at LSU the next year.
It looked like his senior season would be more of the same after a meniscus injury in the off-season. Instead, he has had a sensational senior season without any fanfare whatsoever - 27 TDs, 8 INTs, just under 3,000 yards passing - with no experienced receivers, an inconsistent running game and a pinky finger on his throwing hand that is apparently bent in three different ways after a botched hand-off leading up the California game.
One of the biggest knocks on Ainge is his lack of big wins, specifically against Florida. His signature performances are beating California last season, crushing Georgia earlier this year and the Kentucky game last Saturday.
A win on Saturday could forever change the way Vols fans view Erik Ainge. In one afternoon, he could become an SEC champion and a BCS bowl quarterback. He could elevate his standing in Rocky Top lore or forever be saddled with the ugly "unrealized potential" label.
Forget the Les Miles storyline - the one to watch on Saturday is the defining moment of a senior's college football career.
