Wes Rucker
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wesrucker.bsky.social
Wes Rucker
@wesrucker.bsky.social
1.8K followers 96 following 5.3K posts
Hank's dad. Lauren’s husband. Award-winning and award-losing journalist, now covering the Tennessee Volunteers for WBIR. Two-time learner of walking. Grower of legal flora.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · Nov 15
‘Sup, y’all? Welcome on in to my Bluesky page.”
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 9h
When you win as much as Tony Vitello has won, and you do what he's done for a program and a school, you're allowed as much time as you want or need to make decisions like this.

This ain't a 50/50 power share. He holds the cards. Is what it is.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 1d
Vols RB DeSean Bishop: Football ends for everybody at some point, and God doesn’t care how many touchdowns I score. He cares how I treat people. I’m grateful He gave me this ability and this opportunity, and I use it for Him.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 1d
Vols RB DeSean Bishop: Defenses are throwing a lot of stuff at us trying to get us off our game. Three-down, four-down, four-down Star, other stuff. We’re seeing a lot of stuff.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 1d
Vols RB DeSean Bishop: You have to be consistent in this league. When you’re on the wrong side of that, you’re gonna pay for it.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 1d
Vols RB DeSean Bishop on Kentucky: That’s a good defense. A real good defense. You see it on tape. They’re good and they play hard. Looking forward to the challenge.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 1d
Vols RB DeSean Bishop: A loss is a loss, but these two losses we have this year, we did it to ourselves.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 1d
Vols RB Star Thomas: No disrespect to Georgia and Alabama. Those are two really good teams with good players. But we lost those games because of ourselves. We beat ourselves.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 1d
Vols coach Josh Heupel: We’re all disappointed from that [Alabama] game, but win or lose, you have to move on to the next game. It’s another week, another border war, another rivalry. It’s Kentucky week.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 1d
About once every 3-4 years, I get stuck behind the random train that occasionally goes by right Neyland Stadium and Food City Center, and every time it happens, I’m late or almost late to a presser.

Today is one of special days, I guess.

Mondays, right?
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 2d
I have no idea whether Lane Kiffin wants the Florida job, but either way he needs to at least make people think he wants it — which would make Ole Miss give him literally anything and everything he wants to stay.

Bidness.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 2d
Tennessee Taperoom production meetings are all-hands meetings here at WBIR HQ — at least when mommy is in Dallas.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 2d
Been laughing to myself today imagining the counteroffers Tennessee is making to Vitello.

"Wanna live in the Sunsphere? You got it, dude."

"See those big mountains in the distance? How does 'Great Tony Mountains National Park' sound?"

"Dolly's will? Want it? Boom. Tonywood."
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 2d
COLUMN: It couldn't happen again. It couldn't possibly happen again. Until it happened again.

www.wbir.com/article/spor...
Rucker: It couldn’t happen again. Until it did.
Tennessee lost to Alabama at Tuscaloosa, 37-20, after a 99-yard interception from Alabama's defensive back, echoing another TN vs. AL game six years ago.
www.wbir.com
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 3d
Obviously a lot more to discuss about that Tennessee loss at Alabama. And we’ll keep doing that.

Tons of coverage on WBIR site, as well as the SmartTV and smartphone apps.

Column will be up very soon. Tennessee Taperoom on Sunday night. Plus Vitello Watch.

The Show goes on.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 3d
FINAL IN TUSCALOOSA: Alabama 37, Tennessee 20

Game appropriately ends with Tennessee at the Alabama 1-yard line. It fits the narrative.

Vols beat themselves tonight with critical mistakes in big moments, and Bama was smart and disciplined enough to let that happen.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 3d
Starting to wonder if these Bama DBs took the under on Chris Brazzell TDs and are making sure that ball gets to the end zone on the ground, even if they have to prison shank him.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 3d
Tennessee is about to out-gain Alabama and lose by three scores.

Don't see that every day. Or every year, even.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 3d
You need three scores either way, and any Bama first down basically ends it.

Just take the FG, right?
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 3d
This could and should have been one hell of a football game.

But ... it wasn't.

If you're not gonna be disciplined, you better be exceptional. And Tennessee hasn't been that.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 3d
Touchdown, Alabama

Daniel Hill 4-yard run

Game, Crimson Blouses
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 3d
Bama goes for it fourth-and-2 at the Tennessee 10-yard line.

Had Simpson bottled up behind the line. Or ... it looked like it. He got to the sticks, though.

Just not making plays when plays are needed. Not good enough on the road at this level.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 3d
Another clear DPI.

Another flag.

Bama's in scoring range. TD here probably ends it. A FG? Not so much.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 3d
I mean ... that's DPI.

Ball might not have been catchable, but there's no way to know that for sure. That's always gonna get called.

Colton Hood is such a good player. Tough moment for him there.
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 3d
Touchdown, Tennessee

DeSean Bishop 1-yard run

Alabama 30, Tennessee 20, 10:51/4thQ
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Wes Rucker @wesrucker.bsky.social · 3d
That spot got overturned.

First down, Tennessee, at the Alabama 13-yard line.
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