Dear Tigers,
Well, O.K., we are all in. Two quarterbacks appear to work fine. The defense is very good. Punting and kicking teams appear to be top-notch. Coaching has been solid. All the pieces appear to be in place.
It’s time to get serious. The media likes the Honey Badger to the point of silliness. Did it seem that a certain Tiger was more interested in forcing a fumble to remain in the media’s eye, rather than making a tackle Saturday?
Will the light of adoration and accolades blind the team when a task is barely half done?
Every week is make or break.
Sorry guys, but 11-1 or 10-2 won’t work. It’s all or nothing, and you know it. You are attempting to climb Mouth Everest, and there’s no time to stop and take pictures.
It’s a long way to the top, and the air will get very thin and there are plenty of obstacles in your way to stop you in your tracks.
Being ranked No.1 is great. Staying ranked No.1 is unbelievably hard. The Cotton Bowl was really nice last year, but it could have been the Sugar.
Remember what it felt like after the Arkansas game? I do.
You see, we fans really do live and die each week with you. No, we don’t put in all the hard work, but we do give what’s most important: our hearts and souls.
We can handle most anything. Just don’t break our hearts.
We’re not only in Tiger Stadium. We’re the grandma in Alexandria, the uncle in Afghanistan, the young boy in Shreveport, the fireman in Monroe and the priest in Lafayette. We are everywhere.
Many of us have never even seen Tiger Stadium or the campus, but we get our glimpses on television, and we see the campus in all its majesty in our mind’s eye.
Now, we have reached the midpoint of what has all the makings of a glorious journey. The mountain is high, the challenges are great but our cause is just and our intentions are noble.
We cannot pause or rest. The clouds still surround the summit, but the winds of change are blowing and very soon we can see our goal. One foot in front of the other, each step more important than the last. We can make it.
We believe, and that is more than half the battle. We are at your side. We are all in.
Charles Kendrew
Reveille Sports Editor, 1978
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Letter to the Editor: Tigers should not let No. 1 ranking distract them
October 16, 2011