One moment from the Tennessee/Alabama game should make a Vols player a fan favorite forever
There was one moment during the Tennessee Vols' 52-49 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide that fans may have missed that will make one UT player a fan favorite forever. Late in the fourth quarter, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young tried to playfully shake Vols linebacker Jeremy Banks' hand. Banks, however, was having none of it. […]
There was one moment during the Tennessee Vols' 52-49 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide that fans may have missed that will make one UT player a fan favorite forever.
Late in the fourth quarter, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young tried to playfully shake Vols linebacker Jeremy Banks' hand.
Banks, however, was having none of it. He shook his head no and Young backed away.
I noticed this interaction during the game, but the final minutes were so intense that I didn't actually realize what was happening until Twitter user @ReeseBobbyVol pointed it out.
If you're an old-school college football fan, you have to love the way Banks plays the game. He's giving 150 percent at all times and he isn't out there to make friends.
I totally understand why players, despite being rivals, are friendlier with each other these days than they were 20-30 years ago. These guys all know each other from a young age as they go through the recruiting process together. They build real relationships.
Banks, however, is a throwback to a generation where there were no friends on the field. Everyone on the other sideline is an enemy. And that's the way Banks plays the game. He might be friendly with them outside of games, but when it's time to play, Banks is there for one reason — to win.
I think every Tenensese fan can appreciate that.
Featured image via Jamar Coach/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
