I have heard from an authority on Tennessee football and former karate student. When we saw Eric Berry fly 15 feet -- yes 15 actual feet -- through the air and collapse to the ground like a sock puppet, that was not because Ben Tate hit him and cause him to ricochet backwards. No. Not at all. That was a mirage.
As Monk would say, "here's what happened"
Tate popped him the best he could, from Berry's side, perpendicular to Berry's direction of motion. No human could have kept their balance under those circumstances. If Tate had gone another 1/2 step forward before he pulled up trying to make Berry miss, Berry would have knocked him completely out of the stadium! Tate was trying to make Berry miss completely, so he could keep running, but when he realized Berry wouldn't completely miss, he put his shoulder down and knocked Berry sideways as he went by. In my younger days, when I fought in karate tournaments all over the Southeast, I used to do that all the time. An opponent throws a punch and you deflect it by hitting the outside of his arm. It has the same effect as when you go to push hard on a door and somebody pulls it open from the other side. You might just fall down embarrassingly, but it wouldn't be because you're a clutz.
It was an excellent move by Tate, but most certainly not him laying a big hit on Berry and launching Berry into the air.he just deflected Berry's energy. If he had taken Berry head-on, he would have gotten up with little birdies circling his head, like Knowshon did last season.
And there you have it.
According to this learned former karate student, the only hit in the game was when Tate was stopped at the line and Mr. Berry rushed up, led with his head and butted Tate's helmet off. Despite the fact that an elementary school girl in a wheelchair could have done the same had she illegally gone helmet to helmet (and hit the side of the helmet) against someone not moving, this hit clearly shows Berry's Heisman worthiness and the magnificence of Lane Kiffin's coaching ability.
For the record, this same karate student believes that UT was in control of the game and about to send it into overtime until a freshman missed a kickoff return assignment.
I'm sure he also believes if he puts Reeses Pieces in a straight line to his bedroom closet, he'll attract an alien.
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