Orange Crushed: A Season on the Brink at America's Biggest Football School [Hardcover]

Darren Epps (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2006

This in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the University of Tennessee college football team’s monumental collapse includes all the arrests, losses, and firings that made up the most tumultuous season in school history. A favorite to contend for a spot in the national championship game with a running back hailed as a Heisman Trophy candidate, the Volunteers stumbled to a 5-6 record—their worst mark since 1988. The Heisman hopeful, Gerald Riggs Jr., watched most of his team’s demise from the sideline as the season he waited three years for crumbled under
lackluster rushing performances and a season-ending ankle injury. Even head coach Phillip Fulmer endured heavy doses of criticism from fans clamoring for a coaching change. This unforgettable look at the 2005 season also includes information on what the future may hold for Riggs, Fulmer, and Tennessee football.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fascinating new book...[by a] gifted young sports writer."  —The Huntsville Times

"Anyone who loves college football—whether a Vols fan or foe—must read this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it!"  —Max Howell, host, Get Max'd Out, SMI Radio Network

"[This] book [is] a winner even if UT wasn't one."  —The Tennesseean

"Darren Epps, who covers the team for the Chattanooga Times Free Press, gives some good behind the scenes stuff."  —Atlanta Journal/Constitution

About the Author

Darren Epps is an award-winning sports writer for The Chattanooga Times Free Press who has covered University of Tennessee athletics for more than four years. He lives in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 244 pages
• Publisher: Jefferson Press (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971897492
• ISBN-13: 978-0971897496
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,953,059 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courageous Reporting, March 23, 2007

By 

M. Fillon (Tucker, Georgia United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Orange Crushed: A Season on the Brink at America's Biggest Football School (Hardcover)

Courageous Reporting

Often sports teams expecting great things want it chronicled for prosperity. The University of Tennessee wanted just such a tome when they asked Mr. Epps, a sports reporter in Chattanooga, to write a book about the widely anticipated Vols run to the NCAA football championship before the 2005 season began. But, things went terribly wrong. The team finished under .500 and even lost to Vanderbilt - usually an automatic win. Thus a season full of promise turned into a disaster - totally unexpected and accepted by the highly competitive and charged "Vol Nation."

Now faced with writing about a losing campaign, rather than the highlights of a championship season, Mr. Epps could have taken the easy way out and offered up a litany of excuses for the Vols sub-par season. To his credit, he did not.

Harking back to an earlier axiom of sports reporting, long before Mr. Epps tapped on a keyboard (after all he is only in his 20s), and not always practiced today by his veteran colleagues, Mr. Epps "Called it as he saw it." He took head coach Fullmer to task for rotten decision making, and wasn't afraid to chronicle the misdeeds and lack of effort of the players.

While Mr. Epps may have suffered the slings and arrows afterwards from the mighty Vols alumni - he is not a Tennessee grad - he can look at himself in the mirror and know he wrote an honest account of a very trying season.

I look forward to reading more straightforward, honest reporting by Mr. Epps.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lovers Tale of a Fallen Season, July 8, 2008

By 

Matthew Morine (Castle Rock, CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Orange Crushed: A Season on the Brink at America's Biggest Football School (Hardcover)

This book was about the terrible season in 2005 when the Volunteers never made it to a bowl game. It was a season that was expected to end with a birth in one of the BCS bowl games with a strong possibility of playing for the national championship. At the beginning of the season, the Vols were ranked 3rd in most magazines. The book was originally started to document the victorious season, but ended up discussing the downfallof the powerhouse. The book is an interesting read as it details a inside look into the malfunctions with the team. There was a controversy about the quarterback, there was discipline problems with the players, and maybe too much confidence which lead to a lack of focus on practice. It is a great read for a true Vol fan, it is not about the high but a low in the program. Hopefully, this season will hold a bright future as the team completes for another national title. Mostly I want to see the Tide lose, too bad Sonny, Dale, Bobby, and Leon, there will be tears this year on October 25 I believe. So far, the Vols recruiting is strong this year and there are a ton of play-makers returning too. The starting quarterback looks to be strong as well.