vol_in_ga
Vols Deep
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Best Individual Season by a Vol Football Player?
2. I think it would be Hendon Hooker in 2022 had he played the whole season (think he would have got the heisman too). That season is 3rd (or better) on most qb/offensive stat columns. Another game and a half, with one against vandy, plus a bowl game, and he definitely would have gotten this award in my opinion. First win over Bama in 15 years. Went 2-1 against Bama/uf/uga. Alas, he comes in at number 2.
3. “In 1929, Gene had, in my mind, the greatest season in Vols history. McEver scored 18 rushing touchdowns and 3 receiving touchdowns and scored a total of 130 points, still a UT single season record. He had a record 5 TDs and 3 extra points vs South Carolina. Nine of his eighteen rushing scores were from 25 plus yards. McEver was named 1st Team All-Southern and was a unanimous pick as a 1st Team All-American, the first in school history.” - @peaygolf
4. Chuck Webb in 1989 is one that comes to mind. Number 9 all time on the single season rushing list, but he took over from backup to Cobb (in which he had nearly 3 100 yd games) in game 4 I think and missed the season finale, so he only started 5 games. Had he started every game of the season, I have no doubt he’d be number 1 on the all time single season rushing stat list. We went 11-1. I don’t doubt that he would have been a finalist for the Heisman too. This season for him could have put him number 1 on the list.
5. Reggie White in 1983 has to be on the list.
The 1983 team captain drew little publicity until the sixth game of his senior year. By then, his domination was evident. He collected 100 tackles on the season, 72 of them unassisted, and set the school-record with 15 sacks for the year. He had a sack in every game but two and dropped the quarterback four times against The Citadel, another school record. White was named the SEC's Player of the Year and while earning consensus All-America and All-SEC honors.
Just Missed the Top 5:
EDIT: Adding Jalin Hyatt 2022 Most receiving TDs in a season (15), belitnikoff winner, most receiving TDs in a game in the Bama 52-49 Upset, with his own category. More than an honorable mention but not in the top 5, despite being a statistical leader by a wide margin at his position (my discretion based on my perception that a veryyy large part of his success was due to the efficacy of Hooker and the Huepel scheme). Happy to eat crow if his NFL career proves otherwise. @pimo1
Honorable Mentions:
Johnny Majors in 1956 (as runner up for the heisman you could easily argue he belongs on the list). Sec champions. Self recognized national champions (though I disagree as we lost our bowl game). Maybe it would be different if he won the heisman. Maybe it would be different if they played more than 11 games. Alas, he just didn’t have the stats, doesn’t show up on any of the all time single season record lists. Maybe the game is just too advanced at this point to put him on the list.
EDIT: Removed Dobbs from list. The 2016 season was all over the place. Lands on a bunch of record lists. App state in ot, yuck. Biggest attendance game in history. Comeback wins over Florida and uga. But also botched Tamu, blown out by Bama, and lost to vandy. Greatest season that never was. I’d like to forget much of that year.
John Henderson in 2000, most sacks in a season among other statistically significant numbers and his general impact on “possibly” the best def line UT has ever had.
Reggie Cobb in 1987 (most rushing tds in a season, number 10 on rushing yards)
Eric Berry in 2008 (Int return yards record and sec def player of year). Would have been even better had he not had to be used out of position half the year to cover up our defensive deficiencies.
Andy Spiva in 1976 (most tackles in a season - by a wide margin)
EDIT: Adding Dale Carter 1990 All American DB and KR to Honorable Mentions @njvols
And Number 1 is……
Peyton Manning in 1997. The knocks? Should have won the heisman. Got beat down by Nebraska. Couldn’t get over the Florida hump. That’s a good bit actually. But the pros? 11-2 record and SEC Champs. It’s not like he could play defense too, in regards to our 2 losses. Sits atop the single season records list at Tennessee for passing yards and TDs (tie with Dobbs). Number 1 draft pick bc of it. Who knows how it could have turned out if he hadn’t lost to Florida, or if there was a 4 team playoff back then. Or if the Heisman didn’t hate Tennessee. Either way he still earned his spot in Tennessee folk lore and this season, though not quite the magic it could have been as a team, puts him at the top of the list and I don’t know many that would argue it. The team was dominant and he was integral to it. He is possibly the best player to ever play at Tennessee (I’d throw Reggie, Atkins, Berry in there also). He was incredible that year.
If I missed any, please call me out on it. Don’t hold it against me though, I’m 31 so wasn’t there for a lot of it.
2. I think it would be Hendon Hooker in 2022 had he played the whole season (think he would have got the heisman too). That season is 3rd (or better) on most qb/offensive stat columns. Another game and a half, with one against vandy, plus a bowl game, and he definitely would have gotten this award in my opinion. First win over Bama in 15 years. Went 2-1 against Bama/uf/uga. Alas, he comes in at number 2.
3. “In 1929, Gene had, in my mind, the greatest season in Vols history. McEver scored 18 rushing touchdowns and 3 receiving touchdowns and scored a total of 130 points, still a UT single season record. He had a record 5 TDs and 3 extra points vs South Carolina. Nine of his eighteen rushing scores were from 25 plus yards. McEver was named 1st Team All-Southern and was a unanimous pick as a 1st Team All-American, the first in school history.” - @peaygolf
4. Chuck Webb in 1989 is one that comes to mind. Number 9 all time on the single season rushing list, but he took over from backup to Cobb (in which he had nearly 3 100 yd games) in game 4 I think and missed the season finale, so he only started 5 games. Had he started every game of the season, I have no doubt he’d be number 1 on the all time single season rushing stat list. We went 11-1. I don’t doubt that he would have been a finalist for the Heisman too. This season for him could have put him number 1 on the list.
5. Reggie White in 1983 has to be on the list.
The 1983 team captain drew little publicity until the sixth game of his senior year. By then, his domination was evident. He collected 100 tackles on the season, 72 of them unassisted, and set the school-record with 15 sacks for the year. He had a sack in every game but two and dropped the quarterback four times against The Citadel, another school record. White was named the SEC's Player of the Year and while earning consensus All-America and All-SEC honors.
Just Missed the Top 5:
EDIT: Adding Jalin Hyatt 2022 Most receiving TDs in a season (15), belitnikoff winner, most receiving TDs in a game in the Bama 52-49 Upset, with his own category. More than an honorable mention but not in the top 5, despite being a statistical leader by a wide margin at his position (my discretion based on my perception that a veryyy large part of his success was due to the efficacy of Hooker and the Huepel scheme). Happy to eat crow if his NFL career proves otherwise. @pimo1
Honorable Mentions:
Johnny Majors in 1956 (as runner up for the heisman you could easily argue he belongs on the list). Sec champions. Self recognized national champions (though I disagree as we lost our bowl game). Maybe it would be different if he won the heisman. Maybe it would be different if they played more than 11 games. Alas, he just didn’t have the stats, doesn’t show up on any of the all time single season record lists. Maybe the game is just too advanced at this point to put him on the list.
EDIT: Removed Dobbs from list. The 2016 season was all over the place. Lands on a bunch of record lists. App state in ot, yuck. Biggest attendance game in history. Comeback wins over Florida and uga. But also botched Tamu, blown out by Bama, and lost to vandy. Greatest season that never was. I’d like to forget much of that year.
John Henderson in 2000, most sacks in a season among other statistically significant numbers and his general impact on “possibly” the best def line UT has ever had.
Reggie Cobb in 1987 (most rushing tds in a season, number 10 on rushing yards)
Eric Berry in 2008 (Int return yards record and sec def player of year). Would have been even better had he not had to be used out of position half the year to cover up our defensive deficiencies.
Andy Spiva in 1976 (most tackles in a season - by a wide margin)
EDIT: Adding Dale Carter 1990 All American DB and KR to Honorable Mentions @njvols
And Number 1 is……
Peyton Manning in 1997. The knocks? Should have won the heisman. Got beat down by Nebraska. Couldn’t get over the Florida hump. That’s a good bit actually. But the pros? 11-2 record and SEC Champs. It’s not like he could play defense too, in regards to our 2 losses. Sits atop the single season records list at Tennessee for passing yards and TDs (tie with Dobbs). Number 1 draft pick bc of it. Who knows how it could have turned out if he hadn’t lost to Florida, or if there was a 4 team playoff back then. Or if the Heisman didn’t hate Tennessee. Either way he still earned his spot in Tennessee folk lore and this season, though not quite the magic it could have been as a team, puts him at the top of the list and I don’t know many that would argue it. The team was dominant and he was integral to it. He is possibly the best player to ever play at Tennessee (I’d throw Reggie, Atkins, Berry in there also). He was incredible that year.
If I missed any, please call me out on it. Don’t hold it against me though, I’m 31 so wasn’t there for a lot of it.
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