Countdown to September 2nd vs UVA. (Top 150 Vols wins)

#501
#501
32 days……

#32 - 30-29 vs #11 Auburn (1997 SECCG)

The #3 Vols headed to Atlanta to play the SEC West Champions for the SEC Championship.

“The Vols got on the scoreboard first on a 40-yard TD pass from Manning to Peerless Price. However, that was all the scoring Tennessee could muster until a Jeff Hall 27-yard field goal midway through the second quarter.

In the meantime, Auburn accounted for 20 unanswered points, led by a 24-yard fumble return by Brad Ware and a 51-yard TD pass from Dameyune Craig to Tyrone Goodson. AU's Jaret Holmes also hit two field goals.

After the two teams traded touchdowns midway through the third quarter, Tennessee mounted its charge. Behind 27-17, UT scored on a 46-yard pass from Manning to Price. On the PAT attempt, Auburn's Quinton Reese returned the blocked kick for a two-point conversion to pull the Vols to within six, 29-23.”

The Vols got the ball early in the fourth quarter, still trailing by six, when Manning hit Marcus Nash on a 73 yard touchdown pass. The PAT put UT ahead 30-29. A defensive struggle took place the remainder of the game, and UT was able to emerge victorious.

UT dominated the game statically, but six turnovers kept Auburn in the game. The Vols defense held Auburn to -15 yards rushing and less than 250 yards of total offense. Manning was the MVP with 373 yards and 4 TDs, while Jamal Lewis rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown.

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#502
#502
peaygolf said:
32 days……

#32 - 30-29 vs #11 Auburn (1997 SECCG)

The #3 Vols headed to Atlanta to play the SEC West Champions for the SEC Championship.

“The Vols got on the scoreboard first on a 40-yard TD pass from Manning to Peerless Price. However, that was all the scoring Tennessee could muster until a Jeff Hall 27-yard field goal midway through the second quarter.

In the meantime, Auburn accounted for 20 unanswered points, led by a 24-yard fumble return by Brad Ware and a 51-yard TD pass from Dameyune Craig to Tyrone Goodson. AU's Jaret Holmes also hit two field goals.

After the two teams traded touchdowns midway through the third quarter, Tennessee mounted its charge. Behind 27-17, UT scored on a 46-yard pass from Manning to Price. On the PAT attempt, Auburn's Quinton Reese returned the blocked kick for a two-point conversion to pull the Vols to within six, 29-23.”

The Vols got the ball early in the fourth quarter, still trailing by six, when Manning hit Marcus Nash on a 73 yard touchdown pass. The PAT put UT ahead 30-29. A defensive struggle took place the remainder of the game, and UT was able to emerge victorious.

UT dominated the game statically, but six turnovers kept Auburn in the game. The Vols defense held Auburn to -15 yards rushing and less than 250 yards of total offense. Manning was the MVP with 373 yards and 4 TDs, while Jamal Lewis rushed for 127 yards and a touchdown.

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man that was an exciting game. I remember it vividly. Great game
 
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#504
#504
peaygolf said:
38 days…..

#38 - 24-6 vs #6 UCLA (1989)

After a terrible’88 season, and a lackluster win vs Colorado St, nobody had any idea what was going to happen with the rest of the ‘89 season. Now, UT had to travel to UCLA as a 17 point underdog.

Sterling Henton got the Vols on the board early with a short TD run, and then Reggie Cobb and Chuck Webb took over. Cobb-Webb was born.

The Vols only needed 108 passing yards from Henton, as Webb ran for 134 and Cobb had 78. Webbs two touchdowns were the difference in the dominant win.

The Vols defense held the Bruins scoreless until the fourth quarter and kept their vaunted rushing game in check all night.

It was the first win ever at the Rose Bowl stadium, the first win ever on the west coast, and the springboard to a successful 1989 season…….


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One of the travel agencies in Knoxville had put together a package for this game that included airfare, hotels, tickets, and a overnight layover in Las Vegas. We went out and had a great time. Was not particularly optimistic coming off that terrible 1988 season, but didn't see us as a 17 point dog. Ended up meeting up with some Bruin fans and tailgating with them. Think more white wine and brie than Jack and Brats, lol. Anyway they had extra tickets midfield, ours as visitors were of course near the end zone. So we sat with them and was amazed at how well they took the beat down. I was used to the mayhem that is Neyland, and other major SEC stadiums on a Saturday night. This was more like the polite applause at a tennis match. They were so hospitable I quit yelling when we made big plays after the game was in hand. Great win and probably the most unique experience I have ever had a a Vols football game. Ended up going to a number of games that year including the only loss in Birmingham to Bama. Vols were 11-1, beat Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl and finished 5th in the final polls. It was a great year to be a Tennessee Vol!
 
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#505
#505
Ah, the 1990 Cotton Bowl. I was there. Chuck Webb’s 250 yards on 26 carries, Anthony Morgan’s 84 yard TD reception, Carl Pickens INT return, Andy Kelly, Alvin Harper, Greg Amsler, Martin Williams’ fumble recovery… Johnny Majors vs Ken Hatfield. Arkansas were SWC champs. The Vols shared SEC honors with the two schools from the State of Alabama. The Razorbacks offense had the yards and first downs. The Vols had the scores. It was a beautiful day. The Big Orange caravan was in full force and on their best behavior. The Vols hadn’t been in Dallas since 1969, and they hadn’t won the Cotton Bowl since 1951. Oh, what a moment to be a Vol!
 
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#508
#508
31 days…….

#31 - 19-14 vs #4 Georgia (2004)

The Vols came into Athens 3-1, but had just been blown out by Auburn the week before. Georgia had just destroyed LSU. Not many gave UT a chance.

Tennessee scored a touchdown on their opening drive to go up 7-0. A fumble later set up a James Wilhoit field goal to make it 10-0.

After the Vols took a 13-7 lead, Ainge led another touchdown drive and threw a beautiful pass to Chris Hannon, which gave Tennessee a 19-7 lead in the fourth quarter after the Vols failed on the two-point conversion.

Georgia came back and made it 19-14 and then got the ball back. In a drive in which they converted a fourth and 12 and had a near touchdown to Fred Davis, who was forced out of bounds with one second on the clock, this game truly came down to the wire.

But on the final play, Greene’s pass in the end zone was intercepted, and Tennessee had its first victory over Georgia in five years and one that was a major upset.

The Vols went on to win the SEC East that year as the surprise team of the conference. But this was the most memorable win of the season.

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#509
#509
I am trying to remember which player said after the loss to Auburn that the Vols would see Auburn again in ATL and was mocked by the media.... of course he got the last laugh!
 
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#510
#510
peaygolf said:
31 days…….

#31 - 19-14 vs #4 Georgia (2004)

The Vols came into Athens 3-1, but had just been blown out by Auburn the week before. Georgia had just destroyed LSU. Not many gave UT a chance.

Tennessee scored a touchdown on their opening drive to go up 7-0. A fumble later set up a James Wilhoit field goal to make it 10-0.

After the Vols took a 13-7 lead, Ainge led another touchdown drive and threw a beautiful pass to Chris Hannon, which gave Tennessee a 19-7 lead in the fourth quarter after the Vols failed on the two-point conversion.

Georgia came back and made it 19-14 and then got the ball back. In a drive in which they converted a fourth and 12 and had a near touchdown to Fred Davis, who was forced out of bounds with one second on the clock, this game truly came down to the wire.

But on the final play, Greene’s pass in the end zone was intercepted, and Tennessee had its first victory over Georgia in five years and one that was a major upset.

The Vols went on to win the SEC East that year as the surprise team of the conference. But this was the most memorable win of the season.

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One of the rare times I've actually had a Georgia fan get fighting mad at me. Old guy in the barbershop butted into my conversation with someone else about this game. "Tennessee didn't beat Georgia, Georgia beat Georgia ". I told him if he'd look it up it clearly would say Tennessee beat Georgia, dude started cussing and throwing his hands around, then left 🤣
 
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#511
#511
joevol33 said:
One of the rare times I've actually had a Georgia fan get fighting mad at me. Old guy in the barbershop butted into my conversation with someone else about this game. "Tennessee didn't beat Georgia, Georgia beat Georgia ". I told him if he'd look it up it clearly would say Tennessee beat Georgia, dude started cussing and throwing his hands around, then left 🤣
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Lol, I've run into that guy as well... he lives all over the place, and is a fan of many teams who've been "unexpectedly " beaten by the Vols!
 
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#512
#512
30 days…..

#30 - 3-0 vs #3 Auburn (1959)

Auburn beat Tennessee 7-0 in its national championship season in 1957 and held the Vols without a first down in 1958. The Vols were unranked and heavy underdogs to the 3rd ranked Tigers. Auburn was riding a 24 game winning streak when they visited Knoxville to open the 1959 season.

The only scoring came midway through the quarter, when Kenny Sadler pounced on an Auburn fumble at the Auburn 43 yard line. UT finally began to move the ball, and a few plays later, Cotton Letner made a 19 yard field goal to give UT a 3-0 lead.

The undersized Vols lineman did everything they could against the larger Tigers. Auburn got the ball inside the Vols 10 yard line on two occasions, but the defense made a stand each time, securing one of the biggest upsets in UT history.

The Vols would finish the season a disappointing 5-4-1, but the opening day victory over one of the top teams in the country opened everyone’s eyes.

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#514
#514
29 days…..

#29 - 41-14 vs #11 Alabama (1995)

What did he do?” John Ward shouted. “All he did was score! Joey Kent! Touchdown on play No. 1!”

Peyton Manning threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, helping No. 6 Tennessee hand Alabama its worst home loss in 38 years with a 41-17 triumph over the No. 11 CrimsonTide.

Manning completed 20 of 29 passes for 301 yards, while Marcus Nash caught six passes for 100 yards and Joey Kent hauled in five for 117 yards. Jay Graham provided balance with 114 yards rushing on 17 carries as Alabama had no answer for Tennessee's offense, which piled up 496 yards.

UT raced out to a 21-0 lead in Birmingham, but Bama got it to 28-14 after a 97 yard drive to start the second half. But on the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Graham broke loose up the right sideline and raced 75 yards for a score, giving the Volunteers a 35-14 lead.

The win ended a nine game losing streak vs the Tide. It was also the first time since 1914 that the annual game wasn’t the “Third Saturday in October.” The victory started a seven-game winning streak (1995-2001) for Tennessee against Alabama.

UT would finish the season 11-1 and ranked #2 in the Coaches Poll.

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#515
#515
peaygolf said:
33 days……

#33 - 31-14 vs #4 Florida (1992)

By Brian Rice
UTSports.com

“A week earlier, virtually no one gave Tennessee a chance at Georgia. The Volunteers responded with a late-game comeback to earn UT's first win between the hedges since 1972.

Yet, when the No. 4 Florida Gators rolled into Knoxville, it was the same story. No shot that the 14th-ranked Volunteers could even give UF a game. In reality, it was the other way around.

The rivalry was still relatively new then, with only 21 previous meetings. But, like the Georgia series, 1992 marked the beginning of an annual date with Florida thanks to the Southeastern Conference's expansion to 12 teams and creation of two six-team divisions. But unlike the Georgia series, the old SEC schedule rotation had brought games between the teams in the two seasons prior. And plenty of bad blood had been fostered in and surrounding those games.

The 1990 game was a 45-3 blowout that welcomed first-year Gator coach Steve Spurrier to the series. A year later, a game played under the shadow of "Fax gate," involving a former UT assistant, a fax machine and a couple of playbooks, went UF's way, 35-18, in Gainesville.

With Phil Fulmer still on the sideline in place of head coach Johnny Majors as he recovered from heart surgery, the Vols and Gators were greeted by sunny skies at Neyland Stadium. That was a temporary condition.

Florida drove the length of the field early, but a missed field goal kept the game scoreless. The Volunteers continued the defensive theme with a blocked punt by Tracy Smith to set up the UT offense inside the Florida 15. A pair of Heath Shuler runs later, Tennessee had a 7-0 lead.

The Vols kept the ground game going as the first half wore on with Shuler, Charlie Garner, Aaron Hayden, Mose Phillips and James Stewart pounding away at the Florida defense. Stewart extended the UT lead to 14-0 with a 15-yard score in the second quarter. After a Florida TD, UT drove the field and milked the clock down to allow John Becksvoort to hit a 35-yard field goal with only seconds left in the half for a 17-7 halftime edge.

As the third quarter moved on, storm clouds formed over the field while Todd Kelly and the Tennessee defensive line dominated on it. The Florida offensive line had no answer for the pressure of Kelly, who had one of three UT sacks on the afternoon, with his pressure helping on eight negative-yard tackles by the Vol defense.

The rain started falling lightly at the midway point of the third quarter, just as UT took possession at midfield. It was not light for long. A downpour consumed Neyland Stadium and would not let up for most of the rest of the game. The rain caused puddles all over the artificial surface, none deeper than on the Florida sideline, where the Gators were literally standing in a swamp. The defense swamped the Gator offense as well, with a J.J. Surlas stop of Eric Rhett forcing a punt to UT.

As Tennessee began to drive down the field, the rain poured down even heavier, affecting the ABC satellite signal, but not the Volunteer offense. A steady diet of Garner gave UT a first down at the Vol 34.

Florida sold out on a perfectly executed play action to the near side, leaving Phillips open on a screen pass to the far side. Shuler put it right in his hands and Phillips did the rest on one of the most iconic plays in Tennessee history. Phillips took off up the sideline for a 66-yard touchdown in the downpour. His celebration was simple, a look at his wrist as if he were checking the time on his wristwatch, to say "It's about time."

Shuler added his second rushing touchdown on the third play of the fourth quarter for the Vols' final score. Florida added a late TD pass for the final 31-14 margin.

Tennessee managed just 94 passing yards in the deluge, but that did not matter to the fans in the stands. The Volunteers were 3-0, 2-0 in the SEC, and Fulmer's stock as a future coach somewhere was way up as Majors returned a week later against Cincinnati. At the end of the season, the dream for the man from Winchester, Tenn. would come true as he was named head coach prior to UT's trip to the Hall of Fame Bowl.”

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Errict Rhett is his name, not Eric.
 
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#516
#516
peaygolf said:
29 days…..

#29 - 41-14 vs #11 Alabama (1995)

What did he do?” John Ward shouted. “All he did was score! Joey Kent! Touchdown on play No. 1!”

Peyton Manning threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, helping No. 6 Tennessee hand Alabama its worst home loss in 38 years with a 41-17 triumph over the No. 11 CrimsonTide.

Manning completed 20 of 29 passes for 301 yards, while Marcus Nash caught six passes for 100 yards and Joey Kent hauled in five for 117 yards. Jay Graham provided balance with 114 yards rushing on 17 carries as Alabama had no answer for Tennessee's offense, which piled up 496 yards.

UT raced out to a 21-0 lead in Birmingham, but Bama got it to 28-14 after a 97 yard drive to start the second half. But on the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Graham broke loose up the right sideline and raced 75 yards for a score, giving the Volunteers a 35-14 lead.

The win ended a nine game losing streak vs the Tide. It was also the first time since 1914 that the annual game wasn’t the “Third Saturday in October.” The victory started a seven-game winning streak (1995-2001) for Tennessee against Alabama.

UT would finish the season 11-1 and ranked #2 in the Coaches Poll.

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That naked bootleg is my favorite Manning highlight.
 
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#523
#523
peaygolf said:
I just realized.......Less than a month.:oops:
Top 20 gonna be FUN.....and controversial:eek:
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Already is. I was at that 95 bama game in birmingham. Right in the middle of thousands of knuckle dragging bammers. If Joey would have ran straight up into the stands, about 20 rows up, he’d ran right to us. Went to the next 13 TN bama games. Had to stop in 09 because son was born that week. Didn’t get em home till Friday. Wife told me I could go but there wasn’t any way I was gonna leave the state a day after my wife and son got home from the hospital. Wife later said I made the right choice. That was a heck of a run from 95-08. That 95 game was special. This is your list Peay. You do you. Great list.
 
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