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Countdown to September 2nd vs UVA. (Top 150 Vols wins)
- Thread starter peaygolf
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peaygolf
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1 day……..
#1 - 15-13 vs Alabama (1928)
The date was Oct. 20, 1928 and for the first time in 14 years, Alabama and Tennessee were going to play each other in football.
Alabama, under Coach Wallace Wade, had been to the Rose Bowl in 1925 and 1926, winning the national championship in both seasons.
Tennessee was 16-1-1 in ‘26 and ‘27, Neyland’s first two seasons, but hadn’t played anyone as good as Alabama.
This is from goldenrankings.com:
It hadn't taken Wallace Wade long to bring the Crimson Tide to the top of the football world. His 1925 team finished the season 9-0 with seven shutouts. That earned them an invitation to the Rose Bowl where they edged Washington 20-19 in what has been called "the most important game in Southern football history" because it changed the national perception of Southern football as inferior to the rest of the nation.
The 1926 Alabama season was almost a carbon copy of '25. The Tide again won all nine of their games to earn another trip to Pasadena, where they tied Pop Warner's Stanford Indians 7-7.
1927 was a rebuilding year for Wade's team. The loss to Georgia Tech in Game 4 ended the Tide's 24-game unbeaten streak. The disappointing season ended with a 5-4-1 record. The four losses were one more than Bama had suffered in the previous four seasons combined.
Neyland wanted Tennesseeto step into the football limelight like Alabama. Alabama had been to two Rose Bowls.
Neyland thought playing them could gain national attention for his Volunteers.
In addition to the 27-0 thumping of Ole Miss, the 1928 Alabama team clobbered Mississippi A&M 46-0. The Tide appeared to have returned to the level of the 1924-25 Rose Bowl aggregations. The decks were cleared for the first meeting with Tennessee in 14 years.
Based on the comparative scores against Ole Miss, the experts expected Tennessee to lose by two or three touchdowns. Bama adherents were betting five to one on their team to win, with even money that they would win by 28 points, and even money that the Vols would not score.
Neyland met Wade for the first time on the field before the game and used a bit of reverse psychology on him. Neyland suggested to Wade that the third and fourth quarters be cut short to prevent an Alabama rout. Wade replied that he didn't expect to run up a big score, but if so, he'd shorten the second half.
Neyland wrote the names of the Alabama players on a chalkboard in the locker room. He looked every Tennessee starter in the eye and challenged him to beat his man.
He also told his players not to look at Alabama when the Tide came on the field. But if you tell people not to do something, they'll do it. One of the sophomores, Buddy Hackman, recalled what he saw: "They were wearing white jerseys that made 'em look like elephants. Neyland had thought that would put the fear of the Lord in us, like you were in a prize fight and nobody told you how big the other guy was. But we weren't scared of anybody, even if we were about 20 pounds lighter a man." The game would be a classic matchup of speed against size.
In the locker room before the game the next day, the great Gene McEver told his teammates, "If I get that ball on the kickoff, everybody try to cut down a man. If you can't cut down a man, just move over and let me through."
Sure enough, the Vols won the toss and elected to receive. As they went to their positions on the field, Bobby Dodd and McEver shook hands. What happened next remains one of the most memorable plays in Tennesseefootball history.
McEver took the kick on the two and behind good interference streaked upfield until he broke into the open. Two Alabama men snatched at him futilely as he raced to the end zone. Dodd placekicked the extra point. Just like that Tennessee led 7-0.
Alabama came right back with a touchdown of their own. Bama took Dodd's kickoff on the five and returned to the 45. Suther hit tackle for 6y and on the next play broke through the same spot and raced 49y for a touchdown. However, Bama missed the PAT. 7-6 Tennessee.
Near the end of the first quarter, Dodd, Neyland's prize pupil from his Spring School of Punting, kicked one out of bounds on the Alabama 1' line. Bama halfback, John Henry Suther, immediately backed up behind his goal line to punt. But with several Volunteers charging, he fumbled the snap and the ball went back across the end line for a safety. 9-6 Tennessee.
Midway through the second quarter, Tennessee marched 72y for their second touchdown. The big gainer was McEver's 22y run. Three plays later, McEver gained eight for a first down on the Bama 30. Then HB Buddy Hackman threw a pass to E Paul Hug to put the ball on the eight.
The Tide stuffed McEver for no gain, but an offside penalty negated the play and put the ball on the four. From there, Hackman tossed a flat pass to McEver who scampered into the end zone. Dodd missed the extra point. Tennessee 15-6.
As they did after Tennessee's first touchdown, the Tide answered with a six-pointer of their own. On the first play after the kickoff, Davis Brasfield rammed through the line and broke into the clear for 57y to the UT 15. From there it was brute force, with the big Alabama line pushing the lighter Volunteers back. Still, it took six smashes before Tony Holm went over for the touchdown. Dave Boykin's kick went astray, but Tennessee was offside. So under the rules of the day, the point counted to cut the Tennessee lead to 15-13.
On the final play of the first half, Alabama punted. Neyland had given strict orders to fair catch all punts. But Bobby Dodd, trying to make something happen, caught the ball and was bulldozed by two 220lb Bama players, Fred Sington and Molton Smith. "They hit me in the back as I twisted and hurt my kidney," Dodd recalled. He was carried off on a stretcher to the locker room where Neyland reprimanded him for fielding the punt. Dodd missed the entire second half. "The only time I was hurt in my whole career. Hurt me bad. I passed blood, and they were afraid to let me play. I didn't play for about the next four weeks."
Playing even more conservatively than usual with a lead and a third-string quarterback, the Vols would add no more points to their total. But somehow they managed to hold off Alabama in a seemingly endless second half. "They ran all over us," Dodd recalled, "but they couldn't score."
Midway through the third period, Bama moved to the UT 11. But after a loss of 2y, Brasfield fumbled, and "Farmer" Johnson jumped on the ball for Tennessee.
Hackman made several productive runs to move the ball out to the 45. But a 15y holding penalty set the Vols back before a pass from Charles Reineke to Hackman got that yardage back again. Hackman took a lateral for 7y to the Bama 48 as the period ended.
As dusk set in, fans turned on the headlights of their cars so the contest could continue.
The Tennessee thrust ended with an interception. The next time the Vols got the ball, it was on their 20. Reineke immediately punted back, but the ball traveled only to the UT 42.
Alabama got one first down on Billy Hicks' 13y sweep, but the threat died when a fourth-down pass was broken up.
But after intercepting a pass, the Tide was back in business at the UT 42. Brasfield connected with Dealfor 17y. With their fans yelling "Hold that line!" three Vols rushed Brasfield and forced a fumble.
With only a few minutes left, Alabama took to the air on their next possession only to have Reineke rack up another interception.
Neyland's offense ran some time off the clock before punting to the Bama 35.
Brasfield ripped off 18y off-tackle. Hicks added eight, and John Campbell made three more for a first down at the UT 36. On third-and-11, Campbell ran to the 15 as time expired.
Final score: Tennessee 15 Alabama 13
Tennessee fans turned Gay Street in Knoxville into a wild scene that night. The celebration continued into the morning.
When the train carrying the Volunteers pulled into the station in Knoxville the next day, an enormous crowd greeted them, cheering madly.
The 1928 victory over Alabama has been called the most significant in Tennessee football history. That upset caused Tennessee football to be taken seriously. Gene McEver, said years later, "I don't think there's any question about that game putting Tennessee football on the map."
Gene McEver’s 98 yard kickoff return to start the most important win in school history.
#1 - 15-13 vs Alabama (1928)
The date was Oct. 20, 1928 and for the first time in 14 years, Alabama and Tennessee were going to play each other in football.
Alabama, under Coach Wallace Wade, had been to the Rose Bowl in 1925 and 1926, winning the national championship in both seasons.
Tennessee was 16-1-1 in ‘26 and ‘27, Neyland’s first two seasons, but hadn’t played anyone as good as Alabama.
This is from goldenrankings.com:
It hadn't taken Wallace Wade long to bring the Crimson Tide to the top of the football world. His 1925 team finished the season 9-0 with seven shutouts. That earned them an invitation to the Rose Bowl where they edged Washington 20-19 in what has been called "the most important game in Southern football history" because it changed the national perception of Southern football as inferior to the rest of the nation.
The 1926 Alabama season was almost a carbon copy of '25. The Tide again won all nine of their games to earn another trip to Pasadena, where they tied Pop Warner's Stanford Indians 7-7.
1927 was a rebuilding year for Wade's team. The loss to Georgia Tech in Game 4 ended the Tide's 24-game unbeaten streak. The disappointing season ended with a 5-4-1 record. The four losses were one more than Bama had suffered in the previous four seasons combined.
Neyland wanted Tennesseeto step into the football limelight like Alabama. Alabama had been to two Rose Bowls.
Neyland thought playing them could gain national attention for his Volunteers.
In addition to the 27-0 thumping of Ole Miss, the 1928 Alabama team clobbered Mississippi A&M 46-0. The Tide appeared to have returned to the level of the 1924-25 Rose Bowl aggregations. The decks were cleared for the first meeting with Tennessee in 14 years.
Based on the comparative scores against Ole Miss, the experts expected Tennessee to lose by two or three touchdowns. Bama adherents were betting five to one on their team to win, with even money that they would win by 28 points, and even money that the Vols would not score.
Neyland met Wade for the first time on the field before the game and used a bit of reverse psychology on him. Neyland suggested to Wade that the third and fourth quarters be cut short to prevent an Alabama rout. Wade replied that he didn't expect to run up a big score, but if so, he'd shorten the second half.
Neyland wrote the names of the Alabama players on a chalkboard in the locker room. He looked every Tennessee starter in the eye and challenged him to beat his man.
He also told his players not to look at Alabama when the Tide came on the field. But if you tell people not to do something, they'll do it. One of the sophomores, Buddy Hackman, recalled what he saw: "They were wearing white jerseys that made 'em look like elephants. Neyland had thought that would put the fear of the Lord in us, like you were in a prize fight and nobody told you how big the other guy was. But we weren't scared of anybody, even if we were about 20 pounds lighter a man." The game would be a classic matchup of speed against size.
In the locker room before the game the next day, the great Gene McEver told his teammates, "If I get that ball on the kickoff, everybody try to cut down a man. If you can't cut down a man, just move over and let me through."
Sure enough, the Vols won the toss and elected to receive. As they went to their positions on the field, Bobby Dodd and McEver shook hands. What happened next remains one of the most memorable plays in Tennesseefootball history.
McEver took the kick on the two and behind good interference streaked upfield until he broke into the open. Two Alabama men snatched at him futilely as he raced to the end zone. Dodd placekicked the extra point. Just like that Tennessee led 7-0.
Alabama came right back with a touchdown of their own. Bama took Dodd's kickoff on the five and returned to the 45. Suther hit tackle for 6y and on the next play broke through the same spot and raced 49y for a touchdown. However, Bama missed the PAT. 7-6 Tennessee.
Near the end of the first quarter, Dodd, Neyland's prize pupil from his Spring School of Punting, kicked one out of bounds on the Alabama 1' line. Bama halfback, John Henry Suther, immediately backed up behind his goal line to punt. But with several Volunteers charging, he fumbled the snap and the ball went back across the end line for a safety. 9-6 Tennessee.
Midway through the second quarter, Tennessee marched 72y for their second touchdown. The big gainer was McEver's 22y run. Three plays later, McEver gained eight for a first down on the Bama 30. Then HB Buddy Hackman threw a pass to E Paul Hug to put the ball on the eight.
The Tide stuffed McEver for no gain, but an offside penalty negated the play and put the ball on the four. From there, Hackman tossed a flat pass to McEver who scampered into the end zone. Dodd missed the extra point. Tennessee 15-6.
As they did after Tennessee's first touchdown, the Tide answered with a six-pointer of their own. On the first play after the kickoff, Davis Brasfield rammed through the line and broke into the clear for 57y to the UT 15. From there it was brute force, with the big Alabama line pushing the lighter Volunteers back. Still, it took six smashes before Tony Holm went over for the touchdown. Dave Boykin's kick went astray, but Tennessee was offside. So under the rules of the day, the point counted to cut the Tennessee lead to 15-13.
On the final play of the first half, Alabama punted. Neyland had given strict orders to fair catch all punts. But Bobby Dodd, trying to make something happen, caught the ball and was bulldozed by two 220lb Bama players, Fred Sington and Molton Smith. "They hit me in the back as I twisted and hurt my kidney," Dodd recalled. He was carried off on a stretcher to the locker room where Neyland reprimanded him for fielding the punt. Dodd missed the entire second half. "The only time I was hurt in my whole career. Hurt me bad. I passed blood, and they were afraid to let me play. I didn't play for about the next four weeks."
Playing even more conservatively than usual with a lead and a third-string quarterback, the Vols would add no more points to their total. But somehow they managed to hold off Alabama in a seemingly endless second half. "They ran all over us," Dodd recalled, "but they couldn't score."
Midway through the third period, Bama moved to the UT 11. But after a loss of 2y, Brasfield fumbled, and "Farmer" Johnson jumped on the ball for Tennessee.
Hackman made several productive runs to move the ball out to the 45. But a 15y holding penalty set the Vols back before a pass from Charles Reineke to Hackman got that yardage back again. Hackman took a lateral for 7y to the Bama 48 as the period ended.
As dusk set in, fans turned on the headlights of their cars so the contest could continue.
The Tennessee thrust ended with an interception. The next time the Vols got the ball, it was on their 20. Reineke immediately punted back, but the ball traveled only to the UT 42.
Alabama got one first down on Billy Hicks' 13y sweep, but the threat died when a fourth-down pass was broken up.
But after intercepting a pass, the Tide was back in business at the UT 42. Brasfield connected with Dealfor 17y. With their fans yelling "Hold that line!" three Vols rushed Brasfield and forced a fumble.
With only a few minutes left, Alabama took to the air on their next possession only to have Reineke rack up another interception.
Neyland's offense ran some time off the clock before punting to the Bama 35.
Brasfield ripped off 18y off-tackle. Hicks added eight, and John Campbell made three more for a first down at the UT 36. On third-and-11, Campbell ran to the 15 as time expired.
Final score: Tennessee 15 Alabama 13
Tennessee fans turned Gay Street in Knoxville into a wild scene that night. The celebration continued into the morning.
When the train carrying the Volunteers pulled into the station in Knoxville the next day, an enormous crowd greeted them, cheering madly.
The 1928 victory over Alabama has been called the most significant in Tennessee football history. That upset caused Tennessee football to be taken seriously. Gene McEver, said years later, "I don't think there's any question about that game putting Tennessee football on the map."
Gene McEver’s 98 yard kickoff return to start the most important win in school history.
peaygolf
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You are the man @peaygolf Thanks for making the off-season fly by.
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@peaygolf , thank you so much for all the work you've put into these countdowns the past few years. I particularly enjoyed this offseason.
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THANK YOU, SIR !!!
It has been a most enjoyable trip down memory lane and wonderful history lesson.
Your effort has been very much appreciated - we should get with Freak and see if there is someway of cutting and reassembling this thread into an e-book.
It would be a very interesting compilation.
Now it is time my friend for you to turn off your desk lamp, quiet your keyboard, recline in your favorite chair, pour yourself one of the finest aged drinks, and enjoy the season...you've earned it.
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You took the words right out of my mouth. Greatest individual plays in UT history? @peaygolfWe're all anxiously awaiting what you have in store for next year.
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