peaygolf
The "Fly" is open.....Let's Go Peay!!!!
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130 days…..
#130 - 38-7 vs Florida (1970)
The first real game of the UT/UF “rivalry” occurred in 1970, the year after Doug Dickey left UT to go to Hogtowne. It was Bill Battle’s first season in Knoxville and he couldn’t afford to lose to his predecessor. The Gators came into Knoxville wanting to stop the run, but forgot about Bobby Scott. Scott threw two TDs and set a school record with 385 passing yards in the #11 Vols easy victory. The defense wasn’t going to be outdone, as it intercepted four passes while Conrad Graham and Jackie Walker returned two of them for TDs. The crowd in Neyland filled the air with “boos and cat-calls” directed at Dickey all game long. My family made the trek to the game and said the atmosphere was filled with nervous energy at the outset, but reached a feverish peak during the second half when victory was well in hand. Beating Dickey was a monumental win for all Vols.
Also the drama of seeing where Peay is going next.I think my favorite part of this particular countdown is all the archived footage and photos from the games in question. Being able to relive some of these games or construct an image of them for the first time is fantastic. Thanks peaygolf for all your work (although it probably doesn't feel like work to you).
Such a great team that year! Could have won it all with a few breaks against Auburn. Also love the tape of this game. It was even more lopsided than the score. Just a brutal whipping.
I'm a historian.......This is a lot of fun for me.I think my favorite part of this particular countdown is all the archived footage and photos from the games in question. Being able to relive some of these games or construct an image of them for the first time is fantastic. Thanks peaygolf for all your work (although it probably doesn't feel like work to you).
You just had to bring the Peay into it But seriously, a good tale well told.128 days……
#128 - 45-0 vs Austin Peay (2013)
It was Butch’s debut as HC and the opening game was a forgone conclusion, but everyone was excited to see what was in store for the program.
Raijon Neal ran for 141 yards and Justin Worley threw for 3 TDs as the Vols crushed the Govs 45-0. The Vols defense held The Peay to only 211 total yards of offense.
The Peay was a horrible program the time, and the win doesn’t seem like a big deal, but the historical importance is what makes it so great. The Vols became only the 8th major program to reach 800 career wins. Today, only 13 D1 programs have 800 or more.
The win against my Govs, put UT in a level of greatness few have ever reached…….
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Thank you, @Rifleman! I just posted this over in the recruiting forum. And linked here. I can't believe I'd never seen this one. Excellent!
Tomorrow begins the Countdown to Kickoff.
This year, I will be counting down MY top 150 victories in UT history. I based my list on several factors, including ranked wins, upsets, program changing wins, last second wins, wins that brought about national spotlight, etc……..
Game day will be Day 0……I’ll have something interesting for that day. As always, I hope you enjoy and let the debate start tomorrow..
127 days…
#127 - 17-0 vs Mercer (1939)
One week after beating Alabama, the University of Tennessee played the Bulldogs of Mercer. It was the first game the Vols ever played as the #1 ranked team in the country. With Cafego out with an injury, the offense relied on Jimmy Butler and Bob Foxx. Foxx scored on a 70 yard punt return and Butler scored on a weaving 18 yard run. The defense held up its end by continuing the scoreless streak and only allowed 58 yards for Mercer.
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124 days……
#124 - 38-25 vs Memphis State (1988)
1988 started off as bad as possible. Six straight loses and Duncan Stewart on a Billboard. In game seven, Memphis St, fresh off a road win over #14 Florida, hosted the reeling Vols. After a 10-10 first half, the Vols jumped on the Tigers in the second half, taking a 38-25 victory. Tony Thompson, once buried deep on the depth chart, came off the bench when Reggie Cobb was injured and rushed for 124 yards on 28 carries. He scored twice and had a two-point conversion run.
Tennessee head coach John Majors called it, “A terrific win. It stopped the bleeding. This wasn’t the World Series, but I thought we looked a lot like the Dodgers—a lot of nobodies with a lot of heart.”
The victory led to a five-game winning streak to end the season, with each game being tightly contested, going well into the fourth quarter before being decided.
SEC titles and bowl wins over Arkansas in the 1990 Cotton Bowl and Virginia in the 1991 Sugar Bowl came in the next two seasons. The Vols were 20-3-2 over those two campaigns. This win at Memphis St was the beginning of the greatest decade of UT football.
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