peaygolf’s Countdown to Kickoff-2024

#51
#51
#31
31 days - Alan Cockrell vs Alabama 1983


As time passes, we sometimes forget certain athletes............Cockrell is one we should remember

Tennessee (4-2, 2-1) overcame a 24- 17 halftime deficit to hand Alabama (4-2, 2-1) its second consecutive loss in the Southeastern Conference game. The Crimson Tide lost, 34-28, at Penn State last week.

Alabama took a 27-17 lead early in the third quarter on a 26-yard Van Tiffin field goal. But after the ensuing kickoff, Cockrell faked a pitchout and let go with a screen pass to Clyde Duncan, and the senior receiver dashed 80 yards for a touchdown.

Bama took the lead on the next drive, but Tennessee again wasted no time as Cockrell and Duncan teamed on a 57- yard pass play with 5:09 left in the third quarter.
The game was clinched by Johnnie Jones 66 yard TD run that is etched in UT lore, but we can forget Alan Cockrell's day.

Cockrell passed for 292 yards and 3 TDs (80, 80, and 57) and also ran for a score. Without his dynamic gama, there is now way UT beats Bama in Birmingham that day in October.

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#53
#53
#30
30 Days-Preston Warren vs Boston College 1988
UTs first six games were all against teams who would reach bowl games, and five were against teams who would finish in the top 25. They started 0-6. Finally, a win over the Memphis State Tigers got them to 1-6, but they were looking to prove they had truly turned a corner. That’s where Preston Warren’s performance in this game comes into play.

The Boston College Eagles came to town in a battle of bad teams. They had upset the Vols a year before. In what became one of the most hideous games of all time, Warren became the star. After a scoreless first quarter, Warren intercepted a pass and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown to give UT a 7-0 lead.

BC tied it up later in the quarter, but Warren kept picking off passes to shut down drives, and the Vols kicked a game-winner in the fourth. Warren’s three picks and a touchdown were clearly the difference in a 10-7 win, and this sparked the momentum Majors’ team needed to finish 5-6 after a horrible start.


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#55
#55
#29
29 Days - Deon Grant vs Auburn 1999


Three interceptions and a touchdown always makes for a legendary performance, and 11 years after Preston Warren did it, Deon Grant managed to do the same thing. It was the perfect time for him to come through with Tennessee football as well.

Although the Auburn Tigers entered this game struggling under first-year head coach Tommy Tuberville, the Vols were also reeling here. They were 2-1, but in their last two games, they had lost to the Florida Gators and then barely beaten the Memphis Tigers, 17-16, at home.

Adding to the chaos, an academic fraud investigation was launched into Phillip Fulmer’s program the week of this game. Those fraud charges, by the way, led to the deal Fulmer made with the NCAA to turn in the Alabama Crimson Tide over the Logan Young-Albert Means saga.

Still, the distractions were there, and as Alabama had beaten Florida earlier in the day, UT had to figure out a way to put those issues aside in order to get back into the race. Well, Grant made sure that happened immediately.

On the first play of the game, Grant intercepted a pass and ran it into the end zone for a touchdown. That propelled a three-interception game, leading the Vols to shut out Auburn 24-0. It got them back on track, as they got on a roll and back into the title hunt. This was part of an All-American campaign by Grant, and it was the best game of the season for him.

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#56
#56
peaygolf said:
#30
30 Days-Preston Warren vs Boston College 1988
UTs first six games were all against teams who would reach bowl games, and five were against teams who would finish in the top 25. They started 0-6. Finally, a win over the Memphis State Tigers got them to 1-6, but they were looking to prove they had truly turned a corner. That’s where Preston Warren’s performance in this game comes into play.

The Boston College Eagles came to town in a battle of bad teams. They had upset the Vols a year before. In what became one of the most hideous games of all time, Warren became the star. After a scoreless first quarter, Warren intercepted a pass and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown to give UT a 7-0 lead.

BC tied it up later in the quarter, but Warren kept picking off passes to shut down drives, and the Vols kicked a game-winner in the fourth. Warren’s three picks and a touchdown were clearly the difference in a 10-7 win, and this sparked the momentum Majors’ team needed to finish 5-6 after a horrible start.


View attachment 663633
Click to expand...
After going 0-6 in 1988
5-0 to close 88
11-1 in 89 (SEC Champs)
9-2-2 in 90 (SEC Champs)
 
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#57
#57
#28
28 Days - Tom Fisher vs Auburn 1964
Not many times will I ever acknowledge anything in a Vols loss, but the effort and performance of Tom Fisher can not be left out of this list.

The 1964 season was not a good one in Knoxville. Doug Dickey went 4-5-1 in his first season as coach and faced #8 Auburn in Birmingham in the second game of the season.

The game was a defensive battle, with Auburn sneaking out of town with a 3-0 victory over the Vols, but Tom Fisher set a record that still stands to this day. Fisher recorded 21 solo tackles and 7 assisted tackles for a total of 28. Fisher and the defense kept UT in most games as the offense sputtered. Fisher would also set a record of 118 total tackles in 1964. A record that stood for 12 years.

Fisher was a 3rd round pick by the Giants in 1966, but unfortunately Fisher was killed in a car accident in March of 1966.


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Photo from 1965 game............all I could find.
Fisher blocking an Auburn punt
 
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#60
#60
#27
27 Days - Peyton Manning vs Alabama 1995


It was the day Peyton Manning became Peyton Manning.
It wasn't the numbers, it was the moments......

"Peyton Manning threw for three touchdowns and ran for another Saturday night, helping No. 6 Tennessee hand Alabama its worst home loss in 38 years with a 41-14 Southeastern Conference triumph over the No. 11 Crimson Tide. The Volunteers (6-1, 4-1 SEC) scored on their first play from scrimmage and built a 21-0 lead after one quarter to break a nine-year winless streak against the Crimson Tide (4-2, 2-2 SEC). Tennessee had gone 0-8-1 against Alabama since their last win in the series, a 16-14 triumph in 1985.

Manning completed 20 of 29 passes for 301 yards and 3TDs, while "running/walking" for another TD. Tennessee wasted no time in ending the hex as Manning hit Kent for an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play from scrimmage. Just over seven minutes later, Manning and Nash hooked up on a 25-yard scoring toss. After a turnover, Manning ran 1 yard for a touchdown, making the score 21-0 with 5:04 left in the first quarter.

Freddie Kitchens led the Crimson Tide to a touchdown, hitting Chad Key with a 2-yard toss with 6:10 left before halftime. But Manning struck again, hitting Nash with a 30-yard scoring strike with 43 seconds left in the quarter to cap a 72-yard drive in just over two minutes. The Tide appeared to get back in the game with a 15-play, 97-yard drive to start the second half that was capped by Montoya Madden's 15- yard TD run. 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 bulge. Jeff Hall kicked two fourth-quarter field goals for Tennessee, which notched its largest victory in the all-time series."





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#63
#63
#26
26 Days- Eric Gray vs Vanderbilt 2019


The Tennessee freshman has earned plenty of praise for his big-play potential, but he had just 207 yards rushing and 81 yards receiving through the Vols’ first 11 games and hadn’t been much of a factor since the first month of the season.

That all changed on a rainy Saturday afternoon in Knoxville.

Gray rushed for 246 yards and three touchdowns - including breakaways of 56 and 94 yards - as the Volunteers trounced Vandy 28-10 to end the regular season with a five-game winning streak. Gray more than doubled his season rushing total as he showed just how much he’s discovered over the course of the season.

Gray had the fifth-highest single-game rushing total ever by a Tennessee player.

His 56-yard and 94-yard runs were Tennessee’s two longest carries of the season. Gray's 94-yarder was the second-longest run from scrimmage in Tennessee history, trailing only Kelsey Finch’s 99-yarder in a 27-17 loss to Florida in 1977.

On his first touchdown Gray ran through a big hole on the right side, then cut to his left and was untouched on a 56-yard breakaway that put Tennessee ahead for good at 7-3. Gray’s first career touchdown run also was Tennessee’s longest carry of the season up to that point.

On his 94-yard run, Gray raced through the right side of the line, eluded safety Dashaun Jerkins’ diving tackle attempt just beyond the line of scrimmage and wasn’t touched the rest of the way.

Gray added a 4-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter.

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#64
#64
peaygolf said:
#27
27 Days- Eric Gray vs Vanderbilt 2019


The Tennessee freshman has earned plenty of praise for his big-play potential, but he had just 207 yards rushing and 81 yards receiving through the Vols’ first 11 games and hadn’t been much of a factor since the first month of the season.

That all changed on a rainy Saturday afternoon in Knoxville.

Gray rushed for 246 yards and three touchdowns - including breakaways of 56 and 94 yards - as the Volunteers trounced Vandy 28-10 to end the regular season with a five-game winning streak. Gray more than doubled his season rushing total as he showed just how much he’s discovered over the course of the season.

Gray had the fifth-highest single-game rushing total ever by a Tennessee player.

His 56-yard and 94-yard runs were Tennessee’s two longest carries of the season. Gray's 94-yarder was the second-longest run from scrimmage in Tennessee history, trailing only Kelsey Finch’s 99-yarder in a 27-17 loss to Florida in 1977.

On his first touchdown Gray ran through a big hole on the right side, then cut to his left and was untouched on a 56-yard breakaway that put Tennessee ahead for good at 7-3. Gray’s first career touchdown run also was Tennessee’s longest carry of the season up to that point.

On his 94-yard run, Gray raced through the right side of the line, eluded safety Dashaun Jerkins’ diving tackle attempt just beyond the line of scrimmage and wasn’t touched the rest of the way.

Gray added a 4-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter.

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Gray, wound up at Oklahoma, currently with NY Giants.
 
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#65
#65
peaygolf said:
#27
27 Days- Eric Gray vs Vanderbilt 2019


The Tennessee freshman has earned plenty of praise for his big-play potential, but he had just 207 yards rushing and 81 yards receiving through the Vols’ first 11 games and hadn’t been much of a factor since the first month of the season.

That all changed on a rainy Saturday afternoon in Knoxville.

Gray rushed for 246 yards and three touchdowns - including breakaways of 56 and 94 yards - as the Volunteers trounced Vandy 28-10 to end the regular season with a five-game winning streak. Gray more than doubled his season rushing total as he showed just how much he’s discovered over the course of the season.

Gray had the fifth-highest single-game rushing total ever by a Tennessee player.

His 56-yard and 94-yard runs were Tennessee’s two longest carries of the season. Gray's 94-yarder was the second-longest run from scrimmage in Tennessee history, trailing only Kelsey Finch’s 99-yarder in a 27-17 loss to Florida in 1977.

On his first touchdown Gray ran through a big hole on the right side, then cut to his left and was untouched on a 56-yard breakaway that put Tennessee ahead for good at 7-3. Gray’s first career touchdown run also was Tennessee’s longest carry of the season up to that point.

On his 94-yard run, Gray raced through the right side of the line, eluded safety Dashaun Jerkins’ diving tackle attempt just beyond the line of scrimmage and wasn’t touched the rest of the way.

Gray added a 4-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter.

View attachment 664878
Click to expand...
I met EG's mom while we were walking to the stadium that rainy day...
 
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#66
#66
StarRaider said:
I met EG's mom while we were walking to the stadium that rainy day...
Click to expand...
Yes, I recall the rain that day - my brothers and I were commenting on the walk in that the run game would be key that day and wondered who, if anyone, would shoulder the load.
Glad Mr. Gray stepped up the way he did.

chuckiepoo said:
Gray, wound up at Oklahoma, currently with NY Giants.
Click to expand...
I forget - did he bolt before or after the Pruitt-gate debacle ?
 
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#67
#67
IndianaVol said:
Yes, I recall the rain that day - my brothers and I were commenting on the walk in that the run game would be key that day and wondered who, if anyone, would shoulder the load.
Glad Mr. Gray stepped up the way he did.


I forget - did he bolt before or after the Pruitt-gate debacle ?
Click to expand...
Before. Must of got a shorted McDonalds bag… no fries😉
 
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#75
#75
#25
25 Days - Alvin Kamara vs Texas A&M 2016




Another unfortunate loss.........but ya can't discount this performance.

Tennessee scored three touchdowns in the final eight minutes of the fourth quarter and rallied to force overtime at Texas A&M Saturday, but seven UT turnovers and too many empty possessions led to the Vols' first loss of the season as the Aggies prevailed, 45-38, in double overtime at Kyle Field.

The Vols racked up a season-best 684 total yards of offense in their debut appearance in College Station, but their impressive yardage output was cancelled out by five lost fumbles and two interceptions. UT's 282 total rushing yards also were a season-high.

The UT tailback tandem of redshirt junior Alvin Kamara (127 yards on 18 carries) and sophomore John Kelly (career-high 89 yards on 13 carries) totaled 216 yards on the ground and three touchdowns as the Vols were without leading rusher Jalen Hurd, who did not travel due to injury.

Kamara added a career-high 161 receiving yards on a team-high eight catches. And with 24 special-teams return yards, Kamara's all-purpose yardage stood at 312 on the day. He became the first player from a "power five" conference to log at least 150 receiving yards and 125 rushing yards in the last 20 years.
It was an epic performance despite the loss. Im my opinion............Kamara and Stanley Morgan were two of the most versitle backs UT has ever had.

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