peaygolf’s Countdown to Kickoff-2024

#126
#126
#9
9 Days - Peyton Manning and Jamal Lewis vs Georgia 1997
So good I had to combine them…

The freshman Jamal Lewis, making his first start, gained 232 yards and Peyton Manning threw for 343 yards and 4 touchdowns as Tennessee defeated Georgia, 38-13, yesterday in Knoxville, Tenn.

The Volunteers won their seventh straight over Georgia by shredding the Southeastern Conference's leading defense for 628 yards, nearly triple what the Bulldogs had been allowing.

Manning completed 31 of 40 passes and surpassed 300 yards for the fifth straight game before 106,656 fans, the third-largest crowd in Neyland Stadium history

The Vols' last score came against reserves with 1 minute 44 seconds remaining on a 15-yard pass from Manning to Derrick Edmonds. It left Georgia Coach Jim Donnan pointing his finger and yelling at the Tennessee sidelines.

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#127
#127
peaygolf said:
#14
14 Days - Bobby Majors vs Penn St 1971



Tennessee would host the No. 5 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions the final regular season game of the year.

The couldn’t win a conference championship this season, but they were ranked No. 12 and could have a strong finish. The Nittany Lions and Joe Paterno traveled to Neyland Stadium undefeated and still thinking about a strong possibility of a national championship if things broke right. But in front of an ABC audience, the Vols torched the Nittany Lions, controlling the game from start to finish and winning 31-11, a game for SEC pride and pride for the Vols. That win launched them into the Top 10, which was where they would finish.

Tennessee was fired up for a home upset win over a Northern opponent that was one of the darlings of the national media and was perhaps overlooking the Vols, Bobby Majors and the rest of the team definitely came to play.

Majors took the opening kickoff and rambled 54 yards. He would have scored, but the last Nittany Lion player with a chance to stop him was able to tackle him. The tackler – John Cappelletti - was not that well known then outside of Pennsylvania. But in 1973, he would become the only player from Penn State ever to win the Heisman Trophy.

Before the game was over, Bobby himself would give a Heisman-like performance. He had two kickoff returns totaling 113 yards and two punt returns for 82 yards, including one for a touchdown that covered 44 yards.

He had a graceful ease when he caught punts, and Tennessee fans always knew he would catch the ball – and probably get some yardage through aggressive running afterward.

The Vols offense couldn't do anything vs Penn St. A National TV audience saw one player, a returner/DB take over a game by himself. A consensus All-American in 1971, Bobby Majors is possibly the only player to ever win Defensive Player of the Year in the SEC and be awarded Offensive Player of the Game by ABC-TV during the Penn State game

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Twas the first college game I attended.
Let's say the impression has lasted!
Go Vols!!
 
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#128
#128
#8
8 Days - Kelley Washington vs LSU 2001


It had been three weeks since Tennessee had played football. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 cancelled a game at Florida, before an open date. Then LSU and Nick Saban came calling.

But in front of 108,472 fans at Neyland Stadium, after a stirring patriotic tribute during pregame, it was Kelley Washington that was about to steal the show.

He caught 11 passes and set a new single-game Tennessee record with 256 receiving yards, including a 70-yard touchdown catch that helped change the game in the third quarter, as the seventh-ranked Vols took care of LSU in a 26-18 win.

Clausen passed 309 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, with Washington catching 11 of his 18 completions.


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#129
#129
Ah, "The Future" ...

KW always struck me as one of those guys who believed his own hype but was unwilling to put in the work required to make it a reality. As above he showed flashes of brilliance but could never quite get out of his own way to achieve true greatness.
 
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#130
#130
#7
7 Days - Al Wilson vs Florida 1998
His numbers speak for themselves, but it was his leadership that most Tennessee fans remember.

The heart and soul of the 1998 National Championship team, senior Al Wilson was a team captain and defensive stalwart at linebacker for the Vols. During the run to the national title, Wilson posted 77 tackles, four sacks and an interception despite missing three games due to injury.

He was named All-SEC in 1997 and All-SEC and All-America in 1998. In his three seasons as a starter, the Vols posted a 34-4 overall record and captured two SEC titles. He is second on Tennessee's career tackles for loss list.

His best game happened to come against the Florida Gators. He posted 12 tackles and forced a school-record three fumbles in the Vols 20-17 overtime win.


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#131
#131
#6
6 Days - Peerless Price vs Florida State 1999


Peerless is defined as "without equal; matchless." On Monday, January 4, in the first Bowl Championship Series national championship game, Tennessee's Peerless Price proved worthy of his name.

The senior wide receiver caught four passes for a career-high 199 yards, including a 79-yard game-clinching touchdown reception in the fourth quarter, to lead the Volunteers to a 23-16 victory over Florida State in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl.
The win gave Tennessee the school's second national championship of all-time - the first came in 1951 - and lifted the Vols to a 13-0 record, the best in school history.

With thousands of orange-wearing, "Rocky Top" singing Tennessee fans among the Fiesta Bowl record crowd of 80,470, the Volunteers jumped ahead 14-0 with two touchdowns in a 25-second span in the second quarter.

The first touchdown was set up by a 76-yard pass from Volunteer quarterback Tee Martin to Price to take the ball to Florida State's 12-yard line. Four plays later, Martin hit fullback Shawn Bryson out of the backfield for a four-yard touchdown pass. On the Seminoles' next possession, Tennessee cornerback Dwayne Goodrich intercepted a pass and returned it 54 yards for a touchdown.
Florida State came back with nine unanswered points on a 1-yard touchdown run by William McCray and a short field goal by Sebastian Janikowski to cut the lead to 14-9 at halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, Martin threw a perfect pass down the right sideline that Price caught and ran the distance for a 79-yard touchdown reception. Jeff Hall added a 23-yard field goal for Tennessee, and Florida State quarterback Marcus Outzen ran seven yards for a touchdown for the final margin.

Price set Fiesta Bowl records for longest reception (79 yards) and highest average per catch (49.7 yards). He was named the Offensive Player of the Game.



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#132
#132
peaygolf said:
#6
6 Days - Peerless Price vs Florida State 1999


Peerless is defined as "without equal; matchless." On Monday, January 4, in the first Bowl Championship Series national championship game, Tennessee's Peerless Price proved worthy of his name.

The senior wide receiver caught four passes for a career-high 199 yards, including a 79-yard game-clinching touchdown reception in the fourth quarter, to lead the Volunteers to a 23-16 victory over Florida State in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl.
The win gave Tennessee the school's second national championship of all-time - the first came in 1951 - and lifted the Vols to a 13-0 record, the best in school history.

With thousands of orange-wearing, "Rocky Top" singing Tennessee fans among the Fiesta Bowl record crowd of 80,470, the Volunteers jumped ahead 14-0 with two touchdowns in a 25-second span in the second quarter.

The first touchdown was set up by a 76-yard pass from Volunteer quarterback Tee Martin to Price to take the ball to Florida State's 12-yard line. Four plays later, Martin hit fullback Shawn Bryson out of the backfield for a four-yard touchdown pass. On the Seminoles' next possession, Tennessee cornerback Dwayne Goodrich intercepted a pass and returned it 54 yards for a touchdown.
Florida State came back with nine unanswered points on a 1-yard touchdown run by William McCray and a short field goal by Sebastian Janikowski to cut the lead to 14-9 at halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, Martin threw a perfect pass down the right sideline that Price caught and ran the distance for a 79-yard touchdown reception. Jeff Hall added a 23-yard field goal for Tennessee, and Florida State quarterback Marcus Outzen ran seven yards for a touchdown for the final margin.

Price set Fiesta Bowl records for longest reception (79 yards) and highest average per catch (49.7 yards). He was named the Offensive Player of the Game.



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How is this not #1?
 
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#136
#136
#5
5 Days - Chuck Webb vs Arkansas 1990


'Arkansas doesn't have a good defense to me,' said Webb, a redshirt freshman from Toledo, Ohio. 'They gave us little respect.

'Arkansas took us lightly. They only practiced four days for us, and we wanted it more. They would be an 8-3 team in the Southeastern Conference. I think Alabama and Auburn also would beat them.'

Webb criticized Akansas during an after-game news conference and then held court, speaking on such topics as a playoff in college football and Tennessee's chances for the national championship.

'I think there should be a playoff for the national championship,' Webb said. 'You go home after you play a bowl game and see teams that are not as good as you win the national championship.'

Webb, the most valuable player in Monday's Cotton Bowl, rushed for 250 yards and two touchdowns to give Tennessee a 31-27 victory over Arkansas.

The guys opened up the holes and I ran through them," Webb said. "Winning means a lot to this team. I wish the game had been for a national championship, but it was a championship for the team."

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#137
#137
#4
4 Days- Travis Stephens vs Florida 2001


In 2001, Florida and Tennessee each came into the game with 9-1 overall records and 6-1 SEC records, but no one outside Knoxville -- and few on Rocky Top -- thought of the teams as equals. Gators coach Steve Spurrier considered the 2001 group one of his best Florida teams. Most of the nation considered the Gators the only team capable of challenging Miami for the national title.

While watching television at their hotel in nearby Ocala, Fla., Tennessee players saw one commentator after another pick the Gators, whom Las Vegas oddsmakers had installed as 18-point favorites. "They gave us no chance at all," former Tennessee tailback Travis Stephens recalled this September. "Once they did that, it was like the hotel erupted. ... Everybody just ran around screaming in the halls."

Stephens had carried Tennessee's offense in the early season, but the Vols had relied more on the passing game as the season moved forward. So opponents had adjusted their gameplans away from stuffing Stephens. That proved to be Florida's biggest mistake. Using mostly a basic zone play, Stephens ran 19 times for 226 yards and two touchdowns.

The 5-9, 190-pound back showed no fear. On a critical fourth-and-one play early in the fourth quarter, Stephens raised his palms to the sky and begged the Florida crowd for more noise. The Gators, riding a 362-yard passing day from Grossman, led 23-21 when the Vols lined up near midfield. Tennessee quarterback Casey Clausen gained three yards on a naked bootleg to keep the drive alive. Two plays later, Stephens ripped off a 34-yard run to set up a two-yard Jabari Davis touchdown run.

Tennessee wouldn't trail again, despite a furious UF rally, and won 34-32.

Stephens dominated UF like few others ever have. I’ve only seen a Vols running back dominate a game more one other time…….

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#146
#146
ok....how about a little defense

The 1938 Volunteers were the first of three consecutive Tennessee squads that had undefeated regular seasons. Tennessee won three consecutive conference titles before Neyland left for military service in World War II in 1941. Tennessee also began a historic streak in 1938. By shutting out their last four regular season opponents, the Vols began a streak of 17 consecutive regular season shutouts and 71 consecutive shutout quarters, still NCAA records. Athlon Sports has named the 1938 UT team as the third best college football team of all time.
 
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#149
#149
Smokey X said:
ok....how about a little defense

The 1938 Volunteers were the first of three consecutive Tennessee squads that had undefeated regular seasons. Tennessee won three consecutive conference titles before Neyland left for military service in World War II in 1941. Tennessee also began a historic streak in 1938. By shutting out their last four regular season opponents, the Vols began a streak of 17 consecutive regular season shutouts and 71 consecutive shutout quarters, still NCAA records. Athlon Sports has named the 1938 UT team as the third best college football team of all time.
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Athlon sports obviously can’t find their ass…
 
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#150
#150
Smokey X said:
ok....how about a little defense

The 1938 Volunteers were the first of three consecutive Tennessee squads that had undefeated regular seasons. Tennessee won three consecutive conference titles before Neyland left for military service in World War II in 1941. Tennessee also began a historic streak in 1938. By shutting out their last four regular season opponents, the Vols began a streak of 17 consecutive regular season shutouts and 71 consecutive shutout quarters, still NCAA records. Athlon Sports has named the 1938 UT team as the third best college football team of all time.
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You know….you’re probably 100% correct…..
I didn’t think about that. I wish I had.
 
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