The UT decline started when...

#55
#55
btate said:
We started downhill after the 98' national champs. Fulmer thoughts he could do a little coasting and still win. At that time there wasn't any rocket scientist coaches in the league and once the smart ones started coming in ----it was all over for Fulmer. But he did give us a lot of thrills until the smart coaches came in. I would have fired him after the 2005 season. we were suppose to win the NC and even Georgia that year beat us with a young rookie coach, at home and 104,000 fans in the stands. Plus Ga. Lost all their OL to the NFL the year before . Most embarrassing loss ever.
Click to expand...

Exactly. When the SEC became the destination target for a lot of great coaches, Phil got exposed. He was a great recruiter, and an above average coach who couldn't compete against the likes of Spurrier and Saban. He was very good against a host of poor Bama coaches and Georgia's Goff and Donnan.

Your last comment about the most embarrassing loss ever is a bit of a reach. EVERY loss to Vanderbilt is more embarrassing, plus a few others like North Texas State (Battle), Rutgers (Majors), Wyoming (Fulmer), and Kentucky (Dooley).
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 people
#56
#56
orangeslice13 said:
When Greg Burke missed the FG vs. Auburn



Google it. It's also when espn decided they hate us.
Click to expand...


I was there. Stuck trying to get out of auburn for a long time. Up 16 and they scored twice with two 2 pt conversions. Burke misses a fg to win and a lineman, who later says it was an accident, throws a cup at Burke's helmet as he walks to the sideline.
Also remember liquor bottles raining down from the student section at Dr Jack Arute.
 
#57
#57
Spartacavolus said:
I was there. Stuck trying to get out of auburn for a long time. Up 16 and they scored twice with two 2 pt conversions. Burke misses a fg to win and a lineman, who later says it was an accident, throws a cup at Burke's helmet as he walks to the sideline.
Also remember liquor bottles raining down from the student section at Dr Jack Arute.
Click to expand...

Espn kept showing burke getting hit in the helmet. We kicked the espn crews off our side lines for a few years after that and the rest is "espn hates us" history
 
#58
#58
1985Vols said:
We lost to LSU in SEC Championship game in 2001 that prevented us from playing in the Rose Bowl for the National Championship.
Click to expand...

I was there for that one. We had them beat until we hurt their quarterback. Flynn I think it was came in and ran all over. We haven't defended a running quarterback since.
 
#60
#60
hillsborovol said:
Exactly. When the SEC became the destination target for a lot of great coaches, Phil got exposed. He was a great recruiter, and an above average coach who couldn't compete against the likes of Spurrier and Saban. He was very good against a host of poor Bama coaches and Georgia's Goff and Donnan.

Your last comment about the most embarrassing loss ever is a bit of a reach. EVERY loss to Vanderbilt is more embarrassing, plus a few others like North Texas State (Battle), Rutgers (Majors), Wyoming (Fulmer), and Kentucky (Dooley).
Click to expand...

Maybe not the most embarrassing loss but for me the most hurtful loss. The Memphis loss when Payton was our QB was pretty bad
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 people
#61
#61
CircleDrill said:
Randy was hired as OC
Click to expand...

of Sanders as OC. He was beyond terrible, and by the time he was replaced Fulmer was a burnt out shell of a man and our recruiting had fallen off pretty substantially. The rest is history and about 10 years of bad football! Sad, boys.
 
#62
#62
The U.T. re-emergence began?

(1) When Dooley was fired?

(2) When bUTch was hired?

(3) When we beat USC? Our first win against a ranked opponent in years.

(4) When we signed this top recruiting class?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people
#63
#63
When the 99 team lost to Arkansas and grossly underachieved getting blasted in the Fiesta Bowl by Nebraska. It's been a woeful downhill slide of underachievement ever since, until we've now become a total perennial SEC bottom feeder.
 
#65
#65
Rudy123 said:
The U.T. re-emergence began?

(1) When Dooley was fired?

(2) When bUTch was hired?

(3) When we beat USC? Our first win against a ranked opponent in years.

(4) When we signed this top recruiting class?
Click to expand...

The resurgence hasn't really begun yet. It will take more than 1 good recruiting class for that to happen.
 
#68
#68
mgu7 said:
2001SECChamplogo.png


2001%20SEC%20Trophy.jpg
Click to expand...

That one honestly still hurts....Tennessee was the best team in the nation that year. That was probably the best team Tennessee has ever had all around, and they blew it :no:
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people
#70
#70
TNTechVol said:
...Doug Dickey retired
Click to expand...
hOW ABOUT THE 2001 sec CHAMPIONSHIP WHEN we were favored by 7 over LSU and lost to a second string QB named Mauk I think. That Vol team was loaded with NFL players and had just beaten the hated Gators 1 week earlier ( we were 18 pt underdogs at the Swamp, but Casey C . took care of them.) Had we won the LSU game we would have played for the NC again. We never got our mojo back after that. AT that time you could have convinced me that 12 years later we would have been invaded by Canada and forced to speak French easier than we would be looking at a 4th consecutive losing season and Vandy would be better than us. Cut leaving didn't help us much either.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people
#74
#74
1985Vols said:
We lost to LSU in SEC Championship game in 2001 that prevented us from playing in the Rose Bowl for the National Championship.
Click to expand...

Agreed! When my wife & I noticed some UT group selling ORANGE roses in the Georgia Dome prior to the game, we knew we were in trouble. Then along came M. Mauck for LSU & the jig was up. :ermm:
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top