Tommorrow's date (Sept. 9th) in Tennessee history.

[Freak]

September 9th, 1989 was the magical upset at No. 6 UCLA.

It's a Tennessee Waltz Over UCLA : Volunteers Score Fast, Furious in 24-6 Victory

About the best that could be said for the dawning of the post-Troy Aikman era at UCLA Saturday night was that the Bruins weren't shut out.

www.latimes.com

The 1988 season had been a fluke for the Volunteers—a bad one. They finished 5-6 and were not taken seriously going into the 1989 season.
On the flip side, UCLA was coming into the 1989 season off a hot streak where they finished 10-2 with a bowl win. They lost a lot of players to the NFL, but they were still considered a Top-10 team. Also, the Vols had yet to win in the Rose Bowl versus the Bruins. That's why UCLA was expected to easily beat Tennessee.
Well, how do you think it looked when Tennessee put a whooping on UCLA, winning 24-6?
Simply put, UCLA's offense was shut down while Tennessee's kept going. We ran all over the UCLA defense with Reggie Cobb and Chuck Webb (also awesomely known as the Cobb/Webb duo). It was over pretty quickly in Pasadena.
From this game on, the Vols would win nine more (good enough for an SEC co-champion title) and finish the year with a record of 11-1 and a win versus Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl.
This game really marked the return of Tennessee football. The 80s were an up-and-down decade for Tennessee. They could not find any consistency. However, beating UCLA in 1989 showed the college football world that Tennessee was ready to be back on top and continue their winning ways.

Tennessee Volunteers Football: Top Upsets in Volunteer History

For all the disappointing losses Tennessee has experienced the past few years, we have had our fair shares of amazing upsets. After all, you really only need one thing to upset a heavy favorite—luck...

bleacherreport.com

On September 9th, 1995, Tennesse beat Georgia 30-27. Peyton Manning threw for 349 yards (he was intercepted once by... Kirby Smart) and Jay Graham rushed for 137, outdoing Georgia's combination of Mike Bobo and Robert Edwards (who left with an injury).

Three years after almost winning the East, Ray Goff came in on the hot seat, having gone 11-10-1 in his last two seasons. With Robert Edwards at tailback, the Dawgs crushed South Carolina in the opener and went to Knoxville for a meeting with sophomore Peyton Manning.

Edwards picked up where he left off, running wild until breaking his foot in the fourth quarter. With the game tied at 27 in the fourth quarter, Kirby Smart (yes, that Kirby Smart) picked off Manning with under four minutes remaining, setting Georgia up in Tennessee territory for what could have been a winning drive that would have put Goff on track to saving his job. Then Brice Hunter dropped a key third down pass from Mike Bobo (yes, that Mike Bobo), Dax Langley missed a 53-yard field goal, and Manning drove Tennessee for the winning points at the gun.

Georgia went 6-6 and fired Goff. Tennessee went 11-1, kicking off a four-year stretch in which the Vols would go 45-5. And this butterfly effect all started with a drop by Hunter, a star who had over 1,700 yards and 16 touchdowns in the two prior seasons, leading the SEC in receptions both times.

The 9 wildest Georgia-Tennessee games of the last 25 meetings

Look at these nine games, all since just 1992.

www.sbnation.com

 

[Boston Vol]

1989 UCLA is the first game that I remember watching.

 

[Freak]

1989 UCLA is the first game that I remember watching.

I'm trying to remember if this was the game where the fans and players were in the endzone "cheering each other"? I remember that iconic John Ward call but I'm not sure if that was this game or not.

 

[Boston Vol]

I'm trying to remember if this was the game where the fans and players were in the endzone "cheering each other"? I remember that iconic John Ward call but I'm not sure if that was this game or not.

I believe it was. I remember Ward making a comment about that in the old “Give Him Six” VHS tape from the early ‘90s. I believe that he said that at least to him, it was totally spontaneous.

 

[WillisWG]

I remember UCLA considered our game as a warm up they even said so, after the game one of our OL said "I guess they're warmed up now" funny as hell

 

[Freak]

I believe it was. I remember Ward making a comment about that in the old “Give Him Six” VHS tape from the early ‘90s.

I must find that clip.

 

[VOLfrombama]

That 89 team is what made me fall in love with UT football. I was 11 and had never really seen a great team since I was old enough to follow the Vols. My dad and I watched quite a few games that year. He would always take me to the O&W game. I still have some autographed stuff put away.

 

[spyfish007]

On September 9th, 1995, Tennesse beat Georgia 30-27. Peyton Manning threw for 349 yards (he was intercepted once by... Kirby Smart) and Jay Graham rushed for 137, outdoing Georgia's combination of Mike Bobo and Robert Edwards (who left with an injury).

I was a freshman at that game. Lots of drama in that game. Definitely was a great start to the season.

 

[VolnGermany]

In July,1989, I was traveling through LA and wenT down to Venice Beach to check out the scene. I saw a guy walking around with a Tennessee cap on and I asked him about it. He said he had been given the hat and wasn’t a fan. I told him we were playing UCLA that year, and he responded, “Does Tennessee have a team?”

6 weeks later he found out.

 

[feathersax]

I'm trying to remember if this was the game where the fans and players were in the endzone "cheering each other"? I remember that iconic John Ward call but I'm not sure if that was this game or not.

Indeed it was. I actually watched a VHS replay of that game a few weeks ago. Issued in the great 90s decade for Tennessee.

 

[TOUCHDOWN!!TN]

I remember UCLA considered our game as a warm up they even said so, after the game one of our OL said "I guess they're warmed up now" funny as hell

Yeah very cool quote, after our win. It was in the USA Today paper, I believe it was by Dale Carter, someone can check me.
And yes we “tuned them up!”
GBO

 

[25vol]

My birthday is historically significant! Hooray!

 

[Mikevol1964]

1989 UCLA is the first game that I remember watching.

This makes me feel very old

 

[25vol]

This makes me feel very old

Mine was 2003 vs Florida…