Is Cal this biggest opener for the Vols in the Fulmer era? Take a look at past opening games with Fulmer as head coach:
2005 UAB
2004 UNLV
2003 Fresno St.
2002 Wyoming
2001 Syracuse
2000 Southern Mississippi
1999 Wyoming
1998 Syracuse
1997 Texas Tech
1996 UNLV
1995 East Carolina
1994 UCLA
1993 Texas Tech
Looking at that list, only a couple of games stand out to me as possible big games:
The 1994 UCLA game where Jerry Colquitt would finally get to be the starting quarterback after Health Shuler had decided to leave early for the NFL. Seven plays into that game we all know what happened. Colquitt’s season and career at Tennessee was over.
Tennessee fell behind by 18 points in that game and desperately searched for an answer at quarterback. They played two freshmen, Petyton Manning and Branndon Stewart, before settling on Todd Helton. It was Helton’s led Vols who mounted a fourth quarter comeback, falling just short 23-25.
The 1998 season opened at Syracuse. I’m not sure anyone was thinking National Championship at that point. It took a fourth down pass interference call too keep the drive alive that would allow Jeff Hall to kick the game winning field goal and propel the 10th ranked Vols to a 34-33 victory.
Is it possible that the Cal game is bigger than both of those? I realize that this game will have no bearing on the SEC championship, but I think it could be bigger due to the state of the vol nation right now. Randy Sanders is at Kentucky and David Cutcliffe is returning home. Tennessee is coming off of a 5-6 season, the first in which Fulmer ever won less than 8 games. The confidence of the program is fragile right now. Tennessee really needs something to build on and get things headed back in the right direction and regain that “swagger”.