2021 Countdown to Bowling Green

176 days.................

As a Wing-T quarterback, Mallon Faircloth rushed for over 1,500 yards and 10 TDs............but he also threw 176 career passes for 1,200 yards and 13 TDs

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174 days.........

Lots of good ones to choose from, but I’m going with Reggie McKenzie. McKenzie was a linebacker from ‘81-‘84, and helped usher in an era of dominance in Knoxville. Reggie finished his career with 1 interception, 4 sacks, and 174 career tackles. McKenzie had a successful career with the Raiders as a player and then General Manager. He is a member of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

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173 days........

In 1953, Neyland had retired, and UT finished 6-4-1. The Wing-T offense remained, so very few passes were thrown in Coach Robinson’s first season. Jerry Hyde was a hold over from the ‘51 NC Team, and led the Vols with 8 receptions for 173 yards and 3 TDs. In the victory over LSU, Hyde had 2 TDs and an interception. His other touchdown came vs Johnny Unitas’ Louisville Cardinals.

Hyde TD vs LSU
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171 days........

Bobby Patterson was a tailback from Nashville that came to UT in 1966. A big, powerful back with speed, he looked like a can’t miss player. Consistent injuries and illnesses plagued his career, so he didn’t get a real chance to show off his talents. He was only able to play in ‘67 and ‘69, and had 171 yards rushing during the 1969 season, scoring a touchdown vs Georgia Tech.

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170 days........

In 2003, UT traveled to Miami as a 12.5 point underdog. The Vols offense sputtered all day, gaining only 170 yards of total offense, while scoring only 10 points. The defense rose to the occasion, giving up only 6 points, in the upset victory!!!!

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I was at this game. Miami fans were pretty rowdy when we were walking from parking to the stadium. I think they were convinced that they were going to have an easy win.
They looked shell shocked after the final seconds ticked off the clock.

Great win over the “warrior” Kellen Winslow and the Hurricanes.
 
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168 days........

Lester McClain was the first African -American to play at the University of Tennessee. The Nashville native paved the way with class and excellence on and off the field. From ‘68-‘70, he had 1,003 receiving yards, 123 rushing yards, and 8 kickoff returns for 168 yards. DE404FD3-3A0F-485B-80AE-1D06F73C3586.png
 
Thank you @peaygolf for posting the countdown everyday year after year, one of my favorite threads on Volnation.
Also shoutout to @OneManGang for holding the fort down when Peay was away.
Love doing it.......fun trying to find “obscure” things that aren’t obvious.
 
167 days........

Carl Zander’s senior year in ‘84, was one of the best defensive seasons in school history. The team captain had two games with over 20 tackles and one with 16. Zander, a linebacker, finished the season with 1 interception, 3 forced fumbles, 6 pass breakups, 1 sack, and 167 total tackles. Zander went on to a successful NFL career and started for the Bengals in the Super Bowl.

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166 days.......

Paul Careathers came to UT in the same class as Condredge Holloway in 1971. Careathers was a bruising back with speed, but was primarily used as a blocking back.....and he was great at it. When called on to run, he was better than average. He finished his UT career with 166 carries for 737 yards and 4 TDs.

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166 days.......

Paul Careathers came to UT in the same class as Condredge Holloway in 1971. Careathers was a bruising back with speed, but was primarily used as a blocking back.....and he was great at it. When called on to run, he was better than average. He finished his UT career with 166 carries for 737 yards and 4 TDs.

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Love these photos
 
165 days........

From 1998-2001, Big John Henderson was an anchor on the Vols defensive line. Big John was a 2X consensus All-American and won the Outland Trophy as a junior. Henderson finished his UT career with 20.5 sacks and 165 tackles. He was the 9th pick in the NFL draft and a Pro Bowler twice for Jacksonville.

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I was at the '98 O&W game when Big John made his debut. He was hard to miss. When standing in the defensive huddle, he was literally head and shoulders above everyone else.

Then I saw him play ...

Elder Son&Heir and I went to watch the Titans play the Jags in Nashville. Big John had his own cheering section. Of course, he went to Pearl Cohn High School which is right across the interstate from the stadium. At that time it seemed he had more fans there than the Titans.

That was the weekend I went to four different football games in four different venues in three days. Elder Son&Heir played for Catholic which had a home game on Friday night. Then the next morning, Younger Son&Heir had a rec league game. Went to see Tennessee play at home that afternoon and then the Sunday trip to Nashville. Good times, good times.
 
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164 days.......

Terry Daniels came to Knoxville in 1978 from Miami as a tailback. He didn’t get much playing time as a backup to Hubert Simpson and James Berry, but did have a 125 yards as a junior in the win over Auburn. As a senior, he was moved to defensive back. For his career, Daniels had 164 carries for 585 yards and 2 TDs. Daniels was drafted late by Washington, but was released and signed with the New Jersey Generals in the USFL.

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162 days...........

In 1985 Keith Davis led UT in rushing as a freshman. His career looked like it would only get brighter and brighter, but injuries, and a youngster named Reggie Cobb, kept that from happening. As a senior in the1988 game vs Vanderbilt, Davis ran through rain and 30 mph winds for 162 yards on 26 carries, in the 14-7 victory. Those yards were more than half his total for the season.

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