97 vs 98 Vols

#27
#27
turbovol said:
We were good in '98--but also lucky: Got some big breaks in the Florida game--as I recall the Gators fumbled five times, and lost one of them at our 1 yard line or thereabouts.

And of course the Arkansas fumble late.

There was also the PI flag at Syracuse--but that was a good call.

The '99 team SHOULD have won it all--maybe the most talent we've ever had in the modern era--and we could have won it in 2001 as well.
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The 99 team likely was the best of them all IMO.
 
#28
#28
05_never_again said:
That bolded part shows how snakebit we are against UF, even when we win.

We won the turnover differential 4-1, yet won that game by a missed UF FG in OT. It should have never been that close.
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Without Al Wilson, UT loses that game by double digits. That was the best defensive performance I have ever witnessed.
 
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#29
#29
Volumnus 2011 said:
Is it really that simple? Do you think 97 Vols could have won a bowl game at the end of the season against Nebraska or Michigan in a bowl game if the stakes were higher?
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Manning's knee was injured in the SEC Championship game and that had a major influence in Tennessee's loss in the Orange Bowl.
 
#30
#30
dobre_shunka said:
Manning's knee was injured in the SEC Championship game and that had a major influence in Tennessee's loss in the Orange Bowl.
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From what I understand, Tennessee also ran into a buzzsaw. Nebraska felt disrespected for not getting the attention and credit it deserved for being undefeated. They went into that game looking for blood.
 
#31
#31
Voltopia said:
The 1997 team was better than 1998's. Hell, the 2001 team was probably better than 1998's. 1998's needed an amazing run of luck to win the title -

The flag at Syracuse.
Spurrier playing kicker-go-round.
Ratliff making the play of his life to get to Stoerner.
FSU loses their starting senior QB Weinke and had to play the title game with Outzen. (Frankly, I've always thought that if FSU had Weinke we would have been in trouble in this game, with Weinke throwing to Warrick and all).

When you look at it, the amount of good fortune is somewhat stunning. Tennessee was absolutely drowning in talent between 1996-2001. And yet with all that talent, we never really saw Tennessee be THE dominant team -- and it took a lot of luck for them to get to the Fiesta Bowl. Over time, I think that created a growing perception that Tennessee backed into some of its best moments, as opposed to kicking down the door and taking them. 1998 being the luckiest of them all, obviously.
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You forgot to mention both Kansas State and UCLA losing on the last Saturday of the season. Without that, UT may not have even been in the championship game.
 
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#32
#32
Oldvoldad said:
95 VOLS should have won the natty. Up big on UF at halftime and had an absolute meltdown in the second half. Went on to beat a loaded Ohio State team in the bowl game that included some guy named Eddie George .
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In a normal year, probably. In 1995? No way. That Nebraska team is the greatest CFB team of my nearly 50 years following the sport. They would have beat us like a rented mule, like they did everyone. Florida did us a favor beating us that year because it spared us the embarrassment that Florida was subjected to of having to play them. They just crushed anyone and everyone on the line of scrimmage.
 
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#33
#33
unfrozencvmanvol said:
In a normal year, probably. In 1995? No way. That Nebraska team is the greatest CFB team of my nearly 50 years following the sport. They would have beat us like a rented mule, like they did everyone. Florida did us a favor beating us that year because it spared us the embarrassment that Florida was subjected too of having to play them. They just crushed anyone and everyone on the line of scrimmage.
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The run!

 
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#34
#34
PEPPERJAX said:
The run!

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Yep, and before anybody says that's just "bad tackling", yeah it was bad tackling, but that's what 95' Nebraska did even to great teams. By this point in the game they had just beat on and beat on a very good Florida team, every play, all game, that sort of vicious unrelenting physical brutality has a cumulative effect. They were like men playing among boys on the OL and DL that year. Florida's defense was done trying to tackle those dudes. No mas! I loved every minute of it.
 
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#35
#35
05_never_again said:
...that, amazingly had scraped by awful UK and Vandy teams the 2 weeks previous.

The problem with that season too was that our best regular season win was against an Alabama team that finished 8-3. Not a "bad" win, and it was huge for the program because we hadn't beaten them in a decade, but we didn't have a regular season win against an elite team that would have put us at the top of the poll with a chance to play for a title.
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Billy Jack Haskins with a bum shoulder still running around making plays against us in that 95 game we almost lost to Kentucky. We had to rally from a 24-9 deficit best i remember.
 
#36
#36
unfrozencvmanvol said:
Yep, and before anybody says that's just "bad tackling", yeah it was bad tackling, but that's what 95' Nebraska did even to great teams. By this point in the game they had just beat on and beat on a very good Florida team, every play, all game, that sort of vicious unrelenting physical brutality has a cumulative effect. They were like men playing among boys on the OL and DL that year. Florida's defense was done trying to tackle those dudes. No mas! I loved every minute of it.
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I remember watching that game like it was yesterday. I believe the UF defenders were doing the best they could at that point of the game to tackle TF but were not strong enough to bring him down. TF legs were like tree trunks.
 
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#37
#37
unfrozencvmanvol said:
Yep, and before anybody says that's just "bad tackling", yeah it was bad tackling, but that's what 95' Nebraska did even to great teams. By this point in the game they had just beat on and beat on a very good Florida team, every play, all game, that sort of vicious unrelenting physical brutality has a cumulative effect. They were like men playing among boys on the OL and DL that year. Florida's defense was done trying to tackle those dudes. No mas! I loved every minute of it.
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Pretty sure those Nebraska Olineman were inspired by this guys “workout” program,
IMG_3038.gif
 
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#41
#41
dobre_shunka said:
Manning's knee was injured in the SEC Championship game and that had a major influence in Tennessee's loss in the Orange Bowl.
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I can remember a deflected pass in the SECCG turning into a pick 6 for Auburn and people giving Manning crap about not running full speed to make the tackle. He literally couldn't move faster than a slow jog.
 
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#42
#42
Volumnus 2011 said:
From what I understand, Tennessee also ran into a buzzsaw. Nebraska felt disrespected for not getting the attention and credit it deserved for being undefeated. They went into that game looking for blood.
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I don't recall that. They were ranked #2 and played in the Bowl Alliance championship which if they won guaranteed a #1 ranking in the Coaches poll and a national championship.
 
#43
#43
dobre_shunka said:
I don't recall that. They were ranked #2 and played in the Bowl Alliance championship which if they won guaranteed a #1 ranking in the Coaches poll and a national championship.
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Also Tom Osborne had announced he was retiring after that season in 97
 
#45
#45
Brave Volunteer said:
No, in 98 UCLA was undefeated until the last game of the season. They lost to Miami. Kansas State was undefeated going into the last game of the season as well. They were upset by Texas A&M.
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People get things from those years confused all the time, I guess it's understandable since it's been quite a while ago now. Lol.
 
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#46
#46
Most of the factors have been covered by other posters. Another factor is the QB was mobile in 1998. Tee made some very timely runs for chunk yardage, which won a game or two. Not saying he was better than #16, but his mobility helped the 98 team.
 
#47
#47
dobre_shunka said:
I don't recall that. They were ranked #2 and played in the Bowl Alliance championship which if they won guaranteed a #1 ranking in the Coaches poll and a national championship.
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I think it was more how they couldn't get any number 1 votes in the AP poll, even after going undefeated.
 
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#48
#48
Brave Volunteer said:
No, in 98 UCLA was undefeated until the last game of the season. They lost to Miami. Kansas State was undefeated going into the last game of the season as well. They were upset by Texas A&M.
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in 1998, Tennessee was ranked #1 in the BCS from early November. I don't see how UCLA or A&M would have moved in front of Tennessee even if they hadn't lost. Their losses did open the door for a one loss FSU to play in the BCS game but Tennessee was a sure lock as long as they won out (which they did).
 
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#49
#49
vol94fan said:
Most of the factors have been covered by other posters. Another factor is the QB was mobile in 1998. Tee made some very timely runs for chunk yardage, which won a game or two. Not saying he was better than #16, but his mobility helped the 98 team.
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True… and timely is the right word. He only ran for something like 600 yards in his career, but he had some big 3rd down and TD runs when we needed them. Some of it was also due to him not being a great passer and having to salvage plays.
 
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