October 22, 1988
UT - 38
Memphis St. - 25
The journey from the misery of an 0-6 start to the 1988 football season to four SEC titles and the national championship in the ensuing 10 seasons began Oct. 22 at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis. The Vols had lost at No. 12 Georgia (28-17), to Duke (31-26), at No. 3 Auburn (38-6), and at home to No. 4 LSU (34-9), Washington State (52-24), and No. 20 Alabama (28-20).
There was a major shakeup on the coaching staff after the Washington State game, with the legendary Ken Donahue out as defensive coordinator and Doug Mathews in.
Radio personality Duncan Stewart ended up on a billboard in Nashville and refused to come down until the Vols won a game.
On arriving on the stadium that late October day, the Vols were the object of the obligatory “one-finger salutes” and the other accouterments of life on the road, including a barrage of oranges that got the team’s attention.
“We went to the dressing room before kickoff, and a lot of the guys were ticked off that had happened,” Vol quarterback Jeff Francis said.
After a 10-10 first half, the Vols jumped on the Tigers in the second half, taking a 38-25 victory.
Tennessee head coach John Majors called it, “A terrific win. It stopped the bleeding. This wasn’t the World Series, but I thought we looked a lot like the Dodgers—a lot of nobodies with a lot of heart.”
The Vols scored on four consecutive possessions following the second half kickoff. Those who wanted the ball thrown to the tight end had been granted their wish, with Von Reeves and co-captain Nate Middlebrooks each getting a TD catch.
Tony Thompson, once buried deep, deep, deep on the depth chart, came off the bench when Reggie Cobb was injured and rushed for 124 yards on 28 carries. He scored twice and had a two-point conversion run.
The victory led to a five-game winning streak to end the season, with each game being tightly contested, going well into the fourth quarter before being decided. SEC titles and bowl wins over Arkansas in the 1990 Cotton Bowl and Virginia in the 1991 Sugar Bowl came in the next two seasons. The Vols were 20-3-2 over those two campaigns.
Going from a 5-6 record in 1988 to 11-1 in 1989 was an impressive feat, unmatched in Tennessee football history. There were also SEC titles in 1997 and 1998 and the national championship that latter season.
View attachment 783678
, I’ll be even more pissed. Because until he tempers the flames, he’s leaving a huge mess behind and a torn fanbase regarding the AD.
