If you could change any UT football game outcomes that we could have/should have won, what would they be?

#51
#51
Ole Butch botched that one badly. Idiot
Baker Mayfield was nearly sacked 3 times that would’ve ended the game but he got away each time and made plays. Butch didn’t lose that one. Mayfield took that one from us. That was the loudest game I’ve ever seen in person though , neyland was rocking.
 
#52
#52
Baker Mayfield was nearly sacked 3 times that would’ve ended the game but he got away each time and made plays. Butch didn’t lose that one. Mayfield took that one from us. That was the loudest game I’ve ever seen in person though , neyland was rocking.
Decisions like opting for a field goal early In the game from the 3 inch line is why we lost. Butch was a sissy. I was there for that game too. Should have seen the look on Butchs face at the vol walk. His face was so red, looked like he was about to crap his pants.

Ha. Then you got Jancek complaining about the crowd being too loud and the players couldn't hear the calls they were making. It was an absolute joke of a staff.
 
#53
#53
I remember 2004 Auburn well. I was nine and I had never seen Tennessee lose before in person. I though Tennessee was semi invincible until then. All those are good ones, one that really crushed my soul was 2015 Florida/ Oklahoma.

We held our own against Auburn in 2004 SECCG. I thought we were going to win it when Riggs took it to the house. We were a very very good team that year but Auburn showed us twice they were elite. They should have been natl champs that year. No shame in losing that game.
 
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#57
#57
1997 Florida(33-20L) and Vandy(17-7W). Manning injured his knee in the Vandy game, which kept him out of practice leading up to the Nebraska game. Manning played, but really only had a week of real practice, with no contact. He played scared, and constantly looked to dump down, even when he had lots of time. A few years after he moved on, I spoke to Marcus Nash. Marcus indicated that he and Jermaine Copeland were open, all day long, on the deep routes. But Manning would get rid of the ball, quickly. Fearful he might re-injure his knee, and hurt his high draft pick chances. Marcus was not super impressed with Nebraska's Blackshirt Defense.
 
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#58
#58
I like to say because I believe it and because it ticks people off, but if we beat Florida we’re potentially looking at a BCS title game. The entire way we approach the season changes from that point on .

And if that happened, would Fulmer have been canned after the 2008 season? Probably not. The class he was putting together was a top 7 class with a future Heisman trophy winning QB in it (Boyd). Perhaps we wouldn't have had to suffer with terrible football and incompetent coaching over the last decade plus.
 
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#59
#59
This is for the way they most severely affected our season, our program trajectory, prestige , our fanbase, whatever you choose?

My top list with reasons listed
1939 - USC - Broke our unbeaten, unscored on streak
1940 - Boston College - cost us undefeated season and consensus NC
1950 - Miss. State - cost us consensus NC
1956 - Baylor - cost us consensus NC
1965 - Ole Miss - cost us major bowl and chance at NC
1966 - Bama - cost us chance at NC
1967 - Oklahoma - cost us chance at consensus NC
1968 - Texas - could have elevated our program to elite in eyes of media instead of Bama
1969 - Ole Miss - cost us chance at NC
1970 - Auburn - cost us chance at NC
1971 - Bama - cost us chance at NC
1980 - UGA - had the game won twice and our fumble gave them their only NC in modern history
1983 - Ole Miss - cost us a major bowl vs Texas
1985 - Florida - cheating gators cost us a chance at NC
1987 - Boston College - cost us a chance at major bowl
1989 - Bama - cost us chance at NC
1990 - Bama/N. Dame - cost us chance at NC
1992 - Arky/SC - either cost us 3 game lead over Fla in initial SEC title game
1993 - Florida - cost us major bowl/SEC title
1995 - Florida - cost us major bowl/SEC title/chance at NC
1996 - Memphis - cost us major bowl
1997 - Nebraska - cost us chance at NC
1999 - Arkansas - cost us SEC title/chance at NC
2000 - Florida - cost us SEC title
2001 - LSU - cost us SEC title/chance at NC
2003 - Auburn - cost us major bowl/chance at SEC title
2004 - N. Dame - cost us major bowl and hurt QB
2004 - Auburn - cost us SEC title and major bowl
2006 - Florida/LSU - cost us SEC title/major bowl/chance at NC
2007 - LSU - cost us SEC title/major bowl
2014 - Florida - missed opportunity to overtake Florida rebuilding
2015 - Oklahoma/Florida/Bama - missed opportunity to "be back"
2016 - Vanderbilt - cost us the Sugar Bowl

The 2001 loss to LSU felt like the beginning of the downfall of Fulmer. After that, we never seemed to be the same. The game itself should have been a win, because their starting QB got hurt in the first half, but LSU poured on steam and we let up.

There were plenty of other heartbreaking losses that I could point to, but that one was the biggest back breaker.
 
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#60
#60
The only one on here that in retrospect I am glad we didn't win is 1995 Florida. Better for them to take that beating from Nebraska than us. That Husker team is still the greatest ever imo. Florida was really good and Nebraska beat them in the Fiesta Bowl like they were Austin Peay.
I can still remember smiling ear to ear when 300+ lb Christian Peter strolled 90 yards untouched for the score, & telling my older cousin "im glad Peyton not getting hit like this."
 
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#61
#61
The only one on here that in retrospect I am glad we didn't win is 1995 Florida. Better for them to take that beating from Nebraska than us. That Husker team is still the greatest ever imo. Florida was really good and Nebraska beat them in the Fiesta Bowl like they were Austin Peay.
True. They would have put us to sleep. But beating Florida in 95 could have changed a lot for the even better. Or worse. Maybe beating them in 95 doesn't give us the juice to beat them in 98. Or maybe with that win we flip the script and we are the ones who usually come out on top in that match up.
 
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#63
#63
And if that happened, would Fulmer have been canned after the 2008 season? Probably not. The class he was putting together was a top 7 class with a future Heisman trophy winning QB in it (Boyd). Perhaps we wouldn't have had to suffer with terrible football and incompetent coaching over the last decade plus.
Things would’ve most likely gone in a lot of different directions had we had a few different bounces of the ball in 2006. Fulmer definitely wouldn’t have been fired in 08. However, Cut would’ve left again whether it had been for Duke in 2008 or another school further down the road and it’s hard to deny that the highest level of success achieved by Phil included having Cut and Chief together. Tajh Boyd would’ve been a good QB for us, better than Crompton and Simms for sure, but I’m pretty sure he never won the Heisman at Clemson or would’ve won it at Tennessee either. Had Fulmer stayed he would’ve been going against the 2 greatest modern college football coaches in Saban and Meyer and I think it would’ve eventually gotten to him and he would’ve had a much more graceful ending to his Tennessee coaching career.
 
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#64
#64
I like to say because I believe it and because it ticks people off, but if we beat Florida we’re potentially looking at a BCS title game. The entire way we approach the season changes from that point on .

If Inky Johnson doesn't get hurt and Justin Harrell doesn't hurt his arm, we very well may have beaten Florida. Two HUGE difference makers on our defense, gone for that game! I know Justin tried to play in the Florida game for a while, but he was extremely limited and couldn't do much. That Airforce game messed us up!
 
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#68
#68
If Inky Johnson doesn't get hurt and Justin Harrell doesn't hurt his arm, we very well may have beaten Florida. Two HUGE difference makers on our defense, gone for that game! I know Justin tried to play in the Florida game for a while, but he was extremely limited and couldn't do much. That Airforce game messed us up!
I was at that game and it was such a trap game sandwiched between a top 10 Cal team that we throttled and the always emotional Florida game. We had no business scheduling a service academy that runs a triple option between those games . I’m not at all saying that it was responsible for Inky’s life altering injury, but I just don’t like playing those sorts of teams. If we have Justin Harrell at close to 100% he has a much bigger impact in that game. That 2006 Florida game is still a tough one for me to get over.
 
#69
#69
I was at that game and it was such a trap game sandwiched between a top 10 Cal team that we throttled and the always emotional Florida game. We had no business scheduling a service academy that runs a triple option between those games . I’m not at all saying that it was responsible for Inky’s life altering injury, but I just don’t like playing those sorts of teams. If we have Justin Harrell at close to 100% he has a much bigger impact in that game. That 2006 Florida game is still a tough one for me to get over.

Agreed. Though we won the Air Force game, it felt like an L. We didn't play well at all and lost two of our key defensive players for the season.
 
#70
#70
2001 LSU would be #1
1999 Florida would be #2
2003 Clemson would be #3 (we were in AP top 10 and this bowl loss was embarrassing)
2006 Penn State would be #4 - Just an ugly and embarrassing bowl loss

UT football in general from 2008-2020 but Georgia State stands out. In Lane Kiffin's one year, his losses to Auburn and UCLA were kind of embarrassing, especially in light that he beat Georgia and nearly beat Alabama. However, first year coaches typically lose games they should win.
 
#72
#72
Ask the 2016 team if they tanked so they wouldn't have won the East and play Bama again.

Something was just fishy how that season unraveled.

In 2016, Josh Dobbs got the flu against South Carolina and we still played him despite him not being 100%. It showed on the field and cost us the game. Everything unraveled after that.
 
#75
#75
LSU 2001 easily. This loss completely changed the trajectory of our program!

I used to think the exact same thing! But then I thought had we played in the NC game that might have bought Fulmer one extra year and we would be one extra year in this mess!

Then I thought had he had one more year, we may have gotten a better replacement than the one we got the year before!
 

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