My Top Three Gutsy VOL Performances

#1
Orlando Vol

Orlando Vol

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#1
Is it football time in Tennessee, yet? :hmm:

One player takes over a game, and wills his team to the victory. These are my three favorites:

1. Al Wilson vs. the Florida Gators, 1998 - This was my sophomore year at UT, and my first UF/UT game in person. Neyland Stadium was ELECTRIC that night, and I still get chills thinking about it. Al played lights out forcing three fumbles and terrorized the UF quarterbacks all night to take down the Gators.

2. Rick Clausen vs. LSU, 2005 - I was ready to jump off a bridge after the 21-0 implosion topped off by "the heave"... The comeback led by the LSU castaway was nothing short of miraculous. Talk about a rollercoaster ride. That game was epic, with the whole Katrina situation hovering overhead.

3. Travis Stephens vs. Florida, 2001 - I bought my single ticket for this game the Monday of game week, of course the game never happened because of the tragic events of 9/11 the next day. As of Thursday, I was still ready to make the drive back home to Florida for the game, which at the 11th hour they decided to push back to December. We all know that this game became HUGE, as the game became a one-game playoff to make the SEC Championship the next week vs. LSU. I sat in the FRONT ROW, right next to the band and watched Travis go off on the Gator D. I had a great view of one of the most awesome plays I've ever seen, when Travis lowered the boom on one DB and stiff-armed another on that awesome run late in the game. I was about 20 feet from where Grossman's pass fell incomplete on the game tying 2-point attempt. What a game! :rock2:


What about you all?

GO VOLS!
 
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#2
#2
Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt 2007

Ainge 3tds 0ints, Foster 19car 106yds, Taylor 9rec 90yds, Lincoln game winner, the o-line, and the defense who held Vandy scoreless in the 4th quarter. A real team effort in a come back win. Tennessee was down 24-9 going into the fourth quarter and scored 16 unanswered to win by 1. They had some help when Vanderbilt missed the game winning kick. Lincoln hit the game winning kick 2 minutes before that after having missed a kick and an extra poitn was blocked earlier in the game.
 
#3
#3
How about Chris Lofton's entire senior season of playing through testicular cancer. That's pretty awe inspiring and definitely gutsy.
 
#6
#6
I feel Tee Martin had one. Didn't he really pick up and carry the team either the game jamal lewis got injured or one of the games after that (course travis henry could fall into one of those during that time period too)
 
#7
#7
James Wilhoit vs Florida 2004 - Just minutes after missing an extra point attempt to tie the game he drills a 50 yarder for the game winner.
 
#8
#8
UTC Vol Fan said:
James Wilhoit vs Florida 2004 - Just minutes after missing an extra point attempt to tie the game he drills a 50 yarder for the game winner.
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oooooh yeah.

I have never seen a guy go from goat to hero like that, that quickly in a game before.
 
#10
#10
not necessaily my #1, but travis henry running over hogs on his way to the endzone in '98 was pretty beastly.
 
#11
#11
TrueOrange said:
oooooh yeah.

I have never seen a guy go from goat to hero like that, that quickly in a game before.
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Andy Kelly went the other way from hero to goat that quick against Notre Dame back in 1990 when he threw a pick after nearly leading a comeback win.

The gutsiest team performance for me was miracle in South Bend in 1991.
 
#12
#12
triadvolfan said:
Andy Kelly went the other way from hero to goat that quick against Notre Dame back in 1990 when he threw a pick after nearly leading a comeback win.

The gutsiest team performance for me was miracle in South Bend in 1991.
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well yeah. I've seen that alot. Hero to goat's a real easy one. That one you see alot in the sports world
 
#15
#15
Chuck Webb's 294 yards rushing against Mississippi in 1989.
Bill Duff's 4th down goal line tackle of Eddie George in the Citrus Bowl, 1996.
 
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#16
#16
This goes way back to Richmond Flowers playing when he knew his father was either going to jail or under indictment for spurious charges. I thought Flowers was always a class VOL.

There have been a lot of gutsy players and games. Harrell in the fla 06 game comes to mind, still one of my favorite VOLS, epitomizes the "Today I will give My All for Tennessee."

GO VOLS
 
#19
#19
Orlando Vol said:
2. Rick Clausen vs. LSU, 2005 - I was ready to jump off a bridge after the 21-0 implosion topped off by "the heave"... The comeback led by the LSU castaway was nothing short of miraculous. Talk about a rollercoaster ride. That game was epic, with the whole Katrina situation hovering overhead.

GO VOLS!
Click to expand...

This will always stick out to me. It was the last game i saw that year before deploying to Iraq the following day.
 
#20
#20
How about Clausen leading us to something like five OT win against Ark. with a fractured clavicle. I forget the exact yr.
 
#21
#21
how bout as recent as the last game of 08? kentucky was going to a bowl game and vol players knew it was the last game for phil and the streak they held over the kats. the d that night was awesome

how bout in 2006 after inky johnson went down, xavier mitchell stuffed the 2 point conversion attempt

ryan karl leading the team with 9 tackles in his first career start following the '05 horriable season
 
#22
#22
BACKDOC said:
How about Clausen leading us to something like five OT win against Ark. with a fractured clavicle. I forget the exact yr.
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I think it was a dislocated shoulder, but yeah. That was awesome. It happened in the 2nd OT I think, and he never went and talked to the coaches when the D was on the field because he thought they would take him out. Clausen was double tough.

I can't believe no one mentioned this earlier. This was the first one I thought of.
 
#23
#23
Even though we lost I thought Justin Harrell's decision to play in the UF game showed how much heart he had.
 
#24
#24
KoachKrab127 said:
I think it was a dislocated shoulder, but yeah. That was awesome. It happened in the 2nd OT I think, and he never went and talked to the coaches when the D was on the field because he thought they would take him out. Clausen was double tough.

I can't believe no one mentioned this earlier. This was the first one I thought of.
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It was a fractured clavicle (collarbone). I was at the game (met Casey, Jimmy, and their parents during that game's Vol Walk). The game was in 2002. That was the most gutsy football peformance IMO. Lofton overcoming cancer takes the cake, though.
 
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