The most heartbreaking Tennessee Football loss according to you?

The 2001 SEC CG cost us a chance for play for the NC, and we had already soundly beaten LSU during the season and had knocked their starting QB and RB out of the game. Chavis could not figure out how to stop the option play. I don't see how any loss could top that one.

Beginning of the end.
 
01 Sec championship because of the guaranteed implications that particular game had, and we were the better team that was upset. There are several others to choose from, even ones that may have had equal ramifications, but they were in the regular season so hard to argue one that meant more than this one. Would be interesting to know what trajectory of the program would have been if we had won or would it have made any difference. We had a fraternity party that night, and it was expected to be a victory party, instead it felt like being at a funeral home. Most depressing party I’ve ever been to.
 
Has to be the 1996 Memphis game. I have family who STILL play the old VHS or pull it up on YouTube when I come to visit.
 
1990 Tenn 6 Tide 9. Vols had kicked the $hit out of little Steve and the Gators the week before 45-3.

That Bama team was 2-3 with wins over Vandy and SW Louisiana. The 3 losses included a loss to Southern Miss. It was another example of Johnny's unnatural fear of Alabama. Vols spent the whole day being as conservative as they could be keeping this Bama team in the game (Bama's only strentgh was a great DL and Vols tried to attack that all day). The blocked FG at the end that rolled about 40 yds back into FG range for the Tide to be able to kick the winning FG was just the icing on the Crap Cake.

Johnny had way too. many games like this for me to ever feel sorry for the way his tenure here ended. From 89-91, Johnny had to work extra hard not to win a national title with all of that talent.
 
Throwing shade? I included that game as one of the most crushing losses in UF history, I called it one of the greatest games I’ve seen UT play, I complimented UT’s talent on that team, I said it was a great game and I’m saying now it was well-deserved and earned by Tennessee. That’s throwing shade?

Someone came along and said it would have been a blowout if not for Witten having fumbles. That’s a weird take on a great UT win. Let the game stand without all the “ifs, ands, and buts,” because both sides can claim that. For every Witten drop, there was an equal screw up on the other side, from a Grossman pick to a couple costly missed tackles by Gus Scott. UT won, fair and square, no sense in revising the game with hypotheticals.
I agree with what you’re saying. I think if we did play revisionist history on that game the game could’ve possibly been a wider margin given the amount times that Grossman fumbled that were called incomplete passes. I seem to remember on more than one occasion where he was hit pretty good and with replay it would’ve been Tennessee ball. The flip side of that, is that we would’ve had about 10 targeting penalties in that game.
 
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We literally have found every way possible to lose. There are so many. This is a sad thread. I dont feel like any other program could put together a list like ours. The close losses hurt more than the blowouts
 
Georgia State

Nope. Memphis in 96 was much worse. We were ranked in the top 10. We had Peyton Manning. Memphis wasn’t even close to being ranked. We should have hung 60 on them.

It’s been stated on here that a success of a team seats on QB play. In 96 we had really good QB play. For Georgia State we didn’t have a QB that would have starter for the vast majority of P5 teams.

The Memphis loss is easily much worse than Georgia State.
 
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Nope. Memphis in 96 was much worse. We were ranked in the top 10. We had Peyton Manning. Memphis wasn’t even close to being ranked. We should have hung 60 on them.

It’s been stated on here that a success of a team seats on QB play. In 96 we had really good QB play. For Georgia State we didn’t have a QB that would have starter for the vast majority of P5 teams.

The Memphis loss is easily much worse than Georgia State.
Your opinion
 
I agree with what you’re saying. I think if we did play revisionist history on that game the game could’ve possibly been a wider margin given the amount times that Grossman fumbled that were called incomplete passes. I seem to remember on more than one occasion where he was hit pretty good and with replay it would’ve been Tennessee ball. The flip side of that, is that we would’ve had about 10 targeting penalties in that game.

Agree with this, that’s why we have to let the game stand the test of time as is. I’d have to go back and watch but I recall UT really getting after Grossman, some of that wouldn’t fly today. Even with that ferocious UT pass rush, Grossman was still phenomenal. But I know UT fans would want some things to change in that game, like Witten’s poor performance, and UF fans would want some things to change, like tackling. Epic UT win, epic game in the Swamp, killer loss for UF.
 
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Your opinion
The Memphis loss was dumbfounding but didn’t set us back.it cost us a chance at a major bowl and that’s it. We won the National championship 2 years later. The Ga St loss was less surprising but hurt worse because it clearly lost us some recruits. It might have stung enough to cost us the BYU game the next week.
 
1990 Tenn 6 Tide 9. Vols had kicked the $hit out of little Steve and the Gators the week before 45-3.
Vols had potential winning FG blocked with seconds to play, the ball bounces forty yards in the opposite direction, and Bama kicks winning field goal on the next (last)play.
 
I was at that one. The roughing the passer penalty still chaps my butt.

Florida was pretty good that year and we outplayed the national champions. We should have won by two scores.

06' team was fun after '05

2005 losing Jason Allen vs UGA was a dagger and fumbling on the goalline vs Alabama was insult to injury. Sucked covering Earl Bennett on the slant to end the streak.


2005 as a whole was probably the most disheartening year
 
I agree with what you’re saying. I think if we did play revisionist history on that game the game could’ve possibly been a wider margin given the amount times that Grossman fumbled that were called incomplete passes. I seem to remember on more than one occasion where he was hit pretty good and with replay it would’ve been Tennessee ball. The flip side of that, is that we would’ve had about 10 targeting penalties in that game.
LOL Targeting Penalties Dale Carter would have never had a complete game during the 1990 season !
 
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2015 Oklahoma. I just laid on the couch for a couple hours like someone had just told me my dog died.
 
Not the worst, but I was recently reminded of Kiffin's loss at Bama when our FG was blocked on the last play of the game. There was even an issue about a bama player ripping his helmet off in celebration while the ball was rolling around and was a penalty but naturally it came to naught.

2011 loss to LSU would have to be the worst, considering how much was on the line. We had to watch next door at Jocks n Jills because we weren't paying $400/ticket (only time I've gone on the road without a ticket in hand).
 
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