Tennessee Vols Top 30 Memorable Moments of the Adidas Era

Jan 2, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Devrin Young (19) and defensive back Brian Randolph (37) and defensive tackle Jordan Williams (54) and defensive back Geraldo Orta (26) celebrate with fans after their 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at EverBank Field. The Tennessee Volunteers beat the Iowa Hawkeyes 45-28. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

28. The Strong Finish to the 2014 Football Season

Extreme doubt around the excitement of what Butch Jones was building at Tennessee reached its peak midway through the first half of the Alabama game this past year. The Vols were 3-4 and being blown off the field by Alabama.

Falling to 3-5 was certain, but missing on a bowl game was the worst part. Then came Josh Dobbs, who had a terrible year in 2013 and generated hardly any excitement. But then he fought the Vols back to a respectable 34-20 loss to Alabama. He then followed that up with an epic comeback against South Carolina, and all of a sudden, Tennessee had a quarterback.

Finally, there was a light at the end of the tunnel, and Tennessee showed signs of finally crawling out of the hole they had been in since 2008. Wins against Kentucky and Vanderbilt and a close loss to Missouri got the Vols to 6-6.

Then, blowing out Iowa generated all the hype that is currently surrounding the Vols. While the 2013 South Carolina win got things going for Jones’s coaching staff, the end of the 2014 season really showed signs of an eventual explosion back onto the college football scene.

And that is why the end of this season altogether has to be on this list.

Next: #27: 2005 Comeback Victory Over LSU