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Top 10 Seasons the Tennessee Vols Recovered from Losing to the Florida Gators in their History

By Caleb Calhoun

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Aug 31, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers fans gather to welcome their team during Vol Walk prior to the game against the Utah State Aggies at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

9. 1994 Tennessee Vols (8-4, 5-3)

This is probably the most fondly remembered 8-win Tennessee Vols football team in school history, and it was well-deserved. In Phillip Fulmer’s second full year as a head coach, he signed the No. 1 ranked recruiting class but had to deal with a ton of losses following the 1993 season, and this was a major rebuilding year.

After senior quarterback Jerry Colquitt’s career ended in the first game against UCLA, a loss, the Vols had to turn to Todd Helton and two freshmen, Brandon Stewart and this guy named Peyton Manning, to save the season.

Tennessee beat Georgia on the road the next week, but they played their first home game on grass in 25 years the next week against the Florida Gators. And it was to disastrous results.

Florida shut out the young Vols 31-0, giving off the impression that the team had fallen off the map under Fulmer in this transition phase. And the bounce back did not start after the loss to Florida.

The next week, Tennessee lost to Mississippi State 24-21 and fell to 1-3 on the year. But in what became the defining moment of the decade, Peyton Manning earned his first start the next week against Washington State, a Top 25 team with the No. 1 ranked defense in the country. Tennessee held on to win that game 10-9, and they beat Arkansas the next week 38-21. After a tough, close loss at home to Alabama, the Vols rebounded to win their final five games and finish 8-4.

The 1-3 start was salvaged and set the stage for one of the best runs in school history after Manning came in as the starter, making this another great rebound from a Florida loss.

Next: #8: 1996 Tennessee Vols

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