Tennessee vs. Alabama: 10 Memorable Vols Wins in the Series

Oct 10, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; The Tennessee Volunteers gather at mid field before the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

6. 1968: Tennessee Wins 10-9

Sticking with our theme of Tennessee going for its second straight victory after ending a losing streak the year before, we have gone back to 1996, 1983, and now 1968.

The Vols had ended a six-year winless streak against the Tide the year before, and they were 3-0-1 and ranked No. 8 under Doug Dickey going into this game, while Alabama was 3-1 and unranked. An SEC Championship was on the line here, as was a national championship.

Bear Bryant’s team gave the Vols a huge fight in Knoxville, and this was an ugly defensive struggle. Richmond Flowers scored a fourth down touchdown run after a 10-play, 62 yard drive to give the Vols a 7-0 lead. That would be the only touchdown they needed.

An Alabama field goal made the score 7-3, and in a defensive struggle, Tennessee extended their lead to 10-3.

Late in the game, the Tide were moving down the field and scored another touchdown to make it 10-9.

But with a 3-1 record and unranked in the polls, Bryant knew that a tie was not an option. So he went all-out for a two-point conversion, and the Vols came away with a huge stop. The result was a 10-9 Tennessee victory, surprisingly putting Bryant on the hot seat for the next three years until he came out with the wishbone offense in 1971.

Meanwhile, the Vols finished 8-2-1 on the year and in the Top 10 of the Coaches Poll. But even this was not as great as what they had done the season before. Let’s move onto that.

Next: #5: Tennessee Wins 24-13 in 1967