Top 10 Bowl Game Victories in Tennessee Football History

Sep 20, 2014; Memphis, TN, USA; General view of the Liberty Bowl before the game between the Memphis Tigers and the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

7. 1971 Liberty Bowl: Tennessee Beats Arkansas 14-13

We go back in time for this one to another Liberty Bowl victory and another win over Arkansas with another Tennessee Vols football team in the midst of a downward slide under Bill Battle. Thanks to leftover talent, the slide hadn’t started yet this year.

And the Vols entered this game ranked No. 9 in the country with a 9-2 record, their only losses coming to Alabama and Auburn, both of whom were in the Top Five at the time. Their most recent win had been a 31-11 upset over No. 5 ranked Penn State in early December.

The Arkansas Razorbacks entered this game 8-2-1, a tie away from winning the Southwest Conference, and ranked No. 18 in the country. This was a chance for both teams to put a strong exclamation point on the season.

In front of more than 51,000 fans and an ABC television audience, Tennessee won a crazy Liberty Bowl game similar to their victory over Maryland. This was the first time since 1907 that the two teams met, and with the score tied at 7 going into the fourth quarter, Arkansas nailed two field goals to take a 13-7 lead.

They then appeared to take a 16-7 lead on another kick, but a holding penalty nullified that. Then, foreshadowing what would happen in 1998, the Razorbacks had the ball late in the game with the lead but fumbled the ball. It was impossible to see who recovered, but the refs gave it to Tennessee in a wave of controversy.

The Vols responded with a game-winning touchdown drive to win the game 14-13 and finish the year 10-2 in a memorable, but controversial bowl win.

Next: #6: 1991 Sugar Bowl