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Top 10 Bowl Game Victories in Tennessee Football History

By Caleb Calhoun

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Oct 10, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A general view of the stadium before the game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns during the Red River rivalry at Cotton Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

3. 1951 Cotton Bowl: Tennessee Beats Texas 20-14

When it comes to memorable bowl games, there is nothing like beating a team in their own backyard with many of their own fans in attendance for a game that should be played at a neutral site.

That is what happened here.

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    • The 1950 Tennessee Vols had finished the regular season 10-1 and ranked No. 4 in the country, only a fluke 7-0 loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the second game of the year away from being national champions.

    They went to the Cotton Bowl to face the No. 3 ranked 9-1 Texas Longhorns, who had won the Southwest Conference and were a late close loss to Oklahoma away from winning the national title themselves.

    So this was a big game for pride at the end of the year. And the Vols traveled to Texas’s backyard in Dallas to play it. But it was nothing for Gen. Neyland’s team.

    Tennessee scored first after a 75-yard run by Hank Lauricella set up a five-yard touchdown pass. But with the Vols up 7-0, Texas tied the game with a blocked punt that set up the first touchdown and a 35-yard touchdown pass later in the first half to go into halftime with a 14-7 lead.

    But an 82-yard second half touchdown drive cut the lead to 14-13 after a missed extra point. A Texas fumble on the next drive gave the Vols the ball in Texas territory late in the game.

    And Tennessee took advantage, scoring on the following drive to go up 20-14 with just over three minutes left. The defense did its part, and the Vols won a Cotton Bowl thriller 20-14.

    The win propelled the Vols to a national championship the next year under Neyland and is still one of the greatest wins in school history.

    Next: #2: 1986 Sugar Bowl

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