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10 Worst Bowl Losses in Tennessee Football History

By Caleb Calhoun

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Dec 31, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; A general view of the logo and end zone marker prior to the the 2014 Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports

1. 1998 Orange Bowl: Tennessee Loses to Nebraska Cornhuskers 42-17

The 1998 national championship season ironically followed what might have been one of the lowest points for Tennessee football fans, and this was the culmination of that lowest point.

Following the high point of Peyton Manning’s career in Knoxville, the comeback to beat the Auburn Tigers in the 1997 SEC Championship, his career ended with Tennessee on a very sour final month. The 11-1 Vols were playing this game to possibly capture a share of the national championship, as this was the Bowl Alliance national championship game.

That would be the great cherry on top of a great career by Manning.

But a few things happened leading up to it. First, Manning was robbed out of the Heisman Trophy, which went to Charles Woodson. After hearing about him as a Heisman candidate for three years, his chance to win it came to an end in the most political year ever for a Heisman winner.

Then came the news that Manning had a knee injury against Auburn and could not practice fully with the team in bowl preparations.

And the final heartbreak was what happened the day before Tennessee played this game. The Vols could be outright national champs if they won the Orange Bowl and the Michigan Wolverines, who were 11-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country, lost to Ryan Leaf and Washington State in the Rose Bowl.

That was a back and forth game that the Cougars lost 21-16 thanks to a red zone interception by Ryan Leaf, a blocked extra point, and a spiked ball with one second on the clock in time mismanagement at the end.

So everything broke the opposite way of what fans in Knoxville had hoped for leading up to this Orange Bowl game. And then the game itself left as sour of a taste in the mouths of Vols fans ever.

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    • John Chavis looked lost defending Tom Osborne’s triple-option led by Scott Frost and Ahman Green, as Green flat-out torched the Vols on the ground all day. Although the game was close early, Manning could not play at his Heisman-like level due to injury.

    And Tennessee fell down 28-3 in the second half thanks to all of this. Despite the Vols cutting it to 28-9, the Cornhuskers moved it to 42-9 in the fourth quarter, flat-out embarrassing the Vols. Tee Martin cut it to 42-17 with a late touchdown, but it did not matter. The Vols had been embarrassed in a game that could have been for all the marbles.

    That it was Manning’s last game as a Vol and with the knowledge that there would be a ton of talent to replace the following season made it worse. This seemed like the best chance for the Vols to capture a national title, and they blew it.

    But what a twist of fate the following year! That makes this being the worst bowl loss in Tennessee history beyond ironic, but at the time, it truly was.

    Next: Top 10 Bowl Wins in Tennessee Football History

    These are the 10 worst bowl losses in Tennessee football history. What do you agree with? What do you disagree with? Please feel free to leave your comments below.

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