10 Worst Bowl Losses in Tennessee Football History
Dec 31, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; A general view of the stadium prior to the the 2014 Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports
7. 1968 Orange Bowl: Tennessee Loses to Oklahoma Sooners 26-24
It was the last season where a bowl game would not mean anything. But for the Tennessee Vols, much like the 1952 Sugar Bowl, this one is a stain on the program.
The 1967 Vols under head coach Doug Dickey have been retroactively declared national champions with a 9-2 record, that second loss coming in this bowl game. But at the time, the loss stung probably even worse.
At 9-1 going into the game, their only loss was 20-16 on the road in their opener to the UCLA Bruins, who were No. 18 at the time and would finish the regular season 7-1-1 and ranked No. 10. Tennessee had a strong case to be made to be national champions after beating the Vanderbilt Commodores, and they were ranked No. 2 going into that game.
They should have been No. 1, but that title went to the USC Trojans, whose loss was to the Oregon State Beavers. Still, in the midst of making the national title claim, they forgot about this Orange Bowl matchup against another team that had that right, the Big Eight Champions, 9-1, No. 3 ranked Oklahoma Sooners. And it cost them.
The Vols fell behind 19-0 in the first half as the Sooners caught them completely off-guard. They finally got their swag back in the second half to cut it to 19-14, but with a chance to take the lead in the fourth, Oklahoma intercepted a pass and ran it in for a touchdown to extend the lead to 26-14. Despite the lack of focus in the first half and that crucial mistake, the Vols still scored 10 more points that quarter.
Then they got the ball again and had set up a 43-yard field goal to win the game. It sailed wide right, costing the Vols 26-24 and knowing they left too many points on the field. Had they remain focused all game and not had a late mistake, the retroactive national title claim would look a lot better. But it looks awful for a 9-2 team.
Next: #6: 1969 Gator Bowl