5. 1995 Tennessee-Arkansas
Tennessee Beats Arkansas 49-31
Peyton Manning’s Stats: 35-of-46, 384 Yards, 4 Touchdowns
By this point in his career, Peyton Manning had pretty much started a full season. He had led the Vols to a 7-1 record in 1994 to finish 8-4 and then had the team at 4-1 going into this game in 1995 against the No. 18 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks.
However, due to a disappointing loss to the Florida Gators and an under-achieving season by the Georgia Bulldogs to nullify a great opening game that year, Manning still did not have a signature performance. This was that performance.
The 1995 Tennessee-Arkansas game was Manning’s first win against a ranked team in which he was clearly the reason for the team’s win.
Locked in a shootout with the eventual champions of the SEC West, this was the game that got the rest of the country outside of Tennessee talking about Manning, as he first began to live up to his hype here. Sure, he threw one interception.
But Manning set personal records in all categories for this game, throwing for 384 yards and four touchdowns.
On the road against a tough SEC opponent in the heart of October football, this game was but a sign of things to come. But it was the first one that made Tennessee fans realize he was not just a quarterback with a bright future.
He was beyond something special.
Next: #4: 1997 Citrus Bowl