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Tennessee football: Vols 5 most thrilling victories over Florida Gators

By Caleb Calhoun

19 Sep 1998: General view of fans taking down the goalposts following a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Gators at the Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers defeated the Gators 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons /
19 Sep 1998: General view of fans taking down the goalposts following a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Gators at the Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers defeated the Gators 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Andy Lyons / /
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Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images /

2. 2004: Tennessee beats Florida 30-28

There are some connections to this game and the 1971 game. For starters, 2004 marked the first time since that 1971 game that Tennessee football won two straight over the Florida Gators. Also, while 1971 was the last time the Vols would beat Florida in The Swamp for 30 years, 2004 was the last time the Vols would beat the Gators period for 12 years.

And like 1971, nobody knew that was the case at the time. But what they did know was this game was huge for the season, as it sparked an underdog year for the Vols in which, with two freshmen quarterbacks, they shocked the world by winning the SEC East.

Oh, then there’s the game itself. It’s one of the best thrillers ever and has an amazing storyline. Alternating between Brent Schaeffer and Erik Ainge, the Vols played the game into a shootout with Chris Leak. They also helped the Gators a lot with numerous turnovers. Nonetheless, they were in the game in the fourth quarter.

Related Story. 5 fluke losses Vols gave away to Gators. light

At that point, Ainge had the hot hand. He converted a fourth down pass to Tony Brown over the middle with his team down 28-21. Then he hit Jayson Swain with a touchdown pass. And that’s when the drama really began. James Wilhoit missed the game-tying extra point, so Florida began running clock.

The Gators got a first down and continued running the clock, limiting what time the Vols would have to come back. But thanks to a terrible call by the refs, a personal foul flag on Dallas Baker that never should have been thrown in that situation, Florida suffered a 15-yard penalty on fourth down and had to stop the clock. The result was much better field position on the punt for the Vols and much more time.

And that’s when the Wilhoit drama happened. Ainge, a freshman, got the Vols to the Florida 33-yard line. Then Phillip Fulmer showed his trust in Wilhoit by turning to him to win the game on a 50-yard field goal…after he missed an extra point. That’s exactly what happened. Wilhoit drilled the kick, and Tennessee football pulled out a 30-28 win. The thrill of that field goal and last-second win is what puts this so high on our list.

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