Tennessee football: 4 biggest upsets in Vols series vs. Georgia Bulldogs

4. 1992: Tennessee upsets Georgia 34-31

This was the first SEC game for the Vols in the new divisional format. And although neither team won the East this year, it became a game of major historical significance for numerous reasons. At the time, it was a thrilling upset for Tennessee football.

The two hadn’t met since 1989, and both were in the Top 20 after 9-3 seasons in 1991. However, Vols entered the game 14-point underdogs. That line seemed excessive, but it made sense. UT was on the road, Heath Shuler was only starting his second game, and in the biggest story of all, interim head coach Phillip Fulmer was still filling in for Johnny Majors.

The distractions should have been too much to overcome. They weren’t. The Vols and Bulldogs played a back and forth game down to the wire. It was the breakout game for Shuler, who led the team in both rushing and passing. And Fulmer’s poise on the sideline gained him national recognition as well.

On the key play, down 31-26 late, Shuler converted a 4th and 13 en route to a touchdown drive. Tennessee scored and won a shocker 34-31. The game put Fulmer on the map and set the stage for the drama that would go down a month later between him and Majors.

Meanwhile, it also ended up being the game to cost Ray Goff and the Dawgs the SEC East. So there were numerous things that happened as a result of this outing, and it was a major upset that Georgia will tell you never should have happened.