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Tennessee football: Remembering Tee Martin’s 10 greatest games played with Vols

By Billy Williford

23 Oct 1999: Tee Martin #17 of the Tennessee Volunteers carries the ball during a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Bryant Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Voulunteers defeated the Crimson Tide 21-7. Mandatory Credit: Elsa Hasch /Allsport
23 Oct 1999: Tee Martin #17 of the Tennessee Volunteers carries the ball during a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at the Bryant Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Voulunteers defeated the Crimson Tide 21-7. Mandatory Credit: Elsa Hasch /Allsport /
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10 Oct 1998: General view of the field during a game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers at the Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. The Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 22-3. Mandatory Credit: Robert Seale /Allsport
10 Oct 1998: General view of the field during a game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Tennessee Volunteers at the Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. The Volunteers defeated the Bulldogs 22-3. Mandatory Credit: Robert Seale /Allsport /

October 10, 1998

Sanford Stadium; Athens, Georgia

I know this is an article about Tee Martin, but Jamal Lewis is essential to why this ranks as one of Martin’s best games. Lewis was a sophomore the 1998 season and was coming off a freshman campaign that was second-to-none.

Lewis accounted for nearly 1,400 rushing yards his freshman season and was widely known as one of the best running backs in the country. To start the 1998 season, Lewis was averaging over 120 yards a game and early talks of Heisman were floating around.

However that all changed in the fourth quarter of the Auburn game. Lewis was dominating the Tigers with already over 100 yards on the ground, and then the worst happened. He was hit in the right knee which immediately buckled.

Lewis’ injury is significant because the Georgia game was the first game the Vols wouldn’t have him on the field.

Tennessee went into Sanford Stadium to take on a top-ten team in the Georgia Bulldogs. After an awful looking first half performance and despite throwing two interceptions, Martin turned it around and threw for 156 yards with two touchdowns. He also ran for 45 yards on 15 carries and was a big reason the Vols won 22-3.

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