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Tennessee football: 10 memorable game-winning touchdown drives in Vols history

By Caleb Calhoun

14 Nov 1998: An overall view from inside Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Volunteers defeated the Razorbacks 28-24. Mandatory Credit: Tom Hauck /Allsport
14 Nov 1998: An overall view from inside Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee during a game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Volunteers defeated the Razorbacks 28-24. Mandatory Credit: Tom Hauck /Allsport /
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Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images
Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images /

2. Oct. 1, 2016

No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers at No. 25 Georgia Bulldogs

Final score: Tennessee wins 34-31

We’ve been ranking these drives by how well orchestrated they were, the impact they had on the season and the magnitude of the opponent. Well, all of that goes out the window when you talk about this one.

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Well-orchestrated? It was one play. Impact on the season? Tennessee football would lose three straight games after this and collapse under Butch Jones. Magnitude of opponent? The Georgia Bulldogs were rebuilding under first-year head coach Kirby Smart.

Simply put, this win is not as well-remembered as it could have been because of how the season unfolded. But at this one, glorious moment, there was one glorious play to propel the Vols to an epic win.

For context, UT was 4-0 and had just ended its 11-game losing streak to the Florida Gators with its third comeback in four games after being down by double digits. That time, they were down 21-3 at halftime, so when they fell behind 17-0 to the Dawgs in this one, there was no panic.

And indeed, it took longer than expected, but a defensive sack in the end zone by Derek Barnett gave the Vols a late 28-24 lead. So they had taken control. But the fun had just begun. Georgia got the ball late and had their own elite game-winning drive, and it ended with Jacob Eason hitting Riley Ridley for a 50-yard touchdown with 10 seconds to go.

Cue this drive. A solid return by Evan Berry and a Georgia penalty gave the Vols the ball at the UGA 43-yard line. Tennessee football got its most legendary play ever as a result. Joshua Dobbs found Jauan Jennings for a game-winning Hail Mary to give the Vols a 34-31 win.

Vols 30 greatest games in school history. light. Related Story

Technically, this was a drive. And it was a drive to win the game. That it was one play and ended on a Hail Mary is irrelevant. The play was so amazing that we had to put it incredibly high on the list. And it was the last high moment of Butch Jones’s career before the program fell apart, but it was indeed a glorious moment to see UT 5-0, 2-0 in the SEC and in the top 10.

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