All for Tennessee
Fansided

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 /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 12
Next
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images /

10. Oct. 28, 2000

Tennessee Volunteers at No. 17 South Carolina Gamecocks

Final score: Tennessee wins 17-14

It was really the breakout game for Casey Clausen and a new era. Tennessee football had gotten off to a rough start this season after the best five-year run in the modern era for the program and looking to get back on track.

The Vols, using Joey Mathews and then A.J. Suggs, began the year 2-3 and 0-3 in the SEC with heartbreaking losses to the Florida Gators, LSU Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs. But coming off a bye week, Phillip Fulmer made the switch to Clausen, and they beat the Alabama Crimson Tide at home 20-10.

Then came this game. The South Carolina Gamecocks were the upstart program in Lou Holtz’s second year at the helm. And while the Vols were 3-3 and unranked, S.C. was 7-1 and playing this game at home.

This was an ugly game throughout much of the day. The Vols’ only touchdown until that final drive was a recovered muffed punt that they ran into the end zone to go up 7-0 early. South Carolina then tied it with a pick-six. Late in the third, though, the Gamecocks went up 14-7 with a 78-yard pass from Phil Petty to Ryan Brewer. Early in the fourth, UT cut it to 14-10.

But then the Vols got the ball on their own 32-yard line with under seven minutes to go. And in a stroke of beauty, Clausen led a long drive down the field with a heavy dose of Travis Henry. The drive took six and a half minutes off the clock and had four third down conversions, including a 3rd and 14. It ended with Henry diving into the end zone for a go-ahead TD with 28 seconds left.

UT used that key win to propel them to a strong finish, winning out in the regular season. The game also set the stage for The Iceman in Clausen. This was his first clutch performance on Rocky Top, and he would have many more.

Home/Vols Football