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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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7. Sept. 12, 1992

No. 20 Tennessee Volunteers at No. 14 Georgia Bulldogs

Final score: Tennessee wins 34-31

This was the coming out party for Heath Shuler and Phillip Fulmer. Tennessee football was about to accidentally enter into a new era. And it was a drive in this particular game that started everything related to that.

Remember, the Vols were supposed to rebuild this year. Shuler was replacing Andy Kelly at quarterback, and Fulmer added to the chaos by having to fill in for Johnny Majors as Majors recovered from open-heart surgery. After a 38-3 win over SW Louisiana (now Louisiana Lafayette), the Georgia game happened.

UT entered as double-digit underdogs, which made sense given all the drama surrounding the program. A back and forth game that included seven lead-changes still saw the Vols go up 27-17 late. But Georgia scored two touchdowns to go up 31-27 for the eighth lead change with right at six minutes go to.

That’s when this drive happened. Down 31-27 with 80 yards to go, the legend of Shuler and David Cutcliffe’s offensive play-calling was born. UT drove all the way to the Georgia 36 before the drive appeared to stall. A sack of Shuler and an incomplete pass brought up 4th and 14 and just over two minutes to go. With that, Shuler hit Ronald Davis for a 25-yard clutch conversion.

An 11-yard strike to J.J. McClesky spotted the Vols the ball at the four-yard line, and Shuler, who led the team in rushing and passing that day, ran it in on the next play for a touchdown with under a minute to go. The defense held, and the Vols had a major upset.

That 4th down conversion combined with the length of the drive makes this one of the most epic ever. Add in the fact that the Vols would carry that confidence to a dominating win over the Florida Gators the next week, which would alter the course of their future, and this was a very significant game and drive.

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