Tennessee football has allowed many game-winning touchdown drives in the past. Here are the 10 most heartbreaking for the Volunteers.
Although game-winning drives have been a very exciting part of the history of Tennessee football, they have also brought on numerous painful moments. There are plenty of games the Vols should have won but for a game-winning drive.
In fact, that issue has gotten more prevalent in recent years, as throughout this century, Rocky Top has made a habit of collapsing defensively in the end. For every thrilling drive UT fans remember, there’s always a painful one.
Like many programs, Tennessee football is clearly one with tons of excitement countered by tons of heartbreak, and allowing late drives has been part of that heartbreak. But which ones have been the worst for Tennessee football?
Well, in this post, we’re going to break down those specific defensive collapses that were the worst for the Vols. These are touchdown drives that the Vols’ defense allowed late in games to lose them.
For a touchdown drive to make the list, it has to be the last legitimate offensive possession for the other team. That means they can’t have had anymore possessions after that resulting in a first down, a turnover, a punt, a safety or a score. Also, the touchdown has to have been a game-winning touchdown. Finally, overtime games don’t count.
Our criteria for the rankings include how unfortunate the drive itself was for UT and how devastating the loss was. The criteria for that devastation include the team that beat them and what the loss cost the Vols that season.
As you’ll see, there are plenty of games that fit this criteria. The Vols know heartbreak with the best of them, and this is just a look back at some of the worst examples of that. As you will see, these were painful moments for Rocky Top.
So which moments are we talking about? What was their impact on the history of the Vols? Let’s break that all down here. These are the 20 most heartbreaking game-winning drives that Tennessee football has allowed on other opponents.