Honorable Mentions
1971 vs. No. 5 Auburn Tigers
No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers lose 10-9
Tennessee football was up 6-0 at halftime in this game and 9-3 in the fourth quarter. However, Pat Sullivan drove Auburn down the field in the final two minutes for a game-winning touchdown, which cost the Vols a shot at the SEC title this year, one they further blew by losing to the Alabama Crimson Tide.
1994 at Mississippi State Bulldogs
No. 23 Tennessee Volunteers lose 24-21
The Vols were 1-2 and had lost two quarterbacks for the year. Peyton Manning built a seven-point lead late, but Mississippi State rallied with a field goal, and then Derrick Taite, Michael Davis and Eric Moulds drove the Bulldogs down the field late on another possession. Taite hit Kendall Watkins for the game-winner with 40 seconds left to send the Vols to 1-3. However, UT regrouped to finish 8-4 and enjoy their greatest success of the modern era from 1995-1998.
1999 at Arkansas Razorbacks
No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers lose 28-24
It was revenge for Houston Nutt and Clint Stoerner after blowing a 21-3 lead the year before. At 7-1, UT remained in the national title hunt in this game. But they allowed a late drive by Stoerner to give the Hogs the lead 28-24 and failed to counter with Tee Martin, losing 28-24, a reverse of the score from the previous year. The Vols wouldn’t have won the SEC title anyway, so that’s why this wasn’t in the top 10.
2006 vs. No. 13 LSU Tigers
No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers lose 28-24
The Vols entered this game 7-1 with their only loss by one point to the Florida Gators. Without Erik Ainge, they used big plays from Jonathan Crompton to Robert Meachem and a Jamarcus Russell pick-six to go up 24-21 late. But Russell then engineered a seven-minute, 80-yard drive at the end, getting away with a fumble and converting a 4th and 7. He then hit Early Doucet on 3rd and goal from the 4 with 10 seconds left for a 28-24 win.
2013 vs. Vanderbilt Commodores
Tennessee Volunteers lose 14-10
After three straight losing seasons and two straight without a bowl game, Butch Jones had provided some early excitement for the Vols with a 4-3 start and upset over the South Carolina Gamecocks. But an injury to Justin Worley and three straight losses made this a crucial game. The Vols allowed a 92-yard touchdown drive in the final five minutes to James Franklin’s Commodores to lose their second straight in the series and miss a bowl game for a third straight year.