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Tennessee football: Vols greatest win vs. every current and former SEC opponent

By Caleb Calhoun

6 Dec 1997: Jamal Lewis #31 of Tennessee leaps over a pile of players for a touchdown during the Volunteers 30-29 win over Auburn in the SEC Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia.
6 Dec 1997: Jamal Lewis #31 of Tennessee leaps over a pile of players for a touchdown during the Volunteers 30-29 win over Auburn in the SEC Championship at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. /
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12. Ole Miss Rebels (No. 7)

Year: 1958 (Home)

Final score: Tennessee wins 18-16

Similar to their win over the South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee football’s most memorable win over the Ole Miss Rebels came in a year in which they suffered a losing record. Also similar to South Carolina, the Vols had an annual rivalry with the Rebels.

In fact, since these two schools have played 64 times, it’s actually surprising that this was the best win we could find for the Vols over the Rebels. But they haven’t beaten Ole Miss two many times with Ole Miss in the top 25. Our only competition for this one could be 1990, when they were No. 15, and the UT win was en route to an SEC Championship.

But this win in itself was much more impressive. Two years after their legendary 1956 season in which they nearly won the national title, the Vols were struggling severely in 1958, Bowden Wyatt’s fourth year on the job. They had lost three straight and were 2-5 on the year. Ole Miss, meanwhile, was 7-1 and had only lost to the No. 1 ranked LSU Tigers.

As they got set to travel to Knoxville, this should have been an easy win. After all, Tennessee football had just been upset by UT Chattanooga. Well, Gene Etter had other goals in mind. Etter completed a third quarter tipped pass to himself in the third quarter to set up a touchdown on one drive.

Then, in the fourth, Etter ran 75 yards for the game-winning touchdown. His spectacular plays resulted in an 18-16 upset over a top 10 Rebels team for the Vols. That Ole Miss would finish 9-2 and ranked No. 12 only made the upset more impressive. The thrilling craziness and quality of the win are why it’s UT’s best win in the series.

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