Tennessee football: Vols 5 luckiest plays in school history

2. Blocked made kick in 6OT thriller – 2002

No. 25 Arkansas Razorbacks at No. 10 Tennessee Volunteers

Vols kicker Phillip Newman has a field goal blocked that still goes through in overtime.

Tennessee football has a history of luck against the Arkansas Razorbacks. One we even left off this list was a late fumble they recovered back in the 1971 Liberty Bowl down 13-7 with under three minutes to go to set up a game-winning touchdown drive.

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However, this one is from the longest game in school history. It’s part of a bad season, but it was a thrilling win on its own. Anyway, the Vols were 3-1 and in the top 10. They had lost to the Florida Gators, but Florida’s loss to the Ole Miss Rebels earlier that day put them back in SEC East contention.

Against the Hogs, they had built a 17-3 lead. Worried about injuries mounting, Phillip Fulmer decided to sit on that lead in the fourth quarter a bit too early. So Arkansas mounted a long touchdown drive and then took advantage of a busted coverage to tie it up on a 90-yard pass. Enter the overtimes.

We’ve already discussed this being a six-overtime game. But it really stood out in the second overtime after the two exchanged field goals in the first. Arkansas went up 23-20 from a field goal in the second overtime. Then the Vols were stopped. Phillip Newman, a backup kicker filling an for an injured Alex Walls, was tasked with tying it up from 31 yards.

Newman had his attempt blocked at the line. However, in the most unlikely scenario, it still managed to go through the uprights, leaving not even an inch to spare in the bottom left corner. A UT turnover in the third overtime that followed by a missed Hogs field goal added to the luck. And Jason Witten’s touchdown to win 41-38 in the sixth overtime was a memorable play.

But blocked kicks never go through the uprights. When they’re blocked, they could literally go anywhere on the field. And this ball still managed to wobble its way through the uprights to keep the Vols alive. Even in the midst of what would be an 8-5 season, that took a lot of luck.