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Tennessee football: Ranking Vols 15 seasons after consecutive years of no bowl

By Caleb Calhoun

JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 02: Tennessee Volunteers players celebrate following the TaxSlayer Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes at EverBank Field on January 2, 2015 in Jacksonville, Florida. The Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 45-28. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 02: Tennessee Volunteers players celebrate following the TaxSlayer Bowl against the Iowa Hawkeyes at EverBank Field on January 2, 2015 in Jacksonville, Florida. The Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes 45-28. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images /

8. 2014

Butch Jones: 7-6 (3-5)

W TaxSlayer Bowl 

After Tennessee football missed its third straight bowl game in 2013 and suffered its fourth straight losing season, something it hadn’t done since 1903-1906, there was more optimism for 2014, Butch Jones’s second season. Justin Worley was healthy again, and a top 5 recruiting class arrived on campus.

However, an entirely new offensive line was starting. And that proved disastrous early. Despite a 2-0 start, the line’s struggles resulted in a blowout loss to the Oklahoma Sooners, a close loss to the Georgia Bulldogs, and a heartbreaking 10-9 loss to the Florida Gators, a game any decent line would have won.

After beating the Chattanooga Mocs, Worley suffered another season-ending injury in a 27-3 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels that sent UT to 3-4. Nathan Peterman came in against the Alabama Crimson Tide and resulted in UT falling behind 27-0. So, down 27-0 and at 3-4, Jones threw in Joshua Dobbs again. It was the turnaround of the century.

Dobbs led the Vols back to make the loss 34-20. Then he had his first of many 400 total yards and five total touchdowns games the next week, leading the Vols back from a 14-point deficit with just over three minutes to go to tie it up and win 45-42 in overtime on the road against the South Carolina Gamecocks. Derek Barnett had his breakout game here as well with three sacks.

UT then blew out the Kentucky Wildcats. A loss to the Missouri Tigers followed, but they made their first bowl in four years after beating the Vanderbilt Commodores. Then they dominated the Iowa Hawkeyes in the TaxSlayer Bowl to finish 7-6, their first winning season in five years. It seemed that Jones was building something at the time. We now realize it was all a smokescreen.

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