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Tennessee football: Vols 10 best wins against religious schools

By Caleb Calhoun

Aaron Hayden #24, Running Back for the University of Tennessee Volunteers runs the ball during the NCAA Southeastern Conference college football game against the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish on 9 November 1991 at the Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. The Tennessee Volunteers won the game 35 - 34. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Allsport/Getty Images)
Aaron Hayden #24, Running Back for the University of Tennessee Volunteers runs the ball during the NCAA Southeastern Conference college football game against the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish on 9 November 1991 at the Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. The Tennessee Volunteers won the game 35 - 34. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Allsport/Getty Images) /
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6. 1979

No. 13 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Tennessee Volunteers

Final score: Tennessee wins 40-18

The last season before 1985 in which Tennessee football was in the top 25 was 1979, and they seemed to lose every time they got in. This was a thrilling win from a very inconsistent team. To be fair, Johnny Majors was undertaking a major rebuilding project, going 4-7 his first year and 5-5-1 in 1978.

In 1979, he got his team into the top 25 with a 3-0 start. But every time they were in the top 25, they lost, including to the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide. They stayed in after losing to Bama, only to suffer a bad upset loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. That set the stage for this game.

Rolling into town were the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who had beaten the Vols the year before in their first meeting ever. Tennessee football was a heavy underdog to a No. 13 ranked Notre Dame team, and Majors always had a reason to have it out for Notre Dame after Paul Hornung stole his Heisman Trophy in 1956.

He took that anger out on them that day, as his team dominated the 6-2 Irish 40-18. It was total and complete domination, and a great rebound game from the Rutgers loss. Of course, UT would lose to the Ole Miss Rebels a week later after getting to the top 25.

But on this day, they at least got their first win over the legendary Catholic school with an elite football program. And it was part of their first appearance in a bowl game under Majors, as they finished the season 7-5.

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