Tennessee football: Five other times Vols C-USA foes had winning records

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1. Southern Miss Golden Eagles (No. 24) – 1997

No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers win 44-20

Southern Miss final record: 9-3 (6-0); C-USA Champion; W Liberty Bowl; No. 19 AP and Coaches

This remains the greatest win Tennessee football ever had over a Conference USA opponent. One year after suffering that heartbreaking loss to the Memphis Tigers, Peyton Manning was in his senior season and trying to direct the Vols to an SEC Championship.

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Entering this game, UT was 6-1 and ranked No. 7 in the nation. It was their homecoming, and they had a wave of momentum. Despite an early-season loss to the Florida Gators for the fifth straight year, UF had suffered its second SEC loss the week before to the Georgia Bulldogs. So for the first time since 1990, the Vols were playing November games with a chance to win the SEC.

On the other side, Southern Miss was coming off a C-USA co-championship and looking to win it outright and make a bowl game. Their only losses were on the road, to Florida as well, and to the Alabama Crimson Tide. But they entered this first week of November showdown 6-2, on a four-game winning streak and ranked No. 24 in the nation.

So they also were excited about a conference title, and it made for a thrilling matchup. Despite being heavy favorites, though, Southern Miss got the early lead. They responded to a Jeff Hall field goal with a touchdown drive to go up 7-3. Then they got back to back field goals, aided by a UT fumble, to go up 13-6 with under 12 minutes to go in the first half.

At the time, Manning’s Heisman stock was falling, and he’d eventually lose it anyway, because he had a horrible performance the week before in a 22-7 victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks, only throwing for 126 yards. And legitimate questions were coming as to whether or not the Vols could handle the pressure of being atop the SEC East.

Adding to that was the fact that Southern Miss defensive coordinator John Thompson said earlier in the week UT’s offense played right into his defense’s hands. And at this point, it looked like it. But Manning and the offense rebounded in a big way, scoring on five straight possessions.

It started with a long drive that ended in a sneak by Manning to tie it up at 13. Then he led a quick scoring strike with 53 seconds left in the second quarter, cashing in on a shanked punt, to take a 20-13 halftime lead.

In the second half, Manning cashed in on a great punt return by Terry Fair to lead another touchdown drive. And he then had back to back drives of 80 and 60 yards respectively, ending both with touchdowns, with a kickoff return allowed for a touchdown in between. By the end, though, the Vols were up 41-20 and won 44-20.

Manning finished the game with 399 yards, a touchdown run and four touchdown passes, two to Marcus Nash, who had 110 receiving yards, and one to Jermaine Copeland, who had 137 receiving yards. Peerless Price also had a grab.

That got Tennessee football back on track, and they won out to win the SEC Championship before losing the Orange Bowl to the Nebraska Cornhuskers, finishing 11-2. Southern Miss, though, won out, beating the Pittsburgh Panthers 41-7 in the Liberty Bowl to finish 9-3, C-USA Champions and in the top 20 of both polls.

Next. Top five Vols in South Carolina win. dark

If UAB under Bill Clark is similar to any C-USA program that Tennessee football has ever faced, its the late 1990s Southern Miss program that was rolling under Jeff Bower. That’s why the Vols have to be extremely careful in this game. They could definitely blow it.

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