In 1998, the Tennessee Volunteers won the national championship a year after losing Peyton Manning. The Washington Nationals’ World Series title is similar.
Sometimes, things click. Tennessee football knows all too well about how losing its best superstar, the face of its program, doesn’t always mean doom and gloom. Over 20 years ago, the Vols did something similar to what the World Series champion Washington Nationals just did.
Entering 1998, UT lost its all-world quarterback, the guy who should have won the Heisman the year before after leading them to an SEC Championship and was then was taken first overall in the NFL Draft. We’re obviously talking about future NFL superstar Peyton Manning.
Coming off three straight seasons of 11-1, 10-2 and 11-2, always knocking on the door for a national title but never getting through, it seemed like Tennessee football missed its window. Not only was Manning gone, but Leonard Little was gone. Marcus Nash was gone a year after Joey Kent was gone. But the face of the departures was Manning.
Does this sound familiar? Washington was consistently knocking on the World Series door with Bryce Harper. They made the playoffs in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017. And they always seemed to let a title slip through their fingers, choking in the first round. Then Harper left to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies. And conventional wisdom was the Nats missed their chance.
Of course, there is a difference. Manning made is still a beloved Vol and a legend for deciding to stay for his senior season in the first place. That was college, so he had to leave. It wasn’t like he followed the money. Harper bolted despite a $300 million offer from the Nats to stay.
Still, both programs lost their elite player. But a funny thing can happen when you lose your biggest star. Other guys sometimes decide they have to step up their level of play. And all of a sudden, a one-man act becomes a team, and they finally get over the hump.
Washington in 2019 and Tennessee football in 1998 both pulled that off. And they did it not just by becoming a team but going back to the old conventional wisdom. In baseball, everyday players are the stars, but pitching wins World Series titles. Quarterbacks are the stars in football, but defense wins championships.
Elite pitching won the Nats their championship this year. Elite defense won it for the Vols in 1998. Stephen Strasburg this year was what Al Wilson was in 1998. Remember, that year, UT had not beaten Florida in five straight seasons, and Manning was 0-3.
So what did Phillip Fulmer do? He decided to play conservative. And in the process, he let the Vol defense win the game by forcing five turnover, with Wilson being the star, forcing three fumbles in the first half. Dave Martinez did the same this year, relying on the pitching of the Nats, in particular Scherzer and Strasburg. That’s why Strasburg was MVP.
By the way, also when you lose stars, people forget where else you improved. In the offseason, the Nats added catchers Kurt Suzuki, who was critical in them taking a 2-0 series lead, and Yan Gomes. They also signed upgraded their pitching by signing starters Patrick Corbin and Anibal Sanchez along with reliever Tanner Rainey.
Then there’s the emergence of other young players, and the Nats had that with guys like Juan Soto turning into a star. When you look at all the improvements you make and the need for other guys to step up, it can offset a key loss. Tee Martin stpped in at quarterback to replace Manning the way Soto seemed to replace Harper.
After losing a ton of talent elsewhere in 1998, the Vols saw key members of their 1997 recruiting class become stars as well, including Deon Grant, Cedrick Wilson, Cosey Coleman, Dwayne Goodrich, Travis Henry and Travis Stephens. They also added talent like N.C. State transfer Darwin Walker on defense.
More from Vols Football
- How to Win a GUARANTEED $200 Bonus Betting Just $5 on the Vols vs. Florida!
- Tennessee Football at Florida: Five Keys to a Vols Victory
- Week 3 SEC Power Rankings: Did Tennessee Football’s Win Help At All?
- Week 3 AP Polls: Why Did Tennessee Football Drop in the Polls?
- Tennessee Football: Top Five Performers in 30-13 Win vs. Austin Peay
Of course, Jamel Lewis was in that class too, and he suffered a season-ending injury through four games despite being the go-to guy for the Vols. But he was key in those games, and UT withstood his loss to continue winning. That was the nature of them that year, being a team of destiny.
They survived close games against Syracuse, the Florida Gators, the Arkansas Razorbacks and Mississippi State Bulldogs with other quality wins over the Georgia Bulldogs and Florida State Seminoles. It was undoubtedly the toughest road ever to a title.
This is where there’s another similarity. The Nats also had a brutal road. Don’t forget, they started 19-31. And they had to come from behind to win a Wild Card one-game playoff against the Milwaukee Brewers, back to back elimination games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and then back to back World Series elimination games on the road against the Astros.
Talk about clutch! Also, their win over the Astros was against a franchise that had been built into a dominant team when you talk about raw talent. That’s similar to the Florida State program Bobby Bowden built in 1998.
But the storyline for both teams came back to when they lost their superstars. Tennessee football won the title the year after losing Manning. Washington won it the year after losing Harper. And the clear message is that these are team sports. When other players finally step up, it outweighs the loss of an everyday superstar in baseball or a quarterback in football.