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Tennessee football: Vols top 10 memorable plays in 2010s decade

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 24: Jauan Jennings #15 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs into the end zone with a 67-yard touchdown reception against the Florida Gators in the fourth quarter at Neyland Stadium on September 24, 2016 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Florida 38-28. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - SEPTEMBER 24: Jauan Jennings #15 of the Tennessee Volunteers runs into the end zone with a 67-yard touchdown reception against the Florida Gators in the fourth quarter at Neyland Stadium on September 24, 2016 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Tennessee defeated Florida 38-28. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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8. 2018 at No. 21 Auburn Tigers

Alontae Taylor eight-yard defensive touchdown fumble recovery

Tennessee Volunteers win 30-24

Defensive touchdowns always make for memorable plays. When they end up making the difference in an upset win over a ranked team on the road, their value gets inflated exponentially. That’s what happened for Tennessee football in this play, one of the most memorable of Jeremy Pruitt’s first year on Rocky Top.

UT hadn’t beaten a ranked team on the road since 2006, they hadn’t beaten an SEC West team since 2010, and they hadn’t beaten the Auburn Tigers since 1999. At 2-3, though, they managed to take a 20-17 lead over Auburn in the third quarter thanks to a great drive from Jarrett Guarantano. Still, everybody was sure they would blow the lead.

Then this play happened on Auburn’s next possession. Alexis Johnson and Kyle Phillips got pressure up the middle on a play and forced a fumble. After teams scrambled over it, the ball kept being pushed back toward the other end zone. Finally, Alontae Taylor came up with it, and he got into the end zone with a touchdown.

All of a sudden, UT led the game 27-17, and that’s when they knew they were in control. After holding on to win 30-24, this strip-sack fumble returned for a touchdown ended up becoming a memorable play for the Vols. Such a play appears to have become a preview for the type of defenses Pruitt would run in Knoxville, and more showed down the stretch of this season.

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