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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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7. 2011 vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

Eric Gordon 90-yard interception return for a touchdown

Tennessee Volunteers win 27-21 (OT)

Everybody forgets about this game because of what happened the next week. But for a short period of time, Tennessee football had an emotional win over the Vanderbilt Commodores as they were a program on the rise under then-first-year head coach James Franklin. So this play was incredibly memorable for everybody at the time.

UT was 4-6 and still looking to go to a bowl game. They needed to beat a Vandy team that would eventually make a bowl at 6-6. After unfortunate injuries hurt the Vols in Derek Dooley’s second season, quarterback Tyler Bray was back. But Rocky Top had to go to overtime to beat a team that it usually beats in its sleep.

Anyway, in overtime, Vanderbilt got the ball first. But Eric Gordon made an amazing play on a pass. He intercepted the ball, broke a tackle after nearly going down, and ran it back for a touchdown, making it the game-winning score. Now, the refs wrongly ruled him down on the pick, then they overturned it and gave him the TD.

The controversy, however, was that you can’t overturn such a play when a player is ruled down. However, the call on the field was already wrong, and there was no way that Gordon wouldn’t have scored if it was right. So it made the list, as a pick-six to win a game in overtime is a huge deal. UT lost at the Kentucky Wildcats the next week. But for a moment, this play was a thriller.

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