5. 2019
8-5 (5-3)
W Gator Bowl
As we said, in 2002, going 8-5 was a disappointment for Tennessee football. However, in 2019, it was a major accomplishment. That shows you the different states the programs are now in. Still, given the fact that Jeremy Pruitt took over a team that was 4-8 the year before he got there, getting to 8-5 his second year on the job is a major accomplishment. It almost didn’t happen.
With tons of youth and still limited depth, a couple of key injuries and suspensions early made for a rough start. The Vols suffered a shocking 0-2 start, falling to the Georgia State Panthers and BYU Cougars. With three teams on the schedule who would eventually finish in the top 10, the Florida Gators, Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide, this team was in trouble.
Well, they lost all three, falling to a 1-4 start with their only win being over the Chattanooga Mocs and eventually falling to 2-5, rotating all three quarterbacks on the roster. However, there was one key win in that slide that mattered, and it was a 20-10 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs. UT used that momentum and the easy schedule following Alabama to go on a run.
In that run, they beat the South Carolina Gamecocks, had two comeback wins on the road against the Kentucky Wildcats and Missouri Tigers. They finished the year 7-5 and then came back from 22-9 down with less than six minutes to go to beat the Indiana Hoosiers in the Gator Bowl. It was a thrilling finish to the season after the horrendous start, and they just missed the top 25.