Five memorable Tennessee football defensive stands

1. LSU Tigers – 1959

It was the greatest win in a floundering season. Tennessee football has a habit of upsetting a highly ranked LSU Tigers team when they are struggling, and to be fair, LSU has a habit of ruining elite UT seasons as well.

More from All for Tennessee

• 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

In this one, the defensive stand came after the touchdown, ironically. LSU came into the game 7-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation. Led by eventual Heisman Trophy winning running back Billy Cannon, Paul Dietzel’s program was on a 19-game winning streak at the time after going 11-0 and winning the national championship the year before.

Rocky Top, meanwhile, was a far cry from that 1956 squad under Bowden Wyatt. They did upset the No. 3 ranked Auburn Tigers earlier in the year, but lost to the No. 3 ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and tied a mediocre Alabama Crimson Tide team led by Bear Bryant.

So LSU was heavily favored. Late in the game, the Tigers were trailing 14-7. They scored a touchdown to tie it up, and to remain undefeated, they went for two and the win. On a pitch right to Cannon, he appeared to have an easy run to the end zone. However, Wayne Grubb, Charley Severance and Bill Majors closed ranks and stopped him on the one-inch line.

Cannon always swore he crossed the line, but the record books say he did not. To this day, the play is known as the stop for Tennessee football. It was legendary enough to score them their most impressive win ever, and that’s why it tops this list. That the Vols moved to 5-1-1 only to lose their final three games afterward is irrelevant.