Tennessee football’s Johnny Majors vs. Auburn’s Pat Dye: Ranking 11 games

8. 1984: No. 20 Auburn gets back to .500 after 0-2 start

Both teams were somewhat in a rebuilding phase, as Tennessee football had a new starting quarterback in Tony Robinson, and the Auburn Tigers had lost a ton of talent from its previous SEC Championship team. However, after a 2-0 start, the Vols had tied the Army Black Knights heading into this game, which derailed their momentum.

Meanwhile, Auburn was 1-2, but they had faced two top 25 teams to start the season before beating the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. So after wildly different starts, Auburn still entered this game with all the momentum, and they were the better team. After all, they did have Bo Jackson.

Well, Jackson ended up not being a factor in this game. Throughout 1984, he was banged up. As a result, walk-on Kyle Collins came in and was the star, scoring three touchdowns and gaining 77 yards on just 10 carries. UT kept things close in the second half, trailing only 16-10 at one point, but that was only when Auburn would commit turnovers to keep them in the game.

Up 22-10 in the fourth, the Vols were trying to make it a game, but an interception by Auburn set up their final touchdown to help them secure a dominant victory. This was part of a six-game winning streak en route to an 8-4 season for Auburn. The Vols, meanwhile, continued their skid with a loss to the Florida Gators. But they then won four straight and finished 7-4-1.