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Ranking Tennessee football’s top 10 wins under Johnny Majors

By Caleb Calhoun

Johnny Majors, Head Coach for the University of Tennessee Volunteers stands with his team during the NCAA Southeastern Conference college football game against the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish on 9 November 1991 at the Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. The Tennessee Volunteers won the game 35 - 34. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Allsport/Getty Images)
Johnny Majors, Head Coach for the University of Tennessee Volunteers stands with his team during the NCAA Southeastern Conference college football game against the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish on 9 November 1991 at the Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. The Tennessee Volunteers won the game 35 - 34. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Allsport/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Doug Pensinger/AllSport
Photo by Doug Pensinger/AllSport /

Final. 20. 842. 38. 839

2. 1985: Tony Robinson steals the show against No. 1 Auburn

While the 1979 Notre Dame Fighting Irish game was Johnny Majors’ first signature win and the 1989 Auburn Tigers game was the win to establish Tennessee football, this was the one that truly put the Vols on the map. It set the tone for the 1985 SEC Championship season.

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The Vols were coming off a 7-4-1 season and led by Tony Robinson. They were 0-0-1 after blowing a 26-10 lead to the No. 10 ranked UCLA Bruins late to tie it up, but that game proved they had some talent. Auburn, meanwhile, was 2-0 and ranked No. 1 in the nation behind Bo Jackson, a Heisman Trophy candidate who would eventually win it.

This was to be Jackson’s crowning game. However, Robinson stole the show on Rocky Top this late September afternoon, throwing for four touchdowns and 259 yards. Robinson’s dual-threat assault and a stifling defense that forced numerous Auburn turnovers while holding Jackson to 80 yards spotted UT a 24-0 halftime lead.

In the second half, Rocky Top continued its offensive production, as that’s when Robinson threw two of his touchdowns. The Vols eventually pulled out a shocking 38-20 win, and the next week, Robinson, not Jackson, was the star.

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UT was ranked No. 16 the next week, its first ranking since 1979, and then they turned this momentum into a legendary 9-1-2 season and SEC Championship. Robinson got hurt midway through it, but it was not before he secured this huge win. Beating a No. 1 ranked team alone made this a defining win in Majors’ career.

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