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Tennessee football’s top 25 single-game performances in history

By Caleb Calhoun

Peyton Manning #16, Quarterback for the University of Tennessee Volunteers during the NCAA Pac 10 college football game against the University of California, Los Angeles UCLA Bruins on 6th September 1997 at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California, United States. The Tennessee Volunteers won the game 30 - 24. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Allsport/Getty Images)
Peyton Manning #16, Quarterback for the University of Tennessee Volunteers during the NCAA Pac 10 college football game against the University of California, Los Angeles UCLA Bruins on 6th September 1997 at the Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California, United States. The Tennessee Volunteers won the game 30 - 24. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Allsport/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Vincent Laforet /AllSport
Photo by Vincent Laforet /AllSport /

6. Peerless Price (Tostitos Fiesta Bowl)

1999 vs. No. 2 Florida State Seminoles (1998 National Title)

No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers win 23-16

4 receptions for 199 yards; 1 touchdown

Sometimes, even if a performance isn’t record-setting, it was just so amazing that it can’t avoid being mentioned among the greatest performances of all time. Such is the case with Peerless Price in Tennessee football’s 1998 national championship game against the Florida State Seminoles. This was the stuff of legend.

Price had proven himself as a big-game performer already. He had two touchdowns in the 1997 SEC Championship game and was the MVP of the 1998 SEC Championship game. Also, as he became the No. 1 receiver the year after Peyton Manning, he brought Tee Martin along and had a touchdown against every team UT played with a winning record in 1998.

But amidst all of that, the senior saved his best performance for last. Heading into the title game, all the talk surrounded Peter Warrick, Florida State’s go-to receiver. Well, by the end, it was all about Price, especially after Warric only had one catch.

Late in a scoreless first quarter, Price made his first big play. UT was backed up on it’s own 12-yard line and just wanted to flip the field position. Well, Martin found Price for a 76-yard gain to the FSU 12-yard line. That set up the Vols’ first touchdown.

Up by only five and on 3rd and 9 from their own 21 in the fourth, the Vols were bailed out by Price again. Martin found him for a 79-yard touchdown gain. So Price was one yard short of 200 on the day, and he made the key catches to win, as he did all year.

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