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Ranking Tennessee football’s six seasons that began on Sept. 26

By Caleb Calhoun

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 05: A Tennessee Volunteers megaphone sits on the sideline during the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 05: A Tennessee Volunteers megaphone sits on the sideline during the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Neyland Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images /

1. 1914: 9-0 (6-0); SIAA Championship

Head coach: Zora G. Clevenger

Yes, the first championship season in Tennessee football history started on Sept. 26. It was also the season of the Vols’ first signature win in school history, which started the tradition of memorable games in seasons that start on this date.

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Rocky Top entered the year coming off a 6-3 record. That was their first winning season since 1908, and they had slowly been improving as a program under Zora G. Clevenger. This year, in their fourth season under Clevenger, expectations and excitement were through the roof, as they finall had a team that could contend.

The season started in style. On their Sept. 26 opener, they shockingly destroyed Carson-Newman with an 89-0 win. This remains the most points they ever scored in a game and their biggest blowout win of all time. They continued their dominance, though, with a 55-3 win over King, a 27-0 win over the Clemson Tigers, a 66-0 win over the Louisville Cardinals.

After a tough fight and a 17-7 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide, they then beat Chattanooga 67-0. But then came the real game. UT had still never beaten the Vanderbilt Commodores in history, holding an 0-11-1 record against them and on a nine-game losing streak. Well, finally, they ended that drought, pulling out a 15-13 shocker at Dudley Field in Nashville.

One week later, UT got only its second win in history over the Sewanee Tigers, who held a 10-1 record in the series at the time and had won every game between the two schools since 1902. So another drought ended. After beating the Kentucky Wildcats 23-6 to close out the season, the Vols finished the year 9-0 and champions of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

Vols all-time depth chart under Johnny Majors. dark. Next

It was Tennessee football’s second undefeated season ever and its first ever conference championship. The Vols also got their first win over Vanderbilt, their second win over Sewanee and their biggest blowout win ever, to this day, by beating Carson-Newman. So yeah, it’s safe to say this was the best year ever to start on Sept. 26.

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