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Tennessee football’s 10 wins vs. Georgia with both teams ranked

By Caleb Calhoun

ATHENS, GA - OCTOBER 1: Jauan Jennings #15 of the Tennessee Volunteers rides the shoulders of Gavin Bryant #36 after making the game winning catch against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on October 1, 2016 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATHENS, GA - OCTOBER 1: Jauan Jennings #15 of the Tennessee Volunteers rides the shoulders of Gavin Bryant #36 after making the game winning catch against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on October 1, 2016 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Tennessee quarterback Heath Shuler (21) takes off running against Georgia Sept. 12, 1992. Shuler rushes for 81 yards on 19 attempts for two touchdowns in the game. The 20th-ranked Vols upset the 14th-ranked Bulldogs 34-31 at Sanford Stadium in Athens.Sec Classic
Tennessee quarterback Heath Shuler (21) takes off running against Georgia Sept. 12, 1992. Shuler rushes for 81 yards on 19 attempts for two touchdowns in the game. The 20th-ranked Vols upset the 14th-ranked Bulldogs 34-31 at Sanford Stadium in Athens.Sec Classic /

839. 31. 814. Final. 34

Sept. 12, 1992; Sanford Stadium; Athens, Ga.

  • Tennessee: No. 20 AP; No. 17 Coaches
  • Georgia: No. 14 AP; No. 15 Coaches

The only other game that is on this list and our list from Thursday, this was the matchup that began Tennessee football’s rivalry with the Georgia Bulldogs. We discussed the crazy nature of this matchup in that post.

Phillip Fulmer was filling in for longtime UT head coach Johnny Majors as he recovered from open-heart surgery, and Heath Shuler was trying to fill the big shoes left by Andy Kelly at quarterback, who held every passing record at the time. Meanwhile, UGA was in its fourth year under Ray Goff and appeared to finally have a team that could recapture the Vince Dooley glory days.

Despite being 14-point underdogs, the Vols got a breakout game from Shuler. He led the team in passing and rushing despite UT’s plethora of elite running backs, which included James “Little Man” Stewart, Charlie Garner, Aaron Hayden and Mose Phillips.

Late in the game, trailing 31-26, the Vols converted on an unlikely 4th and 13 play over the middle, which set up a game-winning touchdown. UT improved to 2-0 while UGA fell to 1-1. This game was the first game the schools played annually.

That’s not the only thing making it significant either. Fulmer became a national name overnight as an interim coach, and the momentum only grew as the Vols beat the Florida Gators the next week. That altered UT history forever when Fulmer took over permanently at the end of the year.

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