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Tennessee football’s top 10 upset wins one week after bad loss

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee players Jalen Hurd, left, Alvin Kamara, and Joshua Dobbs celebrate following the Vols' 38-31 win over Georgia Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, at Neyland Stadium. Utvsugathroughtheyears28
Tennessee players Jalen Hurd, left, Alvin Kamara, and Joshua Dobbs celebrate following the Vols' 38-31 win over Georgia Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, at Neyland Stadium. Utvsugathroughtheyears28 /
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This Johnny Majors signed jersey is part of a new exhibit at the Museum of East Tennessee History showing some of the items the museum has collected in its 25 years on Gay Street.Kns Pastmuseum 0916
This Johnny Majors signed jersey is part of a new exhibit at the Museum of East Tennessee History showing some of the items the museum has collected in its 25 years on Gay Street.Kns Pastmuseum 0916 /

8. 1955: Upset No. 19 Vanderbilt Commodores 20-14

Previous week: Lost to Kentucky Wildcats 23-0

Hey look at that! Tennessee football losses to the Kentucky Wildcats are on this list twice. Could that make 2020 the third time the Vols pull off a shocker one week after losing to UK? Okay, let’s be fair. Those mid-1950s Vanderbilt Commodores teams were decent but nowhere near dominant like Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide teams are.

Still, it’s interesting to look back on. While 1958 was the first year of a major downward slide for the Vols under Bowden Wyatt, 1955 was their first year with Wyatt as head coach. After an 0-2 start, UT got on a roll, proving that Wyatt was the right guy to replace Harvey Robinson as Robert Neyland’s successor.

The Vols won four straight, tied the No. 8 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and then beat the Florida Gators to get to 5-1-2 and No. 17 in the nation. Kentucky was 5-3-1 and didn’t have Bear Bryant anymore, but they inexplicably dominated the Vols 23-0 in Lexington the next week. This proved that UT hadn’t reached its desired level yet.

A week later, unranked, Rocky Top hosted No. 19 ranked and 7-2 Vanderbilt. The ‘Dores jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but All-SEC tailback Johnny Majors had one of his breakout games. Majors had a 13-yard touchdown pass to Buddy Cruze, capping an 83-yard drive, to tie it up at 7.

A third quarter score put Vanderbilt up 14-7, but in the fourth, Majors found Cruze again for a 10-yard score to cap off an 80-yard drive and tie it up. UT then got the ball back, and Majors’ backup, Al Carter, hit Bill Anderson for a 43-yard touchdown pass, and the Vols won a 20-13 shocker.

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