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Tennessee football: Ranking Vols four road wins all time at Arkansas

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning looks for a receiver during the Vols' 38-21 victory over Alabama Saturday, Oct. 19, 1997, in Birmingham. Manning had his sixth straight 300-yard game and became first SEC quarterback to beat Alabama three times.Ut Peyton Manning Qb 1997
Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning looks for a receiver during the Vols' 38-21 victory over Alabama Saturday, Oct. 19, 1997, in Birmingham. Manning had his sixth straight 300-yard game and became first SEC quarterback to beat Alabama three times.Ut Peyton Manning Qb 1997 /
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University of Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning, right, talks things over with receiver Andy McCullough during the Florida game in Gainesville, Fla. Sept. 16, 1995.Peyton Manning 1995
University of Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning, right, talks things over with receiver Andy McCullough during the Florida game in Gainesville, Fla. Sept. 16, 1995.Peyton Manning 1995 /

Final. 49. 839. 31. 844

Oct. 7, 1995; Razorback Stadium; Fayetteville, Ark.

There was nothing close about this game. However, it was Tennessee football’s most impressive win over the Arkansas Razorbacks on the road, and it also is the game that got the national media talking about the Vols’ most famous player.

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UT came into this game with a 4-1 record and ranked in the top 10. Arkansas, meanwhile, was in the midst of its breakout year in Danny Ford’s third season. After an opening loss to the SMU Mustangs, they had won four straight, including upsetting the Alabama Crimson Tide, and they entered this game 4-1 and ranked No. 18.

Sophomore quarterback Peyton Manning had been the starter for the Vols since the middle of the 1994 season and had a ton of promise, but he hadn’t put together a performance that burst him onto the national scene yet. This would be that performance. Manning threw for 384 yards and four touchdowns, as the Vols and Hogs were stuck in a shootout.

Joey Kent emerged as Manning’s favorite targeting, tying a school record with 13 receptions in the game. Everything Arkansas threw at the Vols was answered by Manning’s passing attack, and this is what turned him into a national star. This turned into a 49-31 dominating win for Rocky Top, and it looked even more impressive down the stretch.

dark. Next. Five Vols to watch for at Arkansas

Arkansas would go on to win the SEC West and finish 8-5. Tennessee football went on to finish 11-1 and in the top five. The Vols had emerged into their best run of the modern era, and Manning emerged as a top-notch quarterback. This game had a huge hand in that.

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