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Tennessee football should remember these five non-conference November upset losses before overlooking South Alabama

By Caleb Calhoun

Smokey IX was ready to run onto the field for the Tennessee Volunteers homecoming game against the University of Wyoming Cowboys Saturday in Neyland Stadium.Homecoming Smokey Ix 2008
Smokey IX was ready to run onto the field for the Tennessee Volunteers homecoming game against the University of Wyoming Cowboys Saturday in Neyland Stadium.Homecoming Smokey Ix 2008 /
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Dec 5, 2020; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Footballs lay on the field before the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Gators at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2020; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Footballs lay on the field before the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Florida Gators at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /

Nov. 8, 1958

Before the wildly inconsistent 1979 season, Tennessee football had arguably the most inconsistent season in history in 1958. That year, they went 4-6, but three of their wins were over ranked teams. Then there was this game.

Related Story. Vols' 10 worst upset losses in school history. light

Bowden Wyatt’s program was falling apart. Two years removed from the legendary 1956 SEC Championship season and one year after beating the Texas A&M Aggies in the Gator Bowl, Bear Bryant’s last game at A&M, the Vols had taken a step back.

Things started okay, as they lost a close opener to the No. 3 ranked Auburn Tigers and then beat the No. 11 ranked Mississippi State Maroons. However, they then lost to a bad Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets team. Beating the Alabama Crimson Tide got them to 2-2, but then things began to fall apart.

UT was upset at home by the Florida State Seminoles. They then lost at home to the No. 17 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels. All of a sudden, they were 2-4. In came the Chattanooga Mocs, and this game at Shields-Watkins Field was supposed to be what got them back on track.

Although Chattanooga was 4-2, like Rutgers in 1979, they were a much worse 4-2 team than a 2-4 UT team was, This should have been a cakewalk. Well, Chattanooga had a future pro quarterback in Johnny Green, and they flat-out dominated.

Every other game on this list comes down to some fluke plays in a defensive struggle. Chattanooga handled the Vols here, though, and they led 14-0 late. UT’s only points were a touchdown in garbage time. What ensued after the game made it more notable.

In the ultimate sign of disrespect, Chattanooga fans stormed the Vols’ field and took down the goalposts. That ignited a fight between the fans, and a riot ensued that required the Knoxville Police Department to get involved. It was brutal and made national headlines, but no players were involved in the incident.

Next. Five South Alabama Jaguars to watch for against Vols. dark

Following that loss, Tennessee football upset the No. 7 ranked Ole Miss Rebels. They were then upset by the Kentucky Wildcats before upsetting the No. 15 ranked Vanderbilt Commodores to close out the year. That Chattanooga loss sent them under .500, though, and it began a downward slide that wouldn’t be resurrected until Doug Dickey arrived in 1964.

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