All for Tennessee
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Tennessee football’s five previous bowls with first-year coaches

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee sophomore quarterback Heath Shuler (21) pick up some of his 31 yards rushing on 6 carries against Boston College Jan. 1, 1993. Shuler was 18 of 23 passing for 245 yards and two touchdowns to win the MVP honors as the Vols won 38-23 in the Hall of Fame Bowl game in Tampa, Fla.Ut Bowl History
Tennessee sophomore quarterback Heath Shuler (21) pick up some of his 31 yards rushing on 6 carries against Boston College Jan. 1, 1993. Shuler was 18 of 23 passing for 245 yards and two touchdowns to win the MVP honors as the Vols won 38-23 in the Hall of Fame Bowl game in Tampa, Fla.Ut Bowl History /
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Tennessee junior receiver Cory Fleming, second from right, celebrates one of his two touchdowns against Boston College with teammates Heath Shuler (21) and Jeff Smith (74) Jan. 1, 1993. Fleming caught 5 passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns as the Vols won 38-23 in the Hall of Fame Bowl game in Tampa, Fla.Ut Bowl History
Tennessee junior receiver Cory Fleming, second from right, celebrates one of his two touchdowns against Boston College with teammates Heath Shuler (21) and Jeff Smith (74) Jan. 1, 1993. Fleming caught 5 passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns as the Vols won 38-23 in the Hall of Fame Bowl game in Tampa, Fla.Ut Bowl History /

839. Tampa Stadium. Hall of Fame Bowl. Friday, Jan. 1, 1993. 38. 23. 826. Tampa, Fla.

3. Phillip Fulmer -1992: 4-0* (2-0)*; 9-3 (5-3) overall; No. 12 AP and Coaches

What a wild year this one was. Johnny Majors had rebuilt Tennessee football after it fell apart in the late 1970s, and by the early 1990s, it was a powerhouse program. Then, in 1992, he had tyo miss the first three games due to recovering open-heart surgery. With interim head coach Phillip Fulmer and new quarterback Heath Shuler, UT jumped out to a 3-0 start.

That start included wins at the Georgia Bulldogs and the No. 4 ranked Florida Gators. Majors came back to oversee the team getting to 5-0 and No. 4. However, they then lost three straight, including two one-point losses to SEC newcomers the Arkansas Razorbacks and South Carolina Gamecocks. Majors was then fired but allowed to finish the regular season.

After the regular season, Fulmer was named head coach full-time. This bowl game was their chance to put all that drama behind them, and they did just that. Against Tom Coughlin and with Shuler at quarterback, UT built a 38-7 lead by the fourth quarter.

Shuler was the MVP with four total touchdowns, and this game helped usher in the Fulmer era of the 1990s, which was obviously a renaissance era for Rocky Top. This bowl game, now called the Outback Bowl, was a huge part of getting that started.

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