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Tennessee football: Comparing Josh Heupel’s fourth year of career to other Vols head coaches

By Caleb Calhoun

Nov 6, 2021; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel motions to his team during the fourth quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 6, 2021; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Josh Heupel motions to his team during the fourth quarter against the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 20, 1973; Birmingham, AL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Bill Battle on the sideline talking to tight end Tommy West (23) against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Legion Field. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 20, 1973; Birmingham, AL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Bill Battle on the sideline talking to tight end Tommy West (23) against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Legion Field. Mandatory Credit: Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports /

Tennessee Volunteers. Bill Battle. 839. Pick Analysis. 1973. 6. player. Scouting Report

8-4 (3-3 SEC)

Gator Bowl; No. 19 AP

Before Majors, Tennessee football was in a downward slide under Bill Battle. While Battle’s fourth year as a head coach was better than most, it signaled the start of a downward slide, as it was a big drop-off relative to what the Vols had been doing. It was Battle’s fourth year at UT and as a head coach, the first such coach on this list.

Anyway, from 1965 to 1972, the Vols had a run of eight straight top 15 finishes and no more than three losses in a season. From 1966 to 1972, they had two SEC Championships and a national championship, and in Battle’s first three years, they went 11-1, 10-2 and 10-2 with three top 10 finishes. They were still riding high with Condredge Holloway entering his second year at UT.

The Vols began the season ranked No. 9, and they roared off to a 5-0 start. However, Holloway had been dealing with a litany of injuries, and that affected their play the second half of the season. It started with a 42-21 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide. After beating the TCU Horned Frogs, they suffered back to back losses to the Georgia Bulldogs and Ole Miss Rebels.

They barely beat the Kentucky Wildcats and Vanderbilt Commodores, 16-14 and 20-17 respectively, but then they lost 28-19 to the Texas Tech Red Raiders to finish 8-4 and unranked in the Coaches Poll. Battle then went 7-3-2, 7-5 and 6-5, and the program fell apart just as Majors took over in 1977.

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