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Tennessee football’s history on College GameDay by the numbers

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee players take the field as the University of Tennessee Pride of the Southland marching band performs a pregame show and fans checker Neyland Stadium orange and white for the Florida game on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016.0925 Kcsp Utfl 012 Mp
Tennessee players take the field as the University of Tennessee Pride of the Southland marching band performs a pregame show and fans checker Neyland Stadium orange and white for the Florida game on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016.0925 Kcsp Utfl 012 Mp /
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For the first time in six years, ESPN College GameDay is coming to Knoxville. The network will be on hand when Tennessee football hosts the Florida Gators. The Vols are the higher ranked team, at No. 11 in the AP Poll and No. 12 in the Coaches Poll, and they are 3-0. Florida is 2-1 and No. 20 on the AP Poll and No. 12 in the Coaches Poll.

Rocky Top has a long history with College GameDay, and a lot of it pertains directly to this series. In fact, since its inception in 1993, GameDay has been on hand for 21 different games involving the Vols, and they have faced 12 different opponents. Outside of Florida, they not faced any other opponent more than twice on GameDay.

As the crew gets set up for this week’s showdown, let’s take a look at this program’s history with the show. Looking at overall history, games in Knoxville, games against the spread and games against Florida, here is Tennessee football on College GameDay by the numbers.

Tennessee sophomore quarterback Peyton Manning (16) fires a pass against Georgia on Sept. 9, 1995. Manning picked apart Georgia’s defense for 349 yards and two touchdowns as the eighth-ranked Vols won a 30-27 shootout at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.
Tennessee sophomore quarterback Peyton Manning (16) fires a pass against Georgia on Sept. 9, 1995. Manning picked apart Georgia’s defense for 349 yards and two touchdowns as the eighth-ranked Vols won a 30-27 shootout at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. /

Last College GameDay: Oct. 8, 2016 at Texas A&M Aggies

Texas A&M: 45 Tennessee: 38 (2OT)

At the time, both teams were 5-0. Rocky Top was No. 9 and had just beaten the Georgia Bulldogs the week before on the Joshua Dobbs to Jauan Jennings hail mary. Texas A&M was No. 8. The Vols lost this game 45-38 in overtime, sparking a three-game winning streak. That began a massive collapse, which we wrote about here.

First College GameDay: Sept. 9, 1995 vs. Georgia Bulldogs

Tennessee: 30 Georgia: 27

It was the coming out party for Peyton Manning. The Vols had gone 8-4 the year before, but they were 7-1 with Manning as the starter. Now he was entering his sophomore year, and UT came into this game ranked No. 8 in the nation. This game marked UT’s arrival in the mid-1990s.

In a back and forth showdown, Manning drove Tennessee football down the field at the end of the game. Jeff Hall, a true freshman, foreshadowed his own success, nailing a game-winner to give the Vols a victory. It launched an 11-1 season and a top five finish, the first of both for the Vols in the 1990s. They’d do that two more times in the next three years.

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