1997 Tennessee Volunteers football team

1997 Tennessee Volunteers football
SEC champion SEC Eastern Division champion
SEC Championship Game, W 30–29 vs. Auburn
Orange Bowl (BA NCG), L 17–42 vs. Nebraska
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	Eastern Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 8
AP	No. 7
Record	11–2 (7–1 SEC)
Head coach	Phillip Fulmer (5th season)
Offensive coordinator	David Cutcliffe (5th season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	John Chavis (3rd season)
Base defense	Multiple 4–3
Captains	Leonard Little Peyton Manning
Home stadium	Neyland Stadium
Seasons ←  1996 1998  →

1997 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Eastern Division
No. 7 Tennessee x$		7	–	1					11	–	2
No. 10 Georgia		6	–	2					10	–	2
No. 4 Florida		6	–	2					10	–	2
South Carolina		3	–	5					5	–	6
Kentucky		2	–	6					5	–	6
Vanderbilt		0	–	8					3	–	8
Western Division
No. 11 Auburn xy		6	–	2					10	–	3
No. 13 LSU x		6	–	2					9	–	3
No. 22 Ole Miss		4	–	4					8	–	4
Mississippi State		4	–	4					7	–	4
Arkansas		2	–	6					4	–	7
Alabama		2	–	6					4	–	7
Championship: Tennessee 30, Auburn 29
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. Quarterback Peyton Manning had already completed his degree in three years and had been projected to be the top overall pick in the 1997 NFL draft, but he returned to Tennessee for his senior year. ^[1] The Volunteers opened the season with victories against Texas Tech and UCLA, but for the third time in his career, Manning fell to Florida, 33–20. ^{[2] [3] [4]} The Vols won the rest of their regular season games, finishing 10–1, and advanced to the SEC Championship Game against Auburn. Down 20–7, Manning led the Vols to a 30–29 victory. Throwing for four touchdowns, he was named the game's MVP but injured himself in the process. ^{[5] [6]} The #3 Vols were matched up with #2 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. Had Tennessee won and top-ranked Michigan lost to Washington State in the Rose Bowl, the Vols would have been expected to win the national championship. ^[7] However, the Vols' defense could not stop Nebraska's rushing attack, giving up more than 400 yards on the ground in a 42–17 loss. ^[8] As a senior, Manning won numerous awards. He was a consensus first-team All-American and won the Maxwell Award, the Davey O'Brien Award, the Johnny Unitas Award, and the Best College Football Player ESPY Award, among others. However, he did not win the Heisman Trophy, finishing runner-up to Charles Woodson, a CB from Michigan and the only defensive player ever to win the Heisman Trophy. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	7:45 p.m.	Texas Tech *	No. 5	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	ESPN	W 52–17	106,285	[12]
September 6	3:30 p.m.	at UCLA *	No. 3	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA	ABC	W 30–24	62,619	[13]
September 20	3:30 p.m.	at No. 1 Florida	No. 4	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry, College GameDay )	CBS	L 20–33	85,714	[14]
October 4	3:30 p.m.	Ole Miss	No. 10	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	CBS	W 31–17	106,229	[15]
October 11	3:30 p.m.	No. 15 Georgia	No. 10	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	CBS	W 38–13	106,656	[16]
October 18	7:00 p.m.	at Alabama	No. 9	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (Third Saturday in October)	ESPN	W 38–21	83,091	[17]
November 1	12:30 p.m.	South Carolina	No. 8	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	JPS	W 22–7	106,301	[18]
November 8	4:00 p.m.	No. 25 Southern Miss *	No. 7	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	PPV	W 44–20	107,073	[19]
November 15	8:00 p.m.	at Arkansas	No. 5	War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, AR	ESPN2	W 30–22	53,235	[20]
November 22	12:30 p.m.	at Kentucky	No. 5	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY (rivalry)	ESPN2	W 59–31	61,076	[21]
November 29	12:00 p.m.	Vanderbilt	No. 3	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN (rivalry)	CBS	W 17–10	106,683	[22]
December 6	8:00 p.m.	vs. No. 11 Auburn	No. 3	Georgia Dome Atlanta, GA (SEC Championship Game)	ABC	W 30–29	74,896	[23]
January 2	8:00 p.m.	vs. No. 2 Nebraska *	No. 3	Pro Player Stadium Miami Gardens, FL (Orange Bowl, College GameDay)	CBS	L 17–42	74,002	[24]
*Non-conference game Rankings from Coaches Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Rankings

See also: 1997 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AP	5 (8)	5 (7)	3 (7)	4 (6)	4 (6)	9	9	9	9	8	8	8	5	5	3	3	3	7
Coaches Poll	5 (8)	5 (8)	3 (10)	4 (5)	4 (6)	10	10	10	9	8	8	7	5	5	3	3	3	8

Game summaries

Texas Tech

See also: 1997 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team

Texas Tech at Tennessee

1 2 3 4 Total Red Raiders 0 3 0 14 17 •No. 5 Volunteers 7 17 21 7 52 Date: August 30 Location: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee Game start: 7:35 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:20 Game attendance: 106,285 Source: Box score

At UCLA

See also: 1997 UCLA Bruins football team

Tennessee at UCLA

1 2 3 4 Total •No. 3 Volunteers 9 15 3 3 30 Bruins 0 3 3 18 24 Date: September 6 Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California Game start: 3:35 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:41 Game attendance: 62,619 Source: Box score

Scoring summary 1 8:28 UT Safety, Leonard Little sack of Cade McNown in end zone Tenn 2–0 3:05 UT Cory Gaines 57-yard interception return (Jeff Hall kick) Tenn 9–0 2 9:35 UT Jeremaine Copeland 24-yard pass from Peyton Manning (conversion) Tenn 17–0 4:07 UT Marcus Nash 39-yard pass from Peyton Manning (kick) Tenn 24–0 UCLA Chris Sailer ?-yard field goal Tenn 24–3 3 UCLA Chris Sailer ?-yard field goal Tenn 24–6 UT Jeff Hall ?-yard field goal Tenn 27–6 4 UCLA Skip Hicks ?-yard pass from Cade McNown (conversion failed) Tenn 27–12 UCLA Skip Hicks ?-yard run (conversion failed) Tenn 27–18 UCLA Skip Hicks ?-yard pass from Cade McNown (conversion failed) Tenn 27–24 UT Jeff Hall ?-yard field goal Tenn 30–24

^[25]

At Florida

#4 Tennessee Volunteers (2–0) at #3 Florida Gators (2–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Tennessee	0	7	7	6	20
Florida	14	6	6	7	33

at Ben Hill Griffith Stadium, Gainesville, Florida

• Date: September 20
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Sunny, 95 °F (35 °C)
• Game attendance: 85,714
• Box Score, Box Score/Recap

Game information

First quarter UF – Jamie Richardson 11-yard pass from Doug Johnson (Collins Cooper kick), 9:43. Florida 7–0. UF – Tony George 88-yard interception return (Collins Cooper kick), 0:15. Florida 14–0. Second quarter UT – Jermaine Copeland 22-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Jeff Hall kick), 1:33. Florida 14–7. UF – Jacquez Green 19-yard pass from Doug Johnson (kick failed), 0:45. Florida 20–7. Third quarter UF – Collins Cooper 37-yard field goal, 8:33. Florida 23–7. UF – Collins Cooper 40-yard field goal, 3:44. Florida 26–7. UT – Jermaine Copeland 8-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Jeff Hall kick), 2:32. Florida 26–14. Fourth quarter UF – Taran Ross 30-yard pass from Doug Johnson (Collins Cooper kick), 6:23. Florida 33–14. UT – Cedrick Wilson 16-yard pass from Peyton Manning (pass failed), 2:21. Florida 33–20. Top passers UT – Peyton Manning – 29/51, 353 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT UF – Doug Johnson – 14/32, 261 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT Top rushers UT – Mark Levine – 4 rushes, 27 yards UF – Fred Taylor – 17 rushes, 134 yards Top receivers UT – Andy McCullough – 5 receptions, 105 yards UF – Jacquez Green – 8 receptions, 185 yards, TD

^[26]

Ole Miss

See also: 1997 Ole Miss Rebels football team

Ole Miss at Tennessee

1 2 3 4 Total Rebels 0 3 6 8 17 •No. 9 Volunteers 0 7 14 10 31 Date: October 4 Location: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee Game start: 3:34 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:15 Game attendance: 106,229 Source: Box score

Georgia

See also: 1997 Georgia Bulldogs football team

Georgia at Tennessee

1 2 3 4 Total No. 13 Bulldogs 3 7 0 3 13 •No. 9 Volunteers 7 17 0 14 38 Date: October 11 Location: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee Game start: 3:41 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:13 Game attendance: 106,656 Source: Box score

At Alabama

See also: 1997 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

Tennessee at Alabama

1 2 3 4 Total •No. 9 Volunteers 7 14 10 7 38 Crimson Tide 6 0 8 7 21 Date: October 18 Location: Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama Game start: 6:06 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:06 Game attendance: 83,091 Source: Box score

South Carolina

See also: 1997 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

South Carolina at Tennessee

1 2 3 4 Total Gamecocks 0 0 0 7 7 •No. 9 Volunteers 9 0 3 10 22 Date: November 1 Location: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee Game start: 12:38 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:04 Game attendance: 106,301 Source: Box score

Southern Miss

See also: 1997 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

Southern Miss at Tennessee

1 2 3 4 Total No. 24 Golden Eagles 7 6 7 0 20 •No. 8 Volunteers 6 14 21 3 44 Date: November 8 Location: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee Game start: 4:08 pm EST Elapsed time: 3:10 Game attendance: 107,073 Source: Box score

At Arkansas

See also: 1997 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

Tennessee at Arkansas

1 2 3 4 Total •No. 5 Volunteers 7 7 3 13 30 Razorbacks 0 10 6 6 22 Date: November 15 [27] Location: War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock, Arkansas Game start: 7:15 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:20 Game attendance: 53,235 Source: Box score

At Kentucky

See also: 1997 Kentucky Wildcats football team

Tennessee at Kentucky

1 2 3 4 Total •No. 5 Volunteers 17 7 21 14 59 Wildcats 7 14 3 7 31 Date: November 22 Location: Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington, Kentucky Game start: 12:30 pm EDT Elapsed time: 3:40 Game attendance: 61,076 Source: Box score

Peyton Manning threw for a school-record 523 yards and tied the school-record with 5 passing touchdowns in this high-scoring win over Kentucky. The single-game TD record fell in 2007 and the single-game yardage record stood until 2012. In all, Manning and Kentucky QB Tim Couch combined for 999 passing yards (Couch threw for a then-school-record 476 yards). ^[28]

Vanderbilt

See also: 1997 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

Vanderbilt at Tennessee

1 2 3 4 Total Commodores 0 3 7 0 10 •No. 3 Volunteers 0 10 7 0 17 Date: November 29 Location: Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee Game start: 12:12 pm EST Elapsed time: 3:00 Game attendance: 106,683

^[29]

Vs. Auburn

Main article: 1997 SEC Championship Game

See also: 1997 Auburn Tigers football team

Tennessee vs Auburn

1 2 3 4 Total •No. 3 Volunteers 7 3 13 7 30 No. 11 Tigers 13 7 9 0 29 Date: December 6 Location: Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia Game start: 8:06 pm EST Elapsed time: 3:34 Game attendance: 74,896 Referee: Al Ford Source: Box score

Scoring summary 1 12:41 UT Peerless Price 40-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Jeff Hall kick) Tenn 7–0 10:25 Aub Jaret Holmes 30-yard field goal Tenn 7–3 5:36 Aub Brad Ware 24-yard fumble return (Jaret Holmes kick) Aub 10–7 1:27 Aub Jaret Holmes 48-yard field goal Aub 13–7 2 14:12 Aub Tyrone Goodson 51-yard pass from Dameyune Craig (Jaret Holmes kick) Aub 20–7 7:46 UT Jeff Hall 27-yard field goal Aub 20–10 3 11:56 UT J. Copeland 5-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Jeff Hall kick) Aub 20–17 6:14 Aub Fred Beasley 24-yard pass from Dameyune Craig (Jaret Holmes kick) Aub 27–17 1:06 UT Peerless Price 46-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Jeff Hall kick) Aub 27–23 1:06 Aub Quinton Reese 98-yard PAT return Aub 29–23 4 11:14 UT Marcus Nash 73-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Jeff Hall kick) Tenn 30–29

The Vols struck first just over two minutes into the game, but found themselves trailing 20–7 only 48 seconds into the second quarter. Despite six turnovers, Tennessee clawed all the way back. Peyton Manning threw for 373 yards and 4 TD, including a game winning 73-yard touchdown to Marcus Nash. ^[30]

Vs. Nebraska (Orange Bowl)

Main article: 1998 Orange Bowl

See also: 1997 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team

Tennessee vs Nebraska

1 2 3 4 Total No. 3 Volunteers 0 3 6 8 17 •No. 2 Cornhuskers 7 7 21 7 42 Date: January 2, 1998 [31] Location: Pro Player Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida Game attendance: 72,385

Personnel

1997 Tennessee Volunteers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 24 Shawn Bryson Jr OT 67 Chad Clifton So OL Cosey Coleman WR Jermaine Copeland WR Graff Corby RB Phillip Crosby RB Brian Darden TE Eric Diogu RB Derrick Edmonds OL Mercedes Hamilton RB Travis Henry TE Neil Johnson RB Mark Levine RB Jamal Lewis QB 16 Peyton Manning Sr WR David Martin QB 17 Tee Martin So WR 88 Andy McCullough Sr WR 12 Marcus Nash Sr TE Antron Peebles WR 37 Peerless Price Jr OL Spencer Riley OL Diron Robinson WR 81 Benjie Shuler Sr RB Travis Stephens C 70 Trey Teague Sr WR Cedrick Wilson	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 99 Eric Brown Sr DE 91 Jonathan Brown Sr DL Jeff Coleman DL Bill Duf DE 93 Shaun Ellis So DB 13 Terry Fair Sr DB Cory Gaines DT 60 Matt Goodin Jr DB 23 Dwayne Goodrich So DB Tyrone Graham DB Deon Grant DL Ron Green DL Gerald Griffin DB Steve Johnson DE 1 Leonard Little Sr DB Tori Noel DL Billy Raltliff DE 58 Darwin Walker So DB 30 Cory Gaines Sr DE 22 Corey Terry Jr LB 46 Raynoch Thompson So DL Darwin Walker DB 42 Eric Westmoreland So DB 2 Fred White So LB 27 Al Wilson Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 4 Jeff Hall Jr P 43 David Leaverton Fr	Head coach Phillip Fulmer Coordinators/assistant coaches David Cutcliffe –Offensive coordinator/assistant head coach/quarterbacks Randy Sanders –Running backs/recruiting coordinator Pat Washington –Wide receivers Rodney Garner –Tight ends/offensive tackles Mark Bradley –Offensive line John Chavis –Defensive coordinator/linebackers Dan Brooks –Defensive line Kevin Ramsey –Defensive backs Steve Caldwell –Special teams/defensive ends Kurt Roper –Graduate assistant Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Awards and honors

• Peyton Manning, consensus first-team All-American
• Peyton Manning, Maxwell Award winner
• Peyton Manning, Davey O'Brien Award winner
• Peyton Manning, James E. Sullivan Award ^[32]
• Peyton Manning, Johnny Unitas Award winner
• Peyton Manning, Best College Football Player ESPY Award winner
• Peyton Manning, runner-up, Heisman Trophy ^[33]

Team players drafted into the NFL

Main article: 1998 NFL draft

Tennessee had eight players selected in the 1998 NFL Draft. ^{[34] [35] [36]}

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Peyton Manning	Quarterback	1	1	Indianapolis Colts
Terry Fair	Cornerback	1	20	Detroit Lions
Marcus Nash	Wide receiver	1	30	Denver Broncos
Leonard Little	Defensive end	3	65	St. Louis Rams
Jonathan Brown	Defensive end	3	90	Green Bay Packers
Trey Teague	Center	7	200	Denver Broncos
Andy McCullough	Wide receiver	7	204	New Orleans Saints
Corey Gaines	Safety	7	231	Indianapolis Colts

References

1. "Nothing to Prove; Manning Made His Decision to Stay at Tennessee, and the Rest Is History". Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles, California. September 3, 1997.
2. "TENN. JUMPS TO NO. 3 IN POLL". Washington Post. September 1, 1997. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
3. "UCLA Rallies in Second Half Against Tennessee, but Comes Up Short for Second Week in a Row, 30–24". Los Angeles Times . Los Angeles, California. September 7, 1997.
4. Rhoden, William C. (September 21, 1997). "Manning's Nightmare Continues". The New York Times . Retrieved December 24, 2007.
5. Sallee, Barrett (August 24, 2012). "Classic SEC Football: Tennessee Tops Auburn in the 1997 SEC Championship Game". Bleacher Report . Archived from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
6. Fulmer, Phillip (1999). A Perfect Season. Rutledge Hill Press. p. 7. ISBN   1-55853-798-8. Peyton had played with a lot of pain in the Orange Bowl because of an injury he had suffered in our SEC Championship victory against Auburn, and his mobility was limited throughout the game against Nebraska
7. MacCambridge, Michael (2005). ESPN College Football Encyclopedia. ESPN Books. p. 1401. ISBN   1-4013-3703-1.
8. MacCambridge, Michael (2005). ESPN College Football Encyclopedia. ESPN Books. p. 1462. ISBN   1-4013-3703-1.
9. MacCambridge, Michael (2005). ESPN College Football Encyclopedia. ESPN Books. p. 1402. ISBN   1-4013-3703-1.
10. "The 2005 ESPY Awards – ESPY Awards past winners". ESPN. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
11. "1997 Heisman Trophy". Heisman.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2008.
12. "Vols crush Red Raiders". The Odessa American. August 31, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Bruins rally comes up short against Tennessee". The San Bernardino County Sun. September 7, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Chokehold stymies Vols". Chicago Tribune. September 21, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
15. "Vols heat up after halftime, beat Ole Miss". Bristol Herald Courier. October 5, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
16. "No. 9 Volunteers romp past soaked Bulldogs". Anderson Independent-Mail. October 12, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
17. "Tennessee waltz, Manning leads 3rd straight win over Alabama". The Tennessean. October 19, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
18. "Vols back in control". The Jackson Sun. November 2, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
19. "Manning's five touchdown lead Volunteers". The Shreveport Times. November 9, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
20. "Tennessee holds off game Arkansas". The Commercial Appeal. November 16, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
21. "Manning leads Vols past UK in 59–31 win". The State Journal. November 23, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
22. "Lewis leads Vols past Vandy". The State. November 30, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
23. "Volunteers win SEC title, await their bowl destiny". The Courier-Journal. December 7, 1997. Retrieved July 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
24. "Tie-tle; Huskers, Michigan are co-champions". The Kansas City Star. January 3, 1998. Retrieved July 27, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
25. "Tennessee 30, UCLA 24". UPI Archives . September 6, 1997. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
26. "No. 3 Gators Find Willing Volunteers". Los Angeles Times . September 21, 1997. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
27. "Tennessee Survives Scare in Arkansas". The New York Times. Associated Press. November 17, 1997. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
28. "Manning Passes for 523 Yards in Tennessee Win". The Los Angeles Times . November 23, 1997. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
29. "Vols win division crown, want more". The Tampa Bay Times . November 30, 1997. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
30. "Too Close for Comfort". The Los Angeles Times . Associated Press. December 7, 1997. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
31. Moran, Malcolm (April 9, 2018). "Nebraska's Osborne Bids Farewell With Big Victory". The New York Times Web Archive. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
32. "AAU Sullivan Award".
33. "1997 Heisman Trophy Voting". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
34. "1998 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
35. "N.F.L. DRAFT DAY '98; Colts Agonize to the End, Then Pick Manning". The New York Times. April 19, 1998. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
36. "Tennessee: Three First Rounders in Top 15 NFL Draft Selections". University of Tennessee Athletics. April 20, 2002. Retrieved December 13, 2024.

External links

• Season summary at Sports Reference