1997 Tennessee Volunteers football team

Last updated

1997 Tennessee Volunteers football
Tennessee Volunteers logo.svg
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
DivisionEastern Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 8
APNo. 7
Record11–2 (7–1 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe
Defensive coordinator John Chavis
Captains
Home stadium Neyland Stadium
(Capacity: 102,854) [1]
Seasons
  1996
1998  
1997 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
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 returned to Tennessee for his senior year. [2] 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. [3] [4] [5] 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. [6] [7] 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. [8] 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. [9] 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. [10] [11] [12]

Contents

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
August 307:45 p.m. Texas Tech *No. 5 ESPN W 52–17106,285
September 63:30 p.m.at UCLA *No. 3 ABC W 30–2462,619
September 203:30 p.m.at No. 1 Florida No. 4 CBS L 20–3385,714
October 43:30 p.m. Ole Miss No. 10
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, Tennessee (rivalry)
CBSW 31–17106,229
October 113:30 p.m.No. 15 Georgia No. 10
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, Tennessee (rivalry)
CBSW 38–13106,656
October 187:00 p.m.at Alabama No. 9ESPNW 38–2183,091
November 112:30 p.m. South Carolina No. 8
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, Tennessee (rivalry)
JPS W 22–7106,301
November 84:00 p.m.No. 25 Southern Miss *No. 7
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, Tennessee
PPV W 44–20107,073
November 158:00 p.m.at Arkansas No. 5 ESPN2 W 30–2253,235
November 2212:30 p.m.at Kentucky No. 5ESPN2W 59–3161,076
November 2912:00 p.m. Vanderbilt No. 3
  • Neyland Stadium
  • Knoxville, Tennessee (rivalry)
CBSW 17–10106,683
December 68:00 p.m.vs. No. 11 Auburn No. 3ABCW 30–2974,896
January 28:00 p.m.vs. No. 2 Nebraska *No. 3 CBS L 17–4274,002

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
( ) = First-place votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
AP 5 (8)5 (7)3 (7)4 (6)4 (6)9999888553337
Coaches Poll 5 (8)5 (8)3 (10)4 (5)4 (6)1010109887553338

Personnel

1997 Tennessee Volunteers football team roster
PlayersCoaches
Offense
Pos.#NameClass
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 88Andy McCulloughSr
WR 12 Marcus Nash Sr
TE Antron Peebles
WR 37 Peerless Price Jr
OL Spencer Riley
OL Diron Robinson
WR 81Benjie ShulerSr
RB Travis Stephens
C 70 Trey Teague Sr
WR Cedrick Wilson
Defense
Pos.#NameClass
LB 99Eric BrownSr
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 60Matt GoodinJr
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 58Darwin WalkerSo
DB 30Cory GainesSr
DE 22Corey TerryJr
LB 46 Raynoch Thompson So
DL Darwin Walker
DB 42Eric WestmorelandSo
DB 2Fred WhiteSo
LB 27 Al Wilson Jr
Special teams
Pos.#NameClass
K 4Jeff HallJr
P 43David LeavertonFr
Head coach
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
  • Cruz Roja.svg Injured
  • Redshirt.svg Redshirt

Game summaries

Texas Tech

Texas Tech at Tennessee
1234Total
Red Raiders0301417
No. 5 Volunteers71721752

At UCLA

Tennessee at UCLA
1234Total
No. 3 Volunteers9153330
Bruins0331824
       

[13]

At Florida

#4 Tennessee Volunteers (2–0) at #3 Florida Gators (2–0)
Period1234Total
Tennessee 077620
Florida 1466733

at Ben Hill Griffith Stadium, Gainesville, Florida

Game information

[14]

Ole Miss

Ole Miss at Tennessee
1234Total
Rebels036817
No. 9 Volunteers07141031

Georgia

Georgia at Tennessee
1234Total
No. 13 Bulldogs370313
No. 9 Volunteers71701438

At Alabama

Tennessee at Alabama
1234Total
No. 9 Volunteers71410738
Crimson Tide608721

South Carolina

South Carolina at Tennessee
1234Total
Gamecocks00077
No. 9 Volunteers9031022

Southern Miss

Southern Miss at Tennessee
1234Total
No. 24 Golden Eagles767020
No. 8 Volunteers61421344

At Arkansas

Tennessee at Arkansas
1234Total
No. 5 Volunteers7731330
Razorbacks0106622

At Kentucky

Tennessee at Kentucky
1234Total
No. 5 Volunteers177211459
Wildcats7143731

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). [15]

Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt at Tennessee
1234Total
Commodores037010
No. 3 Volunteers0107017

[16]

Vs. Auburn

Tennessee vs Auburn
1234Total
No. 3 Volunteers7313730
No. 11 Tigers1379029
       

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. [17]

Vs. Nebraska (Orange Bowl)

Tennessee vs Nebraska
1234Total
No. 3 Volunteers036817
No. 2 Cornhuskers7721742

Awards and honors

Team players drafted into the NFL

PlayerPositionRoundPickNFL club
Peyton Manning Quarterback11 Indianapolis Colts
Terry Fair Cornerback120 Detroit Lions
Marcus Nash Wide receiver130 Denver Broncos
Leonard Little Defensive end365 St. Louis Rams
Jonathan Brown Defensive end390 Green Bay Packers
Trey Teague Center7200 Denver Broncos
Andy McCullough Wide receiver7204 New Orleans Saints
Corey GainesSafety7231 Indianapolis Colts

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References

  1. "Neyland Stadium". utsports.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  2. "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.
  3. "Tenn. Jumps To No. 3 in Poll". The Washington Post . September 1, 1997.
  4. "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.
  5. Rhoden, William C. (September 21, 1997). "Manning's Nightmare Continues". The New York Times . Retrieved December 24, 2007.
  6. 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.
  7. 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
  8. MacCambridge, Michael (2005). ESPN College Football Encyclopedia. ESPN Books. p. 1401. ISBN   1-4013-3703-1.
  9. MacCambridge, Michael (2005). ESPN College Football Encyclopedia. ESPN Books. p. 1462. ISBN   1-4013-3703-1.
  10. MacCambridge, Michael (2005). ESPN College Football Encyclopedia. ESPN Books. p. 1402. ISBN   1-4013-3703-1.
  11. "The 2005 ESPY Awards – ESPY Awards past winners". ESPN. Retrieved December 20, 2007.
  12. "1997 Heisman Trophy". Heisman.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2008.
  13. "Tennessee 30, UCLA 24". UPI Archives . September 6, 1997. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  14. "No. 3 Gators Find Willing Volunteers". Los Angeles Times . September 21, 1997. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  15. "Manning Passes for 523 Yards in Tennessee Win". The Los Angeles Times . November 23, 1997. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  16. "Vols win division crown, want more". The Tampa Bay Times . November 30, 1997. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  17. "Too Close for Comfort". The Los Angeles Times . December 7, 1997. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  18. "AAU Sullivan Award".
  19. 2011 Tennessee Football Record Book Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine , p. 102.