Vols ended a number of droughts with win vs. Clemson

It’s been a 12 months of ending droughts for Tennessee soccer. The Vols beat the Florida Gators for the primary time since 2016, the Alabama Crimson Tide for the primary time since 2006 and each for the primary time since 2004. They gained 10 video games for the primary time since 2007 and 10 common season video games for the primary time since 2003.

Friday’s 31-14 win over the Clemson Tigers within the Orange Bowl solely served to additional finish droughts. UT really hadn’t overwhelmed Clemson since 1976. Now, to be honest, they’ve solely performed as soon as since then, within the Peach Bowl to finish that 2003 season.

Nonetheless, Clemson gained that recreation 27-14, and so they have met 19 occasions in historical past. Contemplating the truth that each put on orange and Clemson constructed its program below Dabo Swinney by taking gamers from Tennessee, and there’s a connection there.

That’s the least of the droughts, although. Tennessee soccer additionally gained its first Orange Bowl for the reason that finish of the 1938 season, the Vols’ first bowl recreation, first SEC Championship, first nationwide championship and first 11-win season. They beat the Oklahoma Sooners 17-0 in that one to complete the 12 months 11-0.

Since then, they misplaced 8-0 to the Rice Owls to finish the 1946 season, they misplaced 26-24 to OU to finish the 1967 season, and so they misplaced 42-17 to the Nebraska Cornhuskers to finish the 1997 season, Peyton Manning’s last recreation. In 1967, they earned a retroactive cut up nationwide title, and in 1997, that was the designated title recreation.

Merely put, Miami hasn’t been an incredible place for the Vols outdoors of that 1938 season and an enormous win over the Hurricanes in a 2003 upset. Talking of 2003, the loss to Clemson to finish that season price them 11 wins and a high 10 end.

Nicely, by successful the sport Friday evening, Tennessee soccer will obtain each of these issues for the primary time since 2001, once they went 11-2 and completed No. 4 in each polls. A high 5 end nonetheless could possibly be on the desk, however a minimum of they’ll be again to ending within the high 10.

On the time of that 2001 season, a high 10 end was a daily prevalence for the Vols. They completed there seven of 9 years from 1993 to 2001. An unranked season in 2002, although, started a downward slide that they by no means appeared to recuperate from.

In fact, that 2001 season is considerably notorious for the Vols shedding the SEC Championship recreation to a far inferior LSU Tigers workforce. That price them a shot on the nationwide title and propelled the emergence of Nick Saban. It’s a recreation that actually modified historical past.

This 12 months did have a loss to an inferior opponent, as UT fell to the South Carolina Gamecocks, and that price them a shot within the Faculty Soccer Playoff. Nonetheless, it’s not on the heels of nice success. It’s on the heels of years of failure, and followers nonetheless admire how the 12 months went.

Going ahead below Josh Heupel and Tennessee soccer have three droughts left to finish: beating the Georgia Bulldogs (not accomplished since 2016), successful the SEC East (not accomplished since 2007) and successful the SEC and nationwide championship (not accomplished since 1998). All appear attainable.