Tennessee head coach Butch Jones always says that a game can come down to just a few plays. That was true for the Vols in several games this year and especially important for a program that had to scratch and claw to get to the six-win plateau and return to the postseason for the first time since 2010.
Here are five plays we identified in UT’s close wins that helped assure that Tennessee got to its goal of returning to the postseason in 2014.
1. Cam Sutton’s 76-yard punt return against Vanderbilt
This one was massive. It might not have felt like one at the time as the Vols took an early 7-0 lead against the underdog Commodores, but it turned out to be a critical play as the Vols had to battle their way to a 24-17 win in Nashville. Tennessee’s offense struggled to put consistent drives together against Vandy and the Commodores’ offense did enough to keep it close. Tennessee could’ve been in huge trouble without the work of Sutton and the punt return team.
“We felt very confident coming in that we were going to get a big return,” said coach Butch Jones. “We’ve been one or two individuals away. Everyone did their job and Cam provided that spark and momentum early for us. We needed it.”
Un. Touched. https://t.co/pZ9VWGVSAM
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) December 1, 2014
