1. Vols slay Iowa in Jacksonville to conclude the season
Tennessee stunned nearly everybody by finding a way into the TaxSlayer (Gator) Bowl after much speculation that the Vols would end up in the Liberty or Belk Bowl. The Vols did much more than make it into the January bowl game – they dominated it. Iowa was completely overmatched by Tennessee’s speed and the Vols matched, if not exceeded, Iowa’s physicality, which was supposed to be a big edge in the game for the Hawkeyes. After a perfectly-executed halfback pass from Marlin Lane to Vic Wharton, it was 21-0 before the first quarter was even over and the Vols rolled on from there, building a lead that reached all the way to 42-7 before Tennessee called off the dogs in the fourth quarter. In many ways the 45-28 final score wasn’t even indicative of how dominant the Vols were against their Big 10 foe. Combined with the strong fan support and some recruiting success that surrounded this game, this game helped ring in a very happy New Year for Butch Jones and Tennessee.
