This Week in UT Sports History is a weekly series written by RTI columnist Lexie Little
This weekend, hundreds of student-athletes, coaches, staff, campus leaders and students marched through the University of Tennessee campus in a united front to speak up against systemic racism. Tennessee’s athletic social media accounts featured new profile images saying, “I will give my all against racism, for unity [and] for change.” Three student-athletes, Mariah Smith (women’s golf), Trey Smith (football) and Vanessa Watson (track & field), organized the march to gain support to help fight against racial injustice and promote inclusion through their platforms.
The common goal for change prompted Athletic Director Phillip Fulmer to tweet in part, “I’m so proud of our young men and women who organized, gathered, and executed a very powerful, successful and peaceful march today.”
I’m so proud of our young men and women who organized, gathered, and executed a very powerful, successful and peaceful march today. Your voices were loud and strong! Thank you for your courage and fortitude to bring about change !
— Phillip Fulmer (@phillipfulmer) August 29, 2020
As Tennessee works for a united future during a historic year, sports fall subordinate to the need to support students and the campus community as a whole as human beings. Nevertheless, much conversation in Vol circles still centers around the SEC’s kickoff less than one month away. The Vols anticipate their first game at South Carolina on Sept. 26 during a year plagued by questions of health and safety.
Needless to say, this season stands to be notable no matter the final scores or rankings.
In the meantime, Rocky Top Insider takes a look back at gridiron season openers this week in UT sports history:
Sept. 4, 1993
While Louisiana Cajun food typically provides a bang with spices and peppers, Louisiana Tech’s football team allowed Tennessee to bring the heat in a season opener in Knoxville. The Vols rolled over the Bulldogs in a 50-0 win to kick off the 1993 campaign. Ranked No. 10 in the nation, Tennessee put on a show on both sides of the ball for the crowd of more than 95,000.
In Phillip Fulmer’s first full season as head coach, he looked to capitalize on the previous 9-3 season and win against Boston College in the Hall of Fame Bowl. His quarterback, Heath Shuler, threw for 200 yards with no interceptions and three touchdowns. As the Vols ran up the score and Louisiana Tech remained scoreless, Fulmer let non-starters like quarterback Jerry Colquitt see some play time.
“You want to play your offense enough to get your edge and stay sharp, but there’s a line in there where you don’t want to embarrass the other team,” Fulmer said, as reported by The Tennessean. “You like to get the goose egg for your defense, but you don’t want to put your starters back in there when the other team gets close to the end zone.”
The final points of the blowout win came in the third quarter when Colquitt threw a five-yard pass to true freshman Benjie Shuler, the starting quarterback’s younger brother. The elder Shuler, though wanting to stay on the field, knew that game marked a moment for his brother and others to experience in-game situations.
“I figure we’ve got plenty of football left to play,” Shuler said. “It was fun to sit back and watch.”
Though the Vols smoked the Louisiana Tech team, no fans smoked in Neyland Stadium for the first time. Prior to the 1993 season, UT officials followed national precedent and banned smoking in the facility.
Tennessee finished 10-2 (7-1 SEC) that year with the only regular season loss coming against No. 9 Florida on the road at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Ironically, the 1993 opener did not mark the only time Tennessee beat an opponent 50-0 on Sept. 4. The Vols beat fellow system team Tennessee-Martin by the same shutout score in 2010, exactly 17 years after the LA Tech win.
Sept. 2, 2000
New millennium, new record. The No. 13 Tennessee Vols edged past No. 22 Southern Miss for the 700th win in program history in front of a crowd of 108,064 in Knoxville. In the defensive battle decided by only three points, 19-16, the orange and white recorded nine sacks as the offense worked to improve without quarterback Tee Martin.
Joey Mathews started in the position for Tennessee, but A.J. Suggs also turned some heads when he entered in the second half and completed a 51-yard touchdown to Donte Stallworth. The two had battled for the position throughout preseason practice. (However, a third man sidelined that day because of tendinitis eventually won the job during the season: freshman Casey Clausen). But that week, Sugg’s performance earned him the starting job in Game 2. His status as a redshirt freshman did not deter Fulmer from promoting him to the position, pleased with his focus and game plan execution.
The entire Tennessee team needed to play well against Southern Miss without sacrificing any players to injury. They would meet No. 6 Florida in the second game of the season. The rivalry took attention away from the first game as College Gameday planned to come to town for the top 15 matchup. Tennessee lost a heartbreaker in game two, 27-23, in front of a packed Neyland where 108,768 fans hung their heads before a redemptive 70-3 homecoming win in Game 3.
The Vols finished 8-4 (5-3 SEC) in 2000 with a loss to Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl.
Sept. 5, 2009
The “Lane Train” pulled back into the SEC when Ole Miss hired former Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin to become the next leader in Oxford following the 2019 season. Kiffin’s tumultuous one-and-only season at Tennessee, however, got off to what the Associated Press called a “smooth start” this week in 2009. The Vols routed Western Kentucky by a score of 63-7 to welcome Kiffin to Rocky Top.
From the first two drives, no one might have anticipated the final score.
Quarterback Jonathan Crompton threw an interception on the first drive after WKU’s Thomas Majors tipped the ball to Jamal Forrest. On the second drive, running back Montario Hardesty fumbled after a hard hit.
“We had a rocky start there at the beginning,” Kiffin said. “Was very impressed with our style on defense for most of the day, but especially early on. At one point halfway through the second quarter, I think they had one first down and five penalties. So, I am excited about the way we played on defense, especially early, but I’m a little disappointed with the way we played on offense. It was turnovers; we were hurting ourselves.”
However, the young team found their footing after the first quarter. Crompton threw for five touchdowns in UT’s largest margin of victory in nine years. Tennessee found a way to physically dominate the Hilltoppers, as WKU head coach Dave Elson noted, with personality prevailing as tight end Luke Stocker used his size to grab two touchdowns and safety Eric Berry led the stalwart defense that held Western Kentucky to 83 yards. Tennessee’s total offense: 657 yards.
“Our coaches put in numerous hours in the office getting the game plan ready,” Berry said of the new staff. “All we had to do was buy in and do what they told us.”
Tennessee finished the 2009 season 7-6 (3-4 SEC) before Kiffin left for USC.
The 2020 campaign begins Sept. 26 against South Carolina, should the SEC play football. Keep up with Rocky Top Insider for the latest news as Tennessee and the SEC update protocols and announcements in response to COVID-19.
