Remember “gotcha last,” the rather basic children’s game of two-member tag that could get a bit contentious the longer it transpired?
The Tennessee Volunteers have been at both ends of the spectrum when it comes to Southeastern Conference football.
When linebacker Al Wilson racked up 12 tackles and forced three fumbles during the 20-17 overtime topping of Florida in 1998, it gave the Vols a win in their most recent contest against every other SEC team. Tennessee had followed up its 1997 setback to the Gators by sweeping through Ole Miss, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Arkansas, Kentucky and Vanderbilt before rallying past Auburn 30-29 in the league championship game.
Tennessee had defeated LSU in 1993 and Mississippi State in 1995, and the Vols would maintain their winning ways versus SEC opposition through their run to the 1998 national title. Possessing the most recent triumph against every conference foe ended early in the 1999 season at Florida, with the Gators defeating the Vols again in 2000, the same season Georgia began a four-year winning streak in its series with Tennessee.
Then Auburn began a six-game series streak against the Vols in 2003 that spanned 15 seasons, and Nick Saban’s arrival at Alabama in 2007 resulted in 15 straight victories over Tennessee.
The setbacks started mounting for the Vols, whose 50-17 debacle at Missouri on Nov. 11, 2017, resulted in Tennessee having lost its most recent contest against every SEC opponent. That rout would be the final performance by the Vols under coach Butch Jones, and it was part of an 11-game league losing streak that didn’t end until a 30-24 upset win at Auburn midway through the 2018 season.
Josh Heupel’s arrival in 2021 and especially his success last season has enabled Tennessee to possess the most recent win over seven SEC opponents — Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Missouri and Vanderbilt. The six league teams to have the most recent conquest of the Vols are Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Texas A&M.
Here are five questions and answers regarding Tennessee and its series standing against various opponents:
Who currently has the longest winning streak against the Vols?
It’s now Georgia, which would be the “gotcha last” king of the SEC were it not for a 45-14 loss at Ole Miss during Kirby Smart’s first season in 2016. The Bulldogs have claimed six straight meetings against the Vols, which followed Tennessee’s 34-31 “Hail Mary” triumph in that same 2016 season.
The Bulldogs had defeated the Vols five straight times by more than three touchdowns before comfortably downing them 27-13 last November.
Who does Tennessee have the longest winning streak over?
That would be Missouri and Vanderbilt, with Tennessee owning four straight wins against both. Under Heupel the past two years, the Vols have defeated the Tigers by the average score of 64-24, and they have humbled the Commodores by the average count of 51-11.
Who has Tennessee gone the longest without beating?
Believe it or not, Tennessee has not defeated Arkansas since 2007, losing to the Razorbacks in 2011, 2015 and 2020. The Vols and Hogs are scheduled to play at Fayetteville in 2024.
Which SEC power has Tennessee enjoyed the most success against?
The Vols do not play LSU often, but Tennessee’s 40-13 taming of the Tigers last October in Baton Rouge improved the Vols to 21-10-3 in that series.
How many league teams enter the 2023 season with the series lead over Tennessee?
There are four — Alabama (59-39-7), Auburn (29-22-3), Florida (31-21) and Georgia (27-23-2). The Vols led their series against the Gators until 2008 and against the Bulldogs until 2018.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.