Way Back Wednesday: Vols drain the Swamp 34-32 in 2001
It had been the ultimate house of horrors for Tennessee football for three decades. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the home of the Florida Gators, had been the place where Tennessee championship dreams had gone to die. Particularly painful losses every other year from 1993 through 1999 saw Tennessee chasing the Florida in the SEC race. […]
It had been the ultimate house of horrors for Tennessee football for three decades. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the home of the Florida Gators, had been the place where Tennessee championship dreams had gone to die. Particularly painful losses every other year from 1993 through 1999 saw Tennessee chasing the Florida in the SEC race.
However, all obstacles were meant to be overcome, and for Tennessee, that day was December 1, 2001.
After being moved to the end of the season due to the tragic events of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Vols and Gators met in the season's final week to crown an SEC East champion. The Vols were 17.5-point underdogs, but that didn't matter to Phillip Fulmer's team.
It was a dream start for Tennessee. After forcing a Florida punt to start the game, the Vols marched 66 yards to take the lead on a 2-yard touchdown from Casey Clausen to Troy Fleming. After Jabari Greer intercepted Rex Grossman near midfield, the Vols drive 47 yards for a 14-0 lead on Travis Stephens' 6-yard plunge.
The second quarter belonged to the Gators, who scored on all four drives of the quarter. Rex Grossman ran it in from a yard out to get the Gators on the scoreboard and later found Jabar Gaffney – who caught the game winner the prior year in Knoxville – for a 21-yard score and a 17-14 lead. Florida took a 20-14 lead into the locker room.
The Vols came out of the locker room and quickly put the explosiveness of their offense on display. Chunk passes to Donte' Stallworth and Kelley Washington put Vols at the Florida 35. The next play, Travis Stephens blew through a tackle attempt by Florida's Marquand Manuel and beat all defenders to the goal line to retake the lead 21-20.
After Florida regained the lead 23-21, Stephens helped put the Vols up for good 27-23, breaking through the Florida defense for 34 yards and racing down to the 2-yard line. Bulldozing RB Jabari Davis bowled in over the top, and Tennessee was back on top 27-23.
Florida inched closer to 27-26, but Stephens dealt the Gators another devastating blow by ripping off a 69-yard run to set up first and goal. Davis leapt in the end zone again from a yard out, and the Vols' lead swelled to 34-26.
After the teams traded punts, Florida had time for one final drive to tie the game. The Gators managed to drive 67 yards and find the end zone on a 3-yard pass to Carlos Perez, which put the game down to a 2-point conversion attempt. Grossman scanned the field for several seconds, and released the ball just before being sacked, with the pass falling incomplete in the end zone.
The Gators' onside kick attempt was recovered by TE John Finlayson, and three Clausen kneels put the Vol fans in attendance in an absolutely frenzy. Fulmer had snapped a 30-year streak of futility in Gainesville that he began with a win in 1971 as a player. And the SEC East again belonged to the Vols.
While the SEC Championship game was a heartbreaker for UT fans – a 31-20 loss to LSU – the victory over Steve Spurrier in his last game at the Swamp is still an unforgettable moment for many Tennessee fans.
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Featured image via Featured images via Mike DuBose / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK and Delores Delvin / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK
