Tennessee Vols legend sees longtime SEC record go down on Saturday, but it should have an asterisk
Tee Martin had one heck of a 1998 season for the Tennessee Vols. Out of the shadows of Peyton Manning, the junior signal caller led an explosive but balanced Tennessee offense that featured Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, Shawn Bryson, Cedric Wilson, and Peerless Price. Tennessee rolled all the way to its first national championship in […]
Tee Martin had one heck of a 1998 season for the Tennessee Vols. Out of the shadows of Peyton Manning, the junior signal caller led an explosive but balanced Tennessee offense that featured Jamal Lewis, Travis Henry, Shawn Bryson, Cedric Wilson, and Peerless Price. Tennessee rolled all the way to its first national championship in 47 years with a thrilling 23-16 win over Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl.
Along the way, Martin managed to set a very impressive SEC record that stood for decades during the Vols' 49-14 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks. Martin completed his first 23 passes of the game to set a new SEC record (and also an NCAA record that was later surpassed by East Carolina's Dominique Davis in 2011), finishing 23-24 for 315 yards and 4 touchdowns.
That SEC record fell on Saturday evening in Oxford, Mississippi, technically. Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart completed his first 24 passes in the Rebels' 52-3 win over Middle Tennessee State to establish a new record.
That being said, it does kind of raise the question about what a true SEC record should be. SEC teams schedule soft non-conference slates all the time, which is understandable given the rigor of the conference slate.
However, giving the same weight to records when one of its member institutions faces Middle Tennessee State, Utah Tech, or whoever else seems inflated as opposed to when it happens in a game between SEC teams. That's when the records really should mean something.
Regardless, Martin still holds the best start passing-wise to a game between SEC schools in conference history. Even if the record book won't show it anymore.
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