Bowl Week Finally Here for Vols
Staff Photo by Mike Stanley, Jefferson County Post Sports
When Tennessee takes the field on Friday afternoon, it will have been 1,463 days since the last time Tennessee was able to play a game in the frantic NCAA bowl season. The Vols last played in a bowl game on December 30, 2010, against North Carolina in the Music City Bowl in Nashville.
Coming into the season, the Vols’ motto was, “Win 6,” simply because you become bowl eligible with six wins in the regular season. The Volunteers were able to do just that with a 24-17 win over their in-state rival, Vanderbilt, in the final game of the regular season.
But let’s rewind to the beginning of November. The Vols were coming off of back-to-back blowout losses to Ole Miss (34-3) and Alabama (34-20), and were sitting at a dismal 3-5 on the season, placing them on the verge of a 4th consecutive losing season.
Enter Josh Dobbs. The Sophomore signal caller got his first start of the season at South Carolina, and ultimately saved the season for the Volunteers. Down 42-28 with 4:52 remaining in the contest, it appeared as though Tennessee would fall to the Gamecocks and need to win out to become bowl eligible.
Dobbs led two touchdown drives, including one that sent the game into overtime with just seven seconds remaining. The Vols would win 45-42, and Dobbs was named Athalon Sports National Player of the week, going 23-40 for 301 yards passing, along with 166 rushing yards.
The Vols would then blast Kentucky 50-16, two weeks later.
It was a season full of could’ve, should’ve, and would’ve, with the Vols playing as many as 23 freshman in the 2-deep of their rotation. The Vols were a mere 12 points away from representing the East in the SEC championship game with losses to Georgia (35-32), Florida (10-9), and Missouri (29-21).
But, ultimately, Tennessee met their goal of attaining a bowl bid for the 2014 season, and will face Iowa Friday in the Taxslayer Bowl in Jacksonville, FL.
