No. 1: 2016
Head Coach: Butch Jones
Record: 9-4 (4-4, SEC)
Best win(s): vs. No. 19 Florida, at No. 25 Georgia, vs. No. 24 Nebraska
Key offensive players: Joshua Dobbs, Alvin Kamara, Josh Malone
Key defensive players: Derek Barnett, Cam Sutton, Darrin Kirkland Jr.
Tennessee has most its 2015 roster returning, with future NFL Draft picks lined up on both sides of the ball. For a second straight season, Butch Jones was tasked with replacing one of his coordinators, this time on the defensive side. Bob Shoop came into the fold, and it was a highly praised hire by national media for the work Shoop did leading Vanderbilt and Penn State defenses under James Franklin. Tennessee was picked to win the SEC East at media days.
The season-opener showcased the Vols barely escaping with a 20-13 overtime win over Appalachian State. Week two brought the Battle at Bristol, where Tennessee routed Virginia Tech, 45-24, in front of a record college football crowd of nearly 160,000. The Vols were 3-0 with Florida coming to town, bringing an 11-game win streak over Tennessee with them.
UT fell behind 21-0 in the second quarter, and trailed 21-3 at halftime. When all hope appeared to be lost, quarterback Joshua Dobbs found a wide-open Jalen Hurd for a 23-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter. This spurred a comeback of 38 unanswered points that gave Tennessee a 38-28 win over Florida for the first time since 2004. The Vols racked up 500 yards of total offense, and finally got the Florida monkey off their backs. The attention then turned to a trip to Georgia.
What happened in Athens will go down as one of the most memorable games in Tennessee football history. In a back-and-forth game, Tennessee led 28-24 with less than 20 seconds left, and Georgia had the ball just inside midfield. Freshman quarterback Jacob Eason then delivered a perfectly placed throw to Riley Ridley, who strolled into the end zone giving Georgia a 31-28 lead with 10 seconds left.
Aided by an unsportsmanlike penalty and a kick return by Evan Berry, Tennessee had the ball inside the Georgia 45-yard line with four seconds left. A prayer heaved into the end zone by Dobbs was caught by Jauan Jennings, and Tennessee spilled onto the field to celebrate a shocking Hail Mary victory that placed the Vols at 5-0 and into the top ten in the AP Poll.
After defeating Florida and Georgia in back-to-back weeks, Tennessee had a clear path to the SEC championship game, however the season would largely go downhill from there.
An overtime thriller at No. 8 Texas A&M gave Tennessee its first loss of the season in week six, and injuries began to pile up. After a 49-10 beating at the hands of top-ranked Alabama in Neyland Stadium, Tennessee was nearly decimated with the injury bug. A much-needed open date allowed the Vols to rest for a game at South Carolina, in which Tennessee was heavily favored. The Gamecocks pulled off a 24-21 upset victory to hand UT its third straight loss.
Tennessee was struggling to contain teams on defense, and ended the losing streak by winning shootouts over Kentucky and Missouri. The South Carolina loss had already cost Tennessee a shot at an SEC East title, but a Sugar Bowl berth was still a possibility. A win at Vanderbilt would place Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl.
A 45-34 loss in Nashville ended the regular season, and Tennessee was 8-4. A Music City Bowl appearance against Nebraska was next, but it was not a welcome idea after the promise of a 5-0 start. Tennessee won the game, 38-24, as Derek Barnett picked up his 33rd career sack to surpass Reggie White’s school record.
Hurd was on track to become the school’s all-time leading rusher, but left the team midseason. Barnett was taken with the No. 14 overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles, where he won a Super Bowl in his rookie season.
Stars such as Kamara, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, Cam Sutton, Dobbs and Josh Malone were also drafted.
The talent on the 2016 team was undeniable. On paper, it was certainly the best team in the SEC East, and one of the best in the country. It was also the most talented team Tennessee has fielded in the last decade.