University of Tennessee Football: A Quarter Century of Mediocrity

Let me start off with one reality. I am a Tennessee graduate. I graduated back in the early 1980s and have been a Vol fan for decades. I am, however, more of a realist and my overwhelming attention is given to other pursuits. Especially things with wings on them. That being said, I still sometimes wear my more subdued Tennessee apparel which is dangerous since I now live deep in the heart of University of Alabama country. But now that the 2025 season is over, I felt compelled to write this missive that will undoubtedly anger some. As the Apostle Paul stated, “Have I become your enemy by telling you the truth?”

One thing I have come to admire is University of Alabama football. This was especially true during the Saban years. Their approach to playing the game was impressive. Every game, they walked on the field like they “owned the place.” You know what? They did. They had an attitude of daring and a swagger that challenged their opponent before the game even started. “We are here and we are going to kick your butt. Try to stop us if you can.” When you would watch them play, it was like the Borg on Star Trek. You might hit them with something they did not expect but they would regroup, adapt and shut down that effort on every subsequent attempt. It was impressive to watch.

Enter Tennessee. Sad. Disappointing. Mediocre. Any more negative adjectives just add to it. For the last 26 years, a full quarter of a century, I have watched a team that is only average at best; below average in fact. Our overall SEC record reflects this. I have watched teams go onto the field hoping to “not lose” as opposed to “we are going to stomp the stuffing out of our opponent.” We may accomplish this against St. Mary’s School for the Blind, but where it counts and where “the rubber hits the road,” Tennessee is sadly lacking. This is our sad and disappointing quarter century legacy.

After the epic first half ending of our last Alabama game, the 99-yard pick six, I sat back and started thinking. The pick was not a surprise to me but rather was almost a given; inevitable in fact. I wondered at exactly what point was Tennessee’s true football character going to show up? They did not disappoint. But as I started looking at our program, I asked myself the question, “Over the last 26 years, since the year 2,000, how has Tennessee faired against our chief antagonists Alabama, Florida and Georgia?” Yes, we can beat up on some other teams enough to get the Tennessee faithful to chant the sad, “It’s great to be a Tennessee Volunteer,” but against our chief opponents, crickets.

So, I went to the UT website and looked at each season since 2000. I only looked at Tennessee against AL, FL and GA and our overall SEC record per year. I included the Tennessee coaches per year as well. You will see this in the table below. When looking at the table, you can certainly derive some other stats but these are the ones that I found most interesting and dare I say, damning.

In this 26-year period, Tennessee went 20-58 against these three teams. 10 of these wins came from 2000-2006 seasons. Therefore, only ten total wins came from 2007-2025 seasons. Thus, during this nineteen-year period, TN was a horrid 10-47. The win (+)/ loss (-) margins against these three teams are as follows: AL +6.5 and -23.2; FL +8.4 and -13.8; GA +8.7 and -17.5. These numbers are bad but may not show the true extent of Tennessee’s poor performances because there were many games, with a loss that was only 2, 3 or maybe 5 points which brought the average down. Arguably more impressive is that 13 times TN lost by a score of 20-30 points. Nine times we lost by 30-40 points and once by greater than 40. Between the 2017 and 2021 seasons, TN failed to beat either team once. In this 0-15 run, TN lost by an average of 26.5 points.

What I derive from these numbers is that Tennessee never or rarely “beats” these three teams. Yes, we may win, but are we really beating them? No. The reverse? We see TN losing by scores of 31, 31, 31, 35, 37, 39, 26, 24, 27, 29, 28 and more. We have a couple decisive wins but not many. The win this year against FL was a pleasant change. Where our three major opponents walk on the field with the intent of winning, TN enters a game, seemingly hoping not to lose. Not the same thing. So many times, we see Tennessee take a lead early in the game and then seemingly revert to a philosophy of, “Let’s not lose. Let’s just hang on for 30 minutes and we will win.” It seems as though they never consider the wartime principle of dislocation and exploitation. Hit your enemy, damage them, but keep up the pressure and NEVER let him recover. Tennessee bloodies their opponent’s nose and then hands them a tissue while watching them come back and win.

Do you remember our game against LSU when Dooley was the coach? Last play of the game. LSU on the goal line. We stop; we win. We stopped them! We won! Wait. 12 men on the field. LSU gets another shot and we lose. Penalties at critical times, missed and blocked field goals for the win, it is a never-ending disappointment.

Until Tennessee can consistently beat these three teams, we are little more than posers. Are we really serious contenders? Not yet. The Tennessee faithful continually show up and listen to Rocky Top while our beloved orange and white gets trounced on the field. We have to develop a culture of victory and excellence in our football program. It used to exist but now? You tell me. This table shows a quarter of a century of non-existent excellence and mediocrity. And for what it is worth, excellence does not equate to winning a national championship every year but rather excellence in the way the game is approached and in doing the small things at the right time so as not to hurt your team. Do I have the answer? Nope. I am not a coach being paid million of dollars per year and for what it is worth, they apparently do not have the answer either. As for me, I will sit back, watch the occasional UT game, hope for the best and then happily switch the channel to an interesting WWII documentary. There at least the Germans made a decent attempt at winning.

THE VIEWS OF SUBMITTED EDITORIALS MAY NOT BE THE EXPRESS VIEWS OF THE ALABAMA GAZETTE.