1997 Tennessee Volunteers football team

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1997 Tennessee Volunteers football
UT Volunteers logo.svg
SEC Champions
SEC Eastern Division Champions
Orange Bowl, L 42–17 vs. Nebraska
Conference Southeastern Conference Eastern Division
Ranking
Coaches #8
AP #7
1997 record 11–2 (7–1 SEC)
Head coach Phillip Fulmer
Offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe
Defensive coordinator John Chavis
Captain Leonard Little
Captain Peyton Manning
Home stadium Neyland Stadium
(Capacity: 102,854)[1]
Seasons
« 1996 1998 »
1997 SEC football standings
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
Eastern Division
#7 Tennessee x$   7 1         11 2  
#10 Georgia   6 2         10 2  
#4 Florida   6 2         10 2  
South Carolina   3 5         5 6  
Kentucky   2 6         5 6  
Vanderbilt   0 8         3 8  
Western Division
#11 Auburn xy   6 2         10 3  
#13 LSU x   6 2         9 3  
#22 Ole Miss   4 4         8 4  
Mississippi State   4 4         7 4  
Alabama   2 6         4 7  
Arkansas   2 6         4 7  
Championship: Tennessee 30, Auburn 29
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1997 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee during the 1997 season. Quarterback Peyton Manning had already completed his degree in three years, and had been projected to be the top overall pick in the 1997 NFL Draft, but returned to Tennessee for his senior year.[2] The Volunteers opened the season with victories against Texas Tech and UCLA, but for the third time in his career, Manning fell to Florida, 33–20.[3][4][5] The Vols won the rest of their regular season games, finishing 10–1, and advanced to the SEC Championship Game against Auburn. Down 20–7, Manning led the Vols to a 30–29 victory. Throwing for four touchdowns, he was named the game's MVP, but injured himself in the process.[6][7] The #3 Vols were matched up with #2 Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. Had Tennessee won and top-ranked Michigan lost to Washington State in the Rose Bowl, the Vols would have been expected to win the national championship.[8] However, the Vols' defense could not stop Nebraska's rushing attack, giving up more than 400 yards on the ground in a 42–17 loss.[9] As a senior, Manning won numerous awards. He was a consensus first-team All-American and won the Maxwell Award, the Davey O'Brien Award, the Johnny Unitas Award, and the Best College Football Player ESPY Award, among others. However, he did not win the Heisman Trophy, finishing second to Charles Woodson of Michigan.[10][11][12]

Schedule

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
August 30 7:45 PM Texas Tech* #5 Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN ESPN W 52–17   106,285
September 6 3:30 PM at UCLA* #3 Rose BowlPasadena, CA ABC W 30-24   62,619
September 20 3:30 PM at #1 Florida #4 Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL (Third Saturday in September) CBS L 20–33   85,714
October 4 3:30 PM Ole Miss #10 Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN CBS W 31–17   106,229
October 11 3:30 PM #15 Georgia #10 Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN (Rivalry) CBS W 38–13   106,656
October 18 7:00 PM at Alabama #9 Legion FieldBirmingham, AL (Third Saturday in October) ESPN W 38–21   83,091
November 1 12:30 PM South Carolina #8 Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN JPS W 22–7   106,301
November 8 4:00 PM #25 Southern Miss* #7 Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN PPV W 44–20   107,073
November 15 8:00 PM at Arkansas #5 War Memorial StadiumLittle Rock, AR ESPN2 W 30–22   53,235
November 22 12:30 PM at Kentucky #5 Commonwealth StadiumLexington, KY (Battle for the Barrel) ESPN2 W 59–31   61,076
November 29 12:00 PM Vanderbilt #3 Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, TN (Rivalry) CBS W 17–10   106,683
December 6 8:00 PM vs. #11 Auburn #3 Georgia DomeAtlanta, GA (SEC Championship Game) ABC W 30–29   74,896
January 2 8:00 PM vs. #2 Nebraska* #3 Pro Player StadiumMiami Gardens, FL (Orange Bowl) CBS L 17–42   74,002
*Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from Coaches Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.

[13]

Players

The following members of the team went on to play in the NFL:

Awards and honors

Team players drafted into the NFL

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Player Position Round Pick NFL Club
Peyton Manning Quarterback 1 1 Indianapolis Colts
Terry Fair Cornerback 1 20 Detroit Lions
Marcus Nash Wide receiver 1 30 Denver Broncos
Leonard Little Defensive end 3 65 St. Louis Rams
Jonathan Brown Defensive end 3 90 Green Bay Packers
Trey Teague Center 7 200 Denver Broncos
Andy McCullough Wide receiver 7 204 New Orleans Saints
Corey Gaines Safety 7 231 Indianapolis Colts

References

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  13. http://cfreference.net/cfr/school.s?id=341&season=1997
  14. http://aausullivan.org/winners_1997.html
  15. 2011 Tennessee Football Record Book, p. 102.