American college football season
1971 Tennessee Volunteers football |
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Liberty Bowl champion |
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Conference | Southeastern Conference |
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Ranking |
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Coaches | No. 9 |
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AP | No. 9 |
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Record | 10–2 (4–2 SEC) |
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Head coach | |
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Captain | Jackie Walker |
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Home stadium | Neyland Stadium |
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Seasons |
1971 Southeastern Conference football standings | Conf | | | Overall |
Team | W | | L | | T | | | W | | L | | T |
No. 4 Alabama $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | | | 11 | – | 1 | – | 0 |
No. 7 Georgia | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | | | 11 | – | 1 | – | 0 |
No. 12 Auburn | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | | | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 |
No. 15 Ole Miss | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | | | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 |
No. 9 Tennessee | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | | | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 |
No. 11 LSU | 3 | – | 2 | – | 0 | | | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 |
Vanderbilt | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | | | 4 | – | 6 | – | 1 |
Florida | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | | | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 |
Kentucky | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | | | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 |
Mississippi State | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | | | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 |
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Rankings from AP Poll |
The 1971 Tennessee Volunteers football team (variously "Tennessee", "UT" or the "Vols") represented the University of Tennessee in the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Bill Battle, in his second year, and played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of ten wins and two losses (10–2 overall, 4–2 in the SEC) and a victory over Arkansas in the 1971 Liberty Bowl.
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 18 | UC Santa Barbara* | No. 8 | | | W 48–6 | 65,114 | [1] |
September 25 | No. 5 Auburn | No. 9 | - Neyland Stadium
- Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
| ABC | L 9–10 | 62,990 | [2] |
October 2 | at Florida | No. 12 | | | W 20–13 | 61,112 | [3] |
October 9 | Georgia Tech* | No. 13 | - Neyland Stadium
- Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
| | W 10–6 | 63,671 | [4] |
October 16 | at No. 4 Alabama | No. 14 | | | L 15–32 | 73,828 | [5] |
October 23 | vs. Mississippi State | No. 18 | | | W 10–7 | 37,529 | [6] |
October 30 | Tulsa* | No. 16 | - Neyland Stadium
- Knoxville, TN
| | W 38–3 | 62,513 | [7] |
November 6 | South Carolina* | No. 11 | - Neyland Stadium
- Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
| | W 35–6 | 63,507 | [8] |
November 20 | at Kentucky | No. 11 | | | W 21–7 | 35,000 | [9] |
November 27 | Vanderbilt | No. 11 | - Neyland Stadium
- Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
| | W 19–7 | 56,244 | [10] |
December 4 | No. 5 Penn State* | No. 12 | - Neyland Stadium
- Knoxville, TN
| ABC | W 31–11 | 59,542 | [11] |
December 20 | vs. No. 18 Arkansas* | No. 9 | | ABC | W 14–13 | 51,410 | [12] |
- *Non-conference game
- Homecoming
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
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Personnel
1971 Tennessee Volunteers football team roster |
Players | Coaches |
Offense Pos. | # | Name | Class | OL | 76 | Joe Balthrop | QB | 21 | Dennis Chadwick | RB | | Steve Chancey | OL | 64 | Bill Emendorfer | G | 65 | Phillip Fulmer | Sr | OL | 73 | Gaylon Hill | WR | | Chip Howard | OL | | Tom Johnson | TE | 84 | Sonny Leach | WR | | Emmon Love | QB | 16 | Jim Maxwell | QB | | Phil Pierce | FB | | Bill Rudder | RB | | George Silvey | RB | | Haskel Stanback | TE | 20 | Gary Theiler | WR | | Joe Thompson | WR | | Stan Trott | RB | | Curt Watson | TE | | Jimmy Young | | Defense Pos. | # | Name | Class | DB | 13 | David Allen | Jr | DL | 86 | Tom Bennett | Sr | DB | | Eddie Brown | CB | | Conrad Graham | DL | | Frank Howell | DL | | Carl Johnson | DE | | Ken Lambert | S | 44 | Bobby Majors | Sr | LB | 58 | Ray Nettles | Sr | LB | | Jamie Rotella | DE | | Claude Simonton | DB | | Tim Townes | DL | | John Wagster | OLB | | Jackie Walker (C) | Sr | | Special teams Pos. | # | Name | Class | K | 9 | George Hunt | Sr | | - Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
- Injured
- Redshirt
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Season summary
At Florida
Game information |
First quarter - TENN – George Hunt 33-yard field goal. Tennessee 3–0. Drive:
Second quarter - TENN – George Hunt 34-yard field goal. Tennessee 6–0. Drive:
- TENN – Curt Watson 8-yard run (George Hunt kick). Tennessee 13–0. Drive: 74 yards.
- FLA – Willie Jackson 23-yard pass from John Reaves (kick failed), 2:12. Tennessee 13–6. Drive:
- FLA – Hank Foldberg 7-yard pass from John Reaves (Richard Franco kick). Tie 13–13. Drive:
Third quarter - TENN – Stan Trott 20-yard pass from Phil Pierce (George Hunt kick). Tennessee 20–13. Drive: 99 yards.
| - Top passers
- Top rushers
- TENN
- FLA – Mike Rich – 9 rushes, 80 yards
- Top receivers
- TENN
- FLA – Willie Jackson – 7 receptions, 93 yards, TD
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Third-string quarterback Phil Pierce led Tennessee on a 99-yard drive in the third quarter, capped by a 20-yard touchdown pass to Stan Trott to take the lead for good. The Volunteers lost their first and second-string quarterbacks to knee injuries during the game.
Penn State
Game information |
First quarter - TENN – Conrad Graham 76-yard fumble return (George Hunt kick). Tennessee 7–0.
Second quarter - PSU – Alberto Vitello 27-yard field goal. Tennessee 7–3. Drive:
- TENN – Bill Rudder 1-yard run (George Hunt kick). Tennessee 14–3. Drive: 5 plays, 15 yards.
- TENN – Bobby Majors 44-yard punt return (George Hunt kick). Tennessee 21–3.
Fourth quarter - TENN – George Hunt 21-yard field goal. Tennessee 24–3. Drive:
- TENN – Jackie Walker 43-yard interception return (George Hunt kick). Tennessee 31–3.
- PSU – Lydell Mitchell 14-yard pass from John Hufnagel (run good). Tennessee 31–11. Drive:
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Before the game, Bobby Majors was honored alongside his brothers, Iowa State head coach Johnny and the late Billy, for the family's overall contribution to the school's football program. Majors finished his final home game with 195 return yards on kicks and punts. With the win, the Volunteers accepted a bid to play in the Liberty Bowl against Arkansas. [13]
Team players drafted into the NFL
[14]
References
- ^ "Tennessee wallops Gauchos". The San Francisco Examiner. September 19, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Sullivan finally whips Auburn past Vols 10–9". The Selma Times-Journal. September 26, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tennessee sidesteps Florida's bid for an upset, 20–13". The Palm Beach Post. October 3, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vols nip 'Jackets". Pensacola News Journal. October 10, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Alabama dashes by Vols". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 17, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vols win 10 to 7". The Tennessean. October 24, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Maxwell rouses Vol offense to 38–3 victory over Tulsa". The Paducah Sun. October 31, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tennessee bowls over South Carolina, 35–6". The Times and Democrat. November 7, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vols edge Kentucky". The Miami Herald. November 21, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tennessee erupts for 19 in fourth to end Vanderbilt's upset attempt". The Spokesman-Review. November 28, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Tennessee ends Penn St. streak, 31–11". The Philadelphia Inquirer. December 5, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vols take Liberty". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. December 21, 1971. Retrieved May 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Vols Win, 31–11." New York Times. 1971 Dec 05.
- ^ "1972 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
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