CHAPTER 1 ROCKY TOP ON TOP Quarterback Peyton Manning ended his storied college career with the Tennessee Volunteers in 1997. As a senior he finished second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy It is given to the nation's best college football player each season During his three years as a starter the Volunteers went 32-5 Tennessee was one of the premier college football programs in the country Many people expected the Volunteers also known as the Vols to take a step back in 1998. Manning had left for the National Football League NFL So had some of the team's other stars Among them were defensive end Leonard Little wide receiver Marcus Nash and defensive back Terry Fair But Tennessee still had powerful and fast sophomore running back Jamal Lewis Sophomores Travis Henry and Travis Stephens and senior Shawn Bryson were Lewis's top notch backups 4 Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin scores a touchdown against Alabama in 1998
TRAVIS HENRY Tennessee also returned skilled wide receivers in senior Peerless Price and sophomore Cedrick Wilson Tennessee faced a potential crisis when star running back Jamal Lewis injured his knee in the fourth game of the 1998 season The team turned to two backups named Travis Travis Henry and Travis Stephens Stephens had trouble with fumbling So Henry became the main runner and he never stumbled He rushed for 970 yards and scored seven touchdowns that season It was an opportunity to step up and show my talent he said of Lewis's injury I prepared myself for a chance like that On defense ball hawking sophomore safety Deon Grant was back Also returning were junior lineman Shaun Ellis and senior linebacker Al Wilson a tackling machine The biggest question mark regarding ability centered on Tee Martin the junior quarterback But Martin would prove himself to be a winner as Tennessee put together a season to remember Tennessee began the year ranked tenth in the nation Its first game was on the road against No. 17 Syracuse The Orangemen had a star quarterback of their own in Donovan McNabb McNabb threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns in the game Meanwhile Martin at one point threw 10 straight incompletions But Tennessee got a break late in the game Syracuse cornerback Will Allen was called for pass interference on a fourth down Then Tennessee senior Jeff Hall kicked a 27 yard field goal as the clock hit zero Tennessee won 34-33 6
Tennessee offensive lineman Cosey Coleman 52 clears the way for running back Jamal Lewis against Georgia The schedule did not get any easier from there Now ranked sixth in the nation the Volunteers next faced rival Florida The Gators had beaten the Volunteers five times in a row They were also ranked No. 2 in the nation Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer called Florida an all star team The winning team though was Tennessee And the biggest star was Al Wilson the linebacker who chomped up the Gators He forced 7
