The year 1998 is one that Vols fans far and wide universally recognize for one simple reason: It was the same year that saw Phillip Fulmer and his football team climb the college football mountain as champions.
Yet, the journey to the summit was far from an easy one, even if the Vols finished that season 13-0 and the No. 1 seed in the final rankings.
As the Vols prepare to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks this year at home, let’s revisit the Nov. 14, 1998, matchup at home, where the Vols mounted a comeback that marked the second-smallest margin of victory of the season.
“We never expected this type of football game from Arkansas,” Tennessee wide receiver Cedrick Wilson said. “But we got it. I think we’re gonna see them again.”
The final score read 28-24 in favor of the Vols at Neyland Stadium, but the road to reach the score was quite an uphill climb as both teams entered the game ranked in the top 10 with an unbeaten record of 8-0 each.
First kick was at exactly 3:39 p.m. E.T. and saw the Razorbacks jump the gun with the first score of the game, a 14-yard pass from Clint Stoerner to Emanuel Smith for the score.
The passing touchdown was the only score from the opening quarter. Yet, the Razorbacks were able to keep things moving offensively with Stoerner making a 62-yard completion, this time to Anthony Lucas for the score to push the Razorbacks up two possessions to none early.
Vols kicker Jeff Hall tacked on the first points of the day for the team, drilling a 41-yard field goal to cut the score 14-3 in favor of Arkansas.
Lucas, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos, continued his big day against the Vols, adding on an eight-yard catch for another score, pushing the Razorback lead back up to 21-3.
Lucas finished the day for the Razorbacks, leading the stat sheet in yards with 172 receiving yards over eight receptions and two touchdowns. Smith, the other receiver to score up to that point, finished with four catches for 73 yards.
Vols quarterback Tee Martin had been quiet along with the rest of the offense up until the midway point of the second quarter, until Martin connected with Peerless Price for a 36-yard touchdown pass.
The score served as the Vols’ first touchdown of the day with two minutes left in the first half. Tennessee now trailed 21-10 at the break.
Arkansas opened the second half with another score, this time a field goal from Todd Latourette for 33 yards, which was good, giving the Razorbacks a 24-10 advantage on the road with a little less than two quarters to go.
Even with momentum clearly on the other side, the game was within striking distance for the Vols. Martin marched the offense down the field in a quick three-minute and 29-second drive, ending in a four-yard touchdown run by Martin himself.
Martin’s rush was his second touchdown on the day, one through the air and one on the ground, but the team still trailed 24-17.
After scoring three different times in the first half, the Razorbacks responded in the second by scoring just once with the earlier field goal, but the Vols kept pushing.
Hall delivered another field goal, from 21 yards out, to put the score at 24-20 in favor of Arkansas.
After a stalled drive in the later stages of the fourth, Vols’ punter David Leaverton delivered a punt to the Razorback one. They marched the ball back out to midfield, but a high on fourth down forced the Arkansas punter to kick the ball to the back of its own end zone for a safety.
The Vols’ offense was stalled the very next drive, and Stoerner entered the Razorback offense to possibly put it away. Instead, as Stoerner rolled back on second and long, he “stumbled and fumbled,” allowing the Vols to come up with the ball at the Razorbacks’ own 43.
“I just knew we were going to get the ball back,” Martin said. “I felt like the game wasn’t over yet. I didn’t even take off my pads. If I thought it was over, I would have unbuckled my shoulder pads. I was on the sidelines sitting down, and I heard the crowd, and I said, ‘It wasn’t just a stop.’ It wasn’t a normal crowd reaction to a stop. I knew that we had the football.”
Running back Travis Henry was then tasked with finishing the job. Henry needed five plays to rush all 43 yards for the score, giving Tennessee its first and only lead of the day, 28-24.
Henry finished with 197 yards, averaging 6.2 yards per carry, along with the game-winning touchdown.
“How big was he? Bigger than life,” Martin said about Henry’s performance.
The Vols didn’t give back that lead the rest of the night, and the remainder of the season is history.
