Watch: Tennessee Football celebrates 25th anniversary of national title with highlight video
Tennessee Football on Thursday celebrated the 25th anniversary of winning the BCS National Championship with a highlight video posted on social media, looking back at the 23-16 win over Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl on January 4, 1999.
It was the sixth national title for the Vols and the first since 1951, capping a perfect 13-0 season that included a win in the SEC Championship over Mississippi State.
25 years ago today 🍊
— Tennessee Football (@Vol_Football) January 4, 2024
The ‘98 Vols crowned national champions!#GBO 🍊 pic.twitter.com/oobQj4a5m4
Along the way Tennessee beat No. 17 Syracuse 34-33 on Jeff Hall walk-off field goal at the Carrier Dome in the season opener on September 5, beat Florida 20-17 in overtime at Neyland Stadium two weeks later and won back-to-back October road games at Auburn (17-9) and Georgia (22-3).
The Vols beat Alabama 35-18 in Knoxville and climbed to No. 1 in the rankings after an 8-0 start, just in time to host No. 10 Arkansas, handing the 8-0 Razorbacks their first loss of the season in a miraculous 28-24 comeback win.
All that stood in the way from there was Kentucky at home, Vanderbilt in Nashville and Mississippi State in Atlanta.
In the national championship game at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz. — the first of the Bowl Championship Series era — the Vols built a 14-0 lead on a Shawn Bryson 4-yard touchdown catch and a Dwayne Goodrich interception returned 54 yards for a touchdown.
The dagger came with 9:17 left in the fourth quarter, when Peerless Price, who split MVP honors with Goodrich, hauled in a 79-yard touchdown pass from Tee Martin to give Tennessee a 20-9 lead. Hall added a 23-yard field goal with six minutes left to make it a 14-point lead.
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Martin in 1998 passed for 2,164 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushed for 287 yards and seven touchdowns while replacing Peyton Manning at quarterback, after Manning was picked No. 1 overall in the 1998 NFL Draft.
Travis Henry led the Vols on the ground with 970 yards and seven touchdowns while Travis Stephens ran for 477 yards and four touchdowns. Price was dominant at wide receiver, catching 61 passes for 920 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Tennessee entered the BCS title game as a 5.5-point underdog against Florida State, despite the Vols bringing and undefeated record into the game.
“We knew as a football team that we had to prove to everyone we were worthy of being the number one team in the nation,” Martin said after the game. “We were the only people who believed we could win.”
