The Volunteers defeated the Tigers in the Capital One Orange Bowl. There is a time and a place.
Tennessee fans were going to sing "Rocky Top" as time was running out, but they needed to sing something else.
They shouted "M-V-P!". Good reason.
Tennessee was one of the best places to live in the past couple of decades because of the leadership of Milton, who regained the starting job only after his close friend was hurt.
He completed 19 of 28 passes for 251 yards and three touchdown
"I trust myself, I trust my coaching and I just let it happen."
The Volunteers, who hadn't had an 11-win season since 2001, finished 11-2 and capped a year in which they beat Alabama, LSU and Clemson, programs that combined to win six of the 7 recent College Football Playoff national titles.
Josh Heupel, who won a national title as an Oklahoma player in the Orange Bowl, said he couldn't be prouder of the group of individuals. Everyone has been along for the journey.
The Volunteers had three scoring catches. Wright and Small had touchdown runs for Tennessee.
The man making his first start for the school completed 30 of 54 passes for 320 yards with two picks. TheTigers got into Tennessee territory on nine of their first 10 possessions and turned those trips into only two field goals
The team finished with 484 yards on 101 plays.
"You don't get any points for running," he said. The points are named after the game. We didn't do that.
After Klubnik ran in from 4 yards out, Tennessee scored a 46-yard touchdown on the next possession to take a 28-21 lead. The Volunteers had a chance to seal the outcome after intercepting a desperation fourth-down heave by Klubnik.
We wish we could have sent these seniors out with a victory. We gave it all we had until the end.
The Tennessee hue was better than the orange one in the Orange Bowl. Hooker flew in a week ago to be with his team and help prepare for the game.
"It's not possible to make us closer with blood," he said. That's my brother.
With 9:03 left in the half, Small scored on a 2-yard run to push the lead to 14-0. The Vols' offense wasn't at its best, but it didn't have to be.
In the first half, the Tigers got the ball seven times, getting inside Tennessee territory all seven times and getting to the Vols' 25 four times.
That ended up being three points.
The other six possessions included a fake field goal run by the son of a coach, a punt and three missed field goals. The field goal unit couldn't get into the game because of timeouts, and the team was behind by 14 at the half.
There were a lot of missed opportunities.
The 40-yard field goal by Potter was the 73rd field goal of his career, a school record. White caught a 14-yard pass with 5 seconds left in the third to give the Vols a 21-13 lead.
He tucked the game ball under his arm and wouldn't let it go when it was over. Expectations will be high for a program that went 20-27 in the four seasons before Heupel's arrival and won an Orange Bowl under him.
Heupel said it has been a fun climb. It's the best to come.
Depending on the outcome of the College Football Playoff games, Tennessee could move up a spot or two. It will be the Vols' best finish since 2001, when they were fourth.
For the twelfth year in a row, the school will be included in the final poll. From 1986 through 1991, the Tigers were in the AP polls.
The AP contributed.
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