# 1979 Tennessee Volunteers football team

The 1979 Tennessee Volunteers football team (variously "Tennessee", "UT" or the "Vols") represented the University of Tennessee in the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Johnny Majors, in his third year, and played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of seven wins and five losses (7–5 overall, 3–3 in the SEC) and a loss against Purdue in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl.

## Schedule

| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 15 | at Boston College* | | Alumni StadiumChestnut Hill, MA | | W 28–16 | 30,150 |
| September 22 | Utah* | | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | | W 51–18 | 85,783 |
| September 29 | Auburn | | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | | W 35–17 | 85,936 |
| October 6 | vs. Mississippi State | No. 19 | Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN | | L 9–28 | 48,820 |
| October 13 | Georgia Tech* | | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (rivalry) | | W 31–0 | 85,524 |
| October 20 | at No. 1 Alabama | No. 18 | Legion FieldBirmingham, AL (Third Saturday in October) | | L 17–27 | 77,665 |
| November 3 | Rutgers* | No. 17 | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | | L 7–13 | 84,265 |
| November 10 | No. 13 Notre Dame* | | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN | | W 40–18 | 86,489 |
| November 17 | at Ole Miss | No. 19 | Mississippi Veterans Memorial StadiumJackson, MS (rivalry) | | L 20–44 | 55,760 |
| November 24 | at Kentucky | | Commonwealth StadiumLexington, KY (rivalry) | | W 20–17 | 57,950 |
| December 1 | Vanderbilt | | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (rivalry) | | W 31–10 | 84,142 |
| December 31 | vs. No. 12 Purdue* | | Houston AstrodomeHouston, TX (Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl) | Mizlou | L 22–27 | 40,542 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game ||||||||

## Game summaries
### At Kentucky

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Tennessee | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Kentucky | 0 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 17 |

### Vanderbilt

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vanderbilt | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| Tennessee | 0 | 0 | 21 | 10 | 31 |
at Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee
* Date: December 1
* Game attendance: 84,142
Game information :
First quarter
VAN – Mike Woodard 31-yard field goal. Vanderbilt 3–0. Drive:
VAN – Van Heflin 1-yard run (Mike Woodard kick). Vanderbilt 10–0. Drive:
Second quarter
No scoring
Third quarter
TEN – Anthony Hancock 41-yard pass from Jimmy Streater (Alan Duncan kick), 11:45. Vanderbilt 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 72 yards.
TEN – Roland James 89-yard punt return (Alan Duncan kick). Tennessee 14–10.
TEN – Anthony Hancock 85-yard pass from Jimmy Streater (Alan Duncan kick). Tennessee 21–10. Drive:
Fourth quarter
TEN – Gary Moore 17-yard run (Alan Duncan kick). Tennessee 28–10. Drive:
TEN – Alan Duncan 27-yard field goal. Tennessee 31–10. Drive:
Top passers
VAN – Van Heflin – 6/16, 50 yards, 3 INT
TEN – Jimmy Streater – 13/23, 221 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
VAN – Terry Potter – 19 rushes, 127 yards
TEN – Hubert Simpson – 19 rushes, 42 yards
Top receivers
VAN – Preston Brown – 2 receptions, 27 yards
TEN – Anthony Hancock – 6 receptions, 163 yards, 2 TD :
* Jimmy Streater became school's all-time leading passer

### Bluebonnet Bowl (vs. Purdue)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Purdue | 0 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 27 |
| Tennessee | 0 | 0 | 16 | 6 | 22 |

## Team players drafted into the NFL

| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| Roland James | Defensive Back | 1 | 14 | New England Patriots |
| Craig Puki | Linebacker | 3 | 77 | San Francisco 49ers |
* Reference: