1985 Tennessee Volunteers football team The 1985 Tennessee Volunteers football team ( variously " Tennessee " , " UT " or the " Vols " ) represented the University of Tennessee in the 1985 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 ninth year , and played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville , Tennessee . They finished the season with a record of nine wins , one loss and two ties ( 9 – 1 – 2 overall , 5 – 1 in the SEC ) , as SEC champions and with a victory over Miami in the 1986 Sugar Bowl . The Volunteers offense scored 325 points while the defense allowed 140 points . At season ’ s end , the Volunteers ranked fourth in both the AP Poll and the Coaches ' Poll . Known to fans as the Sugar Vols for their Sugar Bowl victory , the 1985 squad is frequently recalled as one of the most memorable and beloved teams in UT football history , and has been credited with restoring the program to national prominence . The team ' s SEC Championship was the first for the program in 16 years , and its top ten ranking was the program ' s first in 13 years . After a strong start to the season , Tennessee suffered a major setback when star quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Tony Robinson suffered a season - ending knee injury in a close game against Alabama . The team rallied to finish 6 - 0 - 1 , however , led by backup quarterback Daryl Dickey , and a defense – nicknamed the " Orange Crush " – that allowed just four touchdowns in its final seven games . The 1986 Sugar Bowl has been ranked among the team ' s ten greatest victories of all time . Before the season . The 1984 Tennessee squad had managed a 7 - 4 - 1 record , ending with a narrow 28 - 27 loss to Maryland in the Sun Bowl . While they had defeated rival Alabama 28 - 27 , they lost important games to Auburn and Florida , and had been upset by Kentucky . Prior to the 1985 season , long - time athletic director Bob Woodruff ( 1916 – 2001 ) announced his retirement . Head coach Johnny Majors expressed interest in serving as both coach and athletic director , but the university hired former coach Doug Dickey . Returning players and roster changes . Quarterback Tony Robinson entered the 1985 season as a candidate for the Heisman Trophy . During the 1984 season , he had completed 156 of 253 passes for 1 , 963 yards , falling just short of his predecessor Alan Cockrell ' s single - season record of 2 , 021 yards ( set in 1983 ) . His 61 . 7 % completion percentage had broken the single - season record set by Johnny Majors in 1956 . Fifth - year senior Daryl Dickey , Robinson ' s backup , would start the final seven games after Robinson suffered a season - ending knee injury . Three redshirt freshmen were competing for the third - string quarterback slot : Jeff Francis , Randy Sanders , and Greg Hargis . All - American prospect Tim McGee was the leading returning wide receiver , having caught a school record 54 passes in 1984 . McGee entered the 1985 season needing 45 catches , 828 yards , and 5 touchdowns to set school career records in all three categories , a feat which he would accomplish . McGee was joined in the starting lineup by junior college transfer Eric Swanson ( 20 catches for 186 yards in 1984 ) , while junior Joey Clinkscales and sophomore Vince Carter would see significant playing time . Olympic sprinter Sam Graddy joined the team as a receiver during spring practice . Senior Jeff Smith ( 6 ' 3 " , 235 pounds ) , who had caught 26 passes for 416 yards in 1984 , was the team ' s starting tight end , while Tim Hendrix ( 6 ' 5 " , 223 ) would see significant playing time . The running back slot was wide open following the graduation of 2nd - team All American Johnnie Jones . Sophomore Charles Wilson began the season as the starter , and was joined by redshirt freshman Keith Davis and junior Pete Panuska . One notable addition to the running back corps was Jeff Powell , a member of the track team who had been awarded the football team ' s final scholarship at the end of spring practice . Fullback duties were handled by 250 - pound junior Sam Henderson , 225 - pound sophomore William Howard and 230 - pound junior Jim Miller . The offensive line had lost Raleigh McKenzie and Bill Mayo to graduation , but returned future NFL players David Douglas ( 6 ' 4 " , 266 pounds ) , Bruce Wilkerson ( 6 ' 5 " , 258 ) , Daryle Smith ( 6 ' 5 " , 257 ) , and Harry Galbreath ( 6 ' 1 " , 260 ) . Todd Kirk ( 6 ' 3 " , 257 ) was the starting center . Tony Williams ( 6 ' 3 " , 272 ) and John Bruhin ( 6 ' 4 " , 273 ) would also see playing time . On defense , the Vols had lost three linebacker s to the NFL Draft : Carl Zander , Alvin Toles , and Reggie McKenzie . The key returning linebacker was Dale Jones , who had registered 109 tackles in 1984 , and had garnered a reputation for making big plays . Jones was joined by senior Lavoisier Fisher , junior Tyrone Robinson , sophomores Kelly Ziegler and Darrin Miller , and freshman Bryan Kimbro . The defensive line was led by senior Richard Brown ( 6 ' 1 " , 263 pounds ) and junior Robby Scott ( 6 ' 1 " , 274 ) , while sophomores Mark Hovanic ( 6 ' 3 " , 245 ) , Fred Bennett ( 6 ' 0 " , 258 ) and Richard Cooper ( 6 ' 6 " , 272 ) had shown promise as freshmen . The Vols ' secondary was considered the strongest part of the defense at the beginning of the season , with Tommy Sims and Terry Brown registering strong seasons in 1984 . They were joined by junior Charles Davis and sophomores Terry McDaniel , Andre Creamer and Victor Peppers . Chris White , a fifth - year senior who had seen scant playing time prior the 1985 season , would come off the bench to lead the team with 9 interceptions and receive All - American honors . The Vols ' special teams were also dealing with inexperience , having lost kicker Fuad Reveiz and punter Jimmy Colquitt to the NFL . Carlos Reveiz , Fuad ' s younger brother , stepped in at kicker , while sophomore Bob Garmon was named the starting punter . Joel Farmer was the team ' s long snapper , while Randy Sanders was the primary holder . Tim McGee and Andre Creamer handled punt returns , while Pete Panuska , Keith Davis , and Jeff Powell handled kick returns at various times during the season . Coaching staff . Head Coach Johnny Majors ( b . 1935 ) had compiled a 108 - 82 - 5 record during his 17 years as a head coach , which included five seasons with Iowa State ( 1968 – 1972 ) , four with Pittsburgh ( 1973 – 1976 ) , and eight with Tennessee ( 1977 – 1984 ) . His record at UT at the start of the 1985 season was 51 - 39 - 3 . While he had taken the Vols to four consecutive bowl games , he had yet to win an SEC Championship . The most notable addition to the Tennessee coaching staff was Ken Donahue ( 1925 – 2001 ) , who had worked as an assistant coach under Alabama ' s Bear Bryant for 21 years . Donahue was initially hired as a defensive line coach in February 1985 , but was promoted to defensive coordinator in March after Larry Marmie announced he was leaving for Arizona State . Prior to Spring practice , long - time Vol assistant George Cafego retired . In late March , the Vols hired Tennessee Tech defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas to coach linebackers . Four members of the 1985 staff would later become head coaches at Division I programs : Walt Harris , Phillip Fulmer , David Cutcliffe and Ron Zook . Kippy Brown has worked as an assistant coach in the NFL , and was briefly UT ' s interim head coach following the abrupt departure of Lane Kiffin in January 2010 . Gerald Brown , an administrative assistant , later became the running backs coach for the Atlanta Falcons . Bruno Pauletto , the Vols ' strength coach , was an Olympic shot put ter who won the gold medal for the Canadian team at the 1982 Commonwealth Games , and was a member of the Canadian team at the 1984 Olympics . Schedule . The Vols opened the 1985 campaign hosting # 10 UCLA , which was coming off a 9 - 3 season in 1984 , and had defeated defending national champion BYU in their first game of the 1985 season . Bruins coach Terry Donahue entered the game needing one win to become UCLA ' s all - time winningest football coach . The Bruins ' offense featured running back Gaston Green , two future NFL receivers , Willie " Flipper " Anderson and Mike Sherrard , and All - American kicker John Lee . Matt Stevens and David Norrie were vying for time at quarterback . Following a bye week , the Vols hosted the Auburn Tigers , who entered the game ranked # 1 in the nation , and had defeated the Vols in the teams ' previous three meetings . The Tigers ' offense was led by eventual Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson , who had averaged 247 . 5 yards per game and nearly 10 yards per carry in his first two games of the season . Auburn struggled with uncertainty at quarterback , however , with Jeff Burger , Bobby Walden , and Pat Washington all vying for the starting position . After hosting Wake Forest , the Vols traveled to Gainesville to play the Florida Gators . Florida coach Galen Hall entered the game with an 11 - 0 - 1 record , having shut out LSU the previous week . Florida ' s offense featured the school ' s all - time leading rusher Neal Anderson and John L . Williams in the backfield , quarterback Kerwin Bell , and future NFL receiver Ricky Nattiel . Many Gator fans saw this game as an opportunity for revenge , as they blamed Tennessee for leading the movement to strip the Gators of their 1984 SEC Championship for rules violations committed under Hall ' s predecessor , Charley Pell . In the fifth game of the season , the Vols visited Alabama for the " Third Saturday in October " rivalry . The Tide entered the game 4 - 1 following a 19 - 17 loss to Penn State in the previous week . The Vols had won the teams ' previous three meetings , and desperately needed a win to stay in contention for the SEC Championship . The Tide was led by quarterback Mike Shula ( the son of NFL coach Don Shula ) and future All - American running back Bobby Humphrey on offense , and All - American linebacker Cornelius Bennett on defense . Tennessee hosted Georgia Tech for its sixth game of the season . The Yellow Jackets entered the game 4 - 2 following a narrow loss to Auburn in the previous week . The Vols had edged Georgia Tech 24 - 21 the previous year , but were playing without star quarterback Tony Robinson , who had suffered a season - ending knee injury against Alabama . The Yellow Jackets ' offense was led by All - ACC quarterback John Dewberry and receiver Gary Lee , though leading rushers Cory Collier and Jerry Mays were out with injuries . Linebacker Ted Roof and lineman Pat Swilling led the Jackets ' elite " Black Watch " unit on defense . After playing Rutgers in Knoxville and visiting Memphis State , the Vols began their final conference stretch by hosting Ole Miss . A tie between Alabama and LSU the previous week had left Tennessee and Florida tied for first place in the conference , and with Florida ineligible , the Vols needed only to win their final three games to win the SEC Championship . The Rebels were led by freshman quarterback Chris Osgood ( starting in place of the injured Kent Austin ) , running back Nathan Wonsley , and receiver J . R . Ambrose . In the next - to - last game of the regular season , the Vols traveled to Lexington to play Kentucky in the annual Battle for the Barrel . Kentucky entered the game 5 - 5 under 4th - year head coach Jerry Claiborne , and had won the teams ' previous meeting in Knoxville , 17 - 12 . In the final game of the regular season , the Vols played host to Vanderbilt , which entered the game 3 - 6 - 1 . As SEC Champions , Tennessee received an automatic berth in the 1986 Sugar Bowl , played on New Year ' s Day . Their opponent , Miami , entered the game with a 10 - game winning streak , which was capped by a 58 - 7 blowout of Notre Dame . Ranked # 2 in the nation , Miami needed a win over Tennessee and a loss by Penn State in the Orange Bowl to lay claim to the national title . Under second - year coach Jimmy Johnson , the Hurricanes featured numerous future NFL players , including quarterback Vinny Testaverde , running backs Alonzo Highsmith , Warren Williams , and Mel Bratton , receivers Michael Irvin and Brian Blades , All - American tight end Willie Smith , and a defense led by linemen Jerome Brown and Kevin Fagan , linebacker Winston Moss , and defensive back Bennie Blades .