2007 Tennessee Volunteers football team The 2007 Tennessee Volunteers football team represented the University of Tennessee in the college football season of 2007 – 2008 . They won the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference before falling to the eventual national champion LSU Tigers in the SEC Championship Game . The Vols capped off the season by defeating the Wisconsin Badgers in the Outback Bowl to finish with a record of 10 – 4 . The team was led by head coach Phillip Fulmer . The Volunteers played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville , Tennessee . The 2007 season was the last at Tennessee for four assistants on the staff . Offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe left to be head coach at Duke , taking assistants Matt Luke and Kurt Roper with him , while wide receivers coach Trooper Taylor accepted a co - offensive coordinator ' s position at Oklahoma State . Preseason . Tennessee headed into the 2007 season looking to build on an average 2006 campaign to UT standards where the team went 9 – 4 with narrow losses to eventual national champion Florida and also to LSU . This year the team returned 11 starters ( 2nd fewest in SEC ) . The schedule was ranked 6th toughest in the country entering the year , with road games at California , Alabama and Florida . Tennessee also played key games against Georgia , South Carolina and Arkansas at Neyland Stadium . Players . Starting lineups and coaches . Head Coach : Phillip Fulmer ( 16th year ) Offense . Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks / Assistant Head Coach : David Cutcliffe < br > Offensive Scheme : Multiple ( I - Form , Shotgun and Singleback ) Player Development / Wide Receivers / Assistant Head Coach : Trooper Taylor < br > Offensive Line : Greg Atkins < br > Running Backs : Kurt Roper < br > Tight Ends / Off . Line / Dir . Recruiting : Matt Luke Offensive recap Coaches < br > Head Coach Phillip Fulmer hired David Cutcliffe , former 6 - year head coach at Ole Miss , after being the Tennessee offensive coordinator from ' 93 – ' 98 . Tennessee scored 30 + ppg in each of his first 6 years as the offensive coordinator and went from 18 . 6 to 27 . 8 ppg in 2006 . In 2007 , Tennessee ranked 54th in total offense , 73rd in rushing offense , and 35th in passing offense . The scoring offense ranked 36th . Quarterbacks < br > Senior Erik Ainge suffered a knee injury in spring but started each game of the season . Ainge was hampered by a finger and shoulder injury suffered in the season opener at California . Ainge finished behind Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and Andre Woodson in all - conference voting , earning honorable mention honors . Runningbacks < br > Arian Foster saw the majority of time at tailback , with relief appearances by LaMarcus Coker , Montario Hardesty , and Lennon Creer . Coker was eventually dismissed from the team following the South Carolina game for a violation of team rules . Foster finished the season with 1193 rushing yards . Receivers < br > The Wide Receivers were led by Juniors Lucas Taylor and Josh Briscoe , along with redshirt Sophomore Austin Rogers . Taylor had 73 receptions for 1000 yards while Rogers caught 56 passes for 624 yards . Offensive Line < br > The Offensive line returned three starters in T Eric Young , G Anthony Parker and C Josh McNeil . The remaining two positions were filled by improved junior Ramon Foster ( T ) and Chris Scott ( G ) . Young was injured late in the season and was replaced by Jacques McClendon at guard , while Scott moved to Young ' s tackle position . Tight Ends < br > Chris Brown started most of the season at TE due to a preseason injury to Brad Cottam . Cottam returned late in the season when it appeared that the NCAA would deny his redshirt appeal . Starters for the majority of the season . Defense . Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers / Associate Head Coach : John Chavis ( 20th year ) < br > Base Defense : Multiple ( 4 – 3 and 3 – 2 – 6 " Mustang " ) Defensive Line : Dan Brooks < br > Defensive Ends : Steve Caldwell < br > Defensive Backs : Larry Slade Position Outlook Coaches < br > 2007 Was the 13th season as Defensive Coordinator for John Chavis . The Defensive staff had been together and unchanged since the 1999 Season , with Dan Brooks , Steve Caldwell and Larry Slade . Defensive Line < br > The Defensive Line was stabilized by senior DE ' s Xavier Mitchell and Antonio Reynolds , who started each game of the season . Senior DT J . T . Mapu started against California but was replace by Sophomore Dan Williams . Sophomore DeMonte Bolden started at the other tackle spot . Linebackers < br > The Vols had a steady group at Linebacker for the 2007 season . Senior Ryan Karl and Sophomore Rico McCoy manned the outside spots , while Junior Jerod Mayo earned All - SEC honors at MLB . Defensive Backs < br > The Defensive Backfield saw a slew of injuries and changes . The season started with Jonathan Hefney and Jerod Parrish at safety , while Antonio Gaines and Marsalous Johnson started at cornerback . However , only Hefney retained his spot , as injury and impressive play allowed Freshmen Eric Berry , Brent Vinson and Dennis Rogan to emerge for the unit . Junior College transfer DeAngelo Willingham also saw significant time . Starters for the majority of the year . Special Teams . Position Outlook < br > Freshman Daniel Lincoln replaced departing Senior James Wilhoit and earned All American Honors . Britton Colquitt returned as punter and took over Wilhoit ' s duties on kickoffs . Rogan emerged as the main kick and punt returner , with Lennon Creer joining him as kick return following Coker ' s dismissal . Starters for the majority of the year Top newcomers for 2007 . 1 . Eric Berry , CB , # 14 , 5 ' 11 " , 194 lbs . , Creekside HS ( Fairburn , GA ) < br > 2 . Chris Donald , LB , # 40 , 6 ' 2 " , 220 lbs . , Huntingdon HS ( Huntingdon , TN ) < br > 3 . Ben Martin , DE , # 90 , 6 ' 5 " , 230 lbs . , La Salle HS ( Cincinnati , OH ) < br > 4 . Gerald Jones , ATH , # 4 , 6 ' , 185 lbs . , Millwood HS ( Oklahoma City , OK ) < br > 5 . DeAngelo Willingham , CB , # 24 , 6 ' , 205 lbs . , College of the Desert [ Palm Desert , CA ] ( Walterboro , SC ) < br > 6 . Nevin McKenzie , S , # 20 , 6 ' 3 " , 210 lbs . , Trinity Valley CC [ Athens , TX ] ( San Antonio , TX ) < br > 7 . Brent Vinson , S , # 13 , 6 ' 2 " , 180 lbs . , Hargrave Military Academy [ Chatham , VA ] ( Hampton , VA ) < br > 8 . Lennon Creer , RB , # 3 , 6 ' 1 " , 202 lbs . , Tatum HS ( Tatum , TX ) < br > 9 . B . J . Coleman , QB , # 18 , 6 ' 4 " , 210 lbs . , The McCallie School ( Chattanooga , TN ) < br > 10 . Darris Sawtelle , OL , # 76 , 6 ' 6 " , 290 lbs . , Brother Rice HS ( Brimingham , MI ) < br > 11 . Ahmad Paige , WR , # 82 , 6 ' 3 " , 175 lbs . , Sterlington HS ( Sterlington , LA ) < br > 12 . Art Evans , ATH , # 25 , 6 ' 1 " , 185 lbs . , Evangelical Christian HS ( Lakeland , FL ) < br > 13 . Donald Langley , DT , # 58 , 6 ' 2 " , 295 lbs . , Seneca Valley HS ( Germantown , MD ) < br > 14 . Chris Walker , DE , # 84 , 6 ' 3 " , 220 lbs . , Christian Brothers HS ( Memphis , TN ) < br > 15 . Denarius Moore , WR , # 83 , 6 ' 1 " , 180 lbs . , Tatum HS ( Tatum , TX ) < br > 16 . William Brimfield , DT , # 96 , 6 ' 6 " , 287 lbs . , Hunter - Kinard - Tyler HS ( Neeses , SC ) < br > 17 . Kenny O ' Neal , WR , # 1 , 6 ' , 195 lbs . , City College of San Francisco [ CA ] ( Oakland , CA ) < br > 18 . C . J . Fleming , CB , # 26 , 5 ' 10 " , 173 lbs . , Highland Springs HS ( Highland Springs , VA ) < br > 19 . Anthony Anderson , CB , # 36 , 6 ' , 175 lbs . , Austin - East HS ( Knoxville , TN ) < br > 20 . Savion Frazier , LB , # 43 , 6 ' 1 " , 209 lbs . , Gar - Field HS ( Woodbridge , VA ) < br > 21 . Cody Pope , OL , # 77 , 6 ' 5 " , 275 lbs . , Cathedral Catholic HS ( San Diego , CA ) < br > 22 . Daryl Vereen , RB , # 9 , 6 ' 1 " , 200 lbs . , North Mecklenburg HS ( Charlotte , NC ) < br > 23 . Kevin Cooper , FB , # 45 , 6 ' 1 " , 245 lbs . , Baylor School ( Chattanooga , TN ) < br > 24 . Todd Campbell , WR , # 11 , 6 ' , 183 lbs . , Franklin HS ( Franklin , TN ) < br > 25 . Tyler Maples , WR , # 11 , 6 ' 2 " , 180 lbs . , Maryville HS ( Maryville , TN ) < br > 26 . Dennis Rogan , RB , # 41 , 5 ' 10 " , 175 lbs . , Fulton HS ( Knoxville , TN ) < br > 27 . " Deshaun Barnes , S , 6 ' 2 " , 195 lbs . , Lincoln HS ( Tallahassee , FL ) – DNQ < br > 28 . " Rufus Williams , DE , 6 ' 3 " , 225 lbs . , Astronaut HS ( Titusville , FL ) – DNQ < br > Game notes . California . Tennessee dropped its opening game for the first time in over a decade , losing on the road to California by the score of 45 – 31 . The Vols traveled to Berkeley for the return trip in a home - and - home series with the California Golden Bears . After Cal ' s loss to Tennessee the previous year , some observers and college football personalities such as LSU coach Les Miles had questioned the strength of the Pac - 10 . During the game , a plane with the banner " SEC rules , Pac - 10 drools " flew overhead . With a solid lead in the fourth quarter , Cal fans chanted " Pac - 10 football " to the Tennessee fans who had already begun leaving the stadium . Tennessee gave up the opening points when an Erik Ainge pass flew backwards , when he was hit while trying to release it . California ' s Worrell Williams , recovered the fumble and returned it 45 yards for the score . Cal WR DeSean Jackson also scored at touchdown on a 77 yard punt return . Cal QB Nate Longshore was 19 - of - 28 for 240 yards , 2 passing touchdowns and 1 rushing touchdown . Tennessee traveled to California for the first time since playing UCLA in 1994 , Peyton Manning ' s freshman year . Tennessee had won 12 straight season openers . The Vols opening game was on the road for the first time since 1998 , when they defeated Syracuse . QB Erik Ainge played game despite suffering a broken pinky in practice . He was 32 - of - 47 for 270 yards and 3 touchdowns . Jeff Tedford commented on the " revenge factor " before the game : It ' s not really revenge , I think , if anything , it ' s redemption . But it ' s more about us , it ' s not so much about Tennessee . We didn ' t play very well last year when we went there and probably got caught a little too much focusing on them and the environment and that type of thing . So at practice this year , we ' re really just focusing on ourselves if we go out and play to our potential then we ' ll have a chance to be successful . Last year we didn ' t come close to our potential so we had no chance . Of course it ' s a big game like it was last year , two ranked teams , so there ' s a lot of people watching it to see what ' s going on . It wasn ' t that we lost the game last year , I think it was the way we lost the game last year that was the devastating part of it , that hung with us so long . California had stressed " redemption " in this game , and ultimately came out the victors . The Vols were led by TE / H - back Chris Brown , who had two touchdown receptions and Lucas Taylor who had 7 catches for 102 yards . Southern Miss . After trailing early on , Tennessee took a 17 – 16 second quarter lead against Southern Mississippi and never looked back . The lead was Tennessee ' s first of the season , having never taken the lead against California . The Vols were led on offense by receivers Austin Rogers ( 7 catches , 112 yards , 1 TD ) and Lucas Taylor ( 5 catches 118 yards ) . Erik Ainge was 23 - of - 36 for 276 yards and 2 TD ' s . Kicker Daniel Lincoln made three field goal s ( 38 , 36 , and 47 yards ) . Tennessee hosted Southern Miss for its 2007 home opener . Southern Miss , a Conference USA foe , faced off against the Vols for the first time since a 19 – 16 loss in 2000 . Tennessee now has a 49 – 12 record vs non - conference opponents under Fulmer . The Vols are 12 – 0 since 1998 vs current members of CUSA and 5 – 0 vs Southern Miss . In all - time home - openers , the Big Orange have compiled an 88 – 18 – 5 ( . 791 ) record . The Vols ’ last home - opening loss was a 31 – 0 setback against Florida on Sept . 17 , 1994 . The game marks the first starts for Freshman Eric Berry at safety , and Sophomore Dan Williams at tackle . Florida . On the 1st possession of the game in the steamy Swamp , the Tennessee Volunteers went three and out . On the ensuing punt , Brandon James took the return 83 yards for Gator touchdown . Things never did get much better for the visiting team , as Florida rolled to an impressive 59 – 20 victory in the SEC opener for both teams . There was , however , a brief period when it seemed that the contest would be much closer . The Gators ran out to a 28 – 6 lead by late in the 2nd quarter on two Tim Tebow touchdown passes and a Tebow touchdown run , along with the opening punt return . But then Tennessee QB Erik Ainge got his team ' s offense moving , throwing a touchdown pass just before halftime to cut the lead to 28 – 13 at intermission . The Gators mounted a long drive to start the second half , but freshman Volunteer cornerback Eric Berry picked off a Tim Tebow pass ( his first interception thrown in 2007 ) and returned it 93 yards for another Tennessee touchdown . When Florida ' s next drive ended in a punt , UT had the ball down only eight , 28 – 20 . But on the first play of the possession , Erik Ainge ' s handoff to running back Arian Foster was mishandled , and Gator linebacker Dustin Doe scooped up the loose ball and took it into the endzone for a Florida touchdown . Tennessee ' s momentum was washed away by the roar of 90 , 000 Gator fans , and the home team never looked back . Florida would end the game with 31 straight points , turning a close game into a runaway . Several Gators had excellent afternoons . Tim Tebow finished 14 – 19 passing for 299 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT and rushed for 62 yards and 2 more TDs . Receiver Percy Harvin excelled as well , leading all players in rushing ( 9 attempts for 75 yards and 1 TD ) and receiving ( 4 catches for 120 yards ) . The Florida offense rolled up 556 yards of total offense , 255 on the ground . Meanwhile , the Gator defense also did its part , holding Tennessee to just 38 yards rushing with no first downs on the ground and 293 yards total offense . Overall , the Gators put together a historically dominating performance . Their 59 points scored was the second - highest total in the history of the series ( behind only UF ' s 62 in the 1995 contest ) , and the 39 point margin of defeat was the Vols ' most lopsided loss to any opponent since 1981 . After the game , Tennessee still led the overall series by a narrow 19 – 18 margin . Arkansas State . Tennessee grabbed the lead first for the first time this season , and never relinquished it , as the Vols beat Arkansas State by the score of 48 to 27 . The Vols entered the game unranked following the loss to Florida and were playing their second home game of the season . QB Erik Ainge set a career high with 334 yards passing and tied a career high with 4 TD ' s while going 27 - of - 39 . Tennessee allowed 377 total yards on defense . Lucas Taylor had 7 catches for 104 yards . Georgia . Tennessee earned its first conference victory of the season by beating the Georgia Bulldogs by the score of 35 – 14 . Tennessee dominated the first half , leading the game by the score of 28 – 0 . Tennessee held Georgia to 243 total yards , while picking up 190 yards on the ground . The game was a sudden turnaround for both the Defense and the Running game , which both performed poorly in the Vols ' only other conference game , Florida . The win , combined with Florida ' s losses to Auburn and LSU puts Tennessee back into the race for the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta . The win came after head coach Phillip Fulmer came under fire by anonymous former players in an article in the Knoxville News Sentinel . Fulmer called the article " an incredible cheap shot " in the post - game press conference . Fulmer had also been receiving criticism from several other writers that follow the program . Individual performances were highlighted by Arian Foster , who carried the ball 17 times for 98 yards , and 3 touchdowns . Backup running back Montario Hardesty added 70 yards on 14 carries with 1 TD . LB Ellix Wilson blocked a punt in the 2nd quarter . Mississippi State . The Vols traveled to Starkville , Mississippi for the first time since winning 35 – 17 in 2002 . Phillip Fulmer commented on Mississippi State during the Tuesday press conference : Mississippi State is a good football team at 4 – 2 . They beat a good Auburn team at Auburn . They ’ re dangerous , physical , tough guys up front . The running backs and tight ends have my good friend Woodrow McCorvey ’ s fingerprints all over them . He is a tough guy . Tennessee took an early lead after stopping the Bulldogs on their first drive . Erik Ainge found Chris Brown on a 4 yard TD pass to cap off at 9 play , 78 yard drive . Mississippi State then answered . The Bulldogs forced the Vols to punt after backing them up . The short field paid off , when Wesley Carroll found Tony Burks for a 38 yard touchdown pass . State took the lead in the 2nd quarter when RB Anthony Dixon broke loose on a 30 yard touchdown run . Tennessee followed with 17 unanswered points , coming on a Lucas Taylor 51 yard TD reception , a 47 yard Daniel Lincoln field goal and an Arian Foster 1 yard touchdown run . Mississippi State would score one more touchdown to cut the lead to 3 . However the Vols ' Defense held firm for the last quarter and a half . Daniel Lincoln added 3 field goals of 29 , 26 , and 43 yards to provide the final 12 point margin of victory . Erik Ainge ended the game with a 22 - of - 36 performance with 1 interception and 2 touchdown passes . Lucas Taylor had 11 catches for 186 yards . Arian Foster ran the ball 21 for 143 yards , while Montario Hardesty added 81 yards on 16 carries . Tennessee outgained Mississippi State 470 to 338 total yards . Alabama . Nick Saban set a different tone for this year ' s " The Third Saturday in October " right from the get go . Saban elected to kick an onside kick on the opening kickoff . Alabama recovered and scored 3 on Leigh Tiffen ' s 39 yard field goal . Bama extended their lead to 10 when QB John Parker Wilson connected with Terry Grant on a 3 yard touchdown pass . Tennessee then scored 14 unanswered points to take the lead early in the 2nd quarter . Arian Foster had a 2 yard touchdown run and Erik Ainge found TE Luke Stocker for a 3 yard touchdown pass . At that point Alabama took over . WR DJ Hall had 2 2nd quarter touchdown receptions . Leigh Tiffen added 3 more field goals to bring his total to four on the day . RB Terry Grant also had an 8 yard touchdown run . Tennessee was only able to add one field goal by Daniel Lincoln , shortly before halftime , as the Crimson Tide outscored Tennessee 17 – 0 in the second half . WR DJ Hall and QB John Parker Wilson had career days for Alabama . Hall had 13 receptions for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns . Wilson was 32 - of - 46 for 363 yards and 3 touchdowns . South Carolina . Tennessee used timely turnovers and clutch kicking to earn an ugly 27 – 24 overtime victory . South Carolina fought back from a 21 point deficit at halftime to take a 24 – 21 lead with 1 : 24 left . However , following a LaMarcus Coker return to the 47 yard line , Tennessee put together an 8 play , 26 yard drive to set up freshman Daniel Lincoln for the game tying 48 - yard field goal . In overtime , Lincoln hit another field goal from 27 yards , while South Carolina kicker Ryan Succop missed wide right from 40 yards to give Tennessee the victory . It was a tale of two halves in regulation . Tennessee had touchdown scoring drives of 2 yards , 44 yards , and 72 yards in the first half , but did not score in the second half until Lincoln ' s field goal with 9 seconds remaining . South Carolina , who was held scoreless in the first half , put together touchdown drives of 39 yards , 86 yards , and 66 yards , also adding the late field goal by Succop . The Gamecocks actually outgained Tennessee by a margin of 501 to 317 yards . However , Tennessee capitalized on 3 Gamecock turnovers . Freshman Eric Berry had a long fumble return to set up the Vols first score and added an interception in the second quarter . Berry also tipped a pass in the 4th quarter which was intercepted by Ryan Karl . Louisiana - Lafayette . Tennessee rolled up it top point total of the season by scoring in creative ways en route to a 59 – 7 victory over Louisiana - Lafayette . Tennessee scored on Defense when DE Antonio Reynolds intecepted a tipped pass and returned it for 70 yards for a touchdown . Tennessee scored on special teams when DB Antonio Wardlow returned a blocked punt 20 yards for a touchdown . Tennessee also had 3 touchdowns by freshmen late in the game : a 30 yard run by RB Lennon Creer , a touchdown reception by Kenny O ' Neal . WR Gerald Jones ran for a TD after lining up at QB . Running back Arian Foster had 2 scores in the first half . Arkansas . Tennessee used clock management and stout defensive play to stop Arkansas TB Darren McFadden en route to a 34 – 13 victory over the Razorbacks . McFadden was coming off of a game in which he broke an SEC record for yards rushing in a game vs . South Carolina . Tennessee limited him to 117 yards on 22 carries . The Vols scored on their first drive of the game which culminated with a 16 yard touchdown pass from Erik Ainge to Austin Rogers . Arkansas countered with a field goal after TB Felix Jones put them in good position with a 48 yard kick return into Tennessee territory . Vol freshman DB Dennis Rogan countered with a return of his own , 78 yards to the Arkansas 15 , setting up a Daniel Lincoln 25 yard field goal to answer the score . Tennessee added another field goal from Lincoln and a second touchdown pass in the Second Quarter . This time Ainge found WR Josh Briscoe on third and goal from the 14 , to score with 10 seconds remaining in the half to push the score to 20 – 3 . In the second half , Tennessee forced Arkansas to punt and then Arian Foster gave the Vols a three score lead by racing 59 yards for a touchdown . Arkansas would add a Third Quarter field goal by Alex Tejada and a Fourth Quarter touchdown run by TB Michael Smith to close to within 14 . However , LB Jerod Mayo sealed the game with a 34 yard interception return for a touchdown , and provided the final margin of 34 – 13 . SS Eric Berry had his first multi - interception game , picking off a pass at the end of each half . Tennessee won the time of possession battle 33 : 20 to 26 : 40 . Foster ended with 13 carried for 88 yards . TB Montario Hardesty added 20 carries and 70 yards . Mayo led the team with 9 tackles . Dan Williams and Xavier Mitchell each had a sack . Vanderbilt . Tennessee fought back from a 15 - point deficit in the 4th quarter to beat their in - state rivals by the score of 25 – 24 . The issue was still to be decided with less than a minute in the game , when Vanderbilt kicker Bryant Hahnfeldt ' s 49 yard field goal attempt grazed the left upright and went wide left . Tennessee started well on its opening drive , moving 75 yards on 9 plays . The Drive culminated with a 9 yard touchdown pass from Erik Ainge to Lucas Taylor . The extra point , however , was blocked , giving Tennessee a 6 – 0 lead . Vanderbilt answered the score and then took the lead midway through the second quarter . QB Mackenzi Adams found Brad Allen for a 5 yard touchdown pass . Tennessee regained the lead on a Daniel Lincoln field goal from 33 yards . However , Vanderbilt scored twice in the final minute of the half , first with a 19 yard touchdown pass from Adams to Jeff Jennings , and then with 33 yard field goal by Hahnfeldt . The field goal had followed a fumble by Tennessee on a lateral pass from Ainge to Foster shortly before halftime . Vanderbilt extended its lead after halftime to 24 – 9 by moving down the field on an 11 play , 75 yard drive that consumed 5 : 54 of the game clock . The Commodores would take that lead into the 4th quarter before Tennessee awoke . Tennessee actually punted the ball back to Vanderbilt with seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter , but Commodore DE Broderick Stewart was flagged for roughing Vol punter Briton Colquitt . The Vols scored on that drive early in the 4th quarter when Ainge connected with Josh Briscoe for a 7 yard touchdown pass . The Vol Defense held Vanderbilt to two " three and out " possessions after the Briscoe touchdown . Tennessee retook possession and drove 83 yards in less than 3 minutes , scoring a touchdown when Ainge found Austin Rogers in the end zone for a 5 yard touchdown pass . The Two - point conversion failed , and Tennessee still trailed . The Volunteer Defense once again held strong , forcing another punt after a 3 play , 4 yard drive . Tennessee took possession at the Vanderbilt 33 yard line after Freshman DB Dennis Rogan returned a punt 45 yards . The Vols moved 17 yards to set up the go ahead field goal for Daniel Lincoln . Lincoln connected from 33 yards to give Tennessee the 25 – 24 lead . Vanderbilt was not finished at this point . D . J . Moore returned the ensuing kickoff 55 yards to the Tennessee 42 yard line . Vanderbilt moved the ball 11 yards ( 9 of which came on a pass interference penalty ) to set up the field goal try by Hahnfeldt . Hahnfeldt pushed the kick left , grazing the outer half of the left upright , and giving Tennessee a 25 – 24 victory . The victory kept the Vols in the driver ' s seat for the SEC Eastern Division title . The Vols would need to win the next game against Kentucky to earn the spot in the SEC Championship Game against LSU . Kentucky . The Volunteers ( 9 – 3 , 6 – 2 ) earned a shot at LSU in the SEC title game by beating the Wildcats ( 7 – 5 , 3 – 5 ) for the 23rd straight time , the longest active winning streak by one team over another in major college football . The game started with a one - play , 65 yard touchdown for the volunteers as a pass was thrown to Arian Foster by Eric Ainge . The rest of the first half went well for the volunteers as they led 24 – 7 heading into the break . Ainge and the Tennessee Offense built the halftime lead with touchdown passes to Foster , WR Lucas Taylor , and WR Quintin Hancock . The game looked to be in hand when the Vols led 31 – 14 near the end of the 3rd quarter following an Ainge touchdown pass to TE Jeff Cottam . However the Wildcats fought back behind a strong second half performance by QB Andre Woodson , scoring 17 unanswered points to push the game into overtime . The first overtime saw Kentucky score first when Woodson found Keenan Burton for an 8 yard touchdown pass . Tennessee answered with a touchdown pass of their own . Ainge connected with Gerald Jones , whose diving catch re - tied the score . In the second overtime , the game looked like it was over when Eric Ainge threw his third interception of the game . A tipped pass was corralled by Sam Maxwell , setting up Kentucky for a win with any score . However , a Kentucky 35 - yard field goal attempt was blocked by Dan Williams to push the game into triple - overtime . In the 3rd overtime , the Vols had a chance to end the game after an Austin Rogers touchdown reception , as they only needed a 2 point conversion . However Arian Foster was atopped short on an off tackle run and was also flagged for a personal foul for throwing the ball up in the air after the play was over . Kentucky had scored in the first half of that overtime period when Burton caught an 11 yard touchdown pass from Woodson . The two - point conversion failed , as Woodson ' s pass fell incomplete , setting up UT for the opportunity to win with a touchdown and two - point conversion . When they failed to cash in on that opportunity , Foster showed his frustration by slinging the ball , and was flagged for a 15 yard penalty . The penalty put the Vols in a hole to begin the 4th overtime period , forcing them to start from the 40 yard line . Nevertheless , the resilient volunteers scored their final touchdown in another one - play , 40 yard drive as Ainge found Hancock wide open . The Volunteers scored the two point conversion as well , with Ainge hitting Rogers on a quick slant . Kentucky matched the score when RB Derrick Locke ran in from the 2 yard line . Kentucky then needed to match the Vols ' two point conversion . The game - winning play came as Woodson was tackled from behind by DE Antonio Reynolds and a forced fumble was recovered by the Volunteer Defense . That play ended the 5 - hour thriller with the final score : 52 – 50 . SEC Championship Game : LSU . Tennessee faced the LSU Tigers in its first SEC Championship Game since 2004 . The teams had also faced each other in the 2001 SEC Championship game . LSU won that game over the favored Volunteers , eliminating them from a trip to the Rose Bowl for the National Championship . LSU last played in the SEC title game in 2005 , losing to Georgia . This time , Tennessee led the contest for a majority of the game , before surrendering the lead following a late interception . The Vols took the opening kickoff to the 38 yard line and from there , the offense drove 62 yards for a touchdown . That drive was capped off by an 11 yard touchdown reception by Chris Brown . LSU answered in the first quarter with two Colt David field goal , to cut the deficit to 1 point . A scoreless second quarter made the halftime score 7 – 6 . LSU drove the field on the first possession of the second half to secure a short lived lead . Substitute QB Ryan Perriloux , filling in for injured Matt Flynn , led the Tigers on the 76 yard drive , finding WR Demetrius Byrd for the go ahead touchdown pass . The Vols missed a field goal on the following drive , but capitalized on a forced fumble to retake the lead . Ainge drove the Vols 66 yards on 9 plays and found Josh Briscoe on a pass into the endzone to move the score to 14 – 13 . Both Offenses stalled for the rest of the game . However , LSU found its winning score when DB Jonathan Zenon picked off an Ainge pass at the Tennessee 18 yard line and returned it for a touchdown . That forth quarter score , combined with Perriloux ' s two point conversion run gave the game its final 21 – 14 score . The win by LSU propelled them into the 2008 BCS National Championship Game , while Tennessee accepted a bid to the Outback Bowl to face Wisconsin . Outback Bowl : Wisconsin . Despite losing 3 starters to academic suspensions , Tennessee put together a solid performance to end their season with a 21 – 17 victory over the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2008 Outback Bowl . WR Lucas Taylor , DT DeMonte Bolden , and LB Rico McCoy ( all starters ) along with reserve LB Chris Donald and reserve WR Kenny O ' Neal , were declared academically ineligible for the game . Tennessee started the day ' s scoring on their second possession . WR Gerald Jones , lining up at QB in the aptly named " G - Gun " formation scored on a 3 yard run to cap off a 66 yard drive . Wisconsin answered on the ensuing drive , due largely to a 60 yard kickoff return by David Gilreath and a 15 yard facemask penalty . The 22 yard scoring effort found pay dirt with QB Tyler Donovan ' s 6 yard run on 3rd and goal . Donovan was hit at the goal line by Eric Berry , causing a mild concussion , but not forcing Donovan to miss any time . Tennessee drove deep into Badger territory on the following drive , only to turn the ball over by fumbling a trick play . Both offenses continued to sputter until the Vols retook the lead with 9 : 45 to go in the 2nd quarter . Erik Ainge hooked up with WR Josh Briscoe on a 29 touchdown pass to move the score to 14 – 7 . The Vols forced the Badgers backwards on their next drive and then capitalized on the field position . Tennessee took at 14 point lead when Ainge found TE Brad Cottam on a 31 yard touchdown throw . The score would be the last of the game for the Vol offense . Wisconsin would answer shortly before halftime as Donovan found Andy Crooks in the end zone with 1 : 03 remaining in the half . The second half was a defensive struggle . Wisconsin held Tennessee scoreless , while the Tennessee defense limited the Badger offense to 3 points . The point came on a Taylor Mehlhaff 27 yard field goal with 9 seconds remaining in the 3rd quarter . Wisconsin had a few opportunities to take the lead in the game ' s final period , but the Badgers fell short each time . The Vols forced an incomplete pass by Donovan on a 4th and 2 play from the Tennessee 10 yard line with 5 : 52 to go in the game . Wisconsin got one final chance with 1 : 26 to go on the clock , but that drive was ended by an Antonio Wardlow interception at the 1 yard line of Tennessee . Senior Erik Ainge took a knee is his final play as a Tennessee Volunteer to cap off the 21 – 17 victory . Ainge finished his career at Tennessee being named the MVP at the end of the Outback Bowl Game . Briscoe put in his best game of the season , filling in for Lucas Taylor and playing all 5 receiver positions at one point in the game . Brad Cottam showed that when healthy he can be a great player and look for him in the upcoming NFL draft .