10 Tennessee football season openers we didn't see coming | Mike Strange

When Tennessee opens the 2022 football season against Ball State, we have a pretty good idea what to expect.

Video game offensive numbers. A lovely night at Neyland Stadium free of tension.

And that’s probably how it will go.

But season openers can veer off script. I rank 10 Tennessee openers we didn’t see coming.

No. 1: 2019, Georgia State 38, Tennessee 30. This one takes the cake. A 25-point underdog, Georgia State was supposed to be the Washington Generals to UT’s Harlem Globetrotters.

Think coach Jeremy Pruitt was maybe looking ahead? The Panthers scored 17 unanswered fourth-quarter points to take a 38-23 lead, rendering a late Vol touchdown irrelevant.

A late win streak salvaged the season at 8-5, but this loss remains unexplainable.

No. 2: 1994, UCLA 25, Tennessee 23. When senior quarterback Jerry Colquitt, who had waited his time behind Heath Shuler, blew a knee in the opening drive in Pasadena, the Vols’ season had hit an iceberg right out of port.

A baseball star and two true freshmen were thrown into a live-fire quarterback derby. Peyton Manning eventually emerged in October. The Vols won seven of their last eight and finished 8-4.

No. 3: 2008, UCLA 27, Tennessee 24. Four first-half interceptions should have given the 18th-ranked Vols the ammo to mash the Bruins early. Instead, a third-string quarterback rallied unranked UCLA to an overtime win.

The downfall of the Phillip Fulmer era was underway.

No. 4: 1981, Georgia 44, Tennessee 0. OK, Georgia was good, coming off a 1980 national title. Herschel Walker was a human locomotive. But 44-0? The previous year, the Bulldogs squeaked out a 16-15 win in Knoxville.

This one stands as UT’s worst SEC loss margin.

No. 5: 2016, Tennessee 20, Appy State 13. Nine years to the day after their win at Michigan, the Mountaineers took the Vols to overtime. No. 9 Tennessee overcame a 13-3 deficit and escaped when Jalen Hurd recovered a Joshua Dobbs fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.

No. 6: 2006, Tennessee 35, Cal 18. The Golden Bears came to Knoxville ranked No. 9. The Vols were fresh off a 5-7 season. David Cutcliffe’s return as offensive coordinator couldn’t have gone better.

When Montario Hardesty ripped off a 43-yard TD in the third quarter, UT led 35-0.

No. 7: 2005, Tennessee 17, UAB 10. Optimism soared for third-ranked Tennessee. But Erik Ainge and Rick Clausen combined for three interceptions. And there were the Blazers at the UT 12-yard line, trailing by seven with under four minutes to play.

A fourth-down pass into the end zone sailed incomplete. The Vols ran out the clock and heaved a sigh of relief.

No. 8: 1989, Tennessee 17, Colorado State 14. The Vols would finish 11-1 and claim an SEC title. You couldn’t tell it on opening night.

Despite the presence of Chuck Webb, Reggie Cobb, Carl Pickens, Alvin Harper and T.D. Woods, the UT offense struggled. The Rams recovered a late Andy Kelly fumble, drove for a late TD and two-point conversion. The Vols managed to run out the clock. Whew.

No. 9: 1977, Cal 27, Tennessee 17. So much for a triumphant homecoming for new coach Johnny Majors. The Golden Bears spoiled the party, underscoring the scope of Majors’ rebuilding challenge. The Vols would go 4-7.

No. 10: 1985, Tennessee 26, UCLA 26. That two eventual nine-win teams would tie on opening day wasn’t shocking. The finish was, though.

The Vols led 26-10 with five minutes to play, only to see UCLA rally with two touchdowns and two two-point conversions. It sure felt like a loss for the home team.

Mike Strange is a former writer for the News Sentinel. He currently writes a weekly sports column for Shopper News.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: 10 Tennessee football season openers we didn't see coming