Top 40 Plays
In honor of the many great players who have worn the number 40 at the University of Tennessee, including Bill Bates, Dustin Colquitt, Austin Johnson and more recently, Alex Ellis, I have created a list of the best 40 plays in my recent memory of Tennessee football. Now, this was much more difficult than I had initially anticipated, but after reordering the list over a dozen times, I have finally settled on a final list that I hope you enjoy. At first I was going to do a list of top 10 plays, but I would have left out so many great plays. Then, I told myself, "No more than 25." Well, you see how that went. Even with a larger number of 40, I had to cut some plays out, but I have included the vast majority of the recent highlight plays for the Vols. Also, I understand that there are many great plays that have occurred in my lifetime that I did not include. I wanted to make a list of the plays that I genuinely remember watching live and not just basing it off of old highlight videos. That being said, my list dates back to 2012, but 39 of the plays occurred during the 2013-17 seasons. I hope you enjoy my extensive list!
1. Jauan Jennings' Hail Mary Catch @ Georgia (2016): Not only is this one of the craziest, most exciting plays in my recent memory, but it is arguably the greatest play in the history of Tennessee football. After a back-and-forth game, Vol fans, including myself, momentarily had their spirits crushed, as Georgia scored on a 47-yard pass, taking a 31-28 lead. I remember standing up for almost the entire fourth quarter, but after the Bulldogs took the lead, I remember miserably sitting down on the bottom of our staircase, as memories of other heartbreaking losses from the Butch Jones era started to creep into my mind. Georgia was assessed 2 penalties, a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty for a player taking his helmet off on the field and a 5-yard offsides call on the kickoff, setting the Vols up at the Georgia 43-yard line. When Josh Dobbs led the team out onto the field, I was very nervous, because this play was the difference between a record of 4-1 and the first 5-0 start since the 1998 national championship season. Dobbs received tremendous blocking by his offensive line as he dropped back, he faced no pressure and had complete freedom to fully step into his throw. At first, I thought the ball was headed out of the back of the end zone. Instead, Jauan Jennings leaped up in the air and snatched the ball, inking his name into Tennessee football lore. I was so stunned and excited that I ran out the front door. I honestly felt like I was in a dream at that moment. It may have been the best moment of my life. Ever since this play, whenever I am at Dollywood, my brother and I have made a habit of yelling "Jauan Jennings" in the direction of any Georgia fans we pass, because former SEC on CBS commentator, Verne Lundquist yelled this as the Tennessee players flooded the field in celebration.
2. Jauan Jennings' 67-yard touchdown vs. Florida (2016): I was in Neyland Stadium to witness this incredible play. After Jauan Jennings absolutely destroyed the ankles of Jalen Tabor, Florida defensive back, he bobbled the pass from Josh Dobbs several times and finally gained control of it, while sprinting down the Tennessee sideline. I was sitting in the upper deck for this particular play and I was lined up with the Tennessee sideline. As a Florida defender was racing across the field in an attempt to catch Jennings, I remember waving my arms forward, in attempt to push Jauan across the goal line, I guess. Neyland erupted on this play, because taking the lead against Florida in the fourth quarter was encouragement that the end of the 11-year losing streak would be over soon.
3. Josh Smith's 40-yard touchdown vs. Georgia (2015): I was also in attendance for this game and it was a very wild game, especially this play. The comeback started with an incredible grab by Josh Smith on a 4th-and-9 play. He spun around in midair and caught the ball awkwardly, but wasted no time reaching the checkerboards.
4. Blocked punt by Jalen Reeves-Maybin vs. Georgia (2013): When it comes to Tennessee football, I can tell you where I was and what I was eating for practically any major game. This game was a 3:30 kickoff, and I served at a local outreach program earlier that day. On the way back, I was discussing the upcoming game with one of my friends and I remember him saying, "hopefully we don't get blown out." Well, this blocked punt electrified Neyland Stadium, especially since Devaun Swafford scooped up the loose ball and strolled into the end zone to tie the game at 17.
5. Josh Dobbs' 18-yard touchdown run vs. Northwestern (2016): A slightly low snap caused Dobbs to fumble the ball to start this play, but he instinctively picked it up and scampered down the sideline and into the end zone, unlike anything I have ever seen before. After watching the replay, you can see that he took 5 steps with less than 2 inches between his foot and the out of bounds line. While leaning to his right, he transferred the ball from his right hand to his left, and dove for the pylon, breaking the plane. This was one of those plays where all you can say is, "Are you kidding me!?"
6. Paul Bain's blocked field goal and Tennessee's defensive stop in overtime vs. Georgia Tech (2017): After Tennessee had erased a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the Yellow Jackets attempted a 36-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining in regulation. With the game tied at 28, it was either a Tennessee loss, or the game was going to overtime. Walk-on, Paul Bain rose to the occasion and got a hand on the ball, allowing Vol fans to breath a sigh of relief. Then, in the second overtime period, the Yellow Jackets scored a touchdown to pull within a point of the Vols and opted to go for the 2-point try. After battling the annoying triple option offense all night, Darrell Taylor hammered the Georgia Tech quarterback, who may have been sacked, but tossed the ball to a receiver and it hit the ground. This was the greatest goal line stop I can ever remember, and it got Tennessee to a 1-0 start to the season.
7. Marquez North's one-handed catch vs. South Carolina (2013): While trailing 21-20, the Vols were facing a 3rd-and-10 with under 3 minutes left in the game and no timeouts. Justin Worley heaved the ball to receiver, Marquez North, who pinned the ball on his shoulder pad with his left hand for a gain of 39 yards, while also being interfered with by his defender, but no call was made. Not only was this an incredible catch, but it came at such a key moment in the game. It set the Vols up at the South Carolina 26-yard line with 2:30 left in the fourth quarter.
8. Josh Dobbs' 67-yard touchdown pass to Josh Malone vs. Appalachian State (2016): Looking back through Tennessee's highlights from the past few years, Dobbs connected with Malone for deep touchdowns on several occasions. This one seemed much more important, though. In a Thursday night game in which No. 9 Tennessee was receiving hype from everyone, they were trailing 13-6 with less than 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Vols certainly didn't want to join Michigan, who lost to Appalachian State, in the history books for one of the biggest upsets ever, so Dobbs launched a bomb to Malone. After catching it, his defender fell down, so he easily strolled into the end zone. I was yelling so much during this play, which is probably why I had no voice the next day, but I'll take a win however I can get it.
9. 97-yard pick-6 by Daniel Bituli @ Alabama (2017): Even though there was basically no hope of winning this game, down 28-0 in the third quarter, Daniel Bituli was spying the Alabama quarterback, and did not even have to move his feet to intercept the pass. He chugged along down the sideline, at pretty good speed for a linebacker, and eventually found the end zone, before his teammate, Rashaan Gaulden gave the Alabama fans the infamous double-bird salute.
10. Sequence of takeaways vs. Western Kentucky (2013): This sequence of events was nearly an indescribable feeling. I was watching this game on t.v. and I could not believe that it was happening. The Vols' defense forced 5 turnovers in a span of 6 plays. It started with Justin Coleman's 23-yard pick-6, after the ball was batted in the air by a Western Kentucky (WKU) receiver. After a 3-yard run in which the Hilltoppers miraculously did not lose possession of the ball, they managed to turn it over on the next 4 plays. Cam Sutton stepped in front of a pass, strolling into the end zone for a 36-yard pick-6. Then, Dontavis Sapp stripped a running back of the ball and recovered the fumble himself at the WKU 28-yard line. Brent Brewer forced the next fumble, in which Max Arnold scooped up and returned to the WKU 12-yard line. Finally, Brent Brewer got himself an interception at the WKU 22-yard line, and yes, this was all in the first quarter.
11. Evan Berry's 100-yard pick-6 vs. Northwestern (2016): With just 20 seconds remaining in the game and trailing 38-6, I'm sure Northwestern was thinking, "Well, it can't get any worse than this." So they passed the ball in the red zone and well, let's just say things got a lot worse for them. The ball deflected off of Colton Jumper's hand, and Evan Berry caught it at the goal line. With many of the Northwestern receivers already behind him and 5 of the 11 Wildcats on the field being offensive linemen, this was like a kickoff return for him, except much easier. The reason this play is ranked 11 is because the game was well out of hand, but don't get me wrong, it was still just as exciting as if it had happened in the first quarter, because domination is fun!
12. Jalen Hurd's fumble recovery in the end zone vs. Appalachian State (2016): It is rare for a fumble recovery to be this high on a list of top plays, but honestly, if Appalachian State had recovered this fumble, they would have had a great chance of winning, even with their bad field goal kicker. On a 3rd-and-goal play, Josh Dobbs leaped in attempt to stretch across the goal line, but a defender jarred the ball loose with a hard hit, and Hurd leaped on it just before a pile of players formed on top of him. His speedy reaction potentially saved the Vols from an embarrassing loss.
13. Corey Vereen's fumble recovery in the end zone @ Georgia (2016): Georgia quarterback, Jacob Eason made the mistake of pump-faking the pass while defenders were swarming around him. The ball was knocked out of his hands, and defensive end, Corey Vereen fell on it, giving the Vols a 28-24 lead and all of the momentum.
14. Josh Dobbs' 70-yard touchdown run vs. Missouri (2016): On a 3rd-and-1 play in the fourth quarter against Missouri, Dobbs used play action to freeze the defense, juked out one man, and it was off to the races from there. One defender made a last gasp effort to stop him, but he just pushed him across the goal line. Dobbs showed his lighting speed on this play, and it was even faster than I thought he could run.
15. Jonathan Kongbo's 59-yard pick-6 vs. Missouri (2016): Late in the fourth quarter of this game, Missouri quarterback, Drew Lock, attempted to dump the ball off to a running back, but Kongbo was right there to easily snatch the ball. I don't think anyone wanted to try to stop him from there, as he barreled toward the checkerboards.
16. Jalen Hurd trucks a Georgia defender (2015): I was in attendance for this play, and I was absolutely shocked at what I witnessed. It was a 3rd-and-9 situation, and even though the line of scrimmage was at the Georgia 15-yard line, Hurd received the pass near the 21-yard line, because Dobbs was under immense pressure. There were 3 defenders pursuing Hurd as he caught it and he eluded all of them, with minimal help from one offensive lineman attempting to block. He juked out one more defender, broke another defender's ankles, before absolutely DESTROYING a defender who fell flat on his back after being trucked in the most brutal fashion I have ever seen. I could re-watch this play hundreds of times, and quite frankly I probably have.
17. Back-to-back sacks in overtime @ South Carolina (2014): After a memorable, unlikely comeback sent the game to overtime, Curt Maggitt came up with a sack on 1st-and-10 in overtime. Then, on the very next play, Derrk Barnett came up with a sack of his own, forcing the Gamecocks into a 3rd-and 25 hole.
18. Trevor Daniel punting the best punt in the history of football vs. Georgia (2015): With the ball on the Vols' own 44-yard line, they were forced to punt with 2 minutes left and a 38-31 lead. I say with 100% confidence that there will never be a better punt than this one on any level of football. Daniel boomed the punt, which first bounced at the 6-yard line, and went out as close to the pylon as possible, without touching it. This backed Georgia up, and they would have to go over 99 yards to even tie the game, which they failed to do. I have never been more excited after my team has been forced to punt, but all I could say was, "Wow!"
19. Nigel Warrior's 70-yard pick-6 @ Missouri (2017): In a season with relatively few highlights, Nigel Warrior showed promise for the future, as he intercepted Drew Lock, navigated his way across the field and dove for the pylon, tying the game at 7 in the first quarter.
20. Malik Foreman punches the ball out near the goal line @ Texas A&M (2016): As the Vols were trying to execute a comeback, it appeared as though the Aggies would have a 73-yard rushing touchdown to ice the game. Instead, defensive back, Malik Foreman dove and punched the ball out of the running back's hand. It bounced out of the end zone, and Tennessee received the ball due to the touchback. When the players slap the sign that reads, "I Will Give My All For Tennessee Today!" these are the types of plays that it is talking about. While some players would have called it quits and moped to the sideline, Foreman gave the team a chance to win in overtime with his tremendous hustle.
21. Josh Malone's 75-yard touchdown catch @ Kentucky (2015): With defenders closing in, Josh Dobbs stepped up in the pocket and launched a rocket that traveled about 55 yards in the air, before Josh Malone scampered into the end zone to complete the long scoring play.
22. Cordarrelle Patterson 67-yard touchdown run vs. NC State (2012): In his first career game with the Vols, Patterson put on a show, both as a receiver and a runner. On this play, he received the hand-off from Tyler Bray and decisively cut up the field, like he had been blasted out of a cannon. This was one of the first plays in which I new that he had special talent. His speed is absolutely incredible.
23. Marquez North's first career touchdown catch vs. Georgia (2013): While trailing 17-3 to No. 6 Georgia with just over 7 minutes remaining in the third quarter, Tennessee faced a pivotal 3rd-and-10 from just inside the redzone, at the 19-yard line. Justin Worley fired a pass to Marquez North, who fully extended and had to drag his toes at the front of the end zone to haul in his first career touchdown. It was an amazing catch that brought the Vols to within 7 points of the Bulldogs.
24. Josh Dobbs' rushing touchdown at the end of first half @ Georgia (2016): This dramatic 3rd-and-goal play from the 4-yard line took a total of 14 seconds, but Dobbs was not going to be stopped anywhere short of the goal line. At first, he was flushed to his right, going all the way back to the 16-yard line, then cut back left, went airborne and got hit by a defender, crashing into some band members on the sideline. Most importantly, he broke the plain and silenced a raucous Georgia crowd with 12 seconds left before halftime.
25. Josh Dobbs' 51-yard flea flicker touchdown pass to Josh Malone vs. Kentucky (2016): In the third quarter of this high-scoring affair, Dobbs handed the ball to John Kelly, who then tossed it back to Dobbs, before he found Malone deep down the field. Malone avoided a defender who tried to cut off the pass and he sprinted to the checkerboards.
26. Josh Dobbs' 45-yard touchdown run vs. Kentucky (2016): By using play action with Alvin Kamara, Dobbs kept the Wildcats' defense off-balance, before he sprinted down the field. While one defender had a great angle on Dobbs, he fell off of Dobbs' back while attempting to tackle him near the goal line.
27. Ethan Wolf's 20-yard touchdown catch vs. Florida (2016): Late in the third quarter of this thrilling comeback victory, Dobbs stood tall in the pocket, embraced a hit as he released the pass, and Wolf stretched out to make an incredible over-the-shoulder catch.
28. Jalen Hurd's touchdown catch @ South Carolina (2014): In what would be a comeback for the ages, from Tennessee's perspective, it all started with the Vols trailing by 14 points with under 7 minutes remaining. It was 4th-and-6 from the South Carolina 21-yard line. Josh Dobbs dropped back with a defender in his face, so he dumped the ball off to Jalen Hurd, who used a spin move to elude a defender and pick up the first down, but he wanted more. A juke move sent him racing across the goal line, to the excitement of Vol fans. I was just praying we would get the 6 yards, but Hurd got us 6 points.
29. Marquez Callaway's 50-yard touchdown catch vs. Georgia Tech (2017): Down by 14 early in the fourth quarter, Callaway ran a quick slant route, before cutting to his outside and outrunning a total of 4 defenders, with no blocking, on his way to the end zone.
30. Alex Ellis' touchdown reception on fake field goal vs. Missouri (2014): Aaron Medley line up for the field goal attempt, but holder and backup quarterback, Patrick Ashford, received the snap and threw the ball over the Tigers' defense, resulting in a 31-yard touchdown catch for Alex Ellis, the first of his Tennessee career.
31. Jauan Jennings' pass to Josh Dobbs for a 58-yard touchdown @ Florida (2015): As a former quarterback, nobody doubted the throwing ability of Jennings, but this trick play was still impressive. The play was a double-pass, as Dobbs heaved the ball behind the line of scrimmage to Jennings, who attracted the defense to that side of the field, before tossing it back over to Dobbs, who ran down the sidelines to score a lengthy touchdown and tie the game in the first quarter.
32. Josh Dobbs' 59-yard touchdown pass to Josh Malone vs. Nebraska (2016): This Music City Bowl was the final collegiate game for both of these outstanding athletes. As for the play itself, the deep pass was hauled in and Malone avoided being tripped by a defender. Also, this gave Tennessee a 14-point lead with under 9 minutes left to play.
33. Kamara jukes defender for a 10-yard touchdown run vs. Bowling Green (2015): Towards the middle of the first quarter in this season-opening matchup, Kamara made a very nice play to find himself in the end zone for the first time as a Vol. Kamara received the hand-off and he stopped and slid near the 7-yard line, but stayed upright by putting his right hand on the ground. He was then able to scamper into the end zone after shedding his defender. This was his first game with Tennessee, and this play epitomized his overall play that fans would witness in the future.
34. Todd Kelly Jr.'s sideline interception @ Vanderbilt (2014): This was a sensational play made by TKJ. While watching the play in anything but slow motion, it appears that there is no way that he caught the ball inbounds. Thankfully, there is instant replay. The ball bounced off the hands of a Vanderbilt receiver, and Kelly Jr. never gave up on what looked like a sure incompletion. He sprinted to the sidelines, kept his left foot in bounds while his right leg was in the air out-of-bounds, twisted his body around and came up with an outstanding grab. This play was huge because it led to a scoring drive for Tennessee, giving them a 14-point lead. They would go on to win the game by 7 points and become bowl eligible for the first time since 2010.
35. Josh Dobbs' 36-yard touchdown run @ South Carolina (2014): While facing a 4th-and-3 with 17 seconds remaining in the first half, Tennessee was looking to just get into better field goal range before the half expired. As always, Dobbs had better plans. He ran right through the middle of the South Carolina defense, and used his deceptive speed to put 6 more points on the board for the Vols.
36. Marlin Lane's 49-yard touchdown pass to Vic Wharton vs. Iowa (2015): In the TaxSlayer Bowl, Josh Dobbs passed the ball to Lane, who stood well behind the line of scrimmage. Marlin then fluttered a nice pass to receiver, Vic Wharton, who darted into the end zone.
37. Alvin Kamara's 21-yard touchdown catch @ Vanderbilt (2016): This play was one of the marquee plays from Kamara's 2-year Tennessee career. While it will go down as a reception, this play was all running by Kamara. With the ball on the Vanderbilt 21-yard line, Kamara caught the ball behind the line of scrimmage, and broke about 6 tackles on his way to a touchdown. I was amazed each time he escaped a defender. I kept thinking that he was about to go down, but as he showed Vol fans on many occasions, he doesn't get tackled very easily.
38. Marquez Callaway's one-handed touchdown catch vs. Vanderbilt (2017): This was just a 2-yard scoring play, but it was an outstanding grab by Callaway. He fended off his defender and went up to grab the ball solely with his right hand. This play is one that gets Vols fans excited about what he will do in 2018.
39. Evan Berry's 88-yard kickoff return touchdown vs. Western Carolina (2015): In my opinion, this was Berry's best return of his Tennessee career. He caught the short kick at the 12-yard line, and quickly became surrounded by several defenders at the 35-yard line. He bounced off of Western Carolina players, and then emerged from the large group of players by back pedaling. Nobody expected him to get through all of the traffic, so it was shocking to see him sprint to the checkerboards.
40. Derek Barnett's interception vs. Alabama (2016): Alabama was nearing the goal line, at the 12-yard line, and held a 14-point lead with under 2 minutes left before halftime. While faking a pitch, Alabama's quarterback, Jalen Hurts, stumbled and eventually through the ball from the 23-yard line. The ball was batted in the air by Shy Tuttle, and caught by Derek Barnett. Barnett fought for as many yards as he could get, but was eventually wrestled to the ground at Tennessee's 32-yard line.
