Can Tennessee football repeat its 2003 feat with wins in Florida and Alabama? | Strange

When I engage in discussions as to the most memorable, captivating University of Tennessee football seasons, the 2003 campaign doesn’t come up often, if at all. Maybe because we recall a 41-14 thumping by Georgia in Neyland Stadium that ultimately prevented the Vols from making it to Atlanta for the SEC championship game. Maybe because the season did end in a trip to Atlanta – a second consecutive uninspired Peach Bowl loss, this one to Clemson. But that 2003 team did accomplish something – two things, actually – that no Vol squad has managed to achieve over the past two decades. And that something is being tossed out as a possibility in 2023. The ’03 Vols won at Florida and at Alabama. They also threw in, among their 10 wins, a resonating 10-6 upset over No. 6 Miami in the old Orange Bowl Stadium. Still, in those days, 10-3 was no cause for a parade. Tennessee’s SEC schedule rotation has, since 1991, paired Florida and Alabama as road opponents in odd-numbered years. That could change in 2025 with a presumed nine-game, division-less schedule. So 2023 might be the last chance to pull off the double road W against UT’s two traditional roadblocks. The Vols play in Gainesville on Sept. 16 and in Tuscaloosa on Oct. 21. As for history, it’s not that Vols haven’t won at Florida and Alabama the same year since 2003. They haven’t won at either place since 2003. Not once. That’s 0-9 in The Swamp and 0-9 in Bryant-Denny. The wins at Florida and Alabama in ’03 didn’t seem earthshaking at the time. Tennessee had, after all, won at both fields in 2001 en route to the SEC championship game. The ’01 Vols won 35-24 in Tuscaloosa and then 34-32 in Gainesville on Dec. 1 to cap the regular season. In 2003, Tennessee arrived in Gainesville ranked No. 12 after warmup wins over Fresno and Marshall. Senior quarterback Casey Clausen boasted a perfect career road record as a starter. He still had it after the 24-10 victory. The ESPN Top Plays moment was Clausen’s 48-yard Hail Mary pass that ricocheted to James Banks for a touchdown to end the first half. That made it 7-3, Vols. Jabari Davis tacked on two TD runs in the second half and Clausen ended up leading the UT band in another verse of “Rocky Top.’’ The Gators, in Ron Zook’s second season, would finish 8-5. The win, followed by another against South Carolina, boosted UT to No. 7. But the Vols lost at Auburn – Clausen’s only road loss – then came the beatdown by Georgia in Knoxville. Tennessee had fallen to No. 22 by the time the bus pulled up to Bryant-Denny on Oct. 25. The fans and a CBS audience, however, got their money’s worth that day. And then some. The Vols prevailed in five overtimes, 51-43. Clausen was heroic and he had plenty of teammates to share the spotlight. Banks, Jabari Greer, C.J. Fayton and Jason Allen come to mind. Here’s some context: The marathon was Tennessee’s fifth straight win at Alabama – two in Birmingham and the first three after the game went to Tuscaloosa. The Tide was at low ebb in 2003. Mike Shula was a hurried hire after Mike Price was fired in May, never having coached a game. Alabama finished 4-9. It’ll be a slightly different scenario when Tennessee rolls into Tuscaloosa this fall.