Top 5 College Football Games I’ve Attended- #1
By Tucker Harlin
Ahead of the 2024 football season, I have been to 75 college football games over the last 18 seasons. I will be adding at least seven more to that tally this fall.
Of course, a vast majority of that 75 is Tennessee, and a good chunk of the last 20 years for the Vols has been rough sledding.
Given that fact, my selection of Tennessee games for this list was pretty easy.
These are in ascending order, broken up by game, with an honorable mention.
This is my favorite college football game I’ve attended.
#1: ALABAMA @ TENNESSEE, 2022- Vols 52 Crimson Tide 49
This was the only option for the best game I’ve ever been to, standing feet above the other five I’ve included on this list.
The energy on campus in the week leading up to this game was something I’ve never remembered feeling before a Tennessee game in my lifetime. Additionally, Tennessee’s hatred of former linebacker Henry To’o To’o joining the Tide after Jeremy Pruitt’s departure was more fuel for an already raging fire.
Two weeks after its survival against Florida, Tennessee unleashed hell in a place called Death Valley, jumping all over a good LSU team in a 40-13 blowout.
The Vols were 5-0 heading into the third Saturday of October, and so was Alabama.
The Crimson Tide had played four power conference opponents but struggled mightily with a couple of them.
Texas had lost quarterback Quinn Ewers to a shoulder injury in the first half of Alabama’s second game of the season, but the Tide’s offense was unable to produce at a high level in the 20-19 survival.
The Tide had lost reigning Heisman quarterback Bryce Young in its 49-26 win at Arkansas, so backup Jalen Milroe finished the game with a productive output.
That was not the case in Alabama’s win against Texas A&M the next week. It was a turnover fest for Milroe against a pretty bad Aggies team, and the Tide held it off in a goal line stand in the final seconds to close out the 24-20 win.
Young played for Alabama on the third Saturday of October, something it desperately needed with the environment it was about to walk into.
The Vols played some of their best football of the season in the first half.
Alabama was forced to punt on the game’s opening possession and Tennessee capitalized, scoring on a Jabari Small rush touchdown to take an early lead.
Young’s wizardry was on display on the next drive as he found receivers Jacorey Brooks and Isaiah Bond in a pair of tense situations to put the Tide in the red zone. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs bounced outside for the eight yard score to tie the game.
Tennessee got a few nice breaks on the next possession, and Hendon Hooker found receiver Jalin Hyatt ahead of the Bama secondary for a 36-yard score.
After a horrific Alabama possession, the Vols started at the Tide’s 35. Four plays in, Hooker found Hyatt again on a screen and Hyatt did the rest.
The Tide followed this with a long drive of its own, but it was unable to get past the Tennessee 2. It settled for a field goal to cut the deficit to 11.
The Vols were forced into a three and out, and Paxton Brooks’ punt was pretty ugly. However, Alabama linebacker Quandarrius Robinson decided to touch the ball, and the Vols jumped on it.
Hooker found Ramel Keyton downfield on first down, who then stuttered his way to the Alabama 9. Two plays later, tight end Princeton Fant lined up as a fullback bounced off Bama defenders for another touchdown.
Now down 28-10, the Tide was in desperate need of a score. It marched down the field for nearly five minutes, and Young shuffled left to find Jacorey Brooks in the back of the end zone for a touchdown.
Tennessee’s offense turned the ball over on downs, opening the door for Alabama to cut the lead to four. Instead, it forced Will Reichard to kick a 43-yard field goal and led 28-20 at the break.
The Vols got the ball to start the second half but once again turned it over on downs. Alabama only needed three plays to capitalize.
On 2nd and 13, receiver Jermaine Burton made Young look good by extending his hands over the back of Vols corner Christian Charles for 36 yards. Jahmyr Gibbs with a juke and straight line sprint to the end zone for 26 yards. The Tide’s two-point conversion was good and the game was tied.
But Tennessee had an answer.
Three plays into the drive, Hooker and Hyatt connected for a third time for a 60-yard touchdown on a deep route. Chase McGrath’s extra point was no good, so the Vols led 34-28.
Alabama struck back with another long, methodical drive of its own. Gibbs capped it off with a two yard rush touchdown and the Tide made its extra point, taking its first lead of the game.
Hooker would be picked off for the first time all season on the next possession, but the Vols defense would get off the field after just five plays.
It only took three plays for the Vols to find the end zone again.
If you guessed Jalin Hyatt scored for a fourth time, you’d be correct. Hooker found Hyatt outrunning Bama defenders 28 yards downfield, and he immediately put on the burners for the last 50 yards. Newfound fullback Fant took a shovel pass in for a two-point conversion.
Bama countered with another methodical scoring drive. This one was highlighted by long pass plays to Gibbs and receiver JoJo Earle. Young finished the drive off with a one yard touchdown pass to tight end Cam Latu.
Disaster struck on the next possession for the Vols. Three plays in, Hooker and Small botched a handoff and linebacker Dallas Turner returned the 11-yard scoop and score.
Now trailing by seven in the middle of the fourth quarter, it felt like Tennessee had lost quite a bit of momentum.
The Vols drove down to the Alabama 28 where they faced a 4th and 5. Hooker’s pass was intended for Fant but was intercepted and returned 82 yards by defensive back Kool-Aid McKinstry.
But what felt like a backbreaking play for the Vols turned into a 15-yard gain thanks to a pass interference penalty. Hooker found, you guessed it, Jalin Hyatt for the 13-yard touchdown pass on the very next play.
Hyatt finished the day with six catches, 207 receiving yards, and five touchdowns.
Alabama got the ball back and chiseled the clock so that it could set up a game winning field goal with just seconds left. The Tide trotted out kicker Will Reichard to extend Alabama’s win streak to 16 with a 50-yard attempt on the line.
Reichard’s kick started on a straight trajectory, but then it began to drift right and away from the goal post. The ball made a last effort to hook back and through the uprights, but it was too late.
The game’s fate was now in Tennessee’s hands with 15 seconds left.
Hooker found Keyton for 18 yards to get the Vols to midfield with 10 seconds on the clock. Moving with a purpose, the Vols snapped the ball and Hooker found McCoy for a contested catch at the Alabama 23.
The Vols called timeout and trotted Chase McGrath out for an attempt for a 40-yard game winning attempt.
The kick was one of the ugliest I have ever seen, and I doubt I’ll ever see one that ugly again.
But somehow, some way, that wobbly kick had enough juice to clear the uprights and snap the Vols’ losing streak to the Tide.
Tennessee fans rushed the field, lit their cigars, and tore down the goal posts as a long wait had finally come to an end.
The sense of elation was something that lasted well into the next week in Knoxville, a mental hangover that no amount of drinking could ever produce.
Alabama encountered another bump in the road three weeks later that eliminated it from playoff contention. The same LSU team that Tennessee destroyed in Baton Rouge scored a two-point conversion to take down the Tide in overtime.
The Vols would encounter a pair of bumps in November, but they took down Clemson in emphatic fashion in the Orange Bowl to finish the season with 11 wins.
