There was no stopping the orange mass of humanity that instantly gravitated towards the goal posts as they poured over the walls at Neyland Stadium.
Florida players desperately navigated their way to the visiting locker room while Tennessee's lingered, joining in on the celebration that would last well into the night and be talked about for years to come.
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It was only moments after Collins Cooper's game-tying field goal in overtime sailed wide left and ended six years of misery for the Vols that thousands of fans emptied on to the turf and toppled the goalposts like revolutionaries celebrating the end of a tyrant's reign.
That tyrant was Steve Spurrier, the Florida head coach that won the previous five SEC Championships, thumping Tennessee on the way each time and taking verbal shots to rub salt into the wounds.
On this night, the Vols flipped the script, beginning their own path to Atlanta and the inaugural BCS National Championship Game against Florida State nearly four months later.
Tennessee fans triumphantly marched out of the stadium, parading the goalposts with a CBS camera still attached to it before tossing their spoils of victory into the Tennessee River.
For more than two decades, memorable Tennessee wins—and losses—have aired on CBS. The intro theme that proceeds an overhead shot of a stadium filled to capacity is longed for by SEC fans in the doldrums of summer. In the fall, it can invoke anxiety.
On Saturday, it will be heard for the last time before a Tennessee game as the Vols look to make one more SEC on CBS memory against No. 1 Georgia at Neyland Stadium at 3:30 p.m. ET.
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Beginning in 2024, SEC football games will air exclusively on ESPN and ABC networks, marking the end of a 27-year run of the league's marquee games being played on CBS.
Tennessee has played 85 games on the network since the SEC on CBS package began in 1996, compiling a 37-48 overall record and a plethora of memories. Some of the program's biggest wins have been chronicled by CBS, but it's hard to rank the most memorable.
Tennessee's 20-17 overtime triumph to snap its losing streak to Florida and kickstart its national championship run in 1998 would have to be up there. In fact, that win might have topped most lists before the 2022 Alabama game.
The Vols didn't just end another streak—a 52-49 victory that included a clutch catch from Bru McCoy with one second left and Chase McGrath's walk off 40-yard field goal as time expired—It signaled Tennessee's return to the national stage after decades of dormancy.
Like the Florida game 24 years earlier, pandemonium ensued as McGrath's kick cleared the cross bar by inches. Fans stormed the field and the goal posts were toppled on both ends of the field. A new generation of Tennessee students made the ceremonial trek down Cumberland Ave. with much of the posts in hand before sending it final resting place at the bottom of the river. No CBS cameras were harmed this time.
CBS had the rights to what was the biggest regular season game for at least six years between Tennessee and Florida.
The game typically decided the SEC Eastern Division three weeks into the regular season and though the Vols didn't best Spurrier's Gators' teams often, it made for must-see TV when they did.
After beating Florida in 1998, Tennessee lost the next two vs. the Gators, including on a controversial touchdown call at Neyland Stadium in 2000. One year later, the typical September clash was postponed due to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and played on Dec. 1 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.
Florida was ranked No. 2 and favored by 17.5 points vs. No. 5 Tennessee. The winner went to Atlanta and had a path to the national championship game.
Travis Stephens rushed for 226 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries and the Vols upset the Gators, 34-32 to hand head coach Phillip Fulmer his first win in the seemingly impenetrable Swamp.
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Tennessee didn't always play the role of spoiler, though. Sometimes, the Vols were Goliath.
Tennessee's national title hopes were very nearly shattered on a cold, rainy afternoon in Knoxville against Arkansas on Nov. 14, 1998. The No. 10 Razorbacks were less than two minutes away from knocking off top-ranked and unbeaten Tennessee before Arkansas quarterback Clint Stoerner tripped and laid the ball on the turf at the 49-yard line.
In a matter of seconds, Tennessee's dream season was back on course and the play that kept it going was immortalized by CBS play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough's call: "He stumbled and fumbled!"
Billy Ratliff recovered and four plays later, from the 1-yard line, Travis Henry leapt over the Arkansas defense for the go-ahead touchdown to secure a 28-24 win.
In 2016, Tennessee entered the season ranked No. 9 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll and shed the Florida curse early, erasing an 11-year losing streak with a 38-28 comeback win over the Gators on Sept. 24 that was the SEC on CBS Game of the Week.
But it was the Vols' game against No. 25 Georgia at Sanford Stadium in Athens the following week that provided perhaps one of the most iconic plays in program history.
Tennessee nearly won--and lost--twice in the last three minutes, claiming its first lead on Derek Barnett's strip sack of Jacob Eason in the end zone with two minutes, 56 seconds left. Eason struck back with a 47-yard touchdown pass to Riley Ridley with 10 seconds on the clock.
Georgia's celebration proved too costly, though. A 15-yard penalty gave Tennessee a shorter field, giving Josh Dobbs more than enough room for one final heave. It was caught by Jauan Jennings among a sea of red jerseys and the Vols won 34-31.
Verne Lundquist, the legendary CBS play-by-play announcer who was in his final season before retirement summed up the moment.
"I've said previously that sometimes, words are superfluous," Lundquist said. "This is one of those times."
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Like so many SEC on CBS appearances before, Tennessee can create a little chaos on Saturday.
The Vols' division goals are off the table following their loss at Missouri last week, but they've won 14-straight games on their home turf and two-time defending national champion Georgia, which looks good enough for a third is riding the nation's longest win streak at 27 games.
If past history is any indication, Tennessee's final act on CBS' primetime stage has the potential to be momentous.
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