Tennessee football: 5 best seasons in program history
By Ethan Lee
No. 2: Tennessee football goes undefeated in 1938, wins national title
1938 happens to be one of just a handful of unblemished seasons in UT’s history. The Vols didn’t lose a single game (and they weren’t involved in any ties either) as head coach Robert Neyland guided them to a perfect 11-0 year capped off with a shutout Orange Bowl victory over Oklahoma.
A 26-3 win over Sewanee (who was in the Southeastern Conference at the time) and a 20-7 win over Clemson got the Vols started off strong. Tennessee followed those two clear victories up with shutout victories over Alabama (who ended the year as the second-best team in the SEC) and Auburn.
While UT began the season unranked, but after starting the season 4-0, the Vols quickly climbed up to No. 8. After back-to-back shutout wins over Alabama and Auburn, the No. 8 Vols then added another shutout win to their resume when they defeated Citadel 44-0.
Tennessee then faced off against LSU, winning 14-6 at home, and those six points would be the last points anyone would score against the Volunteers for the rest of the season.
The Vols’ ridiculously great defense kept its next five opponents off the scoreboard. That includes a 45-0 win over Chattanooga, a 14-0 road win over Vanderbilt, a 46-0 win over Kentucky, and then a 47-0 win over Ole Miss in Memphis.
After finishing the regular season undefeated at 10-0, the No. 2 Vols accepted an invitation to the Orange Bowl, where they met up with No. 4 Oklahoma. The Vols took care of business and UT came out on top 17-0.