There wasn't much talk radio in 1985. If Al Gore had already invented the Internet he hadn't gotten around to chat rooms yet.

Thus, 20 years ago this week Tennessee football fans had little forum to vent their impatience.

A week after thumping No. 1 Auburn and getting on the cover of Sports Illustrated, how embarrassing to have to recover an onside kick to hold off Wake Forest, 31-29.

No, there wasn't sufficient evidence on Oct. 7, 1985, to predict that the '85 Vols would earn a special niche in UT gridiron lore.

Looking back, there was the lackluster win over an ACC doormat. Coming up would be a loss at Florida.

But we all remember how the story played out.

"If you're going to be a good team,'' said Dale Jones, "you build as the season goes on.

"I've never been around a team that got better like that one did.''

That team got so good it is being honored tonight, two decades later, with a gala celebration at the Tennessee Theatre.

Saturday, it will be recognized at Neyland Stadium, no doubt to a prolonged ovation.

Jones, a linebacker from Cleveland, Tenn., remains one of the favorite players on one of the program's favorite teams.

The '85 Vols generated a tsunami of momentum that carried them to UT's first SEC title since 1969, a 9-1-2 record and the climactic 35-7 rout of No. 2 Miami in the Sugar Bowl, which merited a No. 4 final ranking.

And they did it despite losing gifted quarterback Tony Robinson to a season-ending injury in a 16-14 win over Alabama on Oct. 19.

"It was very special, partly because it was so unexpected,'' said Randy Sanders.

Sanders, UT's offensive coordinator, was a freshman quarterback in '85. His contribution was holding for kicker Carlos Reveiz.

Phillip Fulmer, UT's head coach since 1993, was the offensive line coach on Johnny Majors' staff. The former Vol guard (1968-71) had returned in 1980.

"From having played here,'' Fulmer said, "we won a lot of football games and won some big games, and that's the way I perceived Tennessee.

"When I came back I was shocked at the (deteriorated) level of ability that was here in '80 and '81. By '85 we had built it back to where we could compete with anybody.''

Which, with a few notable exceptions, is more or less where the Vols have remained.

Are there parallels between the '85 Vols and the '05 Vols? A few.

After Robinson was injured, the Vols turned to inexperienced senior Daryl Dickey. Dickey's modest athletic skills were overshadowed by his mental preparation and toughness.

He set a record for passing accuracy that still stands and was MVP of the Sugar Bowl.

Dickey, who is quarterbacks coach at Florida State, characterizes the post-Robinson '85 offense thusly:

"We weren't real explosive, but we were methodical and didn't do things to beat ourselves.''

Ring a bell?

The '05 Vols have come to depend on Rick Clausen, a senior with modest physical skills but plenty of smarts and toughness.

"That's a very good comparison,'' Fulmer said. "Both of 'em are like having coaches on the field.''

Another thing on the field the '85 Vols had in common with the 2005 edition is a terrific defense.

The '85 guys waylaid 1985 Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson early and 1986 Heisman winner Vinnie Testaverde late.

They led the nation in forced turnovers and allowed only three offensive touchdowns in the final seven games.

The maestro, coordinator Ken Donahue, appeared to outsiders an absent-minded professor but he orchestrated a symphony in the twilight of a great career spent primarily at Alabama.

"He believed practice doesn't make perfect,'' recalled cornerback Terry Brown, "perfect practice makes perfect.''

Elsewhere on the depth chart, the 2005 Vols would be well served if their offensive line is someday compared to the '85 line. So far, that's wishing thinking.

"I hate to toot my own horn,'' said Bruce Wilkerson, a 12-year NFL veteran, "but I think we had one of the best lines that's ever been over there.''

Collectively, the '85 Vols had one of the best seasons that's ever been over there.

They began it unranked and didn't crack the top 10 until the final week of the regular season.

They played four top-10 teams, going 2-1-1, and also beat 15th-ranked Alabama.

The 2005 Vols opened at No. 3 in the polls. Locally, expectations were even higher. They play their third top-10 foe Saturday with a fourth, Alabama, looming next week.

This team's destiny is still to be determined. But it's unlikely to be honored with a gala celebration in 2025.

What the '85 Vols accomplished was regarded as near-miraculous. If the '05 Vols win the SEC, win the Sugar Bowl and finish No. 4 it will be regarded as taking care of business, nothing more.

In the 10 years leading up to the "Sugar Vols" season, Tennessee went 64-49-3, with a best mark of 9-3.

In the 10 years leading up to 2005, UT went 101-25. A 9-3 season is regarded as evidence Fulmer isn't earning his paycheck.

That's where the bar is placed these days. And that's the defining difference between then and now.