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Mattingly: 1973 was a season of living dangerously
Tennessee quarterback Condredge Holloway looks to escape a swarm of Georgia defenders during the Bulldogs’ 35-31 win over the Vols in 1973. The game is best remembered for a failed fake punt attempt by Tennessee that led to Georgia’s winning score.
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There are a number of "angles" to every football season, happenings adding perspective to each game. That concept was evident in 1973, as Tennessee looked to build on a 31-5 record in the decade.
For those of us who see historic parallels in nearly every aspect of play, 1973 offers a bountiful harvest.
The season started Sept. 15 against Duke under the home lights. The Blue Devils had been on the Vols' schedule between 1946 and 1956, usually the second game of the year, the games alternating between Knoxville and Durham. The Vols survived the lidlifter 21-17, thanks to some brilliant work by junior quarterback Condredge Holloway in the second half.
The next week, it was on to West Point for the first time in 50 years (and a week). That day, the Vols survived a passing barrage from quarterback Kingsley Fink, who threw for 347 yards. But the Vols unveiled rookie wideout Stanley Morgan, who caught touchdown passes covering 52 and 29 yards, winning 37-18.
Then came Auburn, in the Silver Anniversary game in the series. Auburn had bested the Vols three times in as many seasons, and all of Knoxville waited expectantly for game time to arrive.
It rained and rained some more. Tennessee led 13-0 by the time the heavens opened, and Bill Battle was content to have the Tigers handle the wet pigskin the rest of the day, often punting on first down. Auburn, having seen the kicking game turn in its favor against Alabama in 1972, failed to see the humor in the situation. The final was 21-0.
The next week, Tennessee went to Memphis to play Kansas for the first time. Team captain Eddie Brown of Guild (Marion County) made big play after big play, losing three teeth in the process. The Vols won, but it was oh-so-close, 28-27.
A week later, it was Georgia Tech, in a game with no angle, except the continuance of a great series. The Vols won 20-14, with Holloway making two big plays, just when all seemed lost. Condredge managed to turn despair into joy, by turning broken plays into an 11-yard TD pass to Bill Rudder and a 20-yard run for a TD, where he avoided Tech tacklers step after step.
Battle was later asked to describe his junior quarterback from Huntsville, Ala. His answer: "Indescribable."
The clash with Alabama at Legion Field was closer and harder-fought than the score indicated. In this usually defensive-minded series, the final was 42-21, with Alabama breaking the game wide open in the final quarter.
TCU rolled into Knoxville the next week as a first-time visitor and saw more Morgan than they expected. Stanley caught passes for 201 yards, most since Johnny Mills racked up 225 in the 1966 Kentucky game.
The critical moment of the season came late in the Homecoming Day game against Georgia. Neither team really stopped the other, but Tennessee led 31-28, with fourth-and-two facing the Big Orange at the Vol 28 with 2:27 to play.
Lost in the post-game discussion was a decisive play on third down, a one-on-one open field tackle by Georgia's Dick Conn against Haskel Stanback. If Stanbaack had gotten by, the Vols would have had a first down, and things more would have looked a little different then, and maybe in the years to come, in Big Orange Country.
A fake punt failed, Georgia took a short drive in for a score, and that was that. That decision dominated post-game discussion. Georgia won 35-31.
Two weeks later at Mississippi Memorial Stadium, the site of the famed "Jackson Massacre," the Vols squared off against Ole Miss, with results similar to the 38-0 loss four years earlier. It was one of those games that appeared much worse than the final tally of 28-18.
Tennessee and Kentucky played next at the brand-new Commonwealth Stadium, instead of Stoll Field. Tennessee got ahead, but Kentucky rallied at the end, missing a field goal in the final seconds. The Vols won 16-14.
Vanderbilt spotted Tennessee a 14-0 lead in the season finale, finally tied the game at 17-17, and handed the Vols a gift when punter Barry Burton tried to run on fourth down at the Vandy 24. Ricky Townsend, the barefoot kicker and All-America selection that year, booted the game-winner.
The Gator Bowl game against Texas Tech, another "first" meeting for the Vols, saw the Red Raiders get ahead 14-3. The Vols closed to 21-19, but Tech scored one more time and hung on for the win, 28-19.
It was not only a year of living dangerously; it was a year that caused joy and heartbreak in nearly equal doses. The "angles" were there, and offer fans a look at a season that finished 8-4, but could have been much better.
Or much worse.
Tom Mattingly not only penned "The Tennessee Football Vault: The Story of the Tennessee Volunteers, 1891-2006" (2006), to be published in second edition in 2009, but "Tennessee Football: The Peyton Manning Years" (1998) as well. His current project is a biography of Ace Miller of Knoxville Golden Gloves fame. He may be reached at tjmshm@comcast.net. His News Sentinel blog is called "The Vol Historian."
© 2008, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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Posted by General_Watermelon on July 12, 2008 at 2:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I can remember them all. Love these old articles.
Brings back some great Vol memories.
Posted by RockyMountainVol on July 12, 2008 at 3:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Oh, Lawdie... I thought the nightmares had gone away for good.
1973, my freshman year at UT.
Bear Bryant outcoaching Battle from the get go. First play of the game for Bama: a short FB dive into the line. Next play: an 81 yd no-huddle TD bomb to Ozzie Newsome. The Orange defense was looking to the sidelines, figuring out what defense they wanted on second-and-long, while Newsome blew past the defensive huddle.
"Punt, Battle, Punt" at Homecoming vs. Georgia.
Battle shoulda moved on to selling used cars sooner than he did.
Posted by Volfan1 on July 12, 2008 at 4:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We were tied with Bama after 3 quarters 21-21. I believe Bama's depth won out in the fourth. We had some great players. But not enough good players like Bama did.
I was at the Georgia game and saw a GREAT punt return for a TD by Eddie Brown. The "wall" was set up down the press box side toward the horseshoe (that's how old it was). Eddie took off on a thing of beauty....that was destroyed and forgotten by Battle's bonehead call.
Posted by Bigger_Al on July 12, 2008 at 6:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I remember listening to John Ward's call in the "sheets of rain" game against Auburn...
Posted by murrayvol on July 12, 2008 at 6:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If I live to be a hundred, I'll never get the fake punt on 4th down. And then there's Bama (thanks for that tidbit RockyMt.Vol) stringing up the 3rd of what would become 11 in a row.
With all due respect General, I love "these old articles" too but some memories put a knot in my stomach and not a gleam in my eye.
Posted by bigfan502 on July 12, 2008 at 8:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The 73 season results were a warning shot over the bow that the Vols were running out of top-rated talent. It was a steady decline of talent in the next three years...that led to the hiring of Johnny Majors when it became even worse...Why? Its anyone's guess. Following the 71 Sugar bowl against the Air Force with a convincing win...the Vols would only be invited to just one (1) MAJOR bowl game ( Sugar bowl ) a win over Miami for the next twenty years. 20 years....could one imagine we could have 20 year drought of talent?
Posted by jcvet on July 12, 2008 at 9:24 p.m. (Suggest removal)
That defense in 73 was probably the worst Tn had in last 60 yrs.
Posted by richvol on July 13, 2008 at 8:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I sat in that Auburn game downpour with my buddies and laughed about how General Neyland would have loved us punting on first down.
The call for a fake punt in the Georgia game on your own 23 yard line, with the lead and time running out, was the worst call I had ever seen and ultimately cost Battle his job. The only one that has rivaled it was Fulmer's pooch kickoff, with seconds left, against Richt's first Georgia team that gave them another short field and cost us the game.
If not for Condredge we probably would have lost every game that year. As VolFan and BigFan stated our talent level was dropping off dramatically from the Dickey years.
Posted by tnvolfnly on July 13, 2008 at 8:29 a.m. (Suggest removal)
These are some of the reasons I wish I was born and raised here in Tennessee and wished I had gone to the University of Tennessee. I respect and admire the players and games. Wish I could've been there - even if I was only 5 years old. At least I finally moved here - hopefully the good ole days aren't over yet.
Posted by orangebloodgmc on July 13, 2008 at 10:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Rockymountain, I was at UT from 73-77. I don't remember very much except for Stanley Morgan being a threat to score any time he touched the ball, and I remember Eddie Brown, both returning punts and blocking them, with his teeth.
Posted by bigfan502 on July 13, 2008 at 1:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Guys, one thing stands out, when Dickey was coach of the Volunteers he really brought top notch talent to Tennessee. Why he suddenly resigned and took the job at Florida after 69 season as it turned out was disaster for the Volunteers. He had just recruited some of the finest high school players of any team in the nation. One thing about Coach Dickey, he had a knack for searching out talent. During his reign as Vol head coach, he was the only coach ever, with the exception of Gen. Neyland to beat "Bear" Bryant three years in a row. Can you imagine what Vols might have done in the next decade or so with Dickey on board as coach? The Vols back in those days had the reputation and the personable coach to recruit great players with ease. Too bad, but that's life for you in college football.
Posted by bigfan502 on July 13, 2008 at 4:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Now, some point out that once Dickey took over the reins at Florida, it was far from being in the same category as the Vols when it came to football. He found that at that point in time, Vols were famous for being one of top five programs in the nation...the Gators were further down the scale and top high school stars would usually pick Tennessee in a head-to-head recruiting battle...but not like today. Dickey delivered tough Gator teams in those days, but he became aware that Vol recruiting was easier. He could get the top players at Tennessee, but it was a tough-go with the Gators, but his teams were tough and feared at Florida.
Posted by murrayvol on July 13, 2008 at 4:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
bigfan: Good post. I believe if Dickey had it to do over again, he would say thanks but no thanks to UF. He was wading into a hornets nest replacing a popular Ray Graves and it only got worse.
He did have a knack for recruiting great players. But more important was his (and his staff's) ability to develop talent and get those players in the slots where they would be most productive.
Posted by volintexas on July 14, 2008 at 12:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
That was the first season I started going to games as a kid.
Rocky Mountain, actually it was Wayne Wheeler who caught that bomb. They also scored on a back breaking punt return for a TD courtesy of Robin Carey. Holloway played well, but there were too many big plays for the Tide that day.
I remember the lead article the day after the Georgia game was something like "What Happened to the Once Mighty Defense?" There was a lot of confusion on the fake punt play, and while he tried to wave it off, it was too late. Coach Battle was one of the finest gentlemen to ever coach on the Hill and grew very wealthy in the sports licensing business. His son Pat and I were in elementary school together at the time. The fans treated Coach Battle shamefully, capped by sending the moving van to his house. Hopefully that quissling trailer trash that pulled that stunt got what was coming to them.
The Ole Miss game was tough. If I recall correctly, they fired their coach the week or so before the game and brought Johnny Vaught down to the sidelines to coach that game. Vaught coached the Rebels to a victory, and just like the score of the Bama game was deceiving, the Ole Miss score was as well because the Rebs dominated UT that day. Ole Miss had some vexing victories over the Vols in the 70's and 80's including that game in 1983 when some redneck "fan" threw a chair at Alan Cockrell.
Still remember sitting in the old Section X for the Vandy game. It was a stretch to call those seats part of the stadium.
Neat article. Keep these coming.
Posted by txsvol on July 14, 2008 at 4:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Glad to remember the name of the bare-footed kicker for us that year. I attended the West Point game, and the people in the stands made fun of the 'no shoes kicker' from Tennessee, so, in my best Tennessee drawl, I said, "Yup, coach found him kicking cow manure over the barn, and enrolled him in a special remedial education program this semester. Watch him good, folks, 'cause the boy can't read and write! So, he won't be eligible next year." (The Yankees didn't know whether I was joking or not! Ricky, my apology is 35 years late if it offends you. Go Vols! SAVol
Posted by Volfan1 on July 14, 2008 at 9:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ricky Townshend, that barefooted kicker from Dalton, GA. He was a good athlete. In high school he was their QB, and Dalton always had a good team. (They were a rival of my high school.)
The Vols got some good ones back in the day from my "stompin' grounds" of Northeast Georgia...Bobby Scott, Jimmy Weatherford, Ricky Townshend, Steve Poole, and more.
And don't forget Rick Honeycutt in baseball, another h.s. qb.
Posted by orangebloodgmc on July 14, 2008 at 9:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I remember bare-footed Ricky tackling the kick returners, and not reluctantly. Dang.
Posted by orangebloodgmc on July 14, 2008 at 9:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
That dang should have been, daaaaaang.
Posted by spam247buster on July 15, 2008 at 4:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
RockyMtnVol-- used cars, huh? Bill Battle makes more money with his collegiate licensing business than most Div 1 A coaches make today.
Bigfan502-- '85 Sugar Bowl, '89 Cotton Bowl, '90 Sugar Bowl, and '91 Fiesta-- sounds like more than one major bowl invite to me.
Posted by threehundredbowler on July 15, 2008 at 5:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I was at the rain downpour for the Auburn game.That was the worse game condition I have ever wittnessed.Whenever the ball hit the ground it would float toward the drains on either side of the field.Had the field not been artificaf turf it truly would have been a mess.
Posted by RockyMountainVol on July 15, 2008 at 11:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I thought I remembered Battle getting into the used car business, at least at first. Not disputing he wasn't a nice guy, and he didn't deserve the moving van incident. Didn't know anything about him and the licensing business; maybe I unconsciously put him out of my mind when I graduated and Johnny Majors was hired.
Posted by TurboFan on July 16, 2008 at 8:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Rocky, I know the licensing business has been his gig of late, but I thought he went to selling insurance after leaving coaching. Pretty close to selling cars career wise.
Posted by stevefrommemphis on July 17, 2008 at 6:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Let's not forget that Tennessee, leading by two touchdowns, punted many times on FIRST DOWN in the 2nd half against Auburn in a driving rainstorm. The strategy worked, as Auburn was constantly backed up in their own territory. Desperate, I believe they had a pass intercepted that UT returned for a TD for the third touchdown. It was fun for this 13 year old boy to sit in the rain and watch that game.
Holloway's run against Georgia Tech was one of the greatest I have seen. He scrambled and broke many tackles in the backfield, then ran over one guy and practically walked into the north end zone. Then, barefoot kicker Ricky Townsend missed the extra point - ending a very long streak of successful PATs.
Eddie Brown was from my home county and a boyhood hero of mine. So I was very disgusted when his touchdown that would have won the Georgia game was overshadowed by Bill Battle's incredibly stupid fake punt on his own 25 yard line with minutes remaining. The fake punt was one of the pivotal moments in UT football history; that's the moment that the real criticism of Battle started.
Posted by arkyvol on July 18, 2008 at 10:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
i was in my last year of law school. my wife and i met her mother (from arkansas) for the game against kansas in the liberty bowl. it was one of the only two games i've watched the vols play there.
the writer doesn't do the game justice. kansas had a hot shot q.back who seemed destined to be an all pro. he made the comment (in print) that he had been following the vols and was licking his chops about going up against their secondary. as one of the posters mentions, it was one of our worst defenses.
anyway, kansas roared out to a big lead (over 14 points as i recall--usually the death knell in those days). i was on the verge of packing it in and heading for the car. suddenly, the defense picked itself up and condredge worked his magic. brown lost his teeth blocking what would have been a game winning field goal.
yeah, i watched the notre dame comeback with great joy, but the 73 kansas game was every bit as wonderful.
Posted by General_Watermelon on July 19, 2008 at 7:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Eddie Brown was a throw back to a day when players were tough guys.
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