Vols Looking For Win No. 700
Tennessee opens the new millennium and its 104th football season against the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles, a team it holds a perfect 3-0 record against.
These teams first met in UT's season opener Sept. 23, 1950 in Knoxville. The Vols took the game by a 56-0 count en route to an 11-1 season and a Dunkel national championship. It would be 45 years before the next meeting in 1995 in Knoxville when Tennessee took a 42-0 decision. Entering the 1997 Homecoming game, UT had outscored the Golden Eagles 98-0 in the two previous meetings, but the Vols were able to once again outdistance USM, 44-20.
Southern Miss is the first of two Conference USA foes the Vols will face in 2000 as they travel to Memphis, Tenn., to face the Memphis Tigers, Nov. 4. Tennessee is 40-6-1 (.862) against the nine teams that comprise Conference USA (1-0 vs. Alabama-Birmingham; 5-2-1 vs. Army; 4-1 vs. Cincinnati; 1-0 vs. East Carolina; 2-1 vs. Houston; 5-0 vs. Louisville; 15-1 vs. Memphis, 3-0 vs. Southern Miss; 4-1 vs. Tulane).
What to look for --
A Tennessee win would . . .
. . . mark victory No. 700 in school history
. . . push Phillip Fulmer's mark to 28-11 versus ranked opponents
. . . be Tennessee's 11th win over a ranked opponent in the last 13 tries
. . . give it six consecutive season-opening wins (last loss 25-23 at UCLA 1994)
. . . mark six straight home opening wins (last loss 31-0 to Florida 1994)
. . . be the 23rd straight home victory since a 1996 loss to Florida 35-29
SEASON OPENERS
Tennessee owns a 75-22-6 (.757) all-time mark in season openers, including a 12-2-2 mark in the past 16 seasons. They have won five straight lidlifters, outscoring their opponents 217-77 (43.4-15.4). This will be the second time in school history that the Vols have opened a season against Southern Miss. UT took a 56-0 decision Sept. 23, 1950 in Knoxville. The last time Tennessee opened a season against a Conference USA team was in 1995 versus East Carolina, a game the Volunteers won 27-7 in Knoxville.
HOME OPENERS
The Vols are 79-18-5 (.799) all-time in 102 home openers. Over the past 16 seasons, Tennessee has a 13-2-1 mark in home lidlifters at Neyland Stadium. They have won their last four home openers by an average of 30.5 points, outscoring the opposition 176-54.
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Schedule