Memories of 1998 Tennessee game

[HurleyForHeisman]

We live in Florida. It was hot. My wife and little kids were playing in the pool. When the game ended I jumped in the deep end and screamed underwater as loud as I could for several minutes. It was the only way I could contain myself from unleashing bombs in front of the kids. Such a bitter ending. That egregiously late pass interference call after we thought the game was won. In retrospect, we asked for it by playing for a field goal when we had the ball, much like the end of the Sugar Bowl against Auburn.

Fortunately, I had tickets for the game in Ann Arbor the next week. If losing to Tennessee was the price to pay for that next game, it was worth it.

 

[orangefog]

We live in Florida. It was hot. My wife and little kids were playing in the pool. When the game ended I jumped in the deep end and screamed underwater as loud as I could for several minutes. It was the only way I could contain myself from unleashing bombs in front of the kids. Such a bitter ending. That egregiously late pass interference call after we thought the game was won. In retrospect, we asked for it by playing for a field goal when we had the ball, much like the end of the Sugar Bowl against Auburn.

Fortunately, I had tickets for the game in Ann Arbor the next week. If losing to Tennessee was the price to pay for that next game, it was worth it.

Should have had them both!!!

 

[Eric15]

I’ve watched that game on YouTube so many times. PI call and equipment penalties aside, the play that just killed us was late in the game we were up 27-24 and we had Tenn in 3rd and long. We somehow let Tee Martin jog down the sideline for like 60 yards and then Phil Nash throws him down by his head out of bounds which adds 15 more. If we get a stop on that drive we probably win.

 

[The Viking]

The ride back to Skytop with a few haughty attitudes in10-gallon hats was miserable. Love to return the misery.

 

[Faegan]

I haven't been able to watch or read as much as would have liked leading up to this game... has there been much discussion about how much that game is a burr in the arse for we lifer fans? I wonder if the team or Fran get it or even think about it.

 

[sufandu]

We live in Florida. It was hot. My wife and little kids were playing in the pool. When the game ended I jumped in the deep end and screamed underwater as loud as I could for several minutes. It was the only way I could contain myself from unleashing bombs in front of the kids. Such a bitter ending. That egregiously late pass interference call after we thought the game was won. In retrospect, we asked for it by playing for a field goal when we had the ball, much like the end of the Sugar Bowl against Auburn.

Fortunately, I had tickets for the game in Ann Arbor the next week. If losing to Tennessee was the price to pay for that next game, it was worth it.

Several minutes!?!? Sweet lung capacity!

 

[HurleyForHeisman]

Several minutes!?!? Sweet lung capacity!

lol. I would come up for air, realize I was still distraught, and go back for more. Man was I angry.

 

[Irishsecra1]

I was at that game.
Heartbreaking loss on so many levels.
I will always believe it was stolen from us
Only worse home loss was the Miami one as time expired.

We avenged that one last year, time to avenge the Tenn loss.

 

[IthaCuse]

Frankly, I miss being able to play in meaningful games like that consistently. Hoping Fran can sustain that.

 

[JustPherU]

I was working and living in Tennessee at the time and can remember how lucky UT was that entire season.

 

[OburgOrange]

I was at that game. Those plays are etched in my memory. To make matters worse, the hotel I stayed at was crawling with UT fans. They were insufferable

 

[SUalldway]

I rode to the game on a bus from skytop with a bunch of Tennessee fans. I looked down and a couple of them were wearing Tennessee branded sneakers!

 

[Marroniac]

It was my birthday. Someone surprised me with tickets on the day of.

Remember chatting it up with a UT fan at halftime at the pee trough. He says to me he says, “I guess this isn’t our year. You got our number today.” Then those SEC refs handed them a natty.

 

[Scooch]

I’ve watched that game on YouTube so many times. PI call and equipment penalties aside, the play that just killed us was late in the game we were up 27-24 and we had Tenn in 3rd and long. We somehow let Tee Martin jog down the sideline for like 60 yards and then Phil Nash throws him down by his head out of bounds which adds 15 more. If we get a stop on that drive we probably win.

Yep, despite the bad calls, we coulda won if we didn't have that awful defensive breakdown. I was sitting in the far end zone, heart breaking as Tee galloped away from me.

 

[OburgOrange]

Yep, despite the bad calls, we coulda won if we didn't have that awful defensive breakdown. I was sitting in the far end zone, heart breaking as Tee galloped away from me.

Galloped is right! He basically jogged for 60 yards! Ugh

 

[SU2NASA]

First game freshman year, I’m still not over it.

 

[FrancoPizza]

The PI call was late, but replays showed he was hit just before the ball got there. It was close enough where the call could go either way.

 

[SU in Hershey]

First, a disclaimer...I was not at the Michael Owens two-point conversion for the win against WVU. But for me, this was THE loudest football game I have ever attended. But that transition from euphoria to What just happened was the kind of emotional whiplash that I will never forget.
Not to make people want to drink this early on a Friday, but the only sporting event I attended that left me feeling worse was the Georgetown defeat of SU at Manley in 1980. I was a very naive boy, one month shy of entering his teens, and I remember having such visceral feelings that I did not yet have the developed vocabulary to remotely begin to process, let alone express my hurt, anger, and devastation regarding what I had just witnessed. Apoplectic was not yet a word in my lexicon...too bad.

 

[SUMBA]

The PI call was late, but replays showed he was hit just before the ball got there. It was close enough where the call could go either way.

Not only was it late, but it was called from across the field, if I recall correctly. The officials closest to the play did not throw flags, but the guy from across the field did.

Shockingly, the ref who threw the flag from 50 yards away was a resident of......Tennessee.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Not only was it late, but it was called from across the field, if I recall correctly. The officials closest to the play did not throw flags, but the guy from across the field did.

Shockingly, the ref who threw the flag from 50 yards away was a resident of...Tennessee.

We had opportunities to ice the game. It’s a bit of a losers mentality to blame it on a single call that was probably the correct call, regardless of it being late.

 

[hungrychuck]

I was there. And at Michigan the following week.

Yes, Ann Arbor was sweet.

No, it did not make up for the UT loss.

 

[SUMBA]

We had opportunities to ice the game. It’s a bit of a losers mentality to blame it on a single call that was probably the correct call, regardless of it being late.

Ok, sober, rational thinking has no place on internet fan boards!

 

[Eric15]

Remember chatting it up with a UT fan at halftime at the pee trough. He says to me he says, “I guess this isn’t our year. You got our number today.” Then those SEC refs handed them a natty.

Surprised he would say that considering they were up 14-10 at half.

 

[OrgTruckPat]

I was there. And at Michigan the following week.

Yes, Ann Arbor was sweet.

No, it did not make up for the UT loss.

Ditto. And I feel the exact same way about it. Going to Michigan was a lifetime good memory for me and friends, but it did not make up for the 98 opener. 9k Tenn fans in the Dome, felt like we were so close to taking a major step as a program. That ref had to pick the damn flag up and throw it a second time on Will. Still haunts me.

 

[Scotch]

It was my first ever Cuse game freshman year.

I remember looking out my window in Sadler and seeing RVs with weird colored orange flags filling up the parking lots on Wednesday and Thursday. Their fans would be wondering around campus and exploring Marshall Street while we were going to class that week.

I thought, OK this is what every fanbase does. Never saw anything like it since. They took over a huge slice of the Carrier Dome - felt like 1/8 of the pie was in that gross lighter orange.

Crowd was amazing and felt like we controlled the game. The call was obviously devastating but it's a bit of a blur - sobriety was not prioritized that day.

Outside of the outcome, I wish more of our home games were like that. Amazing atmosphere all week.