Auburn–Tennessee football rivalry

Auburn–Tennessee football rivalry

Teams	Auburn Tigers Tennessee Volunteers

The Auburn–Tennessee football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Auburn Tigers and Tennessee Volunteers. The game was traditionally played prior to the 1992 football season, when the Southeastern Conference split into its Eastern and Western divisions. Auburn leads the series 28–21–3.

Series history

The series started in 1900 with a 23–0 win for Auburn in Birmingham, Alabama. The teams met every last Saturday in September from 1969–1991, expected in 1968 where they met in November. In 1991 the SEC split into two divisions, ending the annual rivalry. Tennessee started an annual rivalry with Georgia, and Auburn began a rivalry with LSU. Auburn is 6–3 over Tennessee since the expansion of the SEC. Both teams met in 1997 and 2004 SEC Championship Game. Tennessee won in 1997, 30–29, and Auburn won 2004, 38–28. The largest margin win in the serice, was in 1980 where Tennessee defeated Auburn 42–0. Auburn also has the longest and the current streak since 2003 of six games. The teams will meet in 2018 in Auburn, Alabama.

The Auburn–Tennessee game, has played in three locations. They have played in Birmingham, Alabama at Legion Field, Knoxville, Tennessee at Neyland Stadium, and also Jordan–Hare Stadium in Auburn, Alabama. From 1900 to 1979 the game was played home–home in Knoxville and Birmingham. Both teams did not met in Auburn, Alabama until 1980. In the three venues: for games played in Auburn, AL, Auburn leads by a record of 6–2–1, for those contested in Birmingham, Auburn leads by a record of 10–5, and for games in the series played in Knoxville, Tennessee leads by a record of 14–10–2.

Game results

Auburn victories

Tennessee victories

Ties

Date	Location	Winner	Score
November 10, 1900	Birmingham, AL	Auburn	23–0
November 2, 1929	Knoxville, TN	Tennessee	27–0
October 12, 1935	Birmingham, AL	Tennessee	13–6
October 10, 1936	Knoxville, TN	Auburn	6–0
November 6, 1937	Birmingham, AL	Auburn	20–7
October 8, 1938	Knoxville, TN	Tennessee	7–0
December 9, 1939	Birmingham, AL	Tennessee	7–0
September 29, 1956	Birmingham, AL	Tennessee	35–7
September 28, 1957	Knoxville, TN	Auburn	7–0
September 27, 1958	Birmingham, AL	Auburn	13–0
September 26, 1959	Knoxville, TN	Tennessee	3–0
September 24, 1960	Birmingham, AL	Tennessee	10–3
September 30, 1961	Knoxville, TN	Auburn	24–21
September 29, 1962	Birmingham, AL	Auburn	22–21
September 28, 1963	Knoxville, TN	Auburn	23–19
September 26, 1964	Birmingham, AL	Auburn	3–0
September 25, 1965	Knoxville, TN	Tie	13–13
September 24, 1966	Birmingham, AL	Tennessee	28–0
September 30, 1967	Knoxville, TN	Tennessee	27–13
November 9, 1968	Birmingham, AL	Auburn	28–14
September 27, 1969	Knoxville, TN	Tennessee	45–19
September 26, 1970	Birmingham, AL	Auburn	36–23
September 25, 1971	Knoxville, TN	Auburn	10–9
September 30, 1972	Birmingham, AL	Auburn	10–6
September 29, 1973	Knoxville, TN	Tennessee	21–0
September 28, 1974	Auburn, AL	Auburn	21–0
September 27, 1975	Knoxville, TN	Tennessee	21–17

Date	Location	Winner	Score
September 25, 1976	Birmingham, AL	Auburn	38–28
September 24, 1977	Knoxville, TN	Auburn	14–12
September 30, 1978	Birmingham, AL	Auburn	29–10
September 29, 1979	Knoxville, TN	Tennessee	35–17
September 27, 1980	Auburn, AL	Tennessee	42–0
September 26, 1981	Knoxville, TN	Tennessee	10–7
September 25, 1982	Auburn, AL	Auburn	24–14
September 24, 1983	Knoxville, TN	Auburn	37–14
September 29, 1984	Auburn, AL	Auburn	29–10
September 28, 1985	Knoxville, TN	Tennessee	38–20
September 27, 1986	Auburn, AL	Auburn	34–8
September 26, 1987	Knoxville, TN	Tie	20–20
September 24, 1988	Auburn, AL	Auburn	38–6
September 30, 1989	Knoxville, TN	Tennessee	21–14
September 29, 1990	Auburn, AL	Tie	26–26
September 28, 1991	Knoxville, TN	Tennessee	30–21
December 6, 1997	Atlanta, GAA	Tennessee	30–29
October 3, 1998	Auburn, AL	Tennessee	17–9
October 2, 1999	Knoxville, TN	Tennessee	24–0
October 4, 2003	Auburn, AL	Auburn	28–21
October 2, 2004	Knoxville, TN	Auburn	34–10
December 4, 2004	Atlanta, GAB	Auburn	38–28
September 27, 2008	Auburn, AL	Auburn	14–12
October 3, 2009	Knoxville, TN	Auburn	26–22
November 9, 2013	Knoxville, TN	Auburn	55–23
Series: Auburn leads 28–21–3

^A 1997 SEC Championship Game
^B The game played on December 4, 2004 was the 2004 SEC Championship Game, and was the second time the Tigers and Volunteers met during the 2004 season.

Sources: 2011 Auburn Football Media Guide 2011 Tennessee Football Media Guide and College Football Data Warehouse.

Notable games

• 1965: Auburn defensive tackle Jack Thornton intercepted not one, but two passes as Auburn struggled to a 13–13 tie in Knoxville.
• 1970: Auburn overcame a 10–0 deficit and defeated the Vols 36–23 in Birmingham. It was the only loss of the year for Tennessee and cost the Vols an SEC Championship.
• 1972: Unranked Auburn upset No. 4 Tennessee in Birmingham. Auburn led most of the game, 10–0. Tennessee came back to put the game 10–6, though Auburn sealed the game for an upset.
• 1990: Proving once again that leads, big or small, do not hold up in the Auburn–Tennessee series, Auburn spotted Tennessee a 26–9 fourth-quarter lead, only to storm back to tie it at 26. Tennessee missed a potential game-winning field goal with 15 seconds left.
• 1991: A series that had been contested 36 straight years (1956–91) came to an end thanks to the SEC's expansion to 12 schools and the formation of two divisions. Vol receiver Carl Pickens caught four balls for 172 yards, including TD receptions of 87 and 67 yards, in Tennessee's 30–21 win.
• 1997 SEC Championship Game: In the 1997 SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, Auburn scored 20 unanswered points to take a 20–7 lead. Tennessee scored two touchdowns late in the third quarter and early in the fourth to win, 30–29. Tennessee's quarterback Peyton Manning threw for 373 yards and four TDs, while Auburn signal caller Dameyune Craig passed for 262 yards and a pair of scores. Tennessee went on and lost to Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, 42–17.
• 2003: Tennessee came into Jordan–Hare Stadium ranked No. 7. Auburn took their opening drive 80 yards and scored on a 6-yard run by Ronnie Brown. On their next possession, Jason Campbell threw a 29-yard touchdown pass in the left corner of the end zone to Obomanu. The Auburn defense held Tennessee in check for most of the first half, but the Vols drove 85 yards just before halftime to score with less than a minute remaining in the second quarter. Auburn led 14–7 at halftime. Cadillac scored on a 1-yard run on Auburn’s first possession of the second half to give the Tigers a 21–7 lead. Jason Campbell then completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Cole Bennett on the second play of the fourth quarter to put Auburn up 28–7. Clausen threw for a touchdown on each of the Vols’ next two possessions bringing the score to 28–21 with just over seven minutes left in the game. Auburn took six minutes to drive down to the Tennessee 29-yard line, but with a chance to seal the win, John Vaughn missed a 46-yard field goal with just over a minute to play. The Vols then drove down to the Auburn 30-yard line, thanks to a 21-yard completion on 4th-and-15, but with 1:04 left, Carlos Rogers intercepted a pass to end the threat. Auburn got a 28–21 victory to beat Tennessee for the first time since 1988.
• 2004 SEC Championship Game: After Auburn blew out the Vols in the regular season, they got a rematch in SEC Championship game after both teams won their divisions. Auburn was a 14 ½-point favorite in the game. Tennessee kept the game close, but Auburn won, 38–28, and went on to defeat Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl.