The 2-3-1 Tennessee Volunteers, coached by Bill Battle, hosted the 3-3 Clemson Tigers of coach Red Parker trying to become the first SEC team to claim The Belt. Tennessee was coming off loses to Louisiana State & Alabama as they looked to right the season in this match-up. Tennessee’s RB Stanley Morgan scored 3 touchdowns & DT David Page recorded 3 sacks as the Volunteers eked out a 29-28 victory with a 2-point conversion with 1:31 left in the game to claim their first Belt reign. After exchanging turnovers, the Volunteers forced a Tigers’ punt & on the second offensive snap, Tennessee’s QB Condredge Holloway connected with Morgan for a 65-yard touchdown pass. Clemson responded on the next series with their own 65-yard touchdown pass from QB Mark Fellers to All-American TE Bennie Cunningham tying the game at 7-7 through the 1st quarter. Midway through the 2nd quarter, the Volunteers got the lead back with a 35-yard touchdown run by RB Mike Gayles but the missed extra-point attempt left the score Tennessee 13 Clemson 7. The Tigers drove 80 yards in 11 plays with Fellers again finding Cunningham for the touchdown, a 10-yard strike, as Clemson took a 14-13 halftime lead. Neither team was able to score in the 3rd quarter & Clemson’s S Jim Ness blocked a Tennessee 44-yard field goal attempt on the second play of the 4th quarter leaving the score 14-13. The Tigers put together a 12-play, 73-yard touchdown drive with RB Ken Callicutt throwing a halfback option pass to WR Ricky Bustle for the 14-yard score giving Clemson a 21-13 advantage. The Volunteers tied the game with 8:11 left when Morgan broke loose for a 33-yard touchdown run & Holloway carried in for the 2-point conversion. After the Tennessee kick-off, Clemson struck from long yardage again with RB Don Testerman running 68 yards over right-tackle for a touchdown giving the Tigers a 28-21 lead with 7:16 left. The Volunteers’ response was a grinding, 16-play, 83-yard drive with Morgan scoring on an 8-yard run for his third touchdown of the game. Rather than play for the tie, Coach Battle chose to go for the 2-point conversion. As Holloway was being tackled by two Clemson defenders, he lofted a pass to the end zone where WR Larry Seivers out-jumped the Tigers’ defender to making the catch & Tennessee took a 29-28 lead with 1:31 to play. Seivers later said the play was supposed to be a run by Holloway for the conversion.
“Condredge was supposed to roll out to his right and dive into the end zone, like he had so many times. Everybody in the stadium knew it. Clemson knew it. He had told me in the huddle to come across from the far side, because if he wasn’t going to make it, he was going to fumble into the end zone and he wanted me to be there to recover it. Well, he didn’t even get a chance to. He circled and dodged 3 defenders, he had 2 of them hanging on him. I heard him scream for me to go the other way. He threw it up in the air, a perfect pass, I caught it and we won the game by one point.” — Larry Seivers – First Through The Revolving Door, by Steve Kiner, October 29, 2002
Clemson’s hopes ended on the next play from scrimmage when Tennessee’s LB Hank Walter intercepted Fellers & the Volunteers ran out the clock. Holloway finished with 187 yards passing with his 2 touchdowns while Morgan added 106 yards rushing to his 3 scores. For Clemson, Fellers threw for 110 yards with 2 touchdowns but an interception & Testerman rushed for 146 yards with his touchdown. The Tigers finished the season 7-4 while the Volunteers finished 7-3-2; ranked 20th nationally. Clemson would play for The Belt again in 1988.
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