Unlike the last Auburn-Tennessee game I wrote about in this countdown, you are going to enjoy how this one ends.
The Tigers were coming off a tough home loss to the #3 Texas Longhorns when they journeyed up to Knoxville, TN in 1983. It wasn’t the smoothest of starts with both teams marching down the field but failing to put the ball in the endzone. But a backfield composed of Randy Campbell, Bo Jackson, Lionel James and Tommie Agee ain’t easy to contain for long and the Tigers started pulling away in the 2nd half. Early in the 4th quarter, Trey Gainous would deliver the knockout punch.
What a play. It looked like Tennessee had this play well defended but Gainous is able to split two would be tacklers and get past the first wave of defenders. From there, he gets a crucial block that lets him break free into the open field and follow a teammate into the endzone. The 81 yard punt return touchdown gave Auburn a 27-7 lead and effectively put the game out of reach for the Volunteers. Auburn left Knoxville with a 37-14 victory and some real momentum heading into the meat of the schedule.
Unsurprisingly, there will be a few more moments from the 1983 season in this countdown. If you wanna watch the 1983 Auburn Tigers in all their glory, check out the video below.
81 days till kickoff! War Eagle!