Music City Bowl, Tennessee Vs. North Carolina: Overtime Ends With Tar Heels On Top, 30-27

The Tennessee Volunteers got the ball first in the second overtime period, having scored with relative ease in the first round. Freshman quarterback Tyler Bray, who’d made something of a national debut by completing bombs and lasers and all sorts of other weapon-related cliches all night long, set up to take a shot at the end zone after a Gerald Jones run gave the Vols a first down.

The pass was picked off by Quan Sturdivant, who’d given up a big pass earlier in the game. The Heels would need only a field goal to take the game.

Shaun Draughn nearly got them more than that, breaking the next play 16 yards up the sideline before finally being stopped. He drove to the Tennessee six on the next play, and Butch Davis elected to kick on second down. Casey Barth put it into the net, and one of the zaniest bowl games in recent memory ended.

The Tar Heels gained a moment of joy at the end of one of the nation’s most disappointing campaigns, but for Tennessee this has to feel like a horrible flashback to the end of their game against LSU, when victory had been declared before being taken away. It’s terrible when things like this happen to any team, but even worse when it happens over and over.

Actually, UNC lost a gut-punch heartbreaker to LSU too, so I guess one of Les Miles’ victims had to win. Still, if what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, these Vols are going to be titanium upperclassmen.

For more on this game, join Rocky Top Talk and Carolina March. You would very much like to read and share more about this game. Because this game was absuuurd.