1948 Tennessee Volunteers football team

The 1948 Tennessee Volunteers (variously Tennessee, UT, or the Vols) represented the University of Tennessee in the 1948 college football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Robert Neyland, in his 17th year, and played their home games at Shields–Watkins Field in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of four wins, four losses and two ties (4–4–2 overall, 2–3–1 in the SEC).

1948 Tennessee Volunteers football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record4–4–2 (2–3–1 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive schemeSingle-wing
Home stadiumShields–Watkins Field
Seasons
← 1947
1949 →
1948 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 8 Georgia $ 6 0 0 9 2 0
No. 15 Ole Miss 6 1 0 8 1 0
No. 13 Tulane 5 1 0 9 1 0
No. 12 Vanderbilt 4 2 1 8 2 1
Georgia Tech 4 3 0 7 3 0
Alabama 4 4 1 6 4 1
Mississippi State 3 3 0 4 4 1
Tennessee 2 3 1 4 4 2
Kentucky 1 3 1 5 3 2
Florida 1 5 0 5 5 0
LSU 1 5 0 3 7 0
Auburn 0 7 0 1 8 1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Tennessee was ranked at No. 29 in the final Litkenhous Difference by Score System ratings for 1948.[1]

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 25Mississippi StateL 6–2135,000[2]
October 2at Duke*T 7–722,000[3]
October 9Chattanooga*No. 20
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN
W 26–0[4]
October 16Alabama 
W 21–645,000[5]
October 23Tennessee Tech*
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN
W 41–012,000[6]
October 30No. 3 North Carolina*
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, Tennessee
L 7–1450,000[7]
November 6at No. 6 Georgia TechW 13–638,000[8]
November 13vs. Ole MissNo. 18L 13–1631,000[9]
November 20Kentucky
  • Shields–Watkins Field
  • Knoxville, TN (rivalry)
T 0–035,000[10]
November 27at No. 15 VanderbiltL 6–2824,074[11]
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
Week
Poll12345678Final
AP2018

Team players drafted into the NFL

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Player Position Round Pick NFL club
Al Russas End 13 122 Detroit Lions
Bob Lund Back 14 141 Philadelphia Eagles

[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Michigan, Irish Finish 1-2 in Litkenhous Ratings". Wilmington Morning News. December 15, 1948. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "McWilliams paces 21–6 Maroon win". The Huntsville Times. September 26, 1948. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Duke gridders tie Tennessee". The Baltimore Sun. October 3, 1948. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Vols trip Mocs, 26–0 in warm-up for Tide". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 10, 1948. Retrieved September 8, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Vols smash Alabama 21–6 before homecoming crowd". The Bristol Herald Courier. October 17, 1948. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Tennessee Vols coast to easy 41–0 win over Tennessee Tech". Elizabethton Star. October 24, 1948. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "North Carolina Tar Heels defeat Vols 14 to 7". Johnson City Press-Chronicle. October 31, 1948. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Tennessee upsets favored Georgia Tech team, 13 to 6". Mansfield News-Journal. November 7, 1948. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Mississippi's fleet backs sting Tennessee Vols with 16 to 13 win". The Jackson Sun. November 14, 1948. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Kentucky holds Tennessee scoreless for fifth time in long S.E.C. rivalry". The Commercial Appeal. November 21, 1948. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Vandy foils Vol hex in 28-to-6 rout". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. November 28, 1948. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "1949 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2012.