University of Tennessee Athletics
Long-Time UT-Duke Rivalry Renewed For 80th Homecoming
October 31, 2003 | Football
Oct. 31, 2003
As the Vols prepare to take the gridiron Saturday for their 80th Homecoming game, this one against the Duke Blue Devils, the history of not only the annual celebration of Tennessee alumni, but the matchup itself is one of great magnitude.
Saturday's winner between the Vols and the Blue Devils will take the advantage in the series between the two teams, which dates back to 1893. The series stands knotted up, 13-13-2. Even the scoring is down to the wire with Tennessee holding a slim 427-408 advantage in the 28 games.
The Vols have been on the good side of four of the five Homecoming meetings with the Blue Devils. Tennessee beat Duke in 1932, 1934, 1936 and 1993, while losing the yearly festivity in 1947.
Although Tennessee has won the last two series meetings, Duke hasn't always been so kind to the men in orange.
The first game of the series was held Nov. 4 in Durham, N.C., in only Tennessee's third year of fielding a team. Duke had maintained a team since 1888, and it showed. Duke, which carried no official nickname back then, whipped the Volunteers 70-0. It still stands as Tennessee's worst defeat.
The bad taste lasted nearly 40 years until the two schools paired again in 1931 and 1932, both in Knoxville. The Vols took both games, winning 25-2 and 16-13 - the latter was the closest game Tennessee played that season, save a shutout tie versus Vanderbilt, en route to a 9-0-1 record and the Southern Conference title. The two-game win streak, however, is the longest Tennessee has held in the series.
For four years, the series see-sawed with the Vols taking the 1936 contest 15-13, upsetting the No. 2-ranked Blue Devils in the first year of Associated Press football rankings. Many believe that was the greatest game of the series. In 1937, the Vols were coming off back-to-back shutouts against Wake Forest (32-0) and Virginia Tech (27-0) in Knoxville until a matchup at Duke resulted in a 0-0 tie.
The series was renewed in 1940, and both teams split four games until a 7-7 tie in Durham in 1948, followed by a Duke win the following year.
Back-to-back wins were again on tap for the Vols in 1950 and 1951, both national championship seasons for Tennessee. The Vols outscored the Blue Devils 54-7 in the two games. But Duke rallied in a big way to take four straight from Tennessee from 1952-55, outscoring the Vols 56-13 during that span.
The teams split the next six games from 1956-88 before Tennessee's current streak of two wins, including a 52-19 blasting Oct. 2, 1993. It was the only time Tennessee has faced Duke under coach Phillip Fulmer.
No other Tennessee coach has a winning record against Duke with the exception of Gen. Robert R. Neyland. In his three stints as the Vols' head man, he was 8-4-2 against the Blue Devlis.
Meeting for the first time in a decade, the Vols are looking for their first three-game win streak over the Blue Devils. And, they're looking to add to the already illustrious history between the border-state schools.
Josh Pate
