The game kicked off shortly after 7 p.m.
CST, televised by
ABC, at the same time as the
Orange Bowl on
NBC, with top-ranked
Penn State and #3
Oklahoma. Miami appeared dominant on its opening drive, capped with an 18-yard touchdown pass from
Vinny Testaverde to
Michael Irvin, and took the 7–0 lead into the second quarter. As the game wore on, however, Tennessee's defense began to shut down Miami's vaunted passing attack. Volunteers' quarterback
Daryl Dickey threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Smith to tie the game at seven. A drive from midfield took Tennessee to the Miami nine, where running back
Jeff Powell gained eight yards but fumbled at the one, and
All-American wide receiver
Tim McGee recovered it in the end zone; Tennessee took the lead at 14–7, the score at halftime. In the third quarter, Sam Henderson scored from a yard out and Tennessee led 21–7, then Powell broke for a sixty-yard run to make it 28–7. In the fourth quarter, Charles Wilson scored on a six-yard run as Tennessee won by a 35–7 margin. Tennessee quarterback Dickey, a fifth-year senior back-up, was named the
game's most valuable player.
Scoring ;First quarter: • Miami –
Michael Irvin 18-yard pass from
Vinny Testaverde (Greg Cox kick) ;Second quarter: • Tennessee – Jeff Smith 6-yard pass from
Daryl Dickey (Carlos Reveiz kick) • Tennessee –
Tim McGee recovered fumble in end zone (Reveiz kick) ;Third quarter: • Tennessee – Sam Henderson 1-yard run (Reveiz kick) • Tennessee –
Jeff Powell 60-yard run (Reveiz kick) ;Fourth quarter: • Tennessee – Charles Wilson 6-yard run (Reveiz kick) : ==Statistics==