Remembering the 2020 Indiana-Tennessee Gator Bowl
Tom Allen and the Indiana Hoosiers didn't win the 2020 Gator Bowl, but now, according to the NCAA record books, neither did Jeremy Pruitt and the Tennessee Volunteers.
News came out Saturday afternoon that in addition to an $8 million fine for recruiting violations committed during Pruitt's tenure, the Volunteers' 11 wins achieved during the 2019 and 2020 seasons will be struck from the record, one of which was a 23-22 Gator Bowl win over Indiana.
It's a game many Indiana fans have talked about in the past week due the developing story on Pruitt, who was fired after a 16-19 record in three seasons from 2018-20. It reminded fans of the heartbreaking fashion in which the Hoosiers lost the game.
Stripping away the win from Tennessee doesn't make Indiana the 2020 Gator Bowl champions. The Hoosiers' record from that season stays at 8-5 while the Volunteers' drops to 0-5, and the bowl trophy won't be shipped out to Bloomington.
But it's hard to accept that NO ONE won a football game, even if that's what will be officially listed next to the 2020 Gator Bowl for the rest of time. Indiana fans felt robbed of the #9WINDIANA dream three years ago when it happened, and seeing Tennessee's victory taken away probably vindicates that sentiment for some.
So here it is — let's look back at the 2020 Gator Bowl.
The Stage
Indiana was just one win away from fulfilling destiny. All that stood in their path was a Tennessee team that began its season with a home loss to Georgia State.
All the Hoosiers had to do was hold on to a 13-point lead with less than five minutes remaining in the game. Then, the #9WINDIANA dream would become reality.
For those unaware of #9WINDIANA (which is likely few, given that I knew about it in 2019, even though I was just a random freshman at Northwestern), it was a hashtag that became a movement in the Hoosier community. It was started by Crimson Quarry site editor Kyle Robbins, who believed IU was destined to reach nine wins in the 2019-20 college football season, which would match the program's all-time record for single season wins.
"The ninth win would come in the bowl game, he promised," said The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach in a story detailing #9WINDIANA's origins.
And as predicted, the 2019 season was playing out according to Robbins' plan. Indiana was trounced by two historical bullies, Ohio State and Michigan, while also losing close ones to Michigan State and Penn State. But every game that Allen's team was reasonably expected to win, they did.
Indiana swept its three non-conference games, then beat Nebraska and Maryland on the road. The Hoosiers raced out to a 7-2 record, landing the No. 24 overall spot in the College Football Playoff rankings, but disaster struck in the 34-3 whipping of Northwestern. Redshirt freshman quarterback sensation Michael Penix Jr. suffered a right sternoclavicular joint injury (he tore his shoulder, in short), ending his season.
The injury itself was bizarre in nature, as there was never a clear of shot of when or how Penix Jr. injured his shoulder, though he could be seen walking off the field holding his injured right shoulder after IU scored a touchdown to go up 24-3 on the Wildcats nearing half.
That meant starter of the previous two years and Indiana's fourth all-time leader in passing yards, Peyton Ramsey, would finish the season for the Hoosiers.
Indiana won the Old Oaken Bucket in a 44-41 double-overtime thriller against Purdue to end the regular season, behind 337 passing yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions from Ramsey. Despite Penix's injury, Indiana secured an 8-4 record, its best since 1993.
IU lost two of its last three games before the Gator Bowl, but Ramsey still had Indiana up 22-9 on Tennessee with 4:28 left in the game, just 268 seconds away from that coveted ninth win.
But how did Indiana get its 22-9 lead, you might ask:
The Game
Tennessee was absolutely bludgeoning Indiana for the first 28 minutes of the game. Pruitt's team had outgained the Hoosiers 182-43 in total yards, but only held a 6-0 lead thanks to three goal line stands from a stingy Indiana defense that forced two field goal attempts and stopped Tennessee on 4th and Goal.
The game suddenly swung in favor of IU when the defense blew up a designed running back screen from Tennessee, and a wobbly pass from Jarrett Guarantano found itself in the hands of Micah McFadden.
The Indiana offense turned the McFadden pick into a short-range field goal thanks to some theatric scrambles from Ramsey, cutting Tennessee's lead to 6-3 at halftime.
What followed was one of the more cathartic third quarters in Indiana football history.
The Hoosiers took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched down the field, once again spamming the "Peyton Ramsey scramble" button until they hit pay dirt. Ramsey finished the game with 54 total rushing yards, including a one-yard rushing touchdown to give Indiana its first lead of the game, 10-6.
Just moments after that first touchdown, Indiana scored a second when Guarantano under threw a pass to the outside. Indiana cornerback Jamar Johnson stepped in front for an interception that he returned 63 yards for a touchdown.
The extra point was missed by kicker Logan Justus – surely that won't come back to haunt anyone, right? – making it a 16-6 game. Field goal drives were traded to make it 19-9, and a third Justus field goal with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game made it 22-9 Indiana.
#9WINDIANA was so close that you could almost taste it.
The Heartbreak
So how exactly is it possible that these two screenshots occurred 37 seconds removed from each other in game time?
Tennessee's offense got the ball back with just under seven minutes remaining, and thanks to a few big plays from running back Eric Gray – who will make the game's biggest play just minutes from now – and a pass interference penalty on Johnson near the goal line, Tennessee punched in a touchdown to make it 22-16.
That's when the onside kick happened, and everything came crumbling down.
In a total surprise that caught everyone off guard, Gray timed his recovery perfectly and scooped up the football immediately after it bounced 10 yards. All Tennessee needed from there was three plays to score the go-ahead touchdown and lead Indiana 23-22 with just over three minutes remaining.
Somehow, Indiana would still get two real shots at winning the game, first when a drive ended in a 52-yard field goal attempt from Justus that juuuuuuuuuuust barely missed wide right, and finally when Ramsey's pass intended for Whop Philyor on 4th & 10 fell short.
Indiana finished the season 8-5, falling just short of #9WINDIANA glory.
Why are we reliving this?
The report released yesterday on ESPN said Tennessee committed more than 200 infractions during Pruitt's three seasons, and Kay Norton, chief hearing officer for the NCAA panel, said that it was, "one of the largest cases this committee has ever adjudicated."
Tennessee avoided a future postseason ban by agreeing to pay the $8 million fine and having its 11 wins from the 2019 and 2020 seasons erased. It felt unfair in the moment that Indiana lost that game, and looking back – regardless of what one thinks about the NCAA's process for levying recruiting violations – one can't help but feel that IU was in an unfair position going up against a Tennessee team guilty of more than 200 infractions.
Nothing should ever be taken away from that 2019-20 Indiana football team. It's undoubtedly one of the best seasons in the history of the school, and they backed it up the following year with a 6-2 record, ranking as high as No. 7 in the AP poll.
Indiana never hit nine wins like Robbins and so many fans dreamed it would, but Tennessee now keeps zero wins for that year, while the Hoosiers' eight will last forever. IU didn't win the 2020 Gator Bowl, but for so many reasons now, it really feels like they should have.
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