The 2001 SEC Championship game featured the LSU Tigers against the Tennessee Volunteers. LSU entered the game with a 9-3 record. The Vols had a 10-1 record and were looking at an attempt to go back to the National Championship game which was to be played at the Rose Bowl that year. The two teams had met once before that year, and LSU was looking to avenge an 18-26 loss. They did so, holding Tennessee to a field goal in the second half and rallying behind quarterback Matt Mauck after Rohan Davey went out of the game with an injury.
The Vols had lost another big game earlier that year that probably helped keep them out of the national conversation. The Georgia Bulldogs came to Knoxville for the annual rivalry game between the two schools. Mark Richt was in his first season as the Dawgs' head coach, and the season would be an up-and-down affair. However, on this day Georgia came out on top when freshman David Greene threw a touchdown pass to running back Verron Haynes. Larry Munson would make the famous comment that would result in the game being known to Georgia fans as the "Hobnail Boot."
There was another very interesting game that year in the form of an NCAA record-breaking, 7-overtime game between the Ole Miss Rebels and the Arkansas Razorbacks. The two teams went back and forth late into the night before the Hogs finally came out on top by a score of 58-56. The week of the SEC Championship game there was a lot of national drama, with several teams (including Tennessee) dropping out of the National Championship race. Ultimately, the Nebraska Cornhuskers would lose to the Hurricanes of Miami. LSU defeated Illinois in the Sugar Bowl and Tennessee would win over Michigan in the Citrus Bowl.
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