Arian Foster (27), Jerod Mayo (7) and Erik Ainge (10) celebrate the victory with some of the Tennessee fans. (T-G Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge]

Flashback two years ago.

The Tennessee football program was thrown a knee-buckling curveball to finish a bowl-less season 5-6 after competing in Atlanta for the Southeastern Conference title in 2004.

As his pale skin started to thaw, coach Phillip Fulmer arrived to answer questions for the media shortly after addressing his Volunteers in the locker room following their thrilling 52-50 quadruple overtime win on Saturday to earn them another trip to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

"5-6 was no fun," Fulmer said. "This one turned out to be fun. 2005 was as much a lesson-learning year for me as it was a bad experience. You take what's given to you and you try to turn it into a positive and will not let that happen again, if we can help it."

In a college football world that wreaks more and more of parity as the calendars turn, UT has come from the depths of unfulfilled expectations back to taking the field with only 60 minutes separating them from a ring.

Despite owning an overall record of over 100 games over .500 in his 16 seasons, Fulmer and his staff were under constant scrutiny much of this season, especially after the 59-20 loss at Florida and the 41-17 beating from Alabama.

But, Fulmer recently added the title of the Rasputin of SEC coaches as well as their dean. They've since won five straight and eight of their last nine.

"We've improved," said Fulmer, whose coaching record versus Kentucky upped to 15-0. "We've definitely improved as we've gone along. Early in the season we were giving up big plays because of alignment and assignments and some technique things. We don't do that nearly as bad as we did. We don't do it very much at all anymore."

Miraculous turns of fortune have infected this UT team in both '07 and versus Kentucky.

"A lot of people doubted us, and I think that's why we've bounced back so much," UT senior tight end Chris Brown said. "After the Alabama game, they doubted our coaches, they doubted everything that we were doing. We just believed that we could still win and some things went our way."

The Wildcats, attempting to avoid their 23rd consecutive loss to the Vols, seemed to have all the momentum in the world after erasing a 17-point deficit in the final 16:49.

The hosts had their chance to win in regulation as quarterback André Woodson discovered a wide-open Keenan Burton sprinting across the back of the end zone. However, Woodson's pass sailed wide.

Hope shrunk infinitely when Knoxville-native Lones Seiber lined up to attempt a 34-yard potential game-winning field goal for UK during the second overtime. Not everybody could even watch.

"I was scared. I was shivering. It was cold. My nose was running. Everything," said Brown, describing his emotions.

Then, Vol defensive tackle Dan Williams' "desperation block" breathed new life into the Orange and White once again.

"I just jumped up and it just so happened to hit me in the facemask," Williams said.

From Gerald Jones' acrobatic 10-yard touchdown catch to Quintin Hancock's 40-yard TD reception on the first play of OT No. 4, the Vols simply found a way to win.

"The heart of this team is second to absolutely none in this country," said Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge, who threw for 397 yards and 7 TDs.

The Vols have few believers heading into the SEC title match with an LSU team that was ranked No. 1 in the country going into Saturday.

"This team thrives on negativity from the media and fans," linebacker Jerod Mayo said. "I don't want anybody to pick us to win this game."

That might can be arranged.