victory over Alabama and a 17–14 victory over #17 South Carolina, to finish with an 8–3 record and qualified for a bowl game. In the Cotton Bowl against Kansas State, the Vols fell 35–21 and finished unranked for the first time under Fulmer. 2001 season Despite the disappointing ending to the 2000 season, the Vols started the 2001 season ranked #8 in the nation. The Vols started the season off with two wins over Syracuse (33–9) and Arkansas (13–3). Due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Florida game had to be moved to later in the season. The Vols faced off against #14 LSU without having played in three weeks. The Vols won 26–18 to move Fulmer to 3–0 on the season. The Vols suffered their first setback against Georgia in the next game, a 26–24 loss. The Vols followed the loss with a six-game winning streak to move to #5 in the nation and faced off with the #2 Florida Gators on December 1. The Vols won a close game against their rivals, 34–32, to go up against #21 LSU in the SEC Championship. The Vols controlled their own destiny in the National Championship race, but fell 31–20 to the Nick Saban-led Tigers. In the Citrus Bowl against #17 Michigan, the Vols won 45–17 to finish 11–2 and #4 in the country in the AP Poll. In 2001, Fulmer has named to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. 2002 season Fulmer and the Vols had high expectations as a result of their #5 ranking to start the 2002 season. However, the season was inconsistent for the Vols. After two wins against Wyoming and Middle Tennessee State, the Vols dropped a game to the Florida Gators by a score of 30–13. After two victories over Rutgers and Arkansas, the Vols dropped two games to #6 Georgia and #19 Alabama. The unranked Vols finished out the season with a 3–1 stretch to make a bowl game against Maryland in the 2002 Peach Bowl. The Vols fell to the Terrapins by a score of 30–3 and finished with an 8–5 record. 2003 season Fulmer's Vols came into the 2003 season with a #14 ranking. The Vols started off the season with four straight victories to move to #8 in the country going into the Auburn game. The Vols fell to the Tigers 28–21 for their first setback. The Vols dropped the next