two more wins against South Carolina and UAB, the top-ranked Vols faced off against #10 Arkansas. The Vols escaped with a 28–24 victory after recovering a late fumble by the Razorbacks to get the go-ahead score. The Vols closed out the regular season undefeated with wins over Kentucky and Vanderbilt. In the SEC Championship, the Vols defeated the #23 Mississippi State Bulldogs by a score of 24–14. The Vols made the BCS National Championship game and faced off against the #2 Florida State Seminoles in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl. The Vols defeated the Seminoles by a score of 23–16. With the victory, the Volunteers won their first National Championship since 1967. Fulmer's senior class of the 1998 team compiled a record of 45–5, losing only to Florida (three times), Nebraska, and Memphis. As a result of the 1998 season, Fulmer was named National Coach of the Year and SEC Coach of the Year. 1999 season Fresh off the National Championship, Fulmer's Vols started the season as the #2 team in the country. After a 42–17 victory against the Wyoming Cowboys, the Vols dropped a game to the #4 Florida Gators by a score of 23–21. The Vols then won their next six games including another victory over #10 Alabama and a 38–14 victory over Notre Dame. On November 13, the Vols lost 28–24 to Arkansas before closing out the regular season with two wins to finish 9–2. In the Fiesta Bowl, the Vols lost 31–21 to #3 Nebraska. Fulmer's streak of 10-win seasons was snapped, but the Vols finished #9 in the nation going into 2000. Fulmer was honored with the State Farm Eddie Robinson Coach of Distinction Award in December 1999. 2000 season The 2000 season brought Fulmer and the Vols some struggles early on in the season. The season started off with a narrow victory 19–16 victory over #22 Southern Miss. After the game, the City of Knoxville proclaimed September 9, 2000, as "Phillip Fulmer Day" in honor of the coach. However, the Vols lost the next game 27–23 to #6 Florida. After a 70–3 victory over Louisiana–Monroe, the Vols dropped their next two games to LSU by a score of 38–31 and #19 Georgia by a score of 21–10 to drop to 2–3 and unranked for the first time in several years under Fulmer. The Vols recovered and won their next six games, which included a 20–10