NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Butch Davis knows what his North Carolina Tar Heels overcame this season in reaching the Music City Bowl. So he can appreciate what coach Derek Dooley had to deal with during his first year at Tennessee in order to earn a spot in this game.
Davis says he doesn’t think anyone predicted that maybe either North Carolina or Tennessee would be eligible to play a bowl game with four or five weeks left in the season.
The Tar Heels (7-5) stumbled while dealing with an NCAA investigation into agent-related benefits and academic misconduct and go into Thursday night’s Music City Bowl having lost three more starters.
Dooley is Tennessee’s third coach in as many seasons, and the Vols (6-6) needed a four-game winning streak to earn a second straight bowl appearance.
