Tennessee Vols poised to surpass impressive milestone not seen since the Johnny Majors era

It's been a pretty great ride during the 2024 calendar year for the Tennessee Vols, going all the way back to the start of the year.

In fact, in one particular area, 2024 has been as good as any in Knoxville going back a long time.  Think 1985.

According to Tennessee Athletics , for the first time since the "Sugar Vols" were working their way towards New Orleans, the Tennessee Vols have gone three straight games without allowing a defensive touchdown.  It's a mark they have a great chance of improving upon on Saturday evening when they take on the winless Kent State Golden Flashes at 7:45 pm ET inside Neyland Stadium.

The Johnny Majors-led Vols had a similar defensive stretch as the current Vols back in 1985.  The "Orange Crush" defense shut out Rutgers, allowed Georgia Tech to boot two field goals, and saw a non-offensive touchdown scored by Memphis (blocked punt for touchdown).

This year, the Vols shut out Iowa 35-0 in the Citrus Bowl, allowed a single field goal to Chattanooga in the 69-3 season opener, and allowed a field goal and a non-offensive touchdown (87-yard pick-six by NC State) on Saturday in UT's 51-10 destruction of NC State.

For those wondering how Kent State has looked this year, they lost to Pittsburgh 55-24 in their opener, then fell 23-17 at home last weekend to St. Francis PA.  In other words, the Vols have what appears to be a great chance on Saturday night to carry the streak even further than what the 1985 team did.

1985 was a special season for the SEC champion Vols, as Tennessee denied the Miami Hurricanes a shot at a national championship with a 35-7 win in the Sugar Bowl.  Tennessee fans are hoping another special season is in the cards for this group of Volunteers in 2024.

Related: ESPN's Paul Finebaum explains why the Tennessee Vols' highly anticipated matchup with Alabama could end up getting overshadowed