Staff Photo by D. Patrick Harding
UT's Arian Foster gains yards in the game against Kentucky at Neyland Stadium Saturday night.

KNOXVILLE — The University of Tennessee’s football game Saturday night in Neyland Stadium played an unusual role.

Undercard.

The game against Kentucky wasn’t as significant as the goodbye to legendary Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer. An orange-heavy, rain-soaked crowd bid farewell to Fulmer before, during and after the season finale against a team the Tennessee has now beaten 24 consecutive times after Saturday’s 28-10 win.

Fulmer, a former UT offensive lineman and assistant coach with 32 years of service to the school, might not be finished working for his alma mater in some capacity. But as of this morning, he will be paid $6 million in 48 monthly installments no longer to coach the school’s football team.

Fulmer started Saturday’s game with an impressive overall resume as UT’s head coach — a 151-52 record, two Southeastern Conference championships, five SEC title game appearances and the 1998 national crown. His winning percentage entered the game tied for third place among active coaches with at least 10 years of experience in the NCAA Division I Bowl Championship Subdivision.

But the Volunteers fell short of a bowl-eligible six victories this season for the second time in four years, and four of this season’s seven home games drew fewer than 100,000 fans in one of college football’s traditionally most packed venues.

Former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin, 33, is expected to be announced formally as Fulmer’s replacement early this week, perhaps as soon as Monday.

Fulmer has been offered a publicly unspecified position in the UT athletic department but hasn’t announced his plans. He also is considering other coaching positions, media work and downtime with his family.