Gary Kinney needed the KnoxTNToday Game Ball tiebreaker to claim this week’s Dinner for Two at Aubrey’s after Texas edged Tennessee 20-17 Saturday at Neyland Stadium.
Kinney predicted Texas 24, Tennessee 17. He hit Tennessee’s score exactly and missed Texas’ score by four points, giving him a combined difference of four points.
Don Haynes was just as close overall with a prediction of Texas 21, Tennessee 14. He missed Texas by one point and Tennessee by three, also a combined difference of four.
That brought the published Game Ball tiebreaker into play. When entries have the same combined difference, the first tiebreaker is the prediction closest to Tennessee’s actual score. Kinney’s prediction had Tennessee’s 17 points exactly, making him this week’s Game Ball winner.
Beat the Writers
Kinney also Beat the Writers. The closest KnoxTNToday writers were Linda Sullivan and Marvin West, who both predicted Tennessee 21, Texas 17. Each finished seven total points from the 20-17 final.
- Charlie Barnett: Tennessee 24, Texas 21 — 8 points off
- Sandra Clark: Tennessee 28, Texas 17 — 11 points off
- Jan Dickens: Texas 28, Tennessee 14 — 11 points off
- Maria Cornelius: Tennessee 31, Texas 24 — 18 points off
- Tom King: Tennessee 30, Texas 27 — 20 points off
- Beth Kinnane: Tennessee 30, Texas 23 — 16 points off
- Thomas Mabry: Texas 34, Tennessee 21 — 18 points off
- Aneisa Rolen: Tennessee 31, Texas 24 — 18 points off
- Linda Sullivan: Tennessee 21, Texas 17 — 7 points off
- Marvin West: Tennessee 21, Texas 17 — 7 points off
Reader Gary Kinney: Texas 24, Tennessee 17 — 4 points off, with Tennessee’s score exact.
With Kinney’s win, readers remain unbeaten in Beat the Writers since the side challenge began.
Game Ball season winners
- Week 1 — Virginia Farris — Tennessee vs. Furman. Virginia won the inaugural Game Ball; Beat the Writers had not yet launched.
- Week 2 — Donna Leach — Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech. Donna became the first reader winner after Beat the Writers was added.
- Week 3 — Nathan Bond — Tennessee vs. Kennesaw State. Bond predicted Tennessee 42, Kennesaw State 10, missing the 42-9 final by one point.
- Week 4 — Gary Kinney — Tennessee vs. Texas. Kinney predicted Texas 24, Tennessee 17 and won the tiebreaker after matching Tennessee’s score exactly.
Beat the Writers standings: Readers 3 — Writers 0
Game Ball returns with Tennessee’s next game. Readers can make their score prediction, try to Beat the Writers and compete for another Dinner for Two at Aubrey’s.
The KnoxTNToday Game Ball is a KnoxTNToday reader promotion and is not affiliated with or sponsored by the University of Tennessee.
