Rapid Reaction: Vols Beat Vandy To Become Bowl Eligible
By Zach Ragan
It wasn’t pretty, but in front of a resplendently orange crowd at Vanderbilt Stadium, the Tennessee Volunteers earned their sixth win of the season to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2010.
The Vols, as has been the custom the past several seasons, made it interesting on Saturday against Vanderbilt. Tennessee led by only seven late in the fourth quarter, before the defense was able to shut down the Commodores’ offense and clinch the 24-17 victory.
Josh Dobbs didn’t have his best game of his season, completing only 11-20 passes for 92 yards and two interceptions. But the sophomore signal caller did manage to pick up 91 yards on the ground on 21 carries.
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Only three Vols caught passes on Saturday evening. Pig Howard led the Vols with five catches for 55 yards. Running back Marlin Lane added three catches for 25 yards and Von Pearson had three catches for 12 yards.
True freshman running back Jalen Hurd left the game early, after suffering a “upper body injury”. Hurd went through concussion protocol on the sidelines and did not return to the game.
Lane took the bulk of the carries in Hurd’s absence, picking up 51 yards on 16 carries.
While it wasn’t the prettiest win of the Butch Jones era, it was easily the most important. Tennessee hasn’t went to a bowl game since 2010. They haven’t had a winning season since 2009. They now have a chance to finish the season with a bowl win and a winning record.
It might not sound like much, but it’s tremendous progress for a program that’s seen some dark days in recent years.