Today On Rocky Top: Why The Vols Earned A Bowl Bid

From WBIR

"Sitting at 3-5 and trailing South Carolina by two touchdowns with five minutes to go in the game, a bowl trip seemed like a pipe dream for the Vols on Nov. 1.Instead, Tennessee won three of its final four games to reach the postseason for the first time since the 2010 season. Here are five stats that shed some light on how exactly the Vols got there.Read more at WBIR"

From The Tennessean

"Whittling down hours upon hours of interviews and press conferences to 10 quotes to represent an entire football season is no simple task.In this small sample of reactions from those inside the Tennessee program, you’ll find a blend of delight and despair, laughter and loyalty — all experienced within the three-and-a-half month maelstrom that is a college football regular season.Read more at The Tennessean"

From The Times Free Press

"Derek Barnett knows he currently trails Tennessee teammate Curt Maggitt for the team lead in sacks.The freshman defensive end also knows there’s one more game and another opportunity to grab that distinction.Maggitt (11 sacks) and Barnett (10) combined for more than half of the Volunteers’ 35 sacks this season, and the two developed a little bit of a competition about who has the most during the course of the season that culminates with the Jan. 2 TaxSlayer Bowl meeting with Iowa in Jacksonville“He ain’t been giving me much of a hard time,” Barnett said with a smile after Tennessee finished practicing at Neyland Stadium on Sunday afternoon. “Maybe after the Vandy game he was laughing at me a little bit. I’m going to catch him, so I ain’t worried about it.”The duo of Maggitt and Barnett certainly did that, as Tennessee recorded its highest sack total for a season since the 2001 team, which included defensive tackles John Henderson and Albert Haynesworth, had 34.Read more at The Times Free Press"