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Tennessee football: Five takeaways from Vols’ 42-17 win at Vanderbilt

By Caleb Calhoun

Tennessee running back Eric Gray (3) is stopped by Vanderbilt linebacker Anfernee Orji (26) during the first quarter at Vanderbilt Stadium Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020 in Nashville, Tenn.Gw55651
Tennessee running back Eric Gray (3) is stopped by Vanderbilt linebacker Anfernee Orji (26) during the first quarter at Vanderbilt Stadium Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020 in Nashville, Tenn.Gw55651 /
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Dec 12, 2020; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Ken Seals (8) fumbles the ball as he is hit by Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Matthew Butler (94) during the first half at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 12, 2020; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Ken Seals (8) fumbles the ball as he is hit by Tennessee Volunteers defensive lineman Matthew Butler (94) during the first half at Vanderbilt Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Here’s what we learned from the Tennessee football Volunteers victory at the Vandy Commodores.

After a six-game losing streak, Tennessee football finally came away with a win. The Vols beat the Vanderbilt Commodores 42-17 in Vandy’s first game without Derek Mason as head coach, winning their second straight game in the series.

History was made in the game, as Vandy kicker Sarah Fuller made an extra point in the first quarter, becoming the first female to ever make a field goal kick in Power Five play. One drive later, Vandy took the lead with a 39-yard field goal from Pierson Cooke. However, the Vols then had a pick-six to go up 14-10. They then scored four unanswered touchdowns offensively to pull away.

With the win, Jeremy Pruitt’s team moved to 3-6 on the year, and Vandy fell to 0-9 under interim head coach Todd Fitch. Up next for the Vols is a home game against the Texas A&M Aggies. Meanwhile, Vandy will face the Georgia Bulldogs. That will be the regular season finale for both teams. Here are five takeaways from Tennessee football’s win.

1. Vols’ pass rush cashed in on Vanderbilt’s issues.

Coming into the game, Vanderbilt was severely depleted due to a wave of opt-outs, transfers and injuries. Part of that forced Fitch to reshuffle his offensive line, something that has been an issue for the program all year.

As a result, UT was able to pressure Ken Seals all night. The Vols only came away with two sacks, one from Matthew Butler and another from Darel Middleton. However, Jaylen McCollough, Henry To’o To’o, and Quavaris Crouch all had tackles for a loss, and Deandre Johnson had two quarterback hurries while Butler, Aubrey Solomon and Morven Joseph each had one.

Meanwhile, Butler forced a fumble. Simply put, Tennessee football was able to pressure Vandy all night, and that led to a dominant performance by the defense. The Vols finally put together what Jeremy Pruitt and Derrick Ansley had been looking for all year.

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