7. Tennessee grinds its way to an ugly, but important, win over Vanderbilt
The result – a 24-17 win that got the Vols to six wins and back to bowl eligibility for the first time since 2010 – was all Tennessee needed. But the process of getting there wasn’t too pretty. Tennessee, though banged up at several positions, let a winless-in-the-SEC Vandy squad that also was blown out by Temple early in the season, stick around. An early punt return for a touchdown by Cam Sutton gave the Vols the early edge, but Tennessee couldn’t get the passing game going and only finished the afternoon with 92 yards through the air. That allowed Vanderbilt to stay close. The Vols melted clock late, giving Vandy one final chance to move the ball down the field for a potential game-tying (or go-ahead if they went for 2) touchdown, but UT got the stop it needed. Not a pretty win, but a beautiful result for the Vols in front of what was practically a home crowd in Nashville.
