Well, it can’t get any worse than this.
Right?
Vanderbilt dominated Tennessee 42-24 on Saturday night, giving the Vols their first eight loss season in program history. This is also the first time that the Vols have gone winless in the SEC.
But it wasn’t that bad for a while.
Tennessee was in the game for most of the first three quarters. It only trailed by four after the third quarter.
Jarrett Guarantano was electric to start the game. He completed six of his seven passes for 95 yards and a score in the first quarter.
That included this spectacular grab by Marquez Callaway.
Marquez Callaway only needed one hand.
And he made it look easy 👀 pic.twitter.com/cyzTQ0c0JU
— Rocky Top Insider (@rockytopinsider) November 25, 2017
Once the passing game stopped working, Tennessee had nothing. John Kelly finished with 20 yards on ten carries. Guarantano had -13 yards rushing. And as a team, UT averaged 2.6 yards per carry.
Kyle Shurmur picked the Vols defense apart for the second straight year. He was 20-for-31 for 283 yards and four touchdowns.
He hooked up with CJ Duncan on a big third down to start the fourth quarter. And that pretty much set the tone for the rest of the game.
Trent Sherfield would then catch a 20-yard touchdown pass to put Vanderbilt up by 11. Tennessee answered with a three-and-out. Then another quick drive for Vanderbilt ended with a 12-yard touchdown reception by Sherfield.
Senior running back Ralph Webb ended his Vandy career with 25 carries for 163 yards. And in all honesty, it could have been a lot worse.
The Commodores had their second team offense on the field for the final two drives. And that tells you all you need to know about this game.
For the first time since 1964, Tennessee loses to both Kentucky and Vanderbilt in the same season. Now, we await an announcement for UT’s next head football coach.
