Rain poured down in Neyland Stadium on Saturday night, but the weather didn’t dampen the enthusiasm from Vol fans watching their team win the final home game of the season.
Tennessee improved to 7-5 overall and 5-3 in SEC play on Saturday night thanks to a 28-10 win over in-state foe Vanderbilt. The victory finally put an end to the Commodores’ win streak over the Vols, snapping UT’s three-game losing skid to Vandy.
The Vols got a historic performance from freshman running back Eric Gray, who ran for 246 yards and three touchdowns on the night. Gray’s total is the fifth-most in a single game in program history, and no true freshman has ever run for more yards in a game in Tennessee’s existence.
Defensively, Tennessee did their job once again, holding Vanderbilt to just 10 points and under 300 yards of offense. Though UT didn’t force any turnovers, the Vols limited what the Commodores could do, keeping them under 4.3 yards a play on offense.
After the game, Tennessee’s players celebrated all throughout Neyland Stadium, and part of those celebrations spilled into the stands with the fans.
Watch as Darrell Taylor does a dance, Tennessee players declare “this is our state,” and Trey Smith and Daniel Bituli make the rounds after the Vols’ 18-point victory over Vanderbilt to close out the regular season: