The same old Vanderbilt exists no longer.
Tennessee football came up short against the Commodores, 45-24, on Saturday at Neyland Stadium, falling to the in-state rival for the first time since 2018.
The No. 19 Vols couldn’t hang with the juggernaut offense of probable College Football Playoff-bound Vanderbilt, allowing 582 yards on defense. Tennessee (8-4, 4-4 SEC) fell at home for the third time all year, tying the highest number of single-season home defeats in the Josh Heupel era.
Joey Aguilar posted 299 air yards while tossing one touchdown. DeSean Bishop amassed 97 rushing yards, finding the checkerboards once.
Diego Pavia furthered his case for a Heisman Trophy, totaling 268 passing yards while racing for 165 on the ground. He added a single touchdown pass. He did toss a pair of picks, but it didn’t hinder No. 14 Vanderbilt’s efforts in the slightest. Running back Sedrick Alexander aided the Commodores (10-2, 6-2) with 115 yards via his legs, producing a trio of scores.
Farooq fires first
After Tennessee failed to tally any points on its opening drive for just the second time all season, Vanderbilt’s high-powered offense established some rhythm on its first possession.
The Commodores pieced together some short-yardage conversions on a series of third downs to get themselves across midfield, using some strong playcalls to work into Vols’ territory. A Tyre West tackle for loss set the SEC’s second-highest scoring attack behind the chains once in the red zone, setting the stage for the ballgame’s first big moment.
Vanderbilt signal-caller Pavia fired an errant pass towards the goal line into the waiting grasp of Edrees Farooq. The sophomore’s second interception set Tennessee up for a strong second drive, a 75-yard march that found paydirt for the game’s first points.
The Commodores found some second-drive magic of their own, knotting things up in prompt fashion.
Bishop breaks free
Entering the contest, Bishop needed 114 yards to reach one thousand on the season.
He didn’t waste any time working towards the milestone.
The Knoxville product established the ground game for Tennessee in a big way, bruising for 92 yards in the first half alone. He showcased his explosiveness on a 35-yard touchdown burst that gave his guys their first lead of the afternoon.
Giveaways give life
When they haven’t scored a defensive touchdown, the Vols have struggled to turn turnovers into points during this campaign.
That theme didn’t carry into the final game of the regular season. Tennessee jumped on a pair of Pavia picks, converting both into trips to the endzone. The Vols didn’t have ideal field position in either instance, needing drives of 80 and 63 yards to make the giveaways matter.
Pavia didn’t pull any punches, though. He got the last laugh of the first half, evening things up on the scoreboard with his first touchdown pass. Much like Aguilar, Vanderbilt’s Heisman Trophy candidate showed he isn’t one to get rattled.
Commodores set sail
The visitors emerged from the halftime locker room ready to kick things into gear.
Vanderbilt controlled the football for nearly the entirety of the third quarter, embarking on a pair of marathon scoring drives that gave it a two-score cushion. The Commodores’ offense stayed on the field for a total of 11:46 in the frame while Tennessee’s offense sputtered.
Vanderbilt racked up 91 rushing yards, many of which came on a Pavia 41-yard scamper on the first play of a drive immediately following a Vols’ three-and-out. He displayed his ability to escape pressure, exposing Tennessee’s defense when his receiving options weren’t available.
When the Vols could only muster a field goal to answer after a dropped Mike Matthews touchdown catch, Pavia landed the death blow.
He sprinted 24 yards untouched into the end zone to put things out of reach. The Commodores continued to pile on, draining the home faithful by the midway point of the fourth quarter.
