NASHVILLE – Tennessee football can get into the College Football Playoff with a win over Vanderbilt, but that’s not an easy task.
The Vols (9-2, 5-2 SEC) and Commodores (6-5, 3-4) face off in their annual rivalry game at FirstBank Stadium. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT/noon ET and televised on ABC.
Tennessee is ranked No. 8 in the CFP poll heading into this regular-season finale, so a victory should lock in a spot in the 12-team playoff. There’s even a chance that the Vols could host a first-round game.
But Vanderbilt, which is already bowl eligible, looks to derail the Vols from their playoff path. Quarterback Diego Pavia and the Commodores already have defeated Alabama and almost beat Texas this season, and they’d love to spoil Tennessee’s season.
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Sedrick Alexander tackled in end zone by Tennessee for a safety and Vols lead 33-17 with 1:09 left in the third quarter.
Mike Matthews with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Nico Iamaleava to give Tennessee a 31-17 lead with 8:43 left in the third quarter.
Miles Kitselman with a 18-yard touchdown pass from Nico Iamaleava to give Tennessee a 24-17 lead with :22 left in the second quarter.
Dont’e Thornton with a 86-yard touchdown pass from Nico Iamaleava ties the game at 17-17 with 6:38 left in the second quarter.
Max Gilbert with a 50-yard field goal to cut the Tennessee deficit to 17-10 with 8:33 left in the second quarter.
Brock Taylor with a 32-yard field goal to give Vanderbilt a 17-7 lead with 4:01 left in the first quarter.
Dont’e Thornton with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Nico Iamaleava cuts the Vanderbilt lead to 14-7 with 8:48 left in the first quarter.
Sedrick Alexander with a 4-yard touchdown run to give Vanderbilt a 14-0 lead with 10:22 left in the first quarter.
Junior Sherrill returned opening kickoff 100 yards for a Vanderbilt touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 14:47 left in the first quarter.
Tennessee’s game against Vanderbilt is set to kick off at noon ET on Saturday, Nov. 30, at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville.
The game will air live on ABC with streaming options available on the ESPN app or Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers. Dave Pasch will handle play-by-play duties with Dusty Dvoracek as the color analyst for the broadcast. Taylor McGregor will serve as sideline reporter.
Tennessee 27, Vanderbilt 20: Vandy has held its opponents under 30 points in six straight games, and Tennessee isn’t as explosive as past seasons. But the Vols will be comfortable running the ball and playing strong red-zone defense, as they have all season, to punch their ticket to the playoff. Check out more predictions from our Knox News staff.
Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Saturday:
The forecast calls for 39 degrees and cloudy at kickoff.
All times Eastern
Denotes conference game*
All times Eastern
Denotes conference game*
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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