NASHVILLE -- Once 5-0 and ranked in the top 10, Tennessee stumbled to a 3-4 finish capped by Saturday night's 45-34 loss at Vanderbilt.
The Commodores outscored the visitors 21-3 in the second half to register their third win in five years against the in-state rival Vols.
Another brutal performance by Bob Shoop's defense and missed chances in the red zone on offense doomed Tennessee to a loss that turned the season to a disappointment, which seemed unlikely after the Vols beat Florida and Georgia in back-to-back weeks.
"We felt like - we still feel like any time we step on the field we're the better team," quarterback Josh Dobbs said. "Our opportunities were there. We just didn't capitalize."
The Vols await their bowl assignment -- the Belk Bowl in Charlotte may wind up the destination -- after Saturday night's loss.
SATURDAY'S STAR
It's hard to fathom Alvin Kamara only touched the ball three times when Tennessee beat Florida. He was Tennessee's spark on offense in Nashville with 69 yards on 10 carries, 72 yards on eight receptions and three highlight-reel scores. The dynamic running back recorded a third straight game with multiple rushing touchdowns and scored 10 touchdowns in his past five games.
SATURDAY'S STAT
There have been any number of problems with Tennessee's defense in November, but the Vols lost on Saturday night largely because they couldn't get off the field on third down. The Commodores converted six times on seven third downs after Tennessee forced four third-down stops in the first half. The success allowed Vanderbilt to outscore Tennessee 21-3 after halftime.
TURNING POINT
On the last play of the third quarter, with the Vols clinging to a 34-31 lead, Zach Cunningham, Vanderbilt's star linebacker, stripped Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs of the ball. Dobbs originally was ruled down, but replay review overturned the call. The Commodores turned Tennessee's second turnover into the go-ahead touchdown and put the Vols squarely behind the 8-ball.
HIGHLIGHT PLAY
Kamara has put together quite the highlight reel in his two seasons at Tennessee, but his second touchdown on Saturday night should lead it off. The Vols threw it to him on a roll-out-throwback screen, and the shifty running back broke six tackles - seven Vanderbilt defenders got a hand on him - to score the 21-yard touchdown and give the Vols a 14-7 lead in the first quarter.
WHAT IT MEANS
Tennessee could have put itself in position for the Sugar or Citrus Bowls and kept a 10-win season on the table by beating its mid-state rival. Instead Vanderbilt cast a heap of disappointment on Tennessee's season and a pile of pressure on fourth-year head coach Butch Jones. The Vols couldn't overcome defensive ineptitude and costly mistakes on offense in a bad, bad loss.
BY THE NUMBERS
2-2: For all the progress Tennessee's made in four seasons under Butch Jones, the Vols' head coach has split his four games against Vanderbilt. That's never a good mark for a Tennessee coach. The Commodores knocked the Vols out of a bowl game with a win in Knoxville in 2013 and dealt Jones a heavy blow with Saturday's night triumph.
45: When Vanderbilt scored 38 points against Ole Miss last week, it was the most the Commodores had scored in an SEC game under third-year coach Derek Mason. Vanderbilt's 45 points against Tennessee on Saturday night were its most in an SEC game since the Commodores scored 49 points against Mississippi State in 1971, another dubious mark for Tennessee's defense.
3: Tennessee's offense looked unstoppable for stretches of the first half, but the Vols scored just three points after the break. The Vols' second-half drives ended in a punt, a red-zone field goal, a costly fumble, a missed field goal and on downs when they threw a pass short of the first down. Tennessee had 289 yards in the first half and 227 in the second.
11: Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs continued his torrid play since the South Carolina debacle by completing his first 11 passes against a defense he struggled against previously in his career. After completing 73 percent of his passes in the past three games, he finished the first half 31-of-34 for 340 yards with touchdown passes to Josh Malone and Alvin Kamara.
239: Tennessee took a 21-7 lead 61 seconds in the second quarter when its dreadful defense reverted to form. Vanderbilt scored 17 points and recorded 239 yards of offense on 11.4 yards per play in the second quarter. The Vols gave up completions of 45, 76 and 40 yards in the frame. The Commodores had two 100-yard receivers (Caleb Scott and Trent Sherfield) by halftime.
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.