Tennessee–Vanderbilt football rivalry

For The Tennessee–Vanderbilt basketball and all–sports rivalry, see Tennessee–Vanderbilt rivalry.

The Tennessee–Vanderbilt football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Tennessee Volunteers and Vanderbilt Commodores. They are both founding members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). Vanderbilt and Tennessee have played 117 times since 1892. Tennessee leads the all-time series 77–33–5.

Tennessee–Vanderbilt football rivalry

Tennessee Volunteers Vanderbilt Commodores
First meeting	October 21, 1892 Vanderbilt, 22–4
Latest meeting	November 26, 2022 Tennessee, 56–0
Next meeting	November 25, 2023
Statistics
Meetings total	117
All-time series	Tennessee leads, 77–33–5^[1]
Largest victory	Vanderbilt, 76–0 (1918)
Longest win streak	Tennessee, 22 (1983–2004)
Current win streak	Tennessee, 2 (2021–present)

[Interactive fullscreen map + nearby articles]

Locations of Tennessee and Vanderbilt

History

 

Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt 2007

From 1892–1927, Vanderbilt went 19–2–3 against Tennessee. Tennessee's hiring of Robert Neyland in 1926 reversed completely the on field rivalry. Nathan Dougherty hired him with the explicit goal to "even the score with Vanderbilt." Vanderbilt's Dan McGugin (1904–17, 1919–34) was 13–8–3 all-time against the Vols.

Vanderbilt's longest win streak is 9 from 1901 to 1913. Tennessee's longest win streak is 22 from 1983 to 2004.^[2]

From 1928 to 2011, Tennessee went 71–9–2 against Vanderbilt. Since 2012, Tennessee leads 6–5 on the field.

Game results

Tennessee victories

Vanderbilt victories

Tie games

No. Date Location Winning team Losing team 1 October 21, 1892 Nashville Vanderbilt 22 Tennessee 4 2 November 17, 1892 Knoxville Vanderbilt 12 Tennessee 0 3 October 22, 1900 Nashville Tie 0 Tie 0 4 November 9, 1901 Nashville Vanderbilt 22 Tennessee 0 5 October 25, 1902 Nashville Vanderbilt 12 Tennessee 5 6 October 17, 1903 Nashville Vanderbilt 40 Tennessee 0 7 November 5, 1904 Nashville Vanderbilt 22 Tennessee 0 8 October 21, 1905 Nashville Vanderbilt 45 Tennessee 0 9 November 7, 1908 Nashville Vanderbilt 16 Tennessee 9 10 November 6, 1909 Nashville Vanderbilt 51 Tennessee 0 11 October 15, 1910 Nashville Vanderbilt 18 Tennessee 0 12 November 8, 1913 Nashville Vanderbilt 7 Tennessee 6 13 November 7, 1914 Knoxville Tennessee 16 Vanderbilt 14 14 October 30, 1915 Nashville Vanderbilt 35 Tennessee 0 15 November 11, 1916 Knoxville Tennessee 10 Vanderbilt 6 16 November 9, 1918 Nashville Vanderbilt 76 Tennessee 0 17 October 11, 1919 Nashville Tie 3 Tie 3 18 October 9, 1920 Knoxville Vanderbilt 20 Tennessee 0 19 October 29, 1921 Nashville Vanderbilt 14 Tennessee 0 20 November 4, 1922 Knoxville Vanderbilt 14 Tennessee 6 21 November 10, 1923 Nashville Vanderbilt 51 Tennessee 7 22 October 17, 1925 Nashville Vanderbilt 34 Tennessee 7 23 November 14, 1926 Nashville Vanderbilt 20 Tennessee 3 24 November 13, 1927 Knoxville Tie 7 Tie 7 25 November 12, 1928 Nashville Tennessee 6 Vanderbilt 0 26 November 16, 1929 Knoxville Tennessee 13 Vanderbilt 0 27 November 15, 1930 Nashville Tennessee 13 Vanderbilt 0 28 November 14, 1931 Knoxville Tennessee 21 Vanderbilt 7 29 November 12, 1932 Nashville Tie 0 Tie 0 30 November 18, 1933 Knoxville Tennessee 33 Vanderbilt 6 31 November 17, 1934 Nashville Tennessee 13 Vanderbilt 6 32 November 16, 1935 Knoxville Vanderbilt 13 Tennessee 7 33 November 14, 1936 Nashville Tennessee 26 Vanderbilt 13 34 November 13, 1937 Knoxville Vanderbilt 13 Tennessee 7 35 November 12, 1938 Nashville #4 Tennessee 14 Vanderbilt 0 36 November 18, 1939 Knoxville #1 Tennessee 13 Vanderbilt 0 37 November 30, 1940 Nashville #6 Tennessee 20 Vanderbilt 0 38 November 29, 1941 Knoxville Tennessee 26 #12 Vanderbilt 7 39 November 28, 1942 Nashville #10 Tennessee 19 Vanderbilt 7 40 December 1, 1945 Knoxville #17 Tennessee 45 Vanderbilt 0 41 November 30, 1946 Nashville #8 Tennessee 7 Vanderbilt 6 42 November 29, 1947 Knoxville Tennessee 12 Vanderbilt 7 43 November 27, 1948 Nashville #15 Vanderbilt 28 Tennessee 6 44 November 26, 1949 Knoxville #18 Tennessee 26 Vanderbilt 20 45 December 2, 1950 Nashville #9 Tennessee 43 Vanderbilt 0 46 December 1, 1951 Knoxville #1 Tennessee 35 Vanderbilt 27 47 November 29, 1952 Nashville #9 Tennessee 46 Vanderbilt 0 48 November 28, 1953 Knoxville Tennessee 33 Vanderbilt 6 49 November 27, 1954 Nashville Vanderbilt 26 Tennessee 0 50 November 26, 1955 Knoxville Tennessee 20 #19 Vanderbilt 14 51 December 1, 1956 Nashville #2 Tennessee 16 Vanderbilt 0 52 November 30, 1957 Knoxville #18 Tennessee 28 Vanderbilt 0 53 November 29, 1958 Nashville Tennessee 10 #15 Vanderbilt 6 54 November 27, 1959 Knoxville Vanderbilt 14 Tennessee 0 55 November 26, 1960 Nashville Tennessee 35 Vanderbilt 0 56 December 2, 1961 Knoxville Tennessee 41 Vanderbilt 7 57 December 1, 1962 Nashville Tennessee 30 Vanderbilt 0 58 November 30, 1963 Knoxville Tennessee 14 Vanderbilt 0 59 November 28, 1964 Nashville Vanderbilt 7 Tennessee 0 60 November 27, 1965 Knoxville #9 Tennessee 21 Vanderbilt 3 No. Date Location Winning team Losing team 61 November 26, 1966 Nashville Tennessee 28 Vanderbilt 0 62 December 2, 1967 Knoxville #2 Tennessee 41 Vanderbilt 14 63 November 28, 1968 Nashville #7 Tennessee 17 Vanderbilt 10 64 November 29, 1969 Knoxville #10 Tennessee 40 Vanderbilt 27 65 November 30, 1970 Nashville #7 Tennessee 24 Vanderbilt 6 66 November 27, 1971 Knoxville #11 Tennessee 19 Vanderbilt 7 67 December 2, 1972 Nashville #12 Tennessee 30 Vanderbilt 10 68 December 1, 1973 Knoxville #19 Tennessee 20 Vanderbilt 17 69 November 30, 1974 Nashville Tie 21 Tie 21 70 November 29, 1975 Knoxville Vanderbilt 17 Tennessee 14 71 November 27, 1976 Nashville Tennessee 13 Vanderbilt 10 72 November 26, 1977 Knoxville Tennessee 42 Vanderbilt 7 73 December 2, 1978 Nashville Tennessee 41 Vanderbilt 15 74 December 1, 1979 Knoxville Tennessee 31 Vanderbilt 10 75 November 29, 1980 Nashville Tennessee 51 Vanderbilt 13 76 November 28, 1981 Knoxville Tennessee 38 Vanderbilt 34 77 November 27, 1982 Nashville Vanderbilt 28 Tennessee 21 78 November 26, 1983 Knoxville Tennessee 34 Vanderbilt 24 79 December 1, 1984 Nashville Tennessee 29 Vanderbilt 13 80 November 30, 1985 Knoxville #10 Tennessee 30 Vanderbilt 0 81 November 29, 1986 Nashville Tennessee 35 Vanderbilt 20 82 November 28, 1987 Knoxville #16 Tennessee 38 Vanderbilt 36 83 November 26, 1988 Nashville Tennessee 14 Vanderbilt 7 84 December 2, 1989 Knoxville #8 Tennessee 17 Vanderbilt 10 85 December 1, 1990 Nashville #12 Tennessee 49 Vanderbilt 20 86 November 30, 1991 Knoxville #9 Tennessee 45 Vanderbilt 0 87 November 28, 1992 Nashville #18 Tennessee 29 Vanderbilt 25 88 November 27, 1993 Knoxville #6 Tennessee 62 Vanderbilt 14 89 November 26, 1994 Nashville Tennessee 65 Vanderbilt 0 90 November 25, 1995 Knoxville #5 Tennessee 12 Vanderbilt 7 91 November 30, 1996 Nashville #9 Tennessee 14 Vanderbilt 7 92 November 29, 1997 Knoxville #3 Tennessee 17 Vanderbilt 10 93 November 28, 1998 Nashville #1 Tennessee 41 Vanderbilt 0 94 November 27, 1999 Knoxville #6 Tennessee 38 Vanderbilt 10 95 November 25, 2000 Nashville #25 Tennessee 28 Vanderbilt 26 96 November 24, 2001 Knoxville #7 Tennessee 38 Vanderbilt 0 97 November 23, 2002 Nashville Tennessee 24 Vanderbilt 0 98 November 22, 2003 Knoxville #9 Tennessee 48 Vanderbilt 0 99 November 20, 2004 Nashville #15 Tennessee 38 Vanderbilt 33 100 November 19, 2005 Knoxville Vanderbilt 28 Tennessee 24 101 November 18, 2006 Nashville #22 Tennessee 39 Vanderbilt 10 102 November 17, 2007 Knoxville #19 Tennessee 25 Vanderbilt 24 103 November 22, 2008 Nashville Tennessee 20 Vanderbilt 10 104 November 21, 2009 Knoxville Tennessee 31 Vanderbilt 16 105 November 20, 2010 Nashville Tennessee 24 Vanderbilt 10 106 November 19, 2011 Knoxville Tennessee 27 Vanderbilt 21^OT 107 November 17, 2012 Nashville Vanderbilt 41 Tennessee 18 108 November 23, 2013 Knoxville Vanderbilt 14 Tennessee 10 109 November 29, 2014 Nashville Tennessee 24 Vanderbilt 17 110 November 28, 2015 Knoxville Tennessee 53 Vanderbilt 28 111 November 26, 2016 Nashville Vanderbilt 45 #17 Tennessee 34 112 November 25, 2017 Knoxville Vanderbilt 42 Tennessee 24 113 November 24, 2018 Nashville Vanderbilt 38 Tennessee 13 114 November 30, 2019 Knoxville Tennessee† 28 Vanderbilt 10 115 December 12, 2020 Nashville Tennessee† 42 Vanderbilt 17 116 November 27, 2021 Knoxville Tennessee 45 Vanderbilt 21 117 November 26, 2022 Nashville #10 Tennessee 56 Vanderbilt 0 Series: Tennessee leads 77–33–5^[1] † Tennessee vacated the 2019 and 2020 wins due to recruiting violations under former head coach Jeremy Pruitt.^[3]

Notable games

1892: The rivalry's first two games

1892 saw the first ever matchup between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Tennessee Volunteers. The two schools played each other twice during the year; Vanderbilt won both games. On the first matchup; for the Volunteers it was their third ever game in the second season of play and their first season with more than one game. For the Commodores it was their seventh ever game and third season of play.

The first game was played in Nashville on October 21, 1892. The Volunteers only managed one score as the Commodores rolled to a 22–4 victory. The second game was played in Knoxville on November 17. The Vols did not manage a single score as Vanderbilt won 12–0.^[4] The captain of Vanderbilt was Elliott Jones and its quarterback was William E. Beard.

1900: Tie at Vanderbilt jubilee

A game was played between the schools as part of Vanderbilt's celebrations surrounding its 25th anniversary. It ended a scoreless tie.^[5]

1902: Edgerton scores

1902 had one of Tennessee's strongest early elevens. Vanderbilt won 12–5 despite a weak line due to its running game.^[6] John Edgerton scored both Vanderbilt touchdowns. Tennessee's only score was provided by an A. H. Douglas run around right end, breaking two tackles and getting the touchdown. Nash Buckingham had a 40-yard run through the line. Jones Beene blocked and tackled well.^[6]

1908: Vandy wins despite Leach

 

Ray Morrison saved a touchdown in 1908.

1908 was a down year for Vanderbilt with a wealth of sophomores; guided shrewdly by McGugin to its success.^[7] The Volunteers had compiled four wins in conference play. It was widely considered the best Tennessee football season up to that point.^[8] Vanderbilt won the match between the two schools 16–9.

Walker Leach made a 41-yard field goal to put the Vols up 4–0. "This seemed to arouse the local team" and Vanderbilt drove down the field for a touchdown. On a fake kick, Leach circled Vanderbilt's left end for 60 yards. Ray Morrison stopped him short of the goal.^[9] Nathan Dougherty was on Tennessee's squad.

1913: Tennessee mistakes help Vanderbilt

Red Rainey scored Tennessee's touchdown. Goat Carroll missed the kick.^[10] Tennessee's right guard S. D. Bayer drew a 33-yard, half the distance to the goal penalty for slugging, and was ejected by umpire Bradley Walker. The first down after, Hord Boensch threw a touchdown pass to Enoch Brown. Brown ran the last ten yards shaking off several defenders.^[10] Boensch kicked goal and won the game for Vanderbilt.

1914: UT's first victory

In 1914, Tennessee was undefeated Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) champions. It was the first championship of any kind for the Tennessee program. The 1914 Vols were retroactively awarded a national championship by 1st-N-Goal, though this remains largely unrecognized.^[11] Alonzo "Goat" Carroll scored all of Tennessee's points in the 16–14 victory, Tennessee's first over Vandy.

 

Graham Vowell.

An account of the first touchdown reads, "Four minutes of play had barely drifted by when Tennessee's weird, mystic, elusive forward pass, May to Carroll, deadly in accuracy, went sailing home for the first touchdown of the game. The chesty Tennessee quarterback sent the oval whizzing for a distance of thirty-five yards and Carroll gathered in the ball near his goal line, when he hurried beneath the posts with all the speed at his command."^[12]

1916: UT surprises

Tennessee upset Vanderbilt 10–6 in 1916. Vanderbilt's lone score came on a 70-yard run by Rabbit Curry. The year's only unanimous All-Southern Graham Vowell scored Tennessee's winning touchdown. Tennessee and Georgia Tech finished the season as conference co-champions.^[13]

1918: Berryhill scores six times

In 1918, Vanderbilt beat Tennessee by its largest ever margin; 76–0. Grailey Berryhill scored six touchdowns.^[14] The Student Army Training Corps represented UT, and so Tennessee does not count the game, however, Vanderbilt does.^[15]

1919: A tie in the rain

A steady rain soaked spectators and both squads. The contest ended tied at three. Josh Cody scored on a 30-yard drop kick, while Buck Hatcher made a 25-yard drop kick.^[16]

1920: Vanderbilt avenges '16 on Waite Field

In what was expected to be a hard match, the Commodores got vengeance for Curry, who died in aerial combat over France during the First World War, and lost to Tennessee on Waite Field in 1916, by netting a 20 to 0 victory at the Vols' home field.^[14] All three of Vandy's touchdowns were owed to passes from Jess Neely to Gink Hendrick.

1921: Kuhn acts as captain

 

Doc Kuhn.

The Vanderbilt Commodores went undefeated in 1921. Vanderbilt played the Tennessee Volunteers on a soggy Old Dudley Field, winning by a score of 14 to 0. Team captain Pink Wade did not play due to a case of lumbago. Acting as the captain in his absence, Doc Kuhn scored all of Vanderbilt's touchdowns. Fatty Lawrence also did not play in the game.^[17] Tennessee was excited for the game, preparing for weeks with new plays and persistent drilling. It was said Vanderbilt was "the one team that Tennessee enjoys defeating."^[18]

During the first quarter, an end run of about 20 yards from Kuhn first made the score 7–0. In the second, after the Commodores obtained good field position from the punt returns of Rupert Smith, Kuhn had a 30 or 35-yard touchdown run utilizing Lynn Bomar as a lead blocker.

At one point in the second half, Freddie "Froggie" Meiers carried an onside kick over for a touchdown, but it was called back.^[19] The Tennessee backs were repeatedly thrown for no gain or losses all game, and steady improvement from the Commodore eleven had been noticed.^[20][21]

1922: Vanderbilt triumphs at Shields–Watkins Field

The Vanderbilt Commodores were undefeated conference champions in the first year of the Southern Conference. The Commodores beat Tennessee at Knoxville by a score of 14 to 6. The eighteenth meeting between Vanderbilt and Tennessee saw a packed stadium, the largest crowd of the season for Shields–Watkins Field.^[22] It was Vanderbilt's first game at the new stadium, which opened September 24, 1921.

 

Roe Campbell.

Tennessee was out for revenge,^[23] as they had only beaten the Commodores twice, and Vanderbilt was ahead in points scored in the series by a vast margin, 347 to 53. Tennessee also hoped to better its Southern Conference record after having lost to Georgia. Both teams had last week rested their starters, Vanderbilt winning over Mercer, and Tennessee beating Mississippi by a score of 49 to 0. It was therefore thought the game should be a closer one than in years past, with Vanderbilt only slight favorites.^[23][24] The game turned out to be hotly contested, so much so that many felt Vanderbilt was outplayed but not outfought. Perhaps the week off for many Commodore starters had hindered Vanderbilt's ability to play its best.

Tennessee drove down to the 7-yard line in the first quarter, but was held on downs. The first score came from Vanderbilt in the second quarter on a 31-yard touchdown pass from Jess Neely to Doc Kuhn. Wakefield kicked goal.

In the fourth quarter, Tennessee got to the 1-yard line after a series of long passes. Tennessee fullback Roe Campbell charged over the line for the touchdown. The Volunteers' Clayton failed to kick goal. Later in the fourth, Vanderbilt intercepted a Tennessee pass in Volunteer territory, leading to a chance to score. After runs at the line failed, a 5-yard pass from Neely to Lynn Bomar got the touchdown.^[25] Hek Wakefield's try was successful.^[22][26]

Lynn Bomar, Scotty Neill, Gil Reese, and Fatty Lawrence were mentioned as the players of the game for the Commodores, and Campbell was cited as the star for the Volunteers. It was said Neill out-punted the Volunteers on nearly every occasion.^[27] The Nashville Banner said Lawrence had been "in there doing a man's job blocking a kick and tackling with the deadliness of a tiger unleashed in a cave of lions."^[14]

1923: Vanderbilt unleashes pent up fury

 

Gil Reese.

After two undefeated seasons and a scoreless tie with Michigan, hopes were high going into the 1923 season. Michigan this year were national champions and edged out the Commodores 3–0. Vanderbilt then was upset by Texas. The week before the Tennessee game, Vanderbilt suffered a scoreless tie with Mississippi A&M in the rain. With a 51–7 victory over the Tennessee Volunteers the next week, the Commodores regained "all the power and smoothness with which it had started the 1923 season."^[28] Ralph McGill reflected the sentiment, "All the pent-up fury of misunderstanding and disappointment burst out like a flood. The Vols might as well have flung themselves in the way of a runaway train. It was a machine that found itself. The power was there and the Commodores took a fierce joy in using it."^[14] The Volunteers were led by M. B. Banks, in his third year as head coach.

Vanderbilt gained 455 yards of total offense. Gil Reese rushed for 214 yards,^[28] as well as 95 yards on punt returns.^[29] Reese scored five times, with touchdown runs of 70 yards, 45 yards, and 29 yards respectively. Red Rountree scored another, a 63-yard run. Captain Doc Kuhn got the other touchdown, and Wakefield made a drop kick.^[30] Lynn Bomar, Alf Sharpe, and Bob Rives on defense helped hold the Volunteers to only 7. With the win Vanderbilt was still a contender for the Southern title.^[28] J. G. Lowe played best for Tennessee, getting its lone touchdown.

1927: Dodson gets Neyland a tie

 

Coach Neyland.

In 1927, two hall of fame coaches without a conference loss battle to a tie. Robert Neyland was hired to coach Tennessee in 1926 by Nathan Dougherty with the explicit goal to "even the score with Vanderbilt." 1927 is his first great team, tying with others as victors of the Southern Conference. Dan McGugin's Commodores led 7–0 until a late Dick Dodson run tied the score.^[31] "After the game McGugin questioned each of his players as to his whereabouts during the run. Without exception the players claimed that two men had blocked them. McGugin shrugged. "Well, we'll just protest the play. It's perfectly obvious that Tennessee had twenty-two men on the field."^[31]

1928: Vols pass to victory

Tennessee remained undefeated on the season with a 6–0 victory over Vanderbilt; its first win in the series since 1916. Before 1928, Vanderbilt held a strong advantage over the Volunteers with a record of 18–2–3. Since 1928, Tennessee has dominated the rivalry.

The crowd of 22,000 was the largest ever to see a game in Tennessee up to that point. A 16-yard pass from Roy Witt to Paul Hug in the second quarter was the lone score of the contest.^[32] Jimmy Armistead ran all over Tennessee, once stopped short of the goal by Witt.^[32] Buddy Hackman provided strong defense against the forward pass.^[32]

1932: A scoreless tie

Clyde Roberts outrushed Beattie Feathers as the SoCon champion Vols tied the Commodores 0–0. The game's lone scoring play was a catch by Feathers, called out of bounds in front of the Vanderbilt bench.

1982: Vandy's last win of the century

The game was billed as the “Super Bowl of Tennessee” between Vanderbilt and Tennessee. Tickets were reportedly selling for $150.00 each. The game was a sellout; 41,683 fans and 3,800 watched on closed circuit TV. Both teams swapped the lead back and forth; neither team led by more than seven points. The whole time the game was played it rained, drenching the field. The whole season Taylor took advantage of the short pass. Vanderbilt was able to throw the bomb that won the game. Taylor passed for two 42-yard passes for a touchdown. Whit Taylor made a 65-yard pass to Phil Roach to set up the game-winning one-yard run from Whit Taylor. The run was a quarterback keeper around the right end following a fake to Keith Edwards. Vanderbilt held on to win 28–21.^[33] This would be Vandy's last win over the Volunteers in the 20th century, beginning a 22-game losing streak which wouldn't end until 2005.

1987: The comeback

The Volunteers overcame a 28–3 second quarter deficit to defeat the Commodores by a score of 38–36.^[34]

1992: Vols send Majors out a winner

Tennessee defeated Vanderbilt by a score of 29–25 in Johnny Majors' last game as head coach of the Vols.^[35] Majors would be replaced by assistant coach Phillip Fulmer who would coach the team until 2008.^[36][37]

1994: Tennessee's largest victory

The Vols dominated the Commodores en route to a 65–0 blowout win, the largest margin of victory by the Volunteers in the history of the rivalry.^[38] UT running back James Stewart gained 121 yards on 12 carries to become the Vols' all-time leading rusher and Tennessee set a school record with 665 total yards of offense.^[39]

2000: Close but no cigar

Vandy overcame a 21–6 fourth quarter deficit thanks largely to the play of quarterback Greg Zolman but the Commodores came up short in a 28–26 loss.^[40] The Southeastern Conference's least penalized team that year, the Vols committed a season-high 14 penalties for 135 yards and also had three turnovers. The two-point victory was the smallest margin of victory for the Vols over the Commodres since 1992.

2005: Cutler ends Vols' longest win streak

The Commodores ended their season, and Jay Cutler's Vanderbilt career, at Tennessee against the Tennessee Volunteers with a 28–24 win. The victory was Vanderbilt's first over the Volunteers since 1982, the year before Cutler was born. The win also marked Vanderbilt's first victory over Tennessee on the Volunteers' home field in Knoxville since 1975.^[41] Cutler passed for three touchdowns and 315 yards during the game, becoming the first quarterback in school history to record four consecutive 300-yard passing performances.^[42] Cutler's final play in college was the game-winning (and streak-ending) touchdown pass to teammate Earl Bennett against Tennessee.

2015: Tennessee finishes with best record since '07

In the 110th meeting between Vanderbilt and Volunteers, Tennessee, who had some heartbreaking losses and blew leads in big games, ended the season on a high note, finishing with their best record since 2007, when they went 10–4. The Volunteers defeated instate rival, 53–28. The Volunteers had 523 total yards, but they also surrendered 411 yards to Vanderbilt. It was the 2nd straight win for Tennessee over Vanderbilt, extending their lead in the series 75–30–5.

2016: Commodores spoil Volunteer Sugar Bowl hopes

Just one year later, the Vols would fall to a 6–6 Vanderbilt team 45–34. Vanderbilt outscored Tennessee 21–3 in the second half to spoil the Sugar Bowl hopes of the Vols. The 45 points scored for the Commodores was their most against Tennessee since the 1923 meeting. Ralph Webb would overtake Zac Stacy's career rushing record and Kyle Shurmur would go on to throw for 416 yards. Josh Dobbs would go 31–34 for 340 yards with 2 TDs, but a late 3rd quarter fumble shifted momentum in the Commodores' favor. Derek Barnett tied Reggie White for the Volunteer career sack record, which stands at 32.

2017: Worst SEC game in 50 years?

The 2017 edition pitted two 4–7 teams, each seeking their first conference win in the finale. One commentator suggested that "statistically speaking" the game might be "the worst Southeastern Conference matchup of the last 50 years," based on an analysis of each team's margin of victory in SEC play to that point.^[43] Vanderbilt broke the game open with three fourth-quarter touchdowns to prevail, 42–24.

2019: Volunteers end three-game losing streak to Vanderbilt

Tennessee ended a three-game losing streak to Vanderbilt 28–10 on a stormy evening in Knoxville. True freshman running back Eric Gray rushed for 246 yards on 25 carries and had three rushing touchdowns. Gray had the fifth-highest single-game rushing total ever by a Tennessee player. Tennessee finished the regular season 7–5 and 5–3 in conference play. The win sealed the Volunteers first winning record in conference play since the 2015 season.^[44]

See also

• List of NCAA college football rivalry games
• List of most-played college football series in NCAA Division I

References

1. "Winsipedia - Tennessee Volunteers vs. Vanderbilt Commodores football series history". Winsipedia.
2. (PDF). cstv.com. Vanderbilt. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 31, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
3. "Here are Tennessee football wins vacated under Jeremy Pruitt and how it impacts Vols history". Knoxville News. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
4. Bill Traughber (November 20, 2013). "Vanderbilt defeated Vols twice in 1892". Retrieved February 5, 2015.
5. "Second Day". The Courier-Journal. October 23, 1900. p. 6. Retrieved March 29, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
6. "Volunteers Lose To Commodores". Atlanta Constitution. October 26, 1902. p. 5. Retrieved March 29, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
7. Pope, Edwin (October 12, 1956). "Fottball's greatest coaches". Atlanta,: Tupper and Love – via Internet Archive.
8. Fields, Bud; Bertucci, Bob (1982). Big Orange: a pictorial history of University of Tennessee football. p. 34. ISBN 9780880110716.
9. "Vanderbilt Athletics". Vanderbilt University Quarterly. 9: 28–35. 1909.
10. Bill Traughber (November 25, 2014). "1913 Rewind: Commodores rally to stay undefeated against Vols". Retrieved March 28, 2015.
11. . College Football Data Warehouse. Archived from the original on January 17, 2010. Retrieved June 1, 2010.
12. "Athletics". The University of Tennessee Record. 18 (5): 65. 1915.
13. "Defeat of Vandy Was Big Surprise". The Charlotte Observer. November 13, 1916. p. 6. Retrieved March 29, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
14. Russell, Fred, and Maxwell Edward Benson. Fifty Years of Vanderbilt Football. Nashville, Tennessee, 1938, p. 36
15. Bill Traughber (November 18, 2009). "Vandy-UT's conflict of 1918".
16. "Football Gleanings". The Davidsonian. October 15, 1919. p. 2. Retrieved March 29, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.  
17. "Hope and Fear In Crimson Hearts". The Montgomery Advertiser. November 4, 1921.
18. Volunteer Yearbook 1922, p. 138
19. "Vanderbilt Wins from Tennessee". Columbus Daily Enquirer. October 30, 1921.
20. "Aerial Attack Grows in Favor". The Macon Daily Telegraph. October 31, 1921.
21. "Vanderbilt Wins Over Tennessee". The Times Picayune (New Orleans, Louisiana). October 30, 1921.
22. "Vanderbilt Wins From Volunteers." The State [Columbia, South Carolina] November 5, 1922: 11.
23. "Vandy Meets Vol Eleven". Atlanta Constitution. November 1, 1922.
24. "Hard Contests Are Scheduled" The Lexington Herald November 6, 1922: 3.
25. Louis Henry Baker (1945). Football:Facts and Figures. p. 85.
26. The Volunteer Yearbook (1923) August 19, 2014, at the Wayback Machine p. 110–111
27. "Tennessee Fights Hard, but Loses to Vanderbilt." The Montgomery Advertiser November 5, 1922: 11.
28. "Tennessee Is Swamped By Vandy". Times-Picayune. November 11, 1923.
29. "Gil Reese". The Evening Independent. December 7, 1923.
30. "Vandy Defeats Tennessee 51-7". The Bee (Danville, Virginia). November 12, 1923.
31. Edwin Pope (1956). Football's Greatest Coaches. p. 340.
32. Blinkey Horn (November 17, 1928). Vols Pass to Victory Against Vandy. p. 18. ISBN 9781582610788 – via Google books.  
33. Traughber, Bill (September 8, 2011). "Vanderbilt Football: Tales of Commodore Gridiron History". Arcadia Publishing. Retrieved October 5, 2023 – via Google Books.
34. Archives, L. A. Times (November 29, 1987). "COLLEGE FOOTBALL : Tennessee, Down by 25 Points, Pulls Out 38-36 Victory". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
35. Archives, L. A. Times (November 29, 1992). "Majors Receives a Victorious Sendoff : SEC: Tennessee defeats Vanderbilt, 29-25, in Volunteer coach's final regular-season game". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
36. "Arkansas fans laugh at Majors' quip about Fulmer". ESPN.com. November 22, 2005. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
37. Organ, Mike. "Johnny Majors speaks out about Phillip Fulmer being named Tennessee athletics director". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
38. "Tennessee 65, Vanderbilt 0 - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
39. Archives, L. A. Times (November 27, 1994). "Tennessee Runs Over Vanderbilt : SEC: Stewart runs for 121 of Volunteers' school-record 665 total yards to become school's all-time rushing leader in 65-0 victory". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
40. "Tennessee Tennessee/Vanderbilt Vanderbilt College Football recap on ESPN". www.espn.com. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
41. . VandySports.com (Rivals.com network). May 26, 2004. Archived from the original on December 30, 2006. Retrieved November 26, 2006.
42. . Denverbroncos.com. Archived from the original on July 3, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2010.
43. Chris Lee, VandySports.com. https://vanderbilt.rivals.com/news/the-3-2-1-tennessee-week
44. "Vanderbilt 10-28 Tennessee (Nov 30, 2019) Game Recap". ESPN. Associated Press. December 1, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2023.