Battered Vol Syndrome wasn’t the only thing kicking in for Tennessee fans early in the second quarter as UT trailed the Vanderbilt Commodores and looked in line to blow a chance to reach the College Football Playoff. There was also the battered fans of ranked SEC teams on the road syndrome.
Tennessee had done everything possible to lose this game early. The Vols gave up a touchdown on the opening kickoff, they then set up another score with a fumble on their first offensive possession, and they had been stopped on a fourth down on their own.
Jermod McCoy responded to that fourth down stop with an interception, though, giving the ball back to the Vols early in the second quarter. Now was the time for them to go on their run, down 17-7, and make this rough start right. Instead, Nico Iamaleava dramatically underthrew Dont’e Thornton on a pass that was intercepted, and UT seemed destined to lose this game.
Vanderbilt took possession and got two first downs on a drive littered with penalties. On a 3rd and 10 near midfield, Diego Pavia scrambled for eight yards to the Tennessee 46. Clark Lea decided to keep the momentum going with a two-score lead, which was a wise decision given how outmatched Vandy actually was talent-wise.
It didn’t matter.
Will Brooks and Bryson Eason came in and sacked Pavia on the play, breathing new life into the Vols. From there, they scored on each of their next four drives and then came away with a safety after the next drive in which they wouldn’t score thanks to an elite punt, so they just dominated.
Of course, more key pays gave UT momentum. Max Gilbert hit a 50-yard field goal to make it a one-score, game, and Dont’e Thornton had an 86-yard touchdown reception. That fourth down stop was the key, though, to turning this game around, and that’s exactly what the Vols did.
