SEC Power Rankings: Alabama is SEC’s only elite team

Nov 28, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers running back Jalen Hurd (1) runs the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 53-28. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

Despite coming in with a four-game winning streak, the Tennessee Vols hadn’t been particularly impressive since beating Kentucky 52-21 Oct. 31. The Vols played great defense in a 24-0 victory over North Texas and a 19-8 win over Missouri, but Tennessee hasn’t beaten a team that currently has a winning record since the 38-31 comeback win over Georgia Oct. 10.

That said, the Vols were much more impressive in a 53-28 victory over Vanderbilt Saturday.

Tennessee racked up 331 rushing yards on 52 attempts against the Commodores, who spent the bulk of the season ranked towards the top of the league in scoring defense and total defense. Running back Jalen Hurd ran for 120 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and backup Alvin Kamara gained 99 rushing yards on 16 attempts.

Quarterback Joshua Dobbs added 93 yards and a touchdown on the ground and completed 13 of 21 pass attempts for 140 yards with 2 TD passes to Von Pearson before giving way to Quinten Dormady once the game was well in hand.

After playing so well in recent weeks, the Vols were uncharacteristically lax defensively against the Commodores, who had 202 rushing yards and 209 passing yards despite ranking No. 13 in the SEC in both scoring offense and total offense coming into the game. However, Tennessee did record four sacks and an interception and made a big play on special teams – an 85-yard punt return by Cameron Sutton for a touchdown.

Now on a five-game winning streak, Tennessee has a chance to win nine games for the first time since 2007.

Next Game: Bowl Game TBD

Next: Georgia