NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt fell to in-state rival Tennessee, 36-23, Saturday afternoon at FirstBank Stadium to close out the 2024 regular season.
The Commodores finished the regular season at 6-6 and 3-5 in SEC play. The six wins are the most for Vandy since the 2018 campaign when the Dores collected six victories and played in the 2018 Texas Bowl against Baylor. Tennessee closes out the regular season at 10-2 overall and 6-2 in SEC games.
Vanderbilt will now play the waiting game, as the Dores will go to a bowl game for the first time since 2018. Check back with VUCommodores.com for full details on Vandy’s upcoming bowl contest.
Quarterback Diego Pavia registered 149 total yards of offense, throwing for 104 yards and adding 45 yards on the ground. Pavia ends the regular season with 716 rushing yards, which sets the Vanderbilt record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single season. The Albuquerque, New Mexico, native also threw his 17th touchdown pass of the year, which puts him at No. 6 on the school’s single-season passing touchdown list.
Running back Sedrick Alexander rushed for 60 yards on a season-high 17 carries. He recorded his sixth rushing touchdown of the season, and his 10th as a Commodore, in the first quarter that put Vanderbilt up 14-0 just 4:38 into the contest.
The Vanderbilt defense had a couple of players record double-digit tackles against Tennessee. Linebacker Langston Patterson matched his career-best with 13 tackles vs. the Vols, while linebacker Bryan Longwell tallied 10 stops. For Patterson, it is his second-straight game with 13 tackles, matching his total from last week’s contest at LSU. Overall, it is Patterson’s fourth game with double-digit tackles, while Longwell posted double-figure tackles for the second contest of the season.
Cornerback Martel Hight picked off his second pass of the season early in the second quarter. He is the first Commodore to record multiple interceptions this season, as he now has three career picks at Vandy.
Vanderbilt opened the game with a 100-yard kickoff return from wide receiver Junior Sherrill. It marked the first time since Aug. 26, 2023, vs. Hawai’i, that the Dores returned a kickoff for a touchdown. It is also Vandy’s first kickoff return of 100 yards since Sept. 20, 2014, vs. South Carolina, which was also the last time the Commodores returned an opening kickoff for a touchdown.
Vandy’s defense forced Tennessee to fumble on its third play of the game. Safety CJ Taylor knocked the ball loose, and linebacker Nick Rinaldi pounced on it to set up the Commodores at the Volunteer 27-yard line. Alexander punched it in from four yards out to cap off a 7-play, 26-yard drive that gave Vandy a 14-0 lead.
After a Tennessee touchdown made it a 14-7 contest at the 8:48 mark of the first quarter, Vanderbilt marched 61 yards downfield in nine plays to set up Brock Taylor for a 32-yard field goal that gave the Dores a 17-7 advantage with 4:01 left in the first quarter. Taylor’s 32-yarder against the Vols was his 17th made field goal of the season, which is second-most in school history in a single season. The 17 first-quarter points for Vanderbilt against Tennessee were the most since Oct. 20, 2007, at No. 6-ranked South Carolina.
The Volunteers scored 36-straight points before Vanderbilt found paydirt again late in the fourth quarter. Pavia connected with wide receiver Richie Hoskins for a 31-yard touchdown that made it a 36-23 contest after a failed 2-point conversion. It was Hoskins’ longest reception at Vanderbilt.
Tennessee ran out the clock after the Hoskins’ touchdown, as the Volunteers posted the 13-point win over Vanderbilt.
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