NASHVILLE – Tennessee football is in the College Football Playoff with a 36-23 win over Vanderbiltbut it wasn’t an easy task at the beginning.
The Vols (10-2, 6-2 SEC) trailed 14-0 in the first quarter and gave up a 100-yard kickoff return to start the game against the Commodores (6-6, 3-5) at FirstBank Stadium.
Tennessee is ranked No. 8 in the CFP poll heading into the regular-season finale, so a victory locked in a spot in the 12-team playoff. There’s even a chance the Vols could host a first-round game.
REQUIRED READINGHow Tennessee lands a College Football Playoff game at Neyland Stadium
Tennessee vs Vanderbilt score
| Teams | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
| Tennessee | 7 | 17 | 9 | 3 | 36 |
| Vanderbilt | 17 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
Tennessee vs Vanderbilt update
Fourth quarter
Tennessee 36, Vanderbilt 23: Hoskins 31-yards TD pass from Pavia
Richie Hoskins with a 31-yard touchdown catch from Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt trails 36-23 with 5:53 left in the fourth quarter.
Tennessee 36, Vanderbilt 17: Gilbert 22-yard FG
Max Gilbert with a 22-yard field goal and Tennessee leads 36-17 with 8:24 left in the fourth quarter.
Third quarter
Tennessee 33, Vanderbilt 17: Tackled in end zone for safety
Sedrick Alexander tackled in end zone by Tennessee for a safety and Vols lead 33-17 with 1:09 left in the third quarter.
Tennessee 31, Vanderbilt 17: Matthews 14-yard TD pass from Iamaleava
Mike Matthews with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Nico Iamaleava to give Tennessee a 31-17 lead with 8:43 left in the third quarter.
Second quarter
Tennessee 24, Vanderbilt 17: Kitselman 18-yard TD pass from Iamaleava
Miles Kitselman with a 18-yard touchdown pass from Nico Iamaleava to give Tennessee a 24-17 lead with :22 left in the second quarter.
Tennessee 17, Vanderbilt 17: Thornton 86-yard TD pass from Iamaleava
Dont’e Thornton with a 86-yard touchdown pass from Nico Iamaleava ties the game at 17-17 with 6:38 left in the second quarter.
Vanderbilt 17, Tennessee 10: Gilbert 50-yard FG
Max Gilbert with a 50-yard field goal to cut the Tennessee deficit to 17-10 with 8:33 left in the second quarter.
First quarter
Vanderbilt 17, Tennessee 7: Taylor 32-yard FG
Brock Taylor with a 32-yard field goal to give Vanderbilt a 17-7 lead with 4:01 left in the first quarter.
Vanderbilt 14, Tennessee 7: Thornton 28-yard TD pass from Iamaleava
Dont’e Thornton with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Nico Iamaleava cuts the Vanderbilt lead to 14-7 with 8:48 left in the first quarter.
Vanderbilt 14, Tennessee 0: Alexander 4-yard TD run
Sedrick Alexander with a 4-yard touchdown run to give Vanderbilt a 14-0 lead with 10:22 left in the first quarter.
Vanderbilt 7, Tennessee 0: Sherrill 97-yard kickoff return
Junior Sherrill returned opening kickoff 100 yards for a Vanderbilt touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 14:47 left in the first quarter.
What channel is Tennessee vs Vanderbilt today?
Watch select Tennessee games live with Fubo (free trial)
Tennessee vs Vanderbilt start time
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 30
- Time: noon ET
- Location: FirstBank Stadium (40,350) in Nashville, Tennessee
Tennessee’s game against Vanderbilt is set to kick off at noon ET on Saturday, Nov. 30, at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville.
The game will air live on ABC with streaming options available on the ESPN app or Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers. Dave Pasch will handle play-by-play duties with Dusty Dvoracek as the color analyst for the broadcast. Taylor McGregor will serve as sideline reporter.
Tennessee vs Vanderbilt history
- Series record: Tennessee leads 80-32-5
- Tennessee last win: 48-24 (2023)
- Vanderbilt last win: 38-13 (2018)
Tennessee vs Vanderbilt prediction
Tennessee 27, Vanderbilt 20: Vandy has held its opponents under 30 points in six straight games, and Tennessee isn’t as explosive as past seasons. But the Vols will be comfortable running the ball and playing strong red-zone defense, as they have all season, to punch their ticket to the playoff. Check out more predictions from our Knox News staff.
Tennessee vs Vanderbilt betting odds
Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Saturday:
- Spread: Tennessee -11
- Over/under: 48.5 points
- Moneyline: -450
Tennessee vs Vanderbilt injury updates
- Tennessee: DB Jourdan Thomas (out), LB Contact Center (out), DB Christian Charles (out), DE Jordan Ross (out), OL Vysen Lang (out), TE Cole Harrison (out).
- Vanderbilt: WR Dariyan Wiley (out), DL Zaylin Wood (out), CB Mark Davis (out), RB AJ Newberry (out), EDGE Boubacar Diakite (out), OL Grayson Morgan (out), DL Christian James (out), DL Bradley Mann (out).
Tennessee vs Vanderbilt weather update
The forecast calls for 39 degrees and cloudy at kickoff.
Tennessee football schedule 2024
All times Eastern
- Aug. 31: Tennessee 69, Chattanooga 3
- Sept. 7: Tennessee 51, NC State 10
- Sept. 14: Tennessee 71, Kent State 0
- Sept. 21: Tennessee 25, Oklahoma 15*
- Oct. 5: Arkansas 19, Tennessee 14*
- Oct. 12: Tennessee 23, Florida 17 (OT)*
- Oct. 19: Tennessee 24, No. 13 Alabama 17*
- Nov. 2: Tennessee 28, Kentucky 18*
- Nov. 9: Tennessee 33, Mississippi State 14*
- Nov. 16: No. 6 Georgia 31, Tennessee 17*
- Nov. 23: Tennessee 56, UTEP 0
- Nov. 30: Tennessee at Vanderbilt* | noon | ABC
Denotes conference game*
Vanderbilt football schedule 2024
All times Eastern
- Aug. 31: Vanderbilt 34, Virginia Tech 27 (OT)
- Sept. 7: Vanderbilt 55, Alcorn State 0
- Sept. 14: Georgia State 36, Vanderbilt 32
- Sept. 21: No. 24 Missouri 30, Vanderbilt 27 (OT)*
- Oct. 5: Vanderbilt 40, No. 13 Alabama 35*
- Oct. 12: Vanderbilt 20, Kentucky 13*
- Oct. 19: Vanderbilt 24, Ball State 14
- Oct. 26: No. 3 Texas 27, Vanderbilt 24*
- Nov. 2: Vanderbilt 17, Auburn 7*
- Nov. 9: No. 14 South Carolina 28, Vanderbilt 7*
- Nov. 23: LSU 24, Vanderbilt 17*
- Nov. 30: No. 8 Tennessee at Vanderbilt* | noon | ABC
Denotes conference game*
Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Emailadam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.
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