A predominantly UT crowd of 37,017 at Vandy watched the Vols (5-6, 2-5 SEC) get to within one win of bowl eligibility in Derek Dooley’s first season as coach. Coach Robbie Caldwell’s first season leading the Commodores (2-9, 1-7) has been filled with frustration as the team’s losing streak hit six overall and five in the series with their in-state rival. Tennessee has won 27 of the last 28 meetings. Vols tailback Tauren Poole sealed the win with a 28-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-2 with 1:22 left. Tennessee opted against a 45-yard field-goal attempt, and Poole’s slick cutback move made it the right call. The outcome was in doubt after Vanderbilt freshman receiver Jordan Matthews reeled in a 16-yard touchdown from backup quarterback Jared Funk, playing for an injured Smith in the fourth quarter. That shrank the Vols’ lead to 17-10, but the onside kick was unsuccessful with 2:33 to play. Bray, a freshman making his third start, threw for 232 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. His touchdowns capped a pair of 80-yard drives that built a 14-3 halftime lead that the Commodores couldn’t overcome. It wasn’t due to a lack of chances.Vanderbilt reached Tennessee territory on 9 of 13 possessions, but it wasn’t until the eighth of those that it found the end zone. Trailing 14-3, the Commodores came up empty in a scoreless third quarter despite drives that made the Vols 8 and 28. Fowler missed a 25-yard field goal wide left, and four minutes later had a 45-yard try blocked by Tennessee defensive end Gerald Williams. After Daniel Lincoln’s 28-yard field goal extended the lead to 17-3 with 12:57 to play, Matthews had a would-be touchdown catch nullified for illegal touching after stepping out of bounds.
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