Tennessee dismantles Northwestern in Outback Bowl, completing another step forward

For the first time since 1996, No. 23 Tennessee has a postseason winning streak. The Volunteers won their second straight bowl game by dispatching No. 13 Northwestern 45-6 on New Year’s Day.

For Tennessee and head coach Butch Jones, Friday’s win could signal a return to the glory days of the past. Since winning the 1998 national championship, the Volunteers had gone just 3-7 in bowl games before hiring Jones. The third-year coach is now undefeated in postseason play since taking over in Knoxville.

Friday’s win helps redeem a season that began with high hopes before a 3-4 start to 2015. The victory in Tampa was Tennessee’s sixth straight and should steer this young team towards a top-25 or top-15 ranking next fall.

UT quarterback Joshua Dobbs had 214 total yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns before getting pulled midway through the fourth quarter with his team holding a dominant lead. Tailback Jalen Hurd added 130 rushing yards and a score after wearing down the Wildcat defense throughout the first 50 minutes of play. The Volunteer defense was dominant against an overmatched Northwestern team, limiting the ‘Cats to only 261 total yards and forcing four turnovers.

The two teams appeared set for a defensive battle after exchanging punts early, but Tennessee put together the game’s first scoring opportunity when Malik Foreman intercepted a Clayton Thorson pass at the NU 22-yard line. The Vols were able to drive to the 16, but a late hit forced them into a 49-yard field goal attempt that clanked off the right upright. Northwestern responded with a 45-yard drive that was 67 percent late hit penalties, but their scoring opportunity slipped away when Jack Mitchell’s 42-yard field goal attempt failed to hook inside the uprights.

Dobbs broke the scoreless streak when he capped a 75-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown scamper that made it 7-0. The Wildcats went three-and-out on their next possession, and the Vols capitalized with a 46-yard drive. Aaron Medley’s 35-yard field goal pushed their lead to double digits. Northwestern responded with a 12-play touchdown drive that made the score 10-6, but the Vols punched back with another 75-yard trip down the field, highlighted by an 11-yard Alvin Kamara touchdown run, to make it 17-6 at the half.

Tennessee started the second half by driving into NU territory, but a poorly-planned fake field goal shut down their scoring opportunity. The Vols wouldn’t be denied on their second chance, however. Dobbs guided his team to a 14-play drive that featured conversions on third-and-11 and fourth-and-1 before Jalen Hurd ran into the end zone to make it 24-6. They added another touchdown when Dobbs broke the plane for the second time on Friday, picking up a dropped snap and tiptoeing 18 yards for a fourth quarter score that drove Northwestern fans to the exits.

Dobbs’ touchdown was enough to convince the Vols to empty their bench, but Tennessee wasn’t done scoring yet. An Emmanuel Moseley interception gave backup quarterback Quinten Dormady a short field before John Kelly’s 1-yard touchdown run extended UT’s lead to 38-6. The Wildcats’ bench turned out for one last drive, but Zack Oliver’s pass was picked off at the goal line by Evan Berry, who returned it 100 yards to cap off the scoring and give the Vols the largest margin of victory in Outback Bowl history.