The Sports Xchange
Nov 19, 2016
Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs accounted for five touchdowns -- four of them going for 30-plus yards -- as the 19th-ranked Volunteers beat Missouri 63-37 on Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn., after their hopes of winning the SEC East were dashed.
While the Volunteers were still in the first quarter, Florida held off LSU in Baton Rouge to clinch the division.
Dobbs completed touchdown passes of 49 and 57 yards in the first half, scrambled for a 30-yard score late in the third quarter and topped his big Senior Day with a 70-yard touchdown on a zone-read keeper for a 42-30 lead with 13:20 to go.
Dobbs passed for 223 yards and ran for 190 on just 10 carries.
Tennessee (8-3, 4-3 SEC) is still in contention for a Sugar Bowl berth, which goes to the top-ranked SEC team not in the College Football Playoff. The Vols end their regular season at Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Missouri (3-8, 1-6) ran 110 plays and rushed for 420 yards, becoming the fourth SEC opponent in the past five games to gain at least 350 yards on the ground against an injury-plagued Vols defense.
Tigers running back Damarea Crockett ran for 225 yards, giving him 1,062 for the season and setting a freshman school record. Running back Ish Witter carried 31 times for 163 yards.
Missouri quarterback Drew Lock passed for 323 yards -- giving the Tigers 743 total yards on the day -- but was intercepted twice.
Tennessee defensive lineman Jonathan Kongbo finished the Vols' scoring with a 59-yard interception return with 4:31 to go.
Missouri rushed for 251 yards at halftime but trailed 21-20.
The Tigers, who have had place-kicking woes all season (5 of 12 on field goal attempts, five missed extra points entering the game), struggled again. Ben Tesson, who made his first PAT attempt last week, missed an extra point after Missouri's first touchdown.
Coach Barry Odom abandoned his kicking game for a while, going for it early in the second quarter on fourth-and-12 from 20. After a false start penalty, Lock threw incomplete into the end zone on fourth-and-17.
Missouri let another opportunity slip by in the second quarter when it lost a fumble on fourth-and-1 from the Tennessee 28. And it was stuffed on fourth-and-2 from Tennessee's 39 in the third quarter.
The Vols answered Missouri's first touchdown with a 98-yard drive, capped by a 49-yard pass from Dobbs to receiver Jauan Jennings. Dobbs later connected on a deep pass to receiver Josh Malone for a 57-yard score.
NOTES: Tennessee starting OL Dylan Wiesman did not dress out after suffering an ankle injury last week. S Todd Kelly Jr. also was out because of an ankle injury, forcing the Vols to use their ninth different starting combination in the secondary. ... Missouri was without starting C Samson Bailey (ankle). ... Missouri DT Markell Utsey suffered a left knee sprain in the second quarter and did not return. ... Tennessee junior DT Derek Barnett had one sack, giving him a career-high 11. He is one sack away from tying Reggie White's school record. ... Tennessee's average home attendance was 100,967, its best mark for a season since 2008 (101,448). ... The Vols have rushed for a touchdown in 26 consecutive games, extending a record set last week.