Vandy looking for lone SEC win, Vols hope for bowl

BETH RUCKER, AP Sports Writer
Published Saturday, November 21, 2009

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson is looking for a happy end to a dreadful season.

The Commodores are hoping to avoid finishing winless in the Southeastern Conference since 2002, Johnson's first season.

"We've got one more week, and it's an extremely important week for our football program to have a positive ending and lead us into the offseason and some positive things for spring practice," Johnson said.

It won't be easy. After playing 11 straight games without a bye week, the Commodores (2-9, 0-7 SEC) will be playing in Knoxville against a Tennessee team that's looking for its own positive ending.

The Volunteers (5-5, 2-4) are trying to rebound from the biggest setback of their rebuilding process under first-year coach Lane Kiffin. The Vols had a couple of narrow losses early in the year but had been playing well until a 42-17 loss at Mississippi last week.

A win for Tennessee would mean the chance to return to a bowl game after a 5-7 finish last year that left the team sitting out the postseason.

The Vols also want to send out their seniors the best possible way in their last home game at Neyland Stadium.

"A number of productive players that we're going to miss, and we'll always remember them as our first year together, starting this foundation," Kiffin said. "So, we're going to have to play really good. This is a (Vanderbilt) team that even though their win-loss record doesn't show it, can be very difficult."

The senior Vols will be introduced and allowed to run onto the field individually in the traditional senior day honor. What isn't clear is whether junior Eric Berry, the 2008 All-American safety, will join them.

Berry wouldn't say this week if Saturday's game will be his last at Neyland Stadium.

"Right now, I'm just trying to focus on doing everything I can do to get this win at home," he said. "No telling whether it might be my last or if it's not. Just want to take everything in and try to appreciate these last games of the season."

Still looming for Berry is the NCAA career interception return yardage record. He started the season needing only 15 return yards to surpass Florida State's Terrell Buckley, who logged 501 return yards from 1989 to 1991.

He had a 7-yard return against Memphis earlier this month and is trying not to focus on getting the other 8 yards.

"Yeah, that would be nice to get that, but that's in God's will. If God wants me to break that record, I'll break it," he said. "All I can do is just go out there and give everything I've got, and make sure I'm ready to play."

Tennessee has a history of success against Vanderbilt on its side. The Vols lead the all-time series, though the record is in dispute. Tennessee says the record sits at 70-27-5, while Vanderbilt claims a win in 1918 that the Vols don't recognize.

Still, Tennessee has won 25 of the last 26 meetings. The Commodores' only win in that span came in a 28-24 decision in Knoxville in 2005.

Vanderbilt defensive lineman Adam Smotherman hasn't forgotten that game, played during his senior year of high school. The redshirt junior from Smyrna is looking to be a part of another Vandy victory.

"This is huge for me," he said. "When I committed to Vanderbilt, all the Tennessee fans at my high school and everybody I knew was like, 'Oh why would you want to go to a losing program? Why don't you go to Tennessee, a home-state guy?' I said, 'Vanderbilt's where I want to be, and we're going to beat Tennessee.'"

The Commodores finished 2008 with their first winning record and first bowl appearance in 25 seasons. Now it's about pride and beating their top in-state rival.

"Right now we're playing for ourselves. We're playing for this team right here," Vanderbilt punter Brett Upson said. "We've worked way too hard in the offseason and during practice and everything for the season to be like this."

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