Vanderbilt beats down Tennessee 42-24

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt's Ralph Webb ended his career as the sixth-leading rusher in Southeastern Conference history.

He may prefer to be known as the guy who helped change the direction of the Vanderbilt Tennessee rivalry.

Webb ran for 163 yards and two touchdowns in his final college game Saturday as Vanderbilt whipped Tennessee 42-24 to beat the Volunteers for the fourth time in the last six years. Vanderbilt had gone 1-28 against Tennessee from 1983-2011.

"It means everything for our seniors," Webb said. "We'd worked so hard. The season didn't go as planned, but we knew we had one more to get and we wanted to get this one, especially here in Knoxville. It's so special."

Kyle Shurmur added four touchdown passes as Vanderbilt (5-7, 1-7 SEC) continued its most successful run in this series since winning six straight over Tennessee from 1920-26.

"Keep them quiet," Vanderbilt linebacker Oren Burks said of Tennessee. "We own the state for another 364 days."

No. 17 Memphis actually has a greater claim on state bragging rights this year as the lone Tennessee team heading to a bowl. Even so, Vanderbilt certainly enjoyed putting the finishing touches on one of the most disappointing seasons in the Vols' storied history.

After opening the year in the Top 25, Tennessee (4-8, 0-8) posted its first eight-loss season in school history and fired coach Butch Jones along the way. The Vols also went winless in SEC competition for the first time since the league's formation in 1933.