Tennessee routs No. 13 Northwestern 45-6 in Outback Bowl

In fact, Jackson carried the ball 25 or more times in six different games this year. They managed to duck Michigan State, Ohio State, and IN, and IN step up game against Michigan and Iowa, the Wildcats allowed 78 points, 872 totals yards, and almost 500 yards on the ground. On offense, they’re paced by running back Justin Jackson, whose 1,344 rushing yards were No. 2 in the conference. The victory marks the sixth straight of the season for Butch Jones and the Tennessee Volunteers and after making such a statement, Tennessee could finish the season around 15th and may even start the 2017 season ranked just as high.

Ostendorf: What about this Northwestern defense? The over/under for this game is 47.5 total points.

1 Previous game has been played between Tennessee and Northwestern.

Can Tennessee continue its roll in the Outback Bowl against a Northwestern squad that, judging by the difference between its offense and defense, is the most one-sided team the SEC will face in this bowl season? A few plays later the Vols punched it in with a 14-yard scramble from QB Joshua Dobbs.

The Northwestern defense was pretty good this year, they allowed opponents to score only 16.4 points per game. Tennessee finished 8-4 and ranked 23rd. Unfortunately for Northwestern, that’s exactly the way things played out on the gridiron. Tennessee’s wideouts aren’t especially prolific, but starters Von Pearson, Josh Malone and Josh Smith all have more than 300 receiving yards. His backup Warren Long rushed for 321 yards and five touchdowns on just 56 carries. The Vols have lost those games by a total of 17 points to teams with a combined record of 36-8 (.818), including three teams with a record of 10-1 – Florida and CFP Playoff squads Alabama and Oklahoma. Both the Vols and Wildcats are on five game winning streaks.

467 Punt-return yards for Tennessee’s Cameron Sutton this season, the most in the nation entering the bowl schedule and a school single-season record.

Aaron Medley made it 10-0 with a 35-yard field goal, after which the Wildcats drove for their only score. Thorson converted a third down with a pass completion, and then another with a 21-yard run to set up a 5-yard touchdown run by Justin Jackson with 5:40 remaining in the first half.

It was after the Iowa game when Fitzgerald challenged his team, hoping to get a positive response from the seniors. On both drives, Tennessee’s two-headed rushing attack wore down Northwestern’s defenders, with Dobbs doing just enough in the passing game to keep the defense from selling out to stop the run.

Tennessee running back John Kelly (4) is hit by Northwestern defensive lineman Tyler Lancaster (67) as he scores on a 1-yard touchdown run during the fourth quarter of the Outback Bowl NCAA college football game Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, in Tampa, Fla. Northwestern dominated the line of scrimmage against physical Stanford offensive and defensive lines, lines that, as the season went on, proved to be some of the best units in the country. The bowl was originally known as the Hall of Fame Bowl for its first nine years, kicking off with Boston College’s 27-24 win over Georgia in 1986.