No. 7 Vols start slow, finish fast to deck Vandy

NASHVILLE, Tenn — Josh Heupel made clear his No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers couldn’t have started their regular season finale any worse giving up 14 points within the first five minutes.

The Vols showed they can finish, which has them on the verge of hosting a College Football Playoff game.

Nico Iamaleava threw for 257 yards and four touchdowns rallying Tennessee to routing in-state rival Vanderbilt 36-23 Saturday.

“Finishing the way that we needed to and that we wanted to always is sweet, and these guys earned the right for this to be a big game,” Heupel said. “They went out, they took it.”

The Volunteers (10-2, 6-2 Southeastern Conference; No. 8 CFP) needed a big victory to impress the College Football Playoff committee.

They beat Vanderbilt (6-6, 3-5) for a sixth straight season leaving the Commodores needing to win their bowl game to post their first winning record since 2013.

Better yet, the Vols rebounded from a nightmare start giving up the first 14 points by scoring 29 straight points. They led 24-17 at halftime on Iamaleava’s first three TD passes.

“Once they took the momentum, we kind of allowed them to have it for the rest of the game,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said. “And you got to credit Tennessee. I mean, obviously, they were playing for the playoffs and credit coach Heupel and his team for their winning performance.”

Junior Sherrill returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown for Vanderbilt to stun a mostly orange crowd. Dylan Sampson fumbled on the Vols’ second play from scrimmage, and Sedrick Alexanader’s 4-yard TD run on a 26-yard drive put Vandy up 14-0 quickly.

Then Iamaleava got Tennessee going with a 28-yard TD pass to Dont’e Thornton Jr.

Tennessee got a break when Max Gilbert’s 50-yard field goal bounced off the crossbar and over. Iamaleava found Thornton again on an 86-yard catch-and-run TD, then he tossed an 18-yard TD pass to Miles Kitselman.

“Nico I just thought played really well throughout the course of the football game …,” Heupel said.

An early interception remained on Iamaleava’s mind postgame. He also scrambled six times for 42 yards and wasn’t sacked once.

SYRACUSE 42, No. 6 MIAMI 38

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Kyle McCord and Syracuse knocked No. 6 Miami out of Atlantic Coast Conference title contention — and possibly ended the Hurricanes’ College Football Playoff hopes — by rallying from a 21-0 deficit for a 42-38 win on Saturday.

McCord threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns for the Orange (9-3, 5-3). LeQuint Allen ran for two scores and picked up two critical first downs on Syracuse’s final, clock-killing drive, and Devin Grant forced a fumble that he returned 56 yards for a touchdown to help the Orange beat a ranked foe for the third time this season.

“I want to be the one who brought (Syracuse football) back to what it once was,” said McCord, who transferred from Ohio State after starting for the Buckeyes last season. “That’s a testament to this team. This win shows that Syracuse is for real and being part of that team that turned things around, that’s going to last forever. Looking back, everything (coach Fran Brown) said came true and coming here is the best decision I’ve made in my life.”

Cam Ward had 349 yards passing with two touchdowns for the Hurricanes (10-2, 6-2, No. 6 CFP), who will be off next week while Clemson faces SMU for the ACC title and will have to hope for an at-large bid into the 12-team playoff.

No. 16 S. CAROLINA 17, No. 12 CLEMSON 14

CLEMSON, S.C. — LaNorris Sellers’ 20-yard touchdown run with 1:08 to play gave No. 16 South Carolina its sixth straight win, a victory over 12th-ranked Clemson.

Sellers, a freshman in his first season as starter, finished with 166 yards rushing and two scores as the Gamecocks (9-3, 4-1 SEC, No. 15 CFP) continued a run that has seen them defeat four ranked opponents this month.

Clemson (9-3, 5-2 ACC, No. 12) drove to the South Carolina 18 with 16 seconds left — well within reach of a tying field goal — when Cade Klubnik was intercepted by Demetrius Knight Jr.

The Gamecocks, who were 3-3 after losing at Alabama in mid-October, have given the College Football Playoff selection committee plenty to consider with their second-half charge. Much of the credit goes to the maturing Sellers, who has played with poise under most circumstances.

No. 22 ILLINOIS 38, NORTHWESTERN 28

CHICAGO — Aidan Laughery rushed for three touchdowns and No. 22 Illinois topped Northwestern to reach nine victories for the first time since its 2007 Rose Bowl season.

Pat Bryant dashed in to score off Luke Altmyer’s 43-yard pass early in the third quarter as Illinois (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten) struck for touchdowns just over 4 minutes apart early in the third quarter to open a 28-10 lead in what had been a tight game.