Senior Lane gives Vols needed lift

photo UT running back Marlin Lane (15) makes his way past Vandy defenders while at the Commodore's home field in Nashville on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014.

NASHVILLE - If Tennessee wasn't exactly in trouble at Vanderbilt midway through Saturday's third quarter, the Volunteers weren't exactly thrashing the Commodores, who were yet to win their first Southeastern Conference game of the season in this, their last attempt.

And now UT faced a second-and-4 at its own 46, Vandy's defense staying strong in a surprisingly close contest.

The ball went to senior reserve running back Marlin Lane, who was subbing for injured freshman Jalen Hurd. He picked up 4 yards to midfield. First down, Tennessee. Then quarterback Josh Dobbs threw a pass to Lane, who turned it into a 26-yard gain to the VU 24. Then Lane struck again, this time breaking at least four tackles on an 18-yard work of art that carried the ball to the Commodores' 6-yard line.

Two plays later, Dobbs scored to put the Vols up 24-10, all the points they'd need to win their sixth game of the season and guarantee themselves their first bowl bid since 2009.

"Marlin Lane is an individual who hasn't played much this year," Tennessee coach Butch Jones said following the 24-17 win. "For him to step up like he did in a critical game, it was great to see his efforts rewarded."

Lane shrugged off his efforts, saying only, "I just felt like we had to get in the end zone."

But his stats were outstanding -- 51 yards rushing, 25 receiving -- given the fact that he'd averaged just 22.8 yards rushing per game for the season and only 5.3 yards receiving.

"Marlin stepped up big tonight," Dobbs said. "With Jalen hurt, we really needed somebody else to run the ball, and he had some really big carries."

It could have been Lane having the season Hurd's had -- 756 rushing yards and three touchdowns -- but he's been pretty banged up all season. He even admitted both his ankles were sore against the Commodores.

"I guess I wish I could have played more," he said. "But I came into every game with the mindset of giving my teammates a lift. To get this win, to go to a bowl game, means everything."

In concrete terms, it means at least three more approved weeks of practice to prepare for whatever bowl game the Vols ultimately attend. And it has not been uncommon in the past for at least a few players in at least a few programs to balk at such workouts, especially for schools playing for pride rather than national championships.

But Lane said much about his senior class and this UT team overall when he said of the weeks ahead, "This team has great chemistry. When things go wrong, we've picked each other up all season. The best thing about this bowl game is that I've got three or four more weeks to be with my teammates."

And his teammates have three or four more weeks to see Lane's efforts rewarded.

Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.

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