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Vols hoping for repeat of 2015 season ending

Vols redshirt senior offensive lineman Brett Kendrick grew up in Knoxville and he’s been a Tennessee fan his whole life. After Saturday’s 45-7 loss to Alabama, he sounded pretty determined about the rest of the season.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do and I see this team being 8-4," Kendrick said.

"If there’s anything I can do about it, we’re going to come out here and we won’t lose another game. It’s been frustrating but this is something we’re going to overcome and hope we can get five more wins in a row.”

That sounded a lot like another Knoxville native redshirt senior offensive lineman - Kyler Kerbyson. Here’s what he said after a loss in Tennessee’s last trip to Tuscaloosa in 2015:

“Five game playoff now. I’m not going to lose another game in a Tennessee uniform. I don’t want it. I want to win out. We’re there, so we really believe in ourselves and believe that we can win.”

Kerbyson was right. He never lost another game in a Tennessee uniform.

Those 2015 Vols ran off five straight wins to end the regular season, then trounced Northwestern in the Outback Bowl.

Like this year’s squad, the 2015 team left Tuscaloosa with a 3-4 record, thanks in part to a devastating late game loss in The Swamp and a disappointing home SEC loss (Arkansas in 2015, South Carolina this year).

However, those past Vols had already beaten 19th ranked Georgia and taken eventual playoff team Oklahoma to double overtime. Plus, they had the lead over Alabama in the fourth quarter and lost by five, not 38.

This year’s team is fighting to find the endzone, but after facing two of the top four defenses in the country in recent weeks, the schedule isn’t quite as daunting the rest of the way. All remaining SEC opponents rank outside the top 40 in the nation in defensive efficiency.

With five games left, the Vols need three wins to become bowl eligible and they’ll need to win all five to match last season’s regular season record of 8-4.

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