Nebraska vs. Tennessee: Score and Reaction for 2016 Music City Bowl

Tennessee (9-4) overcame an undermanned Nebraska (9-4) squad to score a 38-24 victory Friday in the 2016 Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.

Joshua Dobbs led the way in his final game for the Volunteers. The senior quarterback tallied 409 total yards, including multiple key plays with his legs, and four touchdowns. The Vols ground game as a whole put up 230 yards in the win. 

The Cornhuskers, who were without starting QB Tommy Armstrong Jr. because of a torn hamstring, finished with 318 yards of total offense, and most of that came after the Vols committed to not getting beat deep. Nebraska had just 205 yards after three quarters.

Here's a look at the quarter-by-quarter scoring recap from the 19th annual Music City Bowl:

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Total
Cornhuskers	0	7	7	10	24
Volunteers	0	21	3	14	38

Derek Barnett helped spearhead Tennessee's solid defensive effort. The junior lineman has a good chance to land in the first round of the NFL draft if he declares early, but the Nashville native told Rhiannon Potkey of the Knoxville News Sentinel it would have been "disrespectful" to sit out.

"I wouldn't skip a game, you know what I'm saying, because a lot of people can't play football, especially at this level," Barnett said. "I know they probably don't want to get hurt and stuff, but I think God has a plan for everything, so I wouldn't skip the game."

His comments came after running backs Christian McCaffrey (Stanford) and Leonard Fournette (LSU) decided to skip their bowl games to focus on their draft preparations. His decision to play also allowed him to set the new program record for sacks, per Tennessee Football:

Both offenses sputtered out of the gate in a scoreless first quarter. Each of the game's first six drives resulted in a punt.

The Volunteers finally jump-started the scoring early in the second. Dobbs connected on three straight passes to chew up 45 yards before John Kelly capped the quick-striking, 73-yard journey down the field with a touchdown run from 28 yards out.

Kelly got to the edge and then turned on the afterburners, as GoVols247 noted:

Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee succinctly summed up the scoring play:

Tennessee stretched the lead to 14 on its next drive. It was a more methodical trip, as the Vols used 11 plays and nearly five minutes to travel 66 yards as they started to make some serious progress in terms of wearing down the Nebraska front seven with the run game.

The SEC Network highlighted Dobbs powering his way across the goal line for the touchdown:

Teresa Walker of the Associated Press pointed out the select company the quarterback joined with his first score of the day:

After a series of misfires during the first half, Ryker Fyfe connected on a pair of long passes to get the Cornhuskers on the scoreboard late in the second quarter. He found Cethan Carter for 33 yards to open the drive and then showed nice touch to find Brandon Reilly for a 38-yard touchdown.

Sean Callahan of HuskerOnline noted it was the first time the senior, who went up to make a nice grab at the goal line, found the end zone this year:

Although that score came with just 1:36 left in the half, Tennessee still managed to get the seven points back before the break.

Dobbs found Alvin Kamara for a crucial third-down conversion early in the nine-play drive. The dual-threat QB proceeded to score his second rushing touchdown of the game by navigating his way through the chaos for a two-yard score with nine seconds left in the second.

Making matters worse for Nebraska, running back Terrell Newby was forced to exit the contest before halftime due to injury, per Tom Fornelli of CBSSports.com:

"

So Nebraska was already without Tommy Armstrong and Westerkamp, and now Terrell Newby is out. This should be fine.

— Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) December 30, 2016"

The Cornhuskers cut the lead to 10 after Reilly's second score of the day. Alas, the Volunteers once again responded to a Nebraska touchdown drive with one of their own.

Dobbs scrambled in from three yards for his third rushing touchdown to help extend the lead to 17. He escaped serious pressure in the pocket after being unable to find an open receiver on 3rd-and-goal.

Tennessee Stats passed along further information about the record-breaking TD:

Just as it appeared the Vols were ready to put the game away, Nebraska rattled off 10 quick points to get back within a single score.

Drew Brown converted a 46-yard field goal, and Tennessee's Tyler Byrd fumbled the ensuing kickoff to give the Huskers the ball right back. They took advantage, as Fyfe scored a nine-yard touchdown on a quarterback keeper to help make it 31-24 with 10 minutes to play.

Paul Fortenberry of VolQuest.com discussed how the turnaround brought some life in to the stadium:

Dobbs answered again for Tennessee. This time he hit Josh Malone in stride for a 59-yard score to keep Nebraska at bay. In the end, the Cornhuskers' inability to get a defensive stop after scoring a touchdown was the difference.

The O&W Report commented on the scoring play:

Tennessee's defense took care of the rest. The unit squashed any hopes of a Huskers comeback by coming up with a crucial stop as Nebraska tried to drive down to make it a one-score game late.

Jake Bockoven of 93.7 The Ticket wrapped up the finale for both teams:

Looking ahead, picking up a victory over another tradition-rich program allows Tennessee to enter the offseason with positive vibes after winning four of its last five games. The Volunteers must translate that into recruiting success if they want to compete in the deep SEC in 2017 and beyond, though.

Barnett is a player to watch heading toward the NFL Scouting Combine. He doesn't possess ideal size for an edge-rushing role, but he's shown the ability to overcome that thanks to a combination of power and technique, including a variety of pass-rushing moves.

Meanwhile, Nebraska ends the campaign on a low note after losing four of its last six contests. A 62-3 blowout loss to Ohio State back in November showed exactly how much work the program must do before it starts moving back toward the nation's elite.

Postgame Reaction

ESPN passed along comments from Dobbs about his Tennessee legacy:

The outlet also provided a look at the winning side's trophy ceremony:

As for Nebraska, head coach Mike Riley looked at the game as part of the transition phase, per Josh Planos of KETV.

"This is kind of the end of one team, the beginning of another," Riley said.