Bishop runs for 220 yards and three touchdowns as Tennessee beats Auburn 24-14

DeSean Bishop supplied all three Tennessee touchdowns and finished with 220 rushing yards as the No. 17 Volunteers beat Auburn 24-14 on Saturday in Knoxville. Tennessee trailed at halftime, changed quarterbacks and ultimately settled the game with its running attack and two defensive stops in the fourth quarter.

Bishop carried 34 times, scoring from 25, 44 and five yards. The official Tennessee report identifies both his yardage and touchdown totals as career highs. His last score restored a 10-point lead with 3:30 remaining, after Auburn had closed to within a field goal.

Two runs change the third quarter

Auburn led 7-3 at the break. Byrum Brown's seven-yard touchdown run followed an interception that gave the Tigers possession at Tennessee's 19-yard line. Cooper Ranvier's 36-yard field goal had been the Volunteers' only scoring play.

George MacIntyre replaced Faizon Brandon during the second quarter and finished eight of 10 for 86 yards without an interception. Brandon's final line was three completions in eight attempts for no passing yards and one interception. MacIntyre directed each of Tennessee's second-half touchdown drives.

A 42-yard completion to Mike Matthews helped set up Bishop's 25-yard score with 8:49 left in the third quarter. That put Tennessee ahead 10-7. Dejuan Lane then intercepted Brown and returned the ball to Auburn's 44-yard line. Bishop scored from there on the next offensive snap, expanding the lead to 17-7.

The SEC's official clip identifies Bishop's 44-yard touchdown from this game, the second of his three scoring runs.

Auburn's comeback runs into a fourth-down stop

Brown found Arlis Boardingham for a 16-yard touchdown with 10:57 remaining, cutting the deficit to 17-14. Auburn later attempted fourth-and-one from its own 24-yard line. Jeremiah Telander and Nathan Robinson stopped Omar Mabson II without a gain, giving Tennessee a short field.

Five plays later, Bishop finished the possession with his five-yard touchdown. Auburn still drove to Tennessee's 12 on its last possession, but Tevis Metcalf intercepted Brown near the goal line in the final minute. The Tigers never got another scoring opportunity.

Brown completed 22 of 33 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown, and added 107 rushing yards with another score. He also threw two interceptions. Auburn's final box lists three turnovers and 11 penalties for 94 yards.

Tennessee wins without a passing touchdown

The Volunteers finished with 237 rushing yards and 86 passing yards. They converted only three of 14 third downs, but succeeded on both fourth-down attempts. Auburn had more total offense, 345 yards to Tennessee's 323, yet the second-half scoring and late stops belonged to the Volunteers.

Tennessee improved to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in SEC play. The Volunteers visit Arkansas on October 10. Auburn fell to 3-2 and 1-2 in the conference and next plays at Georgia on October 17, after an open date.