The 2016 Music City Bowl, known as the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl for sponsorship purposes, was the nineteenth edition of the college football bowl game, played on December 30, 2016 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. Part of the 2016–17 bowl season, it featured the Nebraska Cornhuskers of the Big Ten and the Tennessee Volunteers of the SEC.

Teams The 2016 Music City Bowl was the third all-time meeting between Nebraska and Tennessee. The Cornhuskers defeated the Volunteers in the 1998 Orange Bowl to earn a share of the national championship, and again two years later in the 2000 Fiesta Bowl.

Nebraska

Tennessee

Game After a scoreless first quarter, Tennessee jumped out to a 14–0 lead with rushing touchdowns from John Kelly and Joshua Dobbs. Nebraska answered with a 38-yard connection from Ryker Fyfe to Brandon Reilly to cut the deficit in half, but a second Dobbs rushing touchdown made the score 21–7 at halftime.

The second half opened with a turnover by each team before a Volunteers field goal extended the lead to seventeen. On the ensuing drive, Nebraska used a 42-yard Devine Ozigbo run to set up Reilly's second receiving touchdown, but it was again answered by a lengthy Volunteers drive and a Dobbs touchdown. Two quick NU scores cut the deficit to seven with most of the fourth quarter remaining. Tennessee responded with a four-play, 77-yard drive capped by a 59-yard Josh Malone touchdown reception. As time wound down, Nebraska advanced deep into Tennessee territory with a chance to cut its deficit back to seven, but turned the ball over on downs after an intentional grounding penalty and a Derek Barnett sack of Fyfe. NU was unable to mount another scoring threat and Tennessee won 38–24.

It was Tennessee's third consecutive season with a bowl victory, a feat the program had not accomplished since the mid-1990s. Barnett's fourth quarter sack was the 33rd of his collegiate career, a new school record.

Scoring summary Qtr Time Drive Team Detail Score Plays Yards TOP NU TENN 2 13:20 4 73 1:26 TENN John Kelly 28-yd run (Aaron Medley kick) 0 7 7:36 11 66 4:44 TENN Joshua Dobbs 10-yd run (Medley kick) 0 14 1:36 3 80 1:12 NU Brandon Reilly 38-yd pass from Ryker Fyfe (Drew Brown kick) 7 14 0:09 9 75 1:27 TENN Dobbs 2-yd run (Medley kick) 7 21 3 5:52 8 49 3:20 TENN Medley 46-yd field goal 7 24 3:26 5 75 2:26 NU Reilly 9-yd pass from Fyfe (Brown kick) 14 24 4 14:09 9 76 4:09 TENN Dobbs 3-yd run (Medley kick) 14 31 12:06 6 47 2:12 NU Brown 45-yd field goal 17 31 10:02 5 31 1:55 NU Fyfe 9-yd run (Brown kick) 24 31 8:45 4 77 1:10 TENN Josh Malone 59-yd pass from Dobbs (Medley kick) 24 38

Individual leaders Team Category Player Statistics NU Passing Ryker Fyfe 17/36, 243 yds, 2 TD Rushing Devine Ozigbo 7 car, 66 yds Receiving Brandon Reilly 4 rec, 98 yds, 2 TD TENN Passing Joshua Dobbs 23/38, 291 yds, 1 TD Rushing Joshua Dobbs 11 car, 118 yds, 3 TD Receiving Alvin Kamara 7 rec, 46 yds

Team statistics Statistic Nebraska Tennessee First downs 18 25 Rushes–yards 28–61 38–230 –yards 19–42–257 23–38–291 Total offense 318 521 Third downs 5–16 6–14 Turnovers 1 1 Punts–average 7–42.7 6–43.3 Penalties–yards 7–41 6–65 Time of possession 28:28 31:32

Starting lineups Nebraska Position Tennessee Offense 11 Cethan Carter 82 Ethan Wolf 84 Sam Cotton TE WR 15 Jauan Jennings 8 Stanley Morgan 3 Josh Malone 87 Brandon Reilly 25 Josh Smith 17 Ryker Fyfe 11 Joshua Dobbs 34 Terrell Newby 6 Alvin Kamara 68 Nick Gates 52 Drew Richmond 67 Jerald Foster 75 Jason Robertson 66 Dylan Utter 55 Coleman Thomas 63 Tanner Farmer 71 Dylan Wiesman 62 Cole Conrad 63 Brett Kendrick Defense 55 Kevin Maurice 1 Jonathan Kongbo 44 Mick Stoltenberg 39 Kendal Vickers 91 Freedom Akinmoladun 5 Derek Barnett 88 Ross Dzuris 50 Corey Vereen 52 Josh Banderas 34 Darrin Kirkland 5 Dedrick Young 20 Cortez McDowell 10 Joshua Kalu 13 Malik Foreman 8 Chris Jones 23 Cameron Sutton 1 Lamar Jackson 22 Micah Abernathy 16 Antonio Reed 7 Rashaan Gaulden 24 Aaron Williams 24 Todd Kelly

References