This weekend’s matchup between the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Tennessee Vols is receiving some national hype because Vandy has a potential spot in the College Football Playoff on the line.

Vanderbilt’s postseason outlook combined with the offseason trash talk from Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia will make Saturday’s game in in Neyland Stadium extra spicy.

The players who have played in this rivalry, though, will tell you this game is always chippy — regardless of either team’s record. Sometimes, according to former Vols defensive lineman Marlon Walls, that would lead to dirty play from Vanderbilt’s players.

Walls, who suited up for the Vols from 2009 to 2013, recounted his experiences of playing against the Commodores during an appearance this week on The Sports Source.

“They were dirty, man,” said Walls. “They were super dirty. I remember as a defensive lineman, those games versus Vandy, you want to wear your knee brace. Because those cats, if you’re in a pile, their offensive linemen will come right behind you and jump on the back your legs. And you’ll complain to the ref, but the ref would literally ignore you because the score is 56 to 10 or something like that.

“You’d be happy, man, just to get out of that game healthy with some of the stuff they would do,” added Walls. “If you’re rushing past a guy, the guy would grab the back of your your collar, literally, and try to yank you down from it. It’s like they do all kind of little dirty stuff.”

Walls to quick to point out that he doesn’t know if the same thing applies to this season’s Vanderbilt team because they’re a more competitive team than many of the Commodores’ teams in the past.

Former Vols offensive lineman said Trey Smith took Vanderbilt celebrating in 2018 personally

The last time Vanderbilt beat Tennessee was in 2018, which was Jeremy Pruitt’s first season as the program’s head coach.

Former Vols offensive lineman Ollie Lane said on The Sports Source that former Tennessee offensive lineman Trey Smith took that loss “personally” because of the way Vanderbilt celebrated after the win.

“I remember very vividly, in 2019, Trey Smith was extremely pissed off that week going into Vandy,” said Lane. “Just because he had it somewhat ingrained in his mind that (former Vandy coach) Derek Mason and [Vandy players] celebrated — they did some dance. They did it all near our locker room. Trey took that personally. And he carried that into that week. He reminded us of it before the game, and then after the game, he immediately got all of us over there and said, ‘Hey, we’re going right over there to where their tunnel is, and we’re celebrating as they walk [off the field].’”

There’s a lot on the line in this year’s matchup. Vandy can earn a spot in the playoff. Tennessee can get one win closer to 10 wins for the third time in four seasons. And the Vols can prevent Pavia from competing for a national championship. But even if those things weren’t on the table, this game would still be very personal for both sides.

In other words, it should be a fun one on Saturday in Knoxville.

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