Recap: Tennessee football squeezes Clemson in Orange Bowl victory

MIAMI − Tennessee football will try to cap its best regular season in almost 20 years with a signature win over Clemson in the Orange Bowl.

It's an all-orange matchup as the No. 6 Vols (10-2) face the No. 7 Tigers (11-2) at Hard Rock Stadium. Kickoff is 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

This will be Tennessee's first bowl game that features two top-10 teams since the 1999 Fiesta Bowl. And it already has 10 regular-season wins for the first time since 2003.

Tennessee football score vs. Clemson: Live updates from Orange Bowl

Postgame links

INSTANT ANALYSIS: Tennessee football smashes Clemson in Orange Bowl to return to past glory

REPORT CARD: Tennessee football grades vs. Clemson: Vols get 11-win season with Orange Bowl victory

BLAKE TOPPMEYER: Overthrow Joe no mo', Joe Milton and Tennessee football roll in Orange Bowl

Fourth quarter

FINAL: Tennessee 31, Clemson 14. Big Orange, it is.

1:42 left: Wesley Walker intercepts Klubnik in the end zone. Tennessee will be the 2022 Orange Bowl champions!

3:07 left: Chase McGrath good from 32 yards out.

Tennessee 31, Clemson 14.

7:37 left: Cade Klubnik intercepted on fourth down. He's been a mess in the second half. Tennessee ball.

Ramel Keyton TD puts Tennessee up 14 again

8:34 left: Joe Milton and Ramel Keyton looked like Hendon Hooker and Jalin Hyatt. Keyton wide open for the 46-yard TD. PAT good.

Tennessee 28, Clemson 14.

8:52 left: Good third-down throw from Milton to Keyton for a first down into Clemson territory.

Cade Klubnik TD run cuts Vols lead in half

10:01 left: Touchdown Tigers. That was almost all on the ground in the final 30 yards from Shipley and Klubnik. The Clemson QB finishes the drive with a 4-yard TD run. Penalty after the TD on Kamal Hadden for unsportsmanlike conduct and it'll cut the two-point attempt yardage in half.

Shipley takes it in for the two-point conversion. It's a ballgame again.

Tennessee 21, Clemson 14.

Third quarter

Quick-strike Vols extend lead

5 seconds left: And they do! After a 42-yard Jaylen Wright run, Milton throws a perfect touch pass to Squirrel White for a 14-yard TD. That's why folks love Milton.

Tennessee 21, Clemson 6.

1:27 left: Tennessee's defense does it again! Will Shipley stopped on 4th and 2 near the UT 30. Aaron Beasley makes the stop.

Tennessee's offense has to give UT's defense some breathing room here.

3:32 left: After a string of positive runs, Nashville's Jake Briningstool gains 15 on a TE screen. Clemson driving in UT territory.

5:52 left: Joe Milton is sacked on third down by Barrett Carter. Held the ball for a long time, trying to make something happen.

Vols punt for the seventh time, the most in a game this season.

7:58 left: Ramel Keyton over the middle for the first down catch.

8:55 left: Klubnik sacked by Byron Young on third down. Both defenses have largely controlled the line of scrimmage. Clemson three-and-out.

10:12 left: Tennessee three-and-out. Vols have punted six times in eight offensive possessions.

10:57 left: Tennessee defense holds again. (Clemson's Jordan McFadden also held, but that was declined.)

B.T. Potter good from 40 yards out. Tennessee 14. Clemson 6.

Clemson has run the ball well in the last three drives, but go away from it by the end. Might be why they end, too.

Second quarter

HALFTIME: Tennessee 14, Clemson 3. Cade Klubnik inexplicably scrambles into the middle of the field with no timeouts and five seconds left. Tigers could have had a short field goal.

Clemson on pace for 546 yards and six points.

Tennessee defense making plays at the right time.

1:20 left: Jaylen McCollough nearly had an INT.

1:47 left: Another Vols punt. Not sure about the third down screen call, or whatever that was.

3:03 left: Clemson's offense stalls just past midfield. Tennessee still getting a lot of pressure.

3:46 left: Joseph Ngata makes a Vols defender miss and crosses into UT territory.

4:31 left: Couple incomplete passes and a three-and-out for the Vols offense.

5:11 left: Hey, a made field goal. B.T. Potter hits from 31 yards out.

Tennessee 14, Clemson 3.

8:00 left: Will Shipley hurdles a Vols defender and gets a first down. Clemson at the UT 30.

Squirrel White catch, Jabari Small TD puts UT up two scores

9:03 left: Touchdown Tennessee! Jabari Small 2-yard TD run.

PAT good. Tennessee 14, Clemson 0.

9:12 left: There's the big play. Squirrel White over the top for 50 yards. First and goal Vols.

B.T. Potter misses third field goal of first half as Vols continue to keep Clemson off the scoreboard

10:15 left: BT Potter no good from 42 yards out. How many times does he get to miss a field goal? Vols will take it.

Seems like Tennessee is getting a hit on the Clemson QB on every dropback. Big play on the drive was a throwback screen to Clemson's Antonio Williams for 25 yards. Vols limiting Clemson to 12 rushing yards on 13 attempts. Will Shipley has five rushing yards on 3 carries.

10:57 left: Aaron Beasley TFL. What a half.

11:06 left: Clemson TE Davis Allen overthrows Clemson TE Jake Briningstool.

11:31 left: De'Shawn Rucker DPI on third down. UT secondary struggling to not get penalized on these 1-on-1s.

12:40 left: Aaron Beasley sack, his second of the first half. Tennessee blitzes have surprised Clemson.

13:55 left: Bryan Bresee sacks Joe Milton.

14:08 left: BT Potter no good from 49 yards out. Clemson's field goal unit struggling.

Kudos to the Vols defense for bending but not breaking three times tonight in the first half. Vols have hit Cade Klubnik early and often.

First quarter

1:28 left: Kamal Hadden DPI. Vols defense playing well, but penalties have hurt.

1:37 left: Jaylen Wright loses yards on 3rd and 3. Vols will punt.

3:05 left: BT Potter no good from 55 yards out. Curious decisions by Dabo Swinney on the two scoring opportunities for the Tigers.

4:24 left: Jaylen McCollough flagged for DPI. Clemson driving.

Bru McCoy TD puts Tennessee on the board

5:17 left: Joe Milton to Bru McCoy for a 16-yard TD pass. Tennessee finally gave Milton some time to work there. Touchdown Tennessee.

PAT good. Tennessee 7, Clemson 0.

5:51 left: Joe Milton sneaks for a first down. Josh Heupel then called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for yelling at an official during the play.

7:09 left: Tennessee going to have to run Joe Milton outside the tackles to be efficient.

Tennessee with another holding penalty. Two on this drive.

8:30 left: Bru McCoy catch for a first down. Gerald Mincey left the game with an injury on the previous play.

9:24 left: Clemson fake field goal snuffed out. Drew Swinney a couple yards short on the carry. Would have been a 44-yard field goal.

If Swinney pitched it to BT Potter, would have likely converted. Tennessee defense gets a stop.

11:40 left: Klubnik completes a long pass to Cole Turner for a first down. Wesley Walker just late over the top.

12:12 left: Aaron Beasley, on a blitz up the middle, sacks Cade Klubnik.

13:10 left: Joe Milton sacked on third down. Paxton Brooks' punt is short and out of bounds.

14:21 left: Joe Milton to Squirrel White for a first down catch. Clemson's Bryan Bresee slow to get up.

15:00 left: Clemson wins the toss and defers. Tennessee will receive the opening kickoff.

Pregame: Tennessee without Trevon Flowers, two others

Safety Trevon Flowers and cornerback Brandon Turnage are among the Vols players out of the Orange Bowl on Friday.

Neither played in the regular-season finale at Vanderbilt.

Backup quarterback Tayven Jackson is also out, which means the depth behind Joe Milton is limited to walk-ons Gaston Moore and Navy Shuler.

Tennessee football honoring Mike Leach

Tennessee is honoring Mike Leach, the late Mississippi State coach who was a mentor to Josh Heupel, with a 'MIKE' helmet sticker during Friday's game.

Read all about it here.

Clemson starting cornerback is out

Clemson cornerback Sheridan Jones will not dress tonight.

The senior cornerback has been nursing a hip injury. Jones started 10 games this season and has made 21 career starts in 48 games

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee football score vs Clemson: Live updates from Orange Bowl