NASHVILLE -- Forget last year. Remember the series.

Tennessee football returned to normalcy Saturday afternoon at Vanderbilt Stadium. Vanderbilt's 364-day domination of the in-state rivalry ended.

And it ended with a thumping.

The Vols started with field goals, built up to touchdowns and rendered the Commodores helpless by the fourth quarter in a 39-10 victory.

Vanderbilt rarely resembled the team that upset UT 28-24 last year in Neyland Stadium. Nor did it remind you of the Vanderbilt team that didn't lose by more than 20 points in its first 11 games.

And UT didn't look anything like the bunch that got waylaid by Arkansas a week ago.

UT beating Vanderbilt by 29 points didn't qualify as news until recently. In 2004, UT pulled out a 38-33 victory; last year, quarterback Jay Cutler led Vanderbilt to its first victory over UT in 23 years.

But not even Cutler, who is the NFL, could have saved the Commodores on this afternoon. He might have been a huge improvement over sophomore quarterback Chris Nickson, who completed 10 of 23 passes and threw two interceptions, but he couldn't have covered Robert Meachem or tackled LaMarcus Coker.

That's right, only nine paragraphs into a column, and I'm already mentioning a UT running back. That's what kind of game it was.

Who says the Vols can't run the football? They rushed for 163 yards against the Commodores and almost had their 101-yard per game average on two touchdown runs by Coker.

Coker showed his athleticism by somersaulting into the end zone on an 8-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, then showed his speed on an 87-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that negated Vanderbilt's offense for the afternoon.

The Commodores' injury-depleted defense was in no condition for chase scenes.

Three Vanderbilt defenders -- strong safety Reshard Langford, linebacker Marcus Buggs and linebacker Kevin Joyce -- started the game but failed to finish it. Joyce, a fifth-year senior, tried to play with two injuries, a separated shoulder and a painful hip pointer.

"We saw some people in their secondary limping and struggling against Kentucky," said UT offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe, whose game plan brought out the worst in Vanderbilt. "I thought through formations we could set up some things.

"Fortunately, the players executed. Everything I called looked good on paper, but sometimes they don't work that way."

With the Commodores hurting and UT quarterback Erik Ainge healthy for the first time in three weeks, the game quickly turned into the kind of mismatch that once was so prevalent in one of the nation's most lopsided rivalries.

Asked if Ainge's return from an ankle injury made for a smoother offense, UT offensive tackle Arron Sears said, "Oh, it was a lot smoother."

Cutcliffe also lauded Ainge for his pass-protection calls.

"We expanded our pass-protection package," Cutcliffe said. "I thought that made a big difference in the game. I put a lot more things on the quarterback because I thought he was ready to take the next step.

"When you're blocking with six, you can only physically block six at a time. But you can make a lot of calls to block the right six."

UT's defense looked as good as its offense, holding Vanderbilt to 218 yards -- or 403 fewer yards than it gained last week against Kentucky.

Vanderbilt wide receiver Earl Bennett, who leads the SEC in pass receptions per game, caught four passes for 16 yards. Nickson, who ranks third in the conference in total offense, managed only 97 yards passing and 44 yards rushing.

"Definitely, it was our worst game of the year," Bennett said.

Imagine that: UT bringing out the worst in Vanderbilt. Just like old times.