TAMPA, Fla. - Tennessee wasn't sure it would have the services of Jalen Hurd after the sophomore running back injured himself at practice earlier in the week.

Once Hurd was declared fit, however, Tennessee coach Butch Jones did not hesitate to ride him to victory.

Hurd carried the Volunteers to a dominant second half and a 45-6 victory over Northwestern on Friday afternoon in the Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium.

The No. 23-ranked Volunteers (9-4) made the case they could be one of the teams to keep an eye on to return to Tampa next year, when the city hosts the 2017 College Football Playoff title game. Tennessee used a stout defense and their powerful rushing attack, which was second-best in the Southeastern Conference, to close out the season with a sixth straight victory in front of a crowd of 53,202 fans, most of them wearing Volunteer colors.

No. 13 Northwestern had its winning streak snapped at five games to finish 10-3, which ties the school record for most wins in a season.

Hurd, voted the Outback Bowl MVP, rushed 24 times for 130 yards and a touchdown, and not a one of his carries resulted in a negative gain.

"Jalen was a game-time decision, and it's a testament to his decision to work hard to get back (that he was able to do what he did today)," said Jones, who has guided Tennessee to its first consecutive bowl game victories since 1996-97.

Hurd injured his hamstring earlier this week at practice, going down in the open field after sprinting, Jones said. It wasn't until Thursday that the team started to get the feeling that Hurd might be able to play against the Wildcats.

"I put it in my mind I was going to play no matter what," Hurd said.

Tennessee's defense had four interceptions, including a 100-yard return by defensive back Evan Berry with eight seconds remaining, four sacks and seven tackles for a loss in holding Northwestern freshman quarterback Clayton Thorson to just 57 yards passing. It was the largest margin of victory in the 30-year history of the game, bettering Michigan's 42-7 victory over North Carolina State in 1994 when the game was called the Hall of Fame Bowl.

The Volunteers, who struggled earlier this season to close out some crucial games, dominated with a 28-0 second half to finish off the Wildcats.

Tennessee's first drive in the third quarter ended on a failed fake field goal, but sacks on consecutive plays by sophomore defensive lineman Kendal Vickers and junior linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin put the ball right back to the offense. The Volunteers went 67 yards on 14 plays, seven of the last eight of those handoffs to Hurd, including a fourth-and-1 conversion at the Northwestern 5. Two plays later, Hurd crashed in up the middle for a 3-yard touchdown to make it 24-6.

"It was awesome and you could tell that we were really, like, wearing on them," Hurd said. "With the environment and everything (the heat), I think it goes back to our strength and conditioning program. You could tell that we were really wearing them down. I was just thinking on that drive, summer workouts, summer workouts. Summer workouts are the hardest conditioning we have."

Two plays later, senior defensive back Brian Randolph picked off Thorson.

"We came out in the second half and just turned it over," said Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald. "We couldn't get off the field with third-down stops, and as the game went along. ... With Tennessee's running game, it was going to be pretty challenging and difficult to get back in it."

Hurd went over 100 yards on a 24-yard run early in the fourth quarter, setting up junior quarterback Joshua Dobbs' 18-yard touchdown run, bumping the Volunteers' lead to 31-6. Dobbs fumbled the shotgun snap on the play, picked it up at the 27, and then raced right around the edge before tip-toeing down the sideline for his second touchdown on the ground.

He finished with 63 yards rushing to go with 166 through the air.

"We knew he could run,'' said Northwestern senior defensive end Deonte Gibson said, "but his ability to scramble and the way he did it today was impressive."

Dobbs got the Volunteers on the board first, dashing 14 yards up the middle with 14 seconds left in the opening quarter to make it 7-0. Following a three-and-out by Northwestern, Dobbs drove Tennessee back into the red zone where the Volunteers settled for a 35-yard field by sophomore kicker Aaron Medley for a 10-0 lead.

The Wildcats' offense, which struggled with poor field position in the first quarter, finally made a move by driving 75 yards for a touchdown. Thorson converted a third down with a pass completion, and then another with a 21-yard run to set up a 5-yard touchdown run by Justin Jackson with 5:40 remaining in the first half to get the Wildcats seemingly back in the game.

The Vols, however, came right back. Dobbs completed three passes for 40 yards to get the ball to the Northwestern 17. Sophomore running back Alvin Kamara, making his first career start, sprinted 12 yards for the score and a 17-6 lead with 2:18 remaining before halftime.

NOTES: RB Jalen Hurd became the first player in Tennessee history to rush for 100 yards in two bowl games. Last year, he rushed for 122 yards in a Taxslayer Bowl victory over Iowa. It was Hurd's sixth 100-yard rushing game this season. ... Friday marked the 30th anniversary of the Outback Bowl game. The bowl was originally known as the Hall of Fame Bowl for its first nine years, kicking off with Boston College's 27-24 win over Georgia in 1986. ... The Outback Bowl matches up the SEC with the Big Ten, with the SEC holding a 13-9 advantage. ... The matchup between Tennessee and Northwestern was just the second all-time. The Volunteers defeated the Wildcats 48-28 in the Florida Citrus Bowl in 1996. ... Three of the last six Outback Bowls have been decided in overtime. ... The game was a bit of a homecoming for Tennessee coach Butch Jones. He was a lifelong Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, worked for the NFL team in the 1980s and started out doing the team's laundry during training camp at the University of Tampa and was a team intern from 1987-90.