Believe it or not, there were actually plenty of units that played okay for Tennessee Football as the Vols lost to the Missouri Tigers 36-7 on the road Saturday. However, a few too many played absolutely atrocious. Which position groups got the worst grades in UT’s awful performance? See here in our report card for Rocky Top in their loss at Mizzou.
Quarterback: C+
Joe Milton III was actually very good throwing the ball for most of the game. He did finish 22-of-34 for 267 yards and a touchdown while also leading the team in rushing with 36 yards. However, he had a bad pitch on an option, was part of a miscommunication on an RPO fumble, didn’t keep it enough on zone reads and threw a pick-six. That pushes this to a C+.
Running back: F
Jaylen Wright had his worst game ever playing for Tennessee Football. He had just seven carries for 22 yards, and he killed a potential go-ahead drive for the Vols at halftime with a fumble. Add in a dropped pitch, and he was awful. Dylan Sampson was part of the RPO fumble that Milton was part of, and Jabari Small had just three carries for five yards.
Wide receiver: A-
There was a drop in the game, but honestly, this unit actually played fine. Dont’e Thornton had an amazing touchdown grab, Squirrel White had four catches for 53 yards, and Ramel Keyton had four catches for this 57 yards. Kaleb Webb had four catches for 38 yards. Chas Nimrod had two catches for 17 yards. Injuries and no help from the run game is what held this group back.
Tight end: D+
Jacob Warren had two catches for 17 yards, and McCallan Castles added a five-yard catch. In the passing game, these guys remained a a factor. However, they were horrendous in run blocking. Indeed, Warren killed a drive that got Tennessee Football to the six-yard line due to a holding penalty, so that pushes this to below average.
Offensive line: D-
Pass blocking was fine. Run blocking was an absolute travesty and enough to give this unit a below average grade. There were two different potential scoring drives killed by holding penalties from this unit, and they had two more drives killed because they could carve out a gain on 3rd and short. UT had 23 carries for 83 yards, and without Milton, it’s 13 carries for 47 yards.
Defensive tackle: B+
Despite Mizzou running the ball extremely well, the Tennessee Football defensive tackles aren’t at fault. All they can do is get a push over the middle, and they did just that throughout the night. Omarr Norman-Lott had two sacks for a reason, and Kurott Garland and Elijah Simmons each had a tackle for a loss. All the tackles can do is get a stuff, a sack or force the play outside. They pretty much did that all game.
Edge rusher: D+
When a play is forced outside, the edge rushers have to stay in their lanes against a quarterback like Brady Cook, and they have to be in position on zone read handoffs to Cody Schrader. They weren’t, so Schrader had over 200 yards rushing and Cook added 55 yards. Sure, James Pearce Jr. had a sack, and Joshua Josephs and Tyler Baron each had tackles for a loss, but they allowed far too many big plays.
Linebacker: F
Another part of containment is the linebackers. While Aaron Beasley and Jeremiah Telander each assisted in a tackle for a loss, the unit as a whole was horrendous. There’s a reason that, in addition to Schrader and Cook torching the Vols on the ground, Schrader also had over 100 yards receiving. Elijah Herring was the biggest culprit in an awful night, but they never accounted for him.
Defensive back: C
It may seem like Cook completing 18-of-24 passes for 275 yards and a touchdown would warrant a below average grade here, but most of those completions were out of the backfield. Tennessee Football did have an interception from Jaylen McCollough, and Gabe Jeudy-Lally played well. Wesley Walker, though, was part of the bad positioning, and he had a busted play. He alone pushed this to a C.
Kicking game: C-
Jackson Ross was a star, punting six times and averaging over 43 yards a punt while pinning three inside the 20, including two inside the two-yard line. However, he did have a 39-yarder, and Charles Campbell missed a field goal late. It was a meaningless kick, but missed, easy field goals will always push a kicking game to average.
Return game: D
Dee Williams had minus-one yard on the one punt he ran back, and he ran a kickoff out of the end zone, which he only got to the 14-yard line. As a result, this unit gets a below average grade. Tennessee Football had a weapon in Ross, but it’s very clear the rest of the special teams play in this one left a lot to be desired in the end.
