It was such a massive, one-sided game that you could really just blame Tennessee Football as a whole for not being good enough Saturday when the Vols lost 38-10 at home to the Georgia Bulldogs. However, certain groups and people did enough to be called out specifically. This is who is most responsible for UT looking so bad.
Andre Turrentine: 25 percent
Remember when Andre Turrentine was the more highly touted transfer defensive back in 2022 over Wesley Walker? Well, in place of Walker, we’re seeing how wrong that was. Turrentine was horrendous in coverage all night, which was a huge reason Georgia was able to turn to its tight end and No. 3 option so often on the day.
Joe Milton III: 20 percent
In classic Joe Milton III fashion, three drives were killed because he couldn’t connect on a deep ball. Another one saw him miss Ramel Keyton wide open down the sideline. He was down a couple of receivers, but he still didn’t do nearly what he should have done in this game, which was easily his worst since Austin Peay.
Will Brooks: 15 percent
This is not fair. Will Brooks is a walk-on. However, Tennessee Football had no other option at nickel with Tamarion McDonald hurt. Brooks wasn’t ready for it. He got torched all game, and while he wasn’t nearly as awful as Turrentine (which is saying something since Turrentine was a four-star), he still was a huge part of Brock Bowers and Dillon Bell going off.
Offensive tackles: 15 percent
Until Javontez Spraggins got hurt, the interior of the offensive line wasn’t bad. With Gerald Mincey and John Campbell Jr. both out, though, the Vols were easily going to struggle up front, and they did just that. It was made worse when Dayne Davis got hurt in the game. Jeremiah Crawford did all he could on the other side, but the abuse of the tackles killed any hope on offense.
Cornerbacks: 10 percent
With Ladd McConkey out, you would have at least thought Tennessee Football could keep Georgia’s go-to targets from going off. Well, Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint led the team in receiving with 91 yards and two touchdowns. No Kamal Hadden put all the pressure on Doneiko Slaughter and Gabe Jeudy-Lally, and while Slaughter had a pick called back, it largely didn’t work out.
Elijah Herring: 10 percent
One last part of the defense turning Carson Beck into a Heisman candidate was Elijah Herring, who once again showed he just isn’t cut out for middle linebacker. He consistently got torched in coverage and also got caught out of position on numerous misdirection plays. Jeremiah Telander ended up replacing him, which is why he isn’t higher on this list, but the damage was still done.
Squirrel White: 5 percent
Although Squirrel White led Tennessee Football in receiving on the day, he was responsible for just enough miscues to kill drives. That includes two drops, catching one pass in open space in which he couldn’t get by a Georgia defender for three yards needed for a first down, and getting blown up on a block on a screen.
