Facing an FCS team will give plenty of players opportunities to make names for themselves. That’s exactly what happened with Tennessee Football on Saturday. Using big plays and consistent performance as the criteria, here are the top five Vols in UT’s dominating 69-3 victory over the Chattanooga Mocs Saturday.
5. Jordan Ross
Once James Pearce Jr. is gone, consensus is that Jordan Ross won’t be any drop-off at edge rusher. He showed his insane athleticism on Saturday, coming away with a tackle for a loss in the first half and then blocking a punt late in the game that he returned for a touchdown. That blocked punt wasn’t important, but it was impressive enough to put Ross on here.
4. Tyre West
Ever since losing Caleb Herring and Ja’Quain Blakely, Tennessee Football hasn’t had a reliable defensive end who consistently plays up on the line and can play in the middle. The Vols may have found that now, though, in Tyre West. Although it was against an FCS offensive line, West looked elite, coming away with a sack and two tackles for a loss.
3. Dylan Sampson
Again, it was against am FCS line. However, Dylan Sampson was still a star at running back, carrying the ball 12 times for 124 yards and three touchdowns while catching three passes for 29 yards. Pass protection is still an issue, and he had a crucial mistake on that front with a chop block, but his actual production couldn’t be denite.
2. Dont’e Thornton
Welcome back Dont’e Thornton and Bru McCoy. Both Tennessee Football wideouts suffered season-ending injuries last year and led the Vols in receiving Saturday. McCoy had six catches for 89 yards. However, Thornton was the star with three catches for 105 yards and two touchdowns. He showed hands beyond anything we saw from him last year, which is a great sign.
1. Nico Iamaleava
No surprise here. There is literally no throw Nico Iamaleava can’t make, and he showed that on Saturday. The Tennessee Football quarterback completed 22 of 28 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He worked the sidelines on deep routes, the middle of the field and curl routes. Simply put, he did it all and showed why there’s so much hype behind him.
