Grading Tennessee Football after beating arguably the worst team they played in history is tough. It’s like grading a 12th grade honors student who took all 3rd grade tests. However, adding a bit of a curve to it, we can somewhat gauge how different units performed. This is our report card for the Vols in their 71-0 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes.
Quarterbacks: B
Nico Iamaleava was a pedestrian 10-of-16 for 173 yards and one touchdown. He had two overthrows and should’ve thrown a pick. Jake Merklinger was 2-of-5 for 17 yards. Gaston Moore honestly saved this group by completing all four passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Otherwise, this could have been below average.
Running backs: A+
There’s no way we could say enough about how Tennessee Football performed here. Dylan Sampson had 13 carries for 101 yards and four touchdowns. DeSean Bishop had seven carries for 101 yards and two scores. Peyton Lewis had 10 carries for 99 yards. Hunter Barnes had seven carries for 38 yards. UT rushed for over 450 yards, and the backs totaled 395 yards from scrimmage.
Wide receivers: A
Chris Brazzell II caught Iamaleava’s touchdown pass. Mike Matthews had the most spectacular grab of the year from Moore. Overall, this unit was almost perfect, but it didn’t make enough spectacular plays, and Squirrel White did have a drop at one point, which is why it has to get an A and not an A+.
Tight ends: A
Holden Staes had one grab for 16 yards, and Miles Kitselman had a 15-yard touchdown pass. However, while they did nothing wrong, that was all the Tennessee Football tight ends did in the passing game. The touchdown is enough to warrant an A, but there weren’t enough big plays to warrant an A+.
Offensive line: A-
If we could score this on 100, this may be a 125 for run blocking. The offensive line went beyond an A+ there. However, they did allow a sack in the game and two tackles for a loss, which is enough to drop this unit’s performance down to an A-. When it comes to Kent State, you’ve really got to be perfect.
Defensive line: A
Despite not generating a lot of sacks, Tennessee Football brought pressure all night. The Vols held Kent State top 54 yards rushing on 32 carries and drew multiple holding penalties, and although it was on KSU’s mistakes, the unit did force a safety. They weren’t as spectacular as they were against N.C. State, which is why they don’t get an A+, but they did nothing wrong.
Linebackers: B-
Allowing J.D. Sherrod to step in at quarterback and rush for 56 yards on seven carries is an indictment of the linebackers being out of position. Given how bad Kent State’s rushing attack is, the worst part of a really bad team, Jordan Lowe gaining 32 yards on seven carries was also a bad look. However, the defense was too good for any unit not to be above average, so they held on.
Secondary: A+
Remember, Kent State relied on its passing attack coming into the game. Tennessee Football is supposed to have issues at defensive back. That wasn’t the case here, as the Vols held the Golden Flashes to 9-of-16 for a mere 58 yards through the air. This unit keeps getting better, although it still has tons to prove.
Place kickers: A+
Max Gilbert made both field goals and all extra points. Josh Turbyville nailed an onside kick that the Vols recovered, and almost all of his kickoffs went for touchbacks. He pinned Kent State at the 10 on one. Not one time did Kent State get the ball past the 25-yard line to start a drive, so the place kicking was perfect.
Punting: N/A
Rocky Top didn’t go to Jackson Ross all game. That is something Josh Heupel likely expected coming in, and it didn’t matter that he just tried to run clock and hit field goals in the second half. The Vols’ offense just couldn’t get off the field, which is a funny way of using that phrase, but it’s the truth. They were too good.
Return game: A
Despite no returns for touchdowns, Tennessee Football was all but perfect on this front. UT had five punt returns for 106 yards. Boo Carter returned two for 55 yards, Jermod McCoy returned one for 23 yards and Squirrel White returned one for 22 yards. Meanwhile, Matthews returned Kent State’s only kickoff 32 yards.
