For the first time since before the bye week, nobody played horrible enough to potentially lose a game for Tennessee Football. The Vols’ 24-17 win over the Alabama Crimson Tide, however, came down to certain position groups that made big plays. Here are our grades for all of them as we get set to deliver our report card for UT against Bama.
Quarterbacks: C-
Gaston Moore turned this from a borderline B- to a C- with his bad interception. Nico Iamaleava also had a bad pick and over threw an easy touchdown pass. However, Iamaleava finished 14-of-27 for 194 yards and a touchdown while running for 44 yards, and he was 5 of his final 7 passes for 85 yards and a game-winning TD pass, so he deserves a lot of praise.
Running backs: A-
You can’t give this unit an A+ or even an A because of Dylan Sampson’s opening-drive fumble. From that point on, however, Tennessee Football running backs were elite. Sampson was obviously the star with 26 carries for 139 yards and two touchdowns, but DeSean Bishop managed to come in and carry the ball five times for 36 yards.
Wide receivers: C+
There were a couple of bad first-half drops along with a drive-killing holding penalty, so the Vols have some issues at receiver. However, Bru McCoy is not one of them, as he had six catches for 80 yards. Dont’e Thornton added three for 70, and Chris Brazzell II had the game-winning touchdown, so some players did show up and perform.
Tight ends: C
Ethan Davis had two catches for 12 yards, including an 11-yard grab that helped to get Iamaleava going. Holden Staes had a five-yard grab. However, Staes had a bad holding penalty at one point, and the tight ends were not effective in pass protection all game, so this unit has to get a C. They have a lot of work to do during the bye.
Offensive line: A-
John Campbell Jr. and Lance Heard still struggled in the first quarter, but they were serviceable from the on out. Meanwhile, the interior with Cooper Mays, Javontez Spraggins and Andrej Karic continued to do the dirty work for Tennessee Football, so with their elite play, this unit did enough to get into the A-range. That’s a huge jump for this team.
Defensive line: A+
Rocky Top’s defensive line depth continues to overwhelm teams. They held Bama to 75 rushing yards on 34 carries, sacked Jalen Milroe three times and came away with 12 hurries. Obviously, James Pearce Jr. was the star, but Dominic Bailey had a great game as well, and Joshua Josephs and all the defensive tackles got in on the action.
Linebackers: A
Jeremiah Telander and Arion Carter didn’t rack up many stats in this game because the major factor was containing Jalen Milroe, and they did that. Tennessee Football kept Milroe in the pocket all night, and that’s why Milroe was so awful throwing the ball over the middle. It’s just not something he can do when the run threat isn’t there.
Secondary: A
Part of containing Milroe was Andre Turrentine, Will Brooks and Boo Carter staying at home, and that’s exactly what they did. Brooks also had the game-sealing interception. With Tennessee Football cornerbacks, Jermod McCoy had a huge interception and was elite all night, but he had a couple of penalties, and Rickey Gibson III struggled at times, which keeps this from being an A+.
Kicking: B
Max Gilbert was only 1-of-3 on field goals, but both of his misses were from beyond 50 yards out. In college, we can’t knock too many points off for that. Gilbert was still perfect on extra points, and Josh Turbyville sent every kickoff into the end zone for a touchback, so in general, this unit still gets anabove average grade.
Punting: A-
Jackson Ross flipping field in the fourth quarter was a huge part of why Tennessee Football was able to take the lead. He outperformed Alabama punter James Burnip. On four punts, Ross averaged 46.8 yards and sent two inside the 20. This allowed the defense to be more aggressive late, which is why it was so elite on its final three drives.
Return game: C
Cameron Seldon had an 18-yard kickoff return, and that was the only return of the day for the Vols, so this somewhat warrants an incomplete grade. However, incomplete basically coincides with average, and that’s the grade we are giving here. The Vols will likely need a splash return at some point this year, but that hasn’t happened yet.
