Yes, they have to be graded on a curve against them since they were facing the UTEP Miners, and struggles in the first quarter helped do that, but the Vols were pretty elite all the way around in their 56-0 Senior Day win. Well, at the very least, they did what they were supposed to do after that quarter. Here is our report card for UT in that game.
Quarterbacsk: A-
From the end of the first quarter until Nico Iamaleava was pulled, quarterback play was an A+. However, Iamaleava did go 2-of-6 to start the game, and Gaston Moore and Navy Shuler combined to go 1-of-5, so as a whole, this has to get just an A-. Iamaleava throwing four touchdowns was a big deal, though.
Running backs: A
Dylan Sampson had 11 carries for 77 yards and another touchdown, and he also caught two passes for 25 yards, so he still went over 100 yards from scrimmage. Peyton Lewis had seven carriess for 46 yards and two touchdowns, Cameron Seldon had nine carries for 44 yards and a touchdown and Khalifa Keith had four carries for 39 yards.
Wide receivers: B+
There weren’t a lot of yards from this crew, but they were efficient and did what they need to do. Bru McCoy had a Senior Day to remember with four catches for 37 yards and two touchdowns, and Mike Matthews added a 27-yard grab. Dont’e Thornton had two catches for 24 yards. Braylon Staley had a 10-yard grab. Squirrel White had two catches for 15 yards and a score.
Tight ends: A-
If not for pass protection, this grade would be an A+, but the tight ends were part of the Vols giving up three sacks. Still, they were elite in receiving. Miles Kitselman had two catches for 34 yards, Holden Staes had two catches for 30 yards, and Ethan Davis had two catches for 19 yards and a touchdown.
Offensive line: B
Again, the pass protection was the negative here, as the offensive tackles once again struggled. The interior of the line, though, was elite, as it has been all season, paving the way for over 200 rushing yards on the ground. Give a ton of credit to Cooper Mays and Javontez Spraggins for having a strong senior day.
Defensive line: A
After a rough week at the Georgia Bulldogs, this unit recovered in a big way. James Pearce Jr. had two sacks, Joshua Josephs had two tackles for a loss, and Daevin Hobbs, Jayson Jenkins and Omari Thomas all had tackles for a loss. They had a key fourth down stop in the second half, and all in all, it was an elite bounce-back performance.
Linebackers: B
Jeremiah Telander was out of position too much once again in this game. Now, Jalen Smith and Kalib Perry both made big plays off the bench, but the reason UTEP was able to move the ball early was because the linebackers got caught napping on Scotty Walden’s trick plays. They did regroup, but they just get a B for that.
Secondary: A
Rickey Gibson III had a forced fumble, tackle for a loss and pass breakup. Boo Carter had a team-leading six tackles and tackle for a loss. John Slaughter and Jermod McCoy each came away with an interception. This unit was superb all game and withstood everything Walden tried to throw at them.
Punting: A
Jackson Ross would have gotten an A+ if one of his punts didn’t go for a touchback, but he still was elite on the night. He averaged 46.8 yards per punt on six punts, and three of them went inside the 20 with two of them going 50 yards or more. Throughout the day, Ross consistently pinned UTEP deep in its own territory.
Kicking: A+
You could probably give this grade an incomplete, as Tennessee didn’t try any field goals, but Max Gilbert hit all eight extra points, and all of Josh Turbyville’s kickoffs went for touchbacks, so the grade here is an A+. However, without long field goals, that’s like getting an A+ on a notebook check.
Return game: A+
By far the strongest unit, return game includes field goal blocks, kickoff returns and punt returns. Well, UTEP missed two field goals. Peyton Lewis had a 26-yard kickoff return. The story, though, was obviously Boo Carter, who had a return of 18 yards and one of 38 to set up two Tennessee touchdowns.
