It wasn’t the type of blowout win Tennessee Football fans are used to under Josh Heupel, but the Vols got their revenge on the South Carolina Gamecocks. Who was most responsible for this dominance in front of a raucous Neyland Stadium audience? Let’s break everybody down. Here is a look at how every unit performed in the game.

Quarterback: C

Perhaps this is too harsh. However, Joe Milton III’s 21-of-32 stat line for 239 yards and just one touchdown is worse than it even looks. He threw two interceptions on the day, and both were his fault. Then, 50 of those yards were on one completion to Squirrel White in which he underthrew the ball. As a result, he was honestly just average.

Running backs: A-

This should have been an A+. Jaylen Wright had 16 carries for 123 yards, Jabari Small had 11 carries for 59 yards, and Dylan Sampson had nine carries for 49 yards. All three scored a touchdown. Meanwhile, Samson had two catches for 42 yards. Why the A- the for a unit that had 283 yards from scrimmage? Small had a fumble. Bru McCoy recovered it, but those things can’t happen.

Wide receivers: A

It was sad to see what happened to McCoy, who suffered a season-ending injury, but he recovered a fumble and had two key catches before that. We mentioned White’s 50-yard grab to bail Milton out of a bad throw. He had nine catches for 104 yards. Ramel Keyton had two catches, and Chas Nimrod had one. Thanks to White, this unit was great, even with no touchdowns.

Tight ends: A-

Jacob Warren caught a key touchdown pass, the only TD pass Milton had on the day, and he finished with three catches for 26 yards. McCallan Castles added two catches for 11 yards. Both were elite when it came to blocking on the outside in the run game. The only reason this isn’t an A+ is because Castles had a drop in the game.

Offensive line: A-

Cooper Mays being backed worked wonders for Tennessee Football. There was still one sack, and Ollie Lane was the weak link, even moving over to left guard, but Mays being back helped pave the way for UT gaining 238 yards on 40 carries on the ground. Also, with Milton wearing a leg brace, it’s a wonder there weren’t more sacks. This unit was elite throughout with the exception of Mays.

Defensive tackles: A-

There was one busted play in which Mario Anderson ran 75 yards to the house. However, Omari Thomas, Bryson Eason and Omarr Norman-Lott were still dominant for the Vols for most of the game. Thomas and Kurott Garland each had a sack. Norman-Lott and Dominic Bailey each assisted on one. Eason had four tackles. South Carolina, meanwhile, couldn’t run the ball outside of that play.

Defensive ends: A

Part of this was the defensive tackles getting the proper push, but the defensive ends did exactly what they should have done against two freshmen tackles. James Pearce Jr. continues to look like a rising superstar, as he had two sacks. Joshua Josephs had one, and both hurried Spencer Rattler all night. Tyler Baron and Roman Harrison didn’t do much, but the unit as a whole was great.

Linebackers: A-

Although the Tennessee Football linebackers allowed that 75-yard run and the Rattler TD scramble, they were largely fine. Elijah Herring was solid most of the time. Aaron Beasley and Arion Carter were elite. Each had tackle for a loss, and Beasley consistently forced South Carolina inside on run plays by taking great angles, so this unit should definitely stay in the A range.

Secondary: A+

What more can you say about a unit that didn’t allow a passing touchdown against the best quarterback in the SEC? The Vols held Rattler to 24-of-35 for 169 yards without blitzing for most of the game. Kamal Hadden was the star with a pick-six, but Wesley Walker also deserves a shoutout for making so many open-field tackles. This was the best unit in the game.

Kicking game: A-

If not for one Jackson Ross punt that went into the end zone, this would be an A+. Ross still averaged 49 yards per punt, and there was one point where he pinned one inside the 10-yard line and, after a penalty and having to rekick, did it again. Charles Campbell made both of his field goals too, so there were no issues with this unit.

Return game: D-

For the second straight week, Tennessee Football had issues here. The Vols weren’t prepared for a fake punt that Shane Beamer called, which is inexcusable given his track record. Then, Dee Williams should’ve had a punt return touchdown, but there was an unnecessary block in the back. It doesn’t help that Williams fumbled that punt before picking it up. As a result, this is an easy below average grade.