It’s hard to really narrow down who played great for Tennessee Football against the Kent State Golden Flashes, as this is the worst team the Vols have faced in a long time, so everybody looked elite. However, even by that standard, certain players managed to emerge. Taking that into account, here are the five torchbearers from UT’s 71-0 victory.
5. Chris Brazzell II
A dominant passing attack was completely unnecessary in this game, but Nico Iamaleava did find Chris Brazzell II for a 53-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter when it was still a two-score game. Brazzell finished with two catches for 63 yards and that score, so he edges out all the receivers for the torchbearer in this one.
4. Will Brooks
For the second week in a row, the walk-on safety is a torchbearer for Tennessee Football. Will Brooks has become great at making plays in open space and playing physical while taking away the passing attack. He finished this game with four total tackles, one of which was solo, and the only solo tackle for a loss in the gem for the Vols.
3. Dylan Sampson
We’d love to give out two helmet stickers for Dylan Sampson and DeSean Bishop, and Bishop did have seven carries for 120 yards while Sampson had just 101 yards on 13 carries. However, Sampson did more of the damage when it was still technically a game, and he scored four touchdowns, so he gets the torchbearer as the top Tennessee Football running back.
2. Jermod McCoy
It was clear that Kent State wouldn’t be able to throw the ball, so key was taking away the passing attack. Jermod McCoy was the catalyst for that as the lockdown cornerback for Tennessee Football. With him taking away one side of the field, the Vols only allowed 58 yards through the air. Brooks, Rickey Gibson III, Christian Harrison and Andre Turrentine were part of that, but McCoy was the best defensive back.
1. Javontez Spraggins
A big reason for Sampson and Bishop dominating on the ground was the run-blocking. This is an award for the entire interior line, most notably Cooper Mays and Javontez Spraggins, but Spraggins is the primary run blocker. They paved the way for the Vols to gain over 450 yards on the ground and score six touchdowns, and in addition to Bishop and Sampson, behind them, Peyton Lewis had 99 yards.
