There wasn’t a lot of good for Tennessee outside of the 10-0 first quarter start as the Vols fell to the Georgia Bulldogs 31-17 in Athens Saturday night, but certain players stepped up for Josh Heupel’s team to keep them in the game through the fourth quarter. Here are the top five performers who made this week’s list of UT torchbearers from that loss.
5. Omari Thomas
You might find this offensive given how dominant Georgia’s offensive line was throughout the game, but the truth of the matter is the defensive tackles did their job. They took up space. The problem is the edge rushers didn’t bring the pressure. Georgia’s running backs averaged under four yards a carry, and Omari Thomas batted down two balls. As a result, he makes the list.
4. Boo Carter
Carson Beck seemingly picked apart the Vols’ secondary, but that was due to a lack of pressure. Boo Carter was still effective all over the field, and most notably, he had a huge punt return that set up the Vols’ field goal to go up 10-0 in the first quarter. That’s the main play that puts him on here, and he will soon run one back
3. Rickey Gibson III
Jermod McCoy is the lockdown cornerback, but Rickey Gibson III was the best corner in the game Saturday night. He did everything he could to win that one for the Vols, and the only negative play on him was a facemask that never should have been called since it fell off the player’s head untouched.
2. Miles Kitselman
There was clearly something the coaches saw in Georgia’s defense early, as they worked the tight ends. Miles Kitselman was the beneficiary more than anybody else, coming away with four catches for 46 yards to lead the team in receiving. He also ran for a touchdown in the fullback position, which put the Vols up 7-0 early.
1. Dylan Sampson
Yes, once again, Dylan Sampson was the best player on the field for UT. He finished the game with 19 carries for 101 yards and another touchdown, and truth be told, the coaches deserve a good bit of blame for going away from him in the second half. Sampson is too great of a weapon to not have over 20 carries in a big November matchup.
