Relying on lots of new players, Tennessee football had a lot of players step up as the Vols beat the Syracuse Orange 45-26 Atlanta to open the season Saturday. Our first round of torchbearers for the season will reflect. Here are the top five UT players based on performance at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium to help the program kick off the season in style.
5. Joey Aguilar
Despite a slow start that saw him overthrow multiple swing passes in the first quarter, Joey Aguilar eventually settled down and had a solid debut for the Vols. Aguilar completed 16 of 28 passes for 247 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, and he added six carries for 34 yards. He looked very comfortable running Josh Heupel’s offense at a high tempo, a good sign for the Vols.
4. Braylon Staley
Aguilar’s favorite target had four catches for 95 yards and a score, but in typical old-school Heupel offense fashion, Braylon Staley’s stat line is skewed by one big play. That’s fine for Tennessee football since it’s literally how this offense is designed. We’re obviously talking about his 73-yard touchdown reception in the first half to put UT up 24-7 at the time.
3. Arion Carter
Jeremiah Telander had an interception, but that was set up by a Jalen McMurray deflection. Arion Carter was consistently the star linebacker for the Vols, as he was all over the field and did his job shutting down Syracuse’s offense. With nine overall tackles, three of which were solo and a sack, Carter lived up to his offseason hype in this one.
2. Star Thomas
Peyton Lewis was the highly touted recruit ready to step up. DeSean Bishop is the returner who saw a lot of action last year. Both had touchdowns. Star Thomas, however, led the team in rushing with 12 carries for 92 yards. He had a seven-yard touchdown reception as well. Wendell Moe Jr. and Sam Pendleton get a lot of credit for Thomas’ work and the run game in general, but Thomas was the biggest star.
1. Colton Hood
Without Jermod McCoy and despite Rickey Gibson III getting hurt, Tennessee football still saw elite action in the secondary. McMurray had a sack in addition to his tipped pass that Telander intercepted, but those were both designs by Tim Banks. Colton Hood was the star and made a great first statement for the Vols, having transferred from the Colorado Buffaloes.
Playing all over thew field, Hood had three pass deflections to go along with four tackles, three of which were solo. He also recovered a fumble and ran it into the end zone for a touchdown. Nathan Robinson deserves a shoutout for forcing that fumble, but Hood was all over the field, so he’s the player of the game for UT.
