Against a team like the UAB Blazers, a 56-24 win will reveal a lot of flaws. For Tennessee football, those flaws were depth. If we were just grading the starters by how they played in this game, almost every unit would get an A, but the fact of the matter is we grade units by how they played throughout the game, regardless of who’s in there, even if we do have a curve. Here’s our report card for the Vols from Saturday.
Quarterbacks: A-
Joey Aguilar had an almost perfect performance, going 15-of-22 for 218 yards and three touchdowns. His one interception wasn’t his fault. What keeps this grade from being an A+ is that he missed on a couple of throws over the middle, and Jake Merklinger came in and struggled to add points for the Vols late, which suggests he’s not the quarterback of the future.
Running backs: A
If Peyton Lewis didn’t have that drop, this would be an A+. Lewis still had 81 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. DeSean Bishop and Star Thomas each had nine carries for 59 yards and two scores and 51 yards and one score respectively. Thomas had a 17-yard touchdown grab. Daune Morris had seven carries for 38 yards. UT’s backs had five total touchdowns, 246 yards from scrimmage and averaged 6.1 yards per carry.
Wide receivers: A
Again, if not for the Chris Brazzell II drop, this would be an A+. Tennessee football employed a more balanced attack in this game, but Brazzell still had five catches for 62 yards and a score, Mike Matthews had three catches for 53 yards and a score, Braylon Staley had three catches for 50 yards, walk-on Braylon Harmon had a 41-yard grab, Joakim Dodson had an 11-yard catch, and Travis Smith Jr. had a nine-yard catch.
Tight ends: A+
In addition to the wide receivers, the tight ends were superb in the passing game. Miles Kitselman had two catches for 27 yards, and Jack Van Dorselear had a five-yard catch. They were also solid when it came to pass blocking too, which is why this unit as a whole gets an A+. There was nothing really to criticize about the way they played.
Offensive line: A+
With Lance Heard leading the way at left tackle, the Vols were dominant in pass protection and running the ball. They didn’t allow a sack, and they paved the way for UT to gain 235 yards on the ground on 43 carries. After Aguilar’s interception, they went more balanced, and it more than paid off, as they methodically torched the Blazers on the ground.
Overall offensive grade: A-
Whenever you cross the 50-point threshold, you earn an A, but the backups failing to score is why this is just an A-. I can’t give the unit the same grade I gave them when they scored 72 points on the East Tennessee State University Buccaneers, especially when UAB’s defense may be worse than the ETSU Bucs. As a result, Tennessee football gets an A-.
Defensive line: A+
Sticking with the theme of the Vols absolutely dominating on the ground, the defensive line was superb despite still no Jaxson Moi or Daevin Hobbs. The unit held UAB to just 23 yards rushing on 19 carries, and they entered the fourth quarter with just eight yards on the ground. That’s beyond impressive, and it warrants giving the group an A+.
Edge rushers: B
Part of why the Vols’ defensive line got the A+ is that it was there push in the middle, if you really pay attention to the game, that allowed the edge rushers and linebackers to come away with big plays. UT had three sacks on the day, but Mariyon Dye is the only edge rusher who actually ever got to the quarterback. They did apply pressure on Jalen Kitna but should have closed the deal more.
Linebackers: B-
Once again, when it came to stopping the run, the linebackers were superb. However, once again, they were part of the pass defense getting torched. Arion Carter and Jeremiah Telander each had two solo tackles and five and six total tackles overall, with Telander assisting in a tackle for a loss, but if they don’t get better in coverage, this team is in trouble.
Secondary: B-
This unit gave up a lot of yards. It could have warranted a C- or a D because of that. However, most of the scoring was done after the starters left the game, and the defensive backs all made big plays. Andre Turrentine had a pick, Jalen McMurray had two tackles for a loss, and Boo Carter had a sack and two forced fumbles, one of which Kaleb Beasley ran back for a score. That makes them above average.
Overall defensive grade: B
UAB does have an explosive offense, but Tennessee football should be elite enough on defense to keep them from crossing the 20-point threshold, even with their backups in the game. The one saving grace for the unit is the starting 11 was superb, only truly surrendering seven points, and the backups are a bit worse right now due to all the injuries.
Place-kicking: A+
Max Gilbert made every extra point, but he didn’t attempt any field goals, and he wasn’t too crucial to the overall performance. Josh Turbyville was more crucial on kickoffs, as all but two sailed for a touchback, and one of the other two pinned UAB inside the 10-yard line. As a result, both did their jobs, but the A+ is weighed very lightly given its minimal impact.
Punting: A
Again, a minimal impact, but Jackson Ross pinned two of his three punts inside the 20-yard line. One of them pinned the Blazers inside the 10-yard line, and both of them went beyond 40 yards, so they were impressive punts. Ross’ only drawback was a 35-yard punt that gave UAB the ball at the 22-yard line, but it doesn’t totally negate what he did.
Return game: C
A 34-yard punt return by Boo Carter and a 44-yard kickoff return by Daune Morris should warrant an A for this unit, but Carter’s muffed punt wipes that all out. The most important rule in the return game is that you don’t fumble returns, as they spot the other team the ball in elite field position. Carter failed that basic tests, so those other returns just push this unit to average for Tennessee football.
Overall special teams grade: C+
In a game like this, the returners are going to have the biggest impact, so Carter’s one muffed punt pushed the Tennessee football special teams grade down from what would have been an A to a C+. It’s still knocking on the door for above average because of how good the Vols were at kicking the ball and in coverage, but such an error keeps it from being there.
Offensive play-calling: A+
Joey Halzle and Josh Heupel once again scripted the perfect opening to a game, and the fast start resulted in the Vols scoring touchdowns on seven of their first eight possessions. They would’ve scored on all seven if not for player mistakes. Going more balanced after the interception and still scoring at this clip is proof of how superb the play-calling was.
Defensive play-calling: A-
Given the injuries, Tim Banks is having to play more of a shell defense and make teams work the middle of the field, waiting for them to make a mistake. He did that for most of the game, by and large, which is why the Vols had truly only surrendered seven points on this side of the ball before Banks pulled the starters. Those two late touchdowns afterward, though, push this to an A-.
Overall head coaching grade: A
Despite the way the game finished, Josh Heupel’s adjustments during the matchup were impressive, and he did a good job making sure Tennessee football was still ready to play in this game despite the way their loss to the Georgia Bulldogs ended last week. They came out ready to pounce on UAB early and did just that, and Heupel deserves credit for getting them in shape to do so.
