Position group grades for the Vols’ 24-21 loss to South Carolina

Although Tennessee came in to Columbia as nearly two-touchdown favorites, the team certainly didn’t play well enough to deserve that margin. Nothing seemed to click for the Vols against South Carolina. Even so, Tennessee kept it close and had a shot to tie the game in the final seconds of the game, but ultimately lost 24-21 to the Gamecocks.

Here are how the positions graded out.

Quarterback

After facing one of the best defenses in the nation in Alabama in the previous game, Josh Dobbs had a much more favorable matchup on Saturday against South Carolina. Despite that, he was only able to throw for 161 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. In a game where the rushing attack wasn’t as effective, Dobbs was unable to shoulder the load for the team, throwing a lot of balls short of receivers. His two interceptions were particularly costly, especially since his second came in opponent territory with a chance to tie — or take the lead — late in the game. Turnovers combined with a 46 percent completion percentage make this one of the worst games Dobbs has played in his career.

Grade: D

Running Backs

In a game where the Vols were expected to run all over South Carolina, the running game seemed to struggle. Jalen Hurd didn’t seem to be fully healthy and was pulled from the game early in the second quarter. A 31-yard run by Josh Dobbs in the first quarter gave Tennessee a spark, but a holding call on the play negated much of the yardage gained. In the absence of Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara, John Kelly was called on and proved to be much more effective than Dobbs or Hurd. In the fourth quarter, Kelly broke off a 34-yard run, but a fumble on the next play by Dobbs ended the drive. Overall, not a terrible day on the ground, but it could never get going consistently.

Grade: C-

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

Until later in the game, only obvious passing situations resulted in passes, and due to this no receivers were able to really get in a rhythm. Jennings emerged as the leading receiver, but only gained 54 yards on three receptions. Two of those receptions came late in the game, with one of them being a touchdown and the other a circus catch that moved the chains on the final drive. The only other receiver with over 40 yards was Josh Malone, who had 42 yards and four catches. It’s hard to fault the receivers, who were thrown bad passes for much of the game.

When targeted, the tight ends answered the call. Ethan Wolf had a great run after his only catch and totaled 25 yards. Jason Croom had two receptions for 22 yards on the day.

Grade: C+

Offensive Line

Coming off of a bye week, the offensive line finally seemed to be healthy and had all starters available. Unfortunately, however, they were unable to get the job done. The line couldn’t seem to get any kind of push in the running game and Dobbs seemed hurried a lot early in the game. While the line seemed to get better as the night went on, they should have dominated South Carolina’s defensive line.

Grade: C

Defensive Line

Derek Barnett continued to make a case as a first-round draft pick by picking up three of Tennessee’s six sacks. The unit constantly pressured freshman quarterback Jake Bentley and came up with critical stops to give Tennessee’s offense a chance to come back. Barnett finished with three sacks, three tackles for loss and two QB hurries. This unit fared the best out of all of the position groups on Saturday.

Grade: B+

Linebackers

Darrin Kirkland Jr. looked good in his return from an ankle injury and finished with a game-high eight tackles. Colton Jumper continues to be a decent replacement for Jalen Reeves-Maybin, but this unit definitely misses Reeves-Maybin’s athleticism. South Carolina running back Rico Dowdle was able to run for 127 yards, so this unit could have fared better.

Grade: C

Defensive Backs

A lot of blitzes left one-on-one coverage against South Carolina’s receivers for much of the game, which caused confusion for Tennessee’s defensive backs. The Gamecocks’ final touchdown came off of a blown coverage which left K.C. Crosby wide open for a 35-yard bomb. Even so, South Carolina’s receivers only finished with 167 yards. In the absence of Malik Foreman, the defensive backs had a decent game.

Grade: C-

Special Teams

Tennessee’s special teams had a great game. Trevor Daniel continually pinned the Gamecocks back in their own territory despite having to punt out of Tennessee territory. A questionable touchback call on a 70-yard punt almost gave Daniel a punt downed inside Carolina’s own one-yard line. Daniel finished with three punts of 50 yards or more.

After three touchdowns a season ago, Evan Berry had been held without any in the 2016 season — until Saturday. Tennessee needed a spark in the worst way when Berry ran back a kickoff for 100 yards and a touchdown.

Aaron Medley missed his only field goal on the day. It’s hard to fault him for missing a 58-yard attempt, but the kick would have tied the game and sent the Vols into overtime.

Grade: B+

Edited by Adam Milliken

Featured image by Hayley Pennesi, courtesy of Tennessee Athletics

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