Position group grades for Tennessee’s 49-36 win over Kentucky
Take a look at which position groups stood out in Tennessee’s big win over Kentucky.
Tennessee receiver #10 Tyler Byrd catches a short pass and leaves defenders behind for a big gain during Tennessee's win over Kentucky on Nov. 12, 2016, at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Tennessee rolled to a big 49-36 win over the visiting Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday. After going down early, the Vols rallied to take a 14-10 lead. From there, it was mostly smooth sailing for the home team, who managed to keep its SEC Championship dreams alive.
Here’s how each position group performed against the Wildcats.
Quarterback
It was a record-breaking afternoon for quarterback Josh Dobbs. Dobbs was solid through the air (11-for-17, 223 yards, three touchdowns and one interception), but he really showed off his talent in the ground game. With 147 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns, Dobbs became Tennessee’s all-time leader in rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. He made a few mistakes (his interception before halftime, particularly, was a poor decision), but they were all overshadowed by the things he did right. Dobbs has a history of torching Kentucky, and he did just that on Saturday.
Grade: B+
Running Backs
John Kelly continued his good play with 16 rushes for 94 yards, but wasn’t even the best running back on the field for the Vols on the day. In his first game since playing against Alabama on Oct. 15, Alvin Kamara was spectacular. He put together 128 yards and two touchdowns in only 10 carries in his return to the lineup. Just two weeks after Jalen Hurd’s decision to transfer, the Tennessee running game looked as good as it has all season.
Grade: A+
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Because the Vols had plenty of success on the ground, there weren’t many chances for the receivers to excel. When the chances came, however, they made the most of them. Redshirt junior Josh Smith worked his way wide open for Tennessee’s first touchdown of the day, making a good play to go back and catch a pass that was slightly underthrown by Dobbs. Junior Josh Malone caught a deep touchdown pass on a flea-flicker play, and both he and tight end Ethan Wolf had four receptions. Receivers Jauan Jennings and Tyler Byrd were each held to one catch, but Jennings’ snag went for 19 yards and Byrd’s went for 44. There’s not much to complain about here other than a small workload.
Grade: B
Offensive Line
Despite missing starting tackle Chance Hall and losing Dylan Wiesman to an early injury, the offensive line put in a solid performance. The Kentucky defense was able to get some pressure on Dobbs at times, but the Wildcats were completely unable to stop the Vols’ run game. Kamara and Kelly both made some nifty moves on runs, but a large amount of the credit needs to go to an offensive line that has struggled a lot throughout the season.
Grade: B-
Defensive Line
Tennessee’s defensive line was dominant during pass plays. The unit finished with four sacks and was able to get constant pressure on whoever was takings snaps for the Wildcats. Junior defensive end Derek Barnett’s one sack brought him to 30 total sacks in his career, just two short of Reggie White’s school record. The defensive line’s only issue was run defense. Kentucky racked up 443 rushing yards against the Vols, more than any other team has put up against the orange and white this year. The defensive line can’t be completely blamed for that, but it did not do well at the point of attack. Terrible red zone efficiency by the Wildcats was the only thing that saved a Tennessee win.
Grade: B-
Linebackers
If it’s not the defensive line’s fault that Kentucky ran all over the Vols, the linebackers have to be held more accountable. With little depth at defensive tackle due to injuries, the linebackers’ ability to stop ball carriers between the tackles became paramount; unfortunately for the Vols, they struggled with that on Saturday. Middle linebacker Colton Jumper led the unit with only four tackles, and redshirt senior Kenny Bynum was the only linebacker to get into the backfield and register a tackle for loss. It was an ugly outing for the linebacking corps.
Grade: D
Secondary
After breaking his foot early in the season, star cornerback Cameron Sutton finally got back on the field on Saturday against the Wildcats. His return was key to a secondary that struggled mightily in his absence. Sutton had two pass break-ups, and the unit as a whole performed pretty well. Kentucky quarterback Stephen Johnson completed only 12 of his 29 passes for 192 yards and no touchdowns. As time expired in the first half, Johnson threw up a prayer in an attempt to put some points on the board. The Hail Mary pass was intercepted by none other than Jauan Jennings, who was put in on defense for the last play. Between Sutton, Jennings and the rest of the starters, the Tennessee secondary played well.
Grade: B+
Special Teams
Primary kick returner Evan Berry is out for the season, and it was obvious the Vols missed his consistent play. Marquill Osborne and Tyler Byrd only managed an average of 14 yards per return. Josh Smith fumbled a punt return, and the entire team looked unprepared when the Vols allowed Kentucky to recover an onside kick late in the game. Punter Trevor Daniel continued his spectacular season with an average of 48.8 yards per punt, and kicker Aaron Medley nailed all seven of his extra point attempts. The kicking game was strong, but the return game struggled.
Grade: B-
Edited by Nathan Odom
Featured image by Sumner Gilliam
Quinn is an assistant sports editor for TNJN and a sophomore majoring in Journalism and Electronic Media at the University of Tennesse. When he's not writing, he's probably doing something else. You can follow him on Twitter (@QuinnNotCook) or e-mail him at qpilkey@vols.utk.edu.
