Sports Editor Troy Provost-Heron covered UT’s game in Nashville against Vanderbilt on Saturday. He assessed grades for each position based on the group’s performance in the Vols 24-17 victory over the Commodores.
Quarterbacks: D+
Joshua Dobbs broke off some nice runs on his way to a 91-yard, two-touchdown performance with his legs. Unfortunately, that was about as good as Dobbs’ night would get. Much like last year when he faced the Commodores — a 11-for-19 performance that included just 53 yards and two interceptions — the sophomore signal caller struggled, throwing for 92 yards and two interceptions on 11-of-20 passing.
Running Backs: C
Jalen Hurd went out with an injury to an “upper body extremity” after racking up 21 yards on five carries, but that did not stop the Vols running attack from putting up a decent performance. Senior Marlin Lane stepped up in the freshman’s absence, rushing for 51 yards on 16 carries.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: D
With sophomore wide receiver Marquez North out, and redshirt sophomore Jason Croom battling an injury, only two members of the Vols receiving corps were able to step up in their absence. Juniors Alton “Pig” Howard and Von Pearson were the only receivers to haul in a catch, with Howard doing most of the work, reeling in five catches for 55 yards.
Offensive Line: D
For the second consecutive week, the Vols offensive line allowed the opposing defense to rack up 12 tackles for loss. And while they only allowed three sacks to Vanderbilt, who came into the game ranked second to last in the SEC in sacks, Dobbs was sent running for is life for most of the night.
Defensive Line: B
Derek Barnett once again paced the Vols defensive line production, recording a sack and two tackles for loss, pushing his season totals to 10 and 20.5, respectively. Danny O’Brien had a career-high five tackles — one for loss. The defensive front did, however, allow the Commodores to rush for 123 yards on the night.
Linebackers: B
In their second go around without senior A.J. Johnson, the Vols linebacking unit looked much better. Sophomore Jalen Reeves-Maybin racked up five tackles, which was good for fourth on the team. Redshirt junior Curt Maggitt recorded two more sacks to push his season total to 11. Freshman Jakob Johnson, who has stepped in for A.J. Johnson, was benched for redshirt sophomore Kenny Bynum.
Secondary: A
Redshirt junior safety Brian Randolph, senior cornerback Justin Coleman and freshman safety Todd Kelly Jr. each intercepted a Vanderbilt quarterback — Patton Robinette twice and Johnny McCrary once. Sophomore cornerback Cam Sutton recorded his 14th pass breakup of the season, tying him fifth-most all-time by a Vol in a single season. All four, along with the other members of UT’s secondary helped hold the Commodores to 149 yards passing.
Special Teams: A
Sutton got the Vols on the board first when he returned a Colby Cooke punt 76 yards for his first career return touchdown. Senior punter Matt Darr did his part in helping the Vols hold on for their sixth win of the season by flipping field position. Darr averaged 48.4 yards on his seven punts, including one of 60 yards. Freshman kicker Aaron Medley made his lone field goal attempt of the day, splitting the uprights from 36 yards out.
Week 11 GPA: The Vols earn a football GPA of 2.42 for their performance in a 24-17 win over Vanderbilt.
Cumulative GPA: Through 12 games, UT holds a cumulative GPA of 2.69, finishing the regular season short of the required 3.0 GPA for the HOPE scholarship.
