Tennessee Vols Grades For Win Over Vanderbilt

The Tennessee Vols set the Natural Order of things back as they should be by beating Vanderbilt in Nashville 24-17. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win. Tennessee is now bowl eligible for the first time since 2010. Here are the grades for the positions.

Quarterback – C – Josh Dobbs did not have one of his better games Saturday. Dobbs was indecisive on several zone read plays and threw a season high two interceptions. Dobbs only completed 11 passes on the night. With the receiving corp that Tennessee has this is totally unacceptable. Dobbs did manage to run for a team high 91 yards on 21 carries scoring two touchdowns. None of these carries were more important than on the last drive. Tennessee was clinging to a 24-17 lead with momentum in Vanderbilt’s favor. Vandy punted Tennessee deep with about 5 minutes left in the game. Dobbs called his number several times in a row picking up first downs and running the clock. The drive did not end up in points, but it chewed clock, and flipped field position at a crucial time. I will say it now. Without Josh Dobbs at quarterback yesterday Tennessee would be looking at another 5-7 season. After Jalen Hurd went out, Dobbs was all Tennessee had.

Running Back – C- – I felt so sorry for Jalen Hurd yesterday. Hurd was poised to have a big game in his home town area. It looked as if Hurd was concussed when he ran over a Vanderbilt defensive back in a helmet to helmet collision after only his fifth carry in the first quarter. I did not realize how much Hurd meant to this team until last night. Without him in the backfield, Vanderbilt zeroed in on Josh Dobbs. Senior running back Marlin Lane did a good job of protecting the football, but Marlin has not been himself all year long as he has had some nagging injuries. Lane did what Seniors are supposed to do. He didn’t make any mistakes, and he took care of the ball. It was good to see Marlin get to play a role in the win as a Senior. I guess the staff was not comfortable putting Derrell Scott in the game. If this is the case, the Vols better be looking for another 4-5 star running back to spell Hurd for the next few seasons to come.

Offensive Line – D –  The line took a step backward last night. This defense gave up 51 to Mississippi State the week before. Tennessee was not playing a very good defense. Vanderbilt’s defensive line handled Tennessee easily up front. The Vanderbilt defensive line got pressure on Josh Dobbs with just three or four men rushing. They did not have to blitz to get to Dobbs. I noticed on Tennessee’s first offensive play that Vandy was playing a wide 3 man front exposing huge holes between the Guard and Tackle. They did have their Linebacker there of course for gap intrgrity. However, Tennessee’s offensive lineman could not get to that second level to block the linebackers even with no one in front of them. This has to be priority 1A for Tennessee during these next several weeks and in the recruiting process. It is not going to matter how many 4 star and 5 star receivers, quarterbacks and running backs we have if this line does not add strength, agility, and depth. I know they had moved around a lot due to the Crowder injury, but this was a bad performance. 11 of Tennessee’s 65 plays resulted in negative yardage.

Receivers – I – Incomplete. I can not grade these guys. I will not hold them accountable for this one. Only two receivers caught balls yesterday. Pig Howard and Von Pearson had 5 catches and 3 catches respectively. This is coaching malpractice. Where was Malone? Where was Croom? Where were the tight ends? I’m upset just writing this. This is as talented a group of receivers as I have seen at Tennessee, and that is saying something at Wide Receiver U. If all you can do is throw quick screens to this group, you better find someone that can help coach a passing game. Again, I realize their is no time for the quarterback, but you have to be better than this. UNACCEPTABLE.

Special Teams – A+ – This is where Tennessee won the game yesterday. Who would have thought this could be the case a year ago. With an influx of talented freshman came the ability to cover punts and kick offs by having speed and talent. It also helps having Jalen Reeves-Maybin on coverage teams. This guy is everywhere. The kicking game was superb. Senior Matt Darr was a huge part of the win. He boomed punt after punt (which is terrible to think that Tennessee’s offense had to punt as much as they did) that put Vandy in their end of the field time and time again. He averaged almost 49 yards per punt on 7 punts. Aaron Medley hit his only field goal, and kicked the ball deep on most of his kick offs. The exception came on one kick where he actually had to kick a moving ball that was being blown off of the Tee. That could have been a disaster. The play of the game was made by punt returner Cam Sutton. Tennessee fans have been waiting for this, and most knew it was going to happen when the Vandy punter hit one nicely on his first punt. He hit it so well that when Sutton fielded it there was not a Vandy defender within 15 yards of him. It was over at that point. Sutton made a few moves and ran to the batman building in downtown Nashville for a touchdown. Give return team credit for no block in the backs as well.

Defensive Line – B – I thought they had a solid night. Derek Barnett was again a beast, and Vandy’s Jelks could do nothing with him. He added two more tackles for loss and another sack on the night. Danny O’Brien had his best game of the season with 5 total tackles and was a presence inside. Owen and Jordan Williams both played well as did Corey Vereen. Vandy only managed 78 yards rushing from its running backs. The two Vandy QB’s added another 50 on scrambles.

Linebackers – B – Curt Maggitt got this unit to this grade. He was everywhere. He played in the middle, he played outside, and he even got his hand on the ground some. All in all he was a one man wrecking crew last night. Maggitt had 5 tackles and 2 sacks. He disrupted Patton Robinette all night long with pressure as well. Jakob Johnson had a tough night. Vandy has a really good tight end in Scheu. Let’s face it. Vandy has a high school offense. Most high school offenses that can not throw have a tight end as their leading receiver. It usually is a mismatch to put a tight end on a linebacker. Last night Johnson was schooled a little. He also was nowhere to be seen on some Ralph Webb off tackle runs. Johnson will be ok, he just has to learn through experience. Reeves-Maybin was his steady self as well with 5 tackles.

Secondary – A- – This is kind of like getting a good grade on a open book test. Vandy had no receiver that could challenge these guys. I said that Tennessee would get their opportunities to intercept a few as soon as they got off of the bus on west end. That happened as predicted. But you have to credit the secondary for these. Todd Kelly, Jr is a guy that just seems to be around the ball. He reminds me of Chris White several years back. His sideline interception was a thing of beauty, and came at a time when Vandy was gaining momentum. This guy is special. Senior Justin Coleman wrapped up his regular season career at Tennessee with an interception in the end zone and Junior Brian Randolph added an important one as well. Cam Sutton again knocked away anything thrown in his direction. I have to give it to LaDarrell McNeil who played a whale of a game against the Commodores. He played more physical than I have seen him play. He led the team with 7 tackles.

Coaching – C – This was a great night for the Vol coaching staff to get the win and to get bowl eligible. Coach Jones worked his fanny off to get to this point. It is hard to believe that six wins can be so hard to get at Tennessee, but this schedule has been brutal, and Tennessee was void of talent when this group arrived two years ago. Coach John Jancek has done a magnificent job as defensive coordinator. Last night was a so-so game for him. It was kind of Vanilla. Vandy did not pose much of a threat offensively, but I thought Tennessee played a little too laid back last night. I would have liked to have seen them put more pressure on the Vandy Quarterback. Bajakian had an awful night. I mean as bad as I have ever seen a Tennessee offense look since the Steve Alatorre days. Tennessee must re-think this scheme. It looks like Dobbs is playing the hide and seek “shell game” in the backfield. This won’t work in the SEC at a championship level. It will beat Vandy, Kentucky and South Carolina, but it won’t beat a top notch defense in my opinion. Tennessee’s inability to score touchdowns when in a first and goal situation is not just because the offensive line is weak. It is the scheme. I noticed Auburn last night had 5 possessions inside the 10 last night at Alabama and had to kick 5 field goals. You have to be able to line up and run over people in order to win the big games. I have no problem with Bajakian’s offense. I actually like certain aspects. But I am a pro style I formation guy. If Bajakian will incorporate the ability to move the quarterback under center and use full back and Jalen Hurd to pick up first downs in short yardage touchdowns, Tennessee will win an SEC title soon.

Before I go talking about SEC titles, let’s enjoy a win over Vanderbilt and bowl game eligibility. It was a huge win for Tennessee. As a Vol fan with kids at UT, I want to thank Coach Jones and the players on this team for the effort they have given. I have seen vast improvement in all aspects, even offensively. I know I’m a little tough on Coach B, but I think he can get the job done as well with some philosophy tweaking. The fans have been amazing as well this season. They have come out to support this team at every game. Tennessee wound up third in total attendance this season. Not many schools get that type of support. Vol fans know this team is on its way up. It can not come soon enough for me.