Linebackers
Daniel: This unit took care of business as well. A.J. Johnson led the way with nine tackles, a TFL and forced a fumble on a play where he blew up an option pitch opportunity. Jalen Reeves-Maybin was quiet, but effective. Weatherd had the lone sack on the day and several young players such as Jakob Johnson and Cortez McDowell got some extended playing time towards the end of the game. Butch Jones said he wasn’t thrilled with the efforts of the backups as the Mocs scored their late TD. But, all in all, another very solid day for this group. Grade: B+
Houston: This group saw a lot of action thanks to the unique rushing attack that UTC puts on the field, but I thought they played very well for the most part. A.J. Johnson was as disruptive as we have seen him, Jalen Reeves-Maybin conitnues to be a silent assassin, Curt Maggitt gets better every week and Chris Weatherd is turning into a pass-rush specialist. We also got the opportunity to see Jakob Johnson and Cortez McDowell yesterday and both players showed flashes of their ability and look to have the potential to be solid players for Tennessee down the road. Very solid day for the linebacking corps in this one. Grade: A
Reed: If you’ve been paying attention the last few weeks, you probably noticed that Curt Maggitt looks like he’s finally healthy. He played sparingly yesterday but that didn’t stop him from recording a TFL in the first quarter – his sixth on the season which is good for a single season career high. Chris Weatherd registered a sack for the second straight week while Johnson and Reeves-Maybin continued to be tackles machines. Like the secondary, this unit is good and is consistently playing well. Grade: A
