Secondary
Nathanael: B
I’m not quite as high on the secondary as Ben is. I don’t think they played poorly, but I think they had a few gaffes and could’ve been beaten more often if Charlotte had a better passing attack. Bryce Thompson played a good game overall, and he capped it off with the game-sealing interception. Todd Kelly Jr. had a good game on the stat sheet, totaling seven tackles. But his lack of speed really showed a few times. Baylen Buchanan played okay, and Nigel Warrior was alright. Alontae Taylor got ejected for the second time in three games, even though I thought the targeting call was questionable and also don’t believe he had ill-will on his tackle. All in all, this group didn’t really stand out a ton, but they didn’t have any major breakdowns. They could’ve played better against a weak passing team, though.
Ben: A
Bryce Thompson was the star of the secondary. Thompson continues to impress as a freshman, tallying a sack and recording a game-clinching interception. Fellow freshman Alontae Taylor was ejected for targeting in the first quarter, but Tennessee’s secondary still managed to hold Charlotte to just 152 passing yards.
