Offensive Line
Nathanael: A
I thought about being a little picky here and giving the offensive line a B+, but they absolutely deserve an “A.” It’s the first time all season they’ve gotten one from us, and their play was outstanding against an effective front seven wearing Kentucky blue. Josh Allen managed to get one sack, but that was it. Otherwise, Tennessee’s line contained him and didn’t let Guarantano get hit nearly as often as I thought he might in this game. The line also opened up a lot of holes in the run game, something they’ve really struggled to do this year. Tennessee still allowed nine tackles for loss, but for the first time all season, the vast majority of those weren’t actually because of the offensive line.
Ben: A
Saturday was the best Tennessee’s offensive line has looked all season. What makes it strange is that it came without its two best O-linemen – Trey Smith and Brandon Kennedy. The big uglies up front paved the way for 412 yards of offense, opening up running lanes and giving Guarantano just enough time to throw the football. Kentucky has a very talented front seven, and Tennessee dominated them up from. Likely SEC Defensive Player of the Year Josh Allen was held to just one sack and one tackle for loss.
