Tennessee’s game against No. 9 Florida didn’t quite going according to plan.
In the Vols’ 34-3 loss to the Gators on Saturday, Jeremy Pruitt’s second-year squad had plenty of opportunities to give themselves a chance to steal the game early. Instead, the Vols offense squandered each and every opportunity the defense gave them.
Despite a poor offensive performance and a lack of production from the defensive line and secondary, there were still a couple of Vols who stood out and had productive games. These are the Vols that did just that and would have received a game ball had Tennessee pulled off the upset in the Swamp.
Daniel Bituli, ILB
The veteran presence of the Tennessee defense is back, and boy was he productive against the Gators. In his first full game back following a knee injury in fall camp, Bituli recorded eight tackles, two sacks, two tackles for a loss, and a forced fumble. Five of his tackles were solo stops.
More importantly, Bituli had everyone lined up correctly, which is a huge step in the right direction from where the defense was in his absence. Despite missing the first two games of the year, Bituli is well on his way to a very productive season.
Henry To’o To’o, ILB
The true freshman tied with Bituli for a team-high eight tackles. With Bituli running wild on the Gators, the freshman linebacker followed suit. To’o To’o recorded four solo tackles, produced two quarterback hurries, and recovered the fumble that Bituli forced.
It’s odd because Bituli is a senior and To’o To’o is a freshman, but Tennessee has a great tandem at inside linebacker with those two on the field at the same time. Both looked good against the run.
Theo Jackson, S
Tennessee’s secondary struggled as a whole, but when the unit forced Kyle Trask into mistakes, it was in large part because of Jackson’s play. Not only did he record an interception by doing a great job of high-pointing the football, but he made a terrific play on a deep ball in the end zone to help Alontae Taylor record his first career interception. Jackson also tied for the team-lead in solo tackles with five. He had six total tackles on the afternoon.
Brent Cimaglia, K
Cimaglia continues to be automatic. After nailing a 40-yard field goal in windy conditions in the Swamp, Tennessee’s kicker is now a perfect 9-for-9 on the season. He’s Tennessee’s best weapon and is the MVP of the Vols’ season so far. Cimaglia is going to win a game for Tennessee at some point.
Alontae Taylor, S
Taylor had a rough day overall, but he was able to record his first career interception with a little help from Jackson as I mentioned above. The true sophomore has been benched on multiple occasions this fall due to poor play, but maybe his interception in Gainesville can serve as a confidence booster.
