Linebackers
Nathanael: B
The best unit of the day on either side of the ball for Tennessee was easily their linebackers. Once again, the linebacking corps had to clean up the mess the defensive line left behind, and once again they did a good job of it for the most part. Daniel Bituli looked like his old self and then some, totaling eight tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. True freshman Henry To’o To’o was also really good, matching Bituli’s eight tackles and tallying two quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery himself. Darrell Taylor didn’t get a sack or a TFL, but he pressured the QB once and was more effective in this game than he has been in two of the Vols’ previous three games.
The unit as a whole struggled with pass coverage, but I liked what I saw from them defending the run and stopping screens and shorter passes from becoming huge gains.
Ben: B-
Tennessee’s linebackers struggled in coverage, but man, Daniel Bituli and Henry To’o To’o sure were active. The duo flew around the field, combining for 16 tackles. Bituli looked good in his first full game back, sacking Kyle Trask twice and forcing a fumble. To’oto’o also got to the quarterback, recording two quarterback hurries and recovering a fumble.
Darrell Taylor had one quarterback hurry, but other than that, he was fairly quiet. Maybe it’s because Tennessee lacks a pass-rushing presence opposite of him, but the Vols need more out of him. Quavaris Crouch and Deandre Johnson also recorded a quarterback hurry.
2 Responses
I have been a vol fan since I was 5 or 6 years old and am approaching 70. This MAY be the worst I have ever seen a Tennessee team look.
I totally agree that at some point the players have to make the plays that are there in front of them. If we just make the simple plays and execute when the scoring opportunities were there, we go in to the 4th quarter with a chance to win this game.