Offensive Line
Nathanael: C-
I’m grading on just a little bit of a curve here because it’s clear that Tennessee’s offensive line is a little injured at the moment, particularly Darnell Wright and Jahmir Johnson. But Saturday was the worst the Vols’ O-line has played in weeks. They didn’t regress back to 2018 level bad or even how poorly they played at the beginning of this season, but UT’s quarterbacks were harassed far more often than they should’ve been, and the line did a poor job of run blocking. Give UAB’s defense some credit for that for sure, but the Vols have performed better against some better front sevens this season.
Ben: C
I didn’t think the offensive line played nearly as well as they could have. UAB’s defensive front is very good, but this is a Tennessee offensive line that has played great football over the past month. That same O-line didn’t show up against the Blazers. Instead, Guarantano was hit multiple times, and there were several instances where the running backs didn’t have much to work with. The O-line is banged up, and maybe that was the root of the problem, but if the Vols are going to make a bowl game, the guys up front are going to have to play like they did in October.
