| Column 1 | Column 2 |
|---|---|
📈 | Matthew Butler — I know that’s a bit outside the box, but I think Butler epitomizes this team. The senior is getting the most production he can out of his game. And he’s playing relentless. Against Vanderbilt he had 6 tackles including a sack. He had six against Arkansas and Auburn as well. This team despite the struggles hasn’t quit. They haven’t mailed it in because of guys like Butler. |
📉 | Pass protection —I’m sticking with this one. After giving up 6 sacks to Florida, Vanderbilt recorded three. This offense is having trouble with blitz pick up’s. Some of that’s on the o-line, some on the tight end and some on the running backs. Some of it is also on the quarterbacks for holding onto the ball and some is on communication issues. Bottom line is that it’s a problem and the Aggies get after the quarterback a little bit. In 8 games, A&M has 19 sacks. |
↔️ | Tennessee’s improvement —The Vols needed a win and they got it thanks to a match up with the worse team in the league whose roster was depleted. So where is this team? Are the improved with the insertion of Harrison Bailey and JT Shrout at quarterback? Is the defense really improved against the run? You can’t make judgements off Saturday’s win so I want to see what they look like this week against the 2nd or 3rd best team in the SEC. |
📈 | Quavaris Crouch —The linebacker had his most productive day as a Vol with 7 tackles including two for loss. Crouch was clearly more active at the line of scrimmage in the run game. He timed his run blitzed well and he was better in pass coverage in the flat. He nearly had an interception as well. It wasn’t the best competition but it definitely was a confidence builder for the sophomore in his 9th start on defense. |
📉 | Vol secondary — Tennessee won the game handily and did have a pick six on a great catch by Bryce Thompson. However, Vanderbilt did throw for 239 yards as Ken Seals went 22 of 39. The Vols had six pass break ups but still struggled with a couple of bust. Got beat deep once and gave up some things in the middle of the field. Seals was 12 of 19 for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns between the hash marks |
↔️ | Placekicking — Toby Wilson did a nice job going 6 for 6 on PAT’s, but where are the Vols when it comes to kicking field goals after Brent Cimigila opted out. Will Wilson get the call on Saturday or will it be Paxton Brooks? What’s Jeremy Pruitt’s comfort level kicking field goals? It’s something we didn’t learn the answer to on Saturday in Nashville. |
