| Column 1 | Column 2 |
|---|---|
📈 | Senior wide out Josh Palmer had the best day of any Vol offensive player between the hedges. Palmer had 4 catches for 71 yards and two scores. Palmer continues to play at a high level making contested catches and leads the Vols in big plays. |
📉 | Tennessee has started three different players at the star position and in all three games the middle of the field has been an issue for the Vol defense. Not all of it is on the star position as some of the coverage problems have been linebacker and safety related. However, the star or nickel back position in Jeremy Pruitt’s defense is one of the most vital positions for defensive success. Through three games that position has not produced like Pruitt needs it to. How much better will Shawn Shamburger be in week two of action? Does Pruitt go back to Theo Jackson or Doneiko Slaughter or does he look at Bryce Thompson there? That spot has to be more productive. |
↔️ | Brent Cimagilia, the senior kicker sits at 1 for 3 on the year. He didn’t get an opportunity to kick in the Georgia game so the questions surrounding him remain. Was it a simple technique issue that has been corrected or is it a mental deal. We may very well see this week as Kentucky has been solid redzone defensive team. |
📈 | Punter Paxton Brooks got off to a rough start at South Carolina with a low snap that he elected not to try and punt. Since then Brooks has been excellent punting the football. He’s averaging 44 yards a punt. Nine of his punts have been inside the 20. Four of his 14 punts have gone for over 50 yards. He’s punted traditional effectively and he’s punted effectively with the rugby style punts. Eleven of his 16 kickoffs have been touchbacks as well. |
📉 | When you rush for -1 yard it’s an ugly day in the line of scrimmage. Not all of the issues were on the offensive line Saturday but a lot of it was as Georgia’s defensive front overwhelmed them a good bit of the day. That talented unit must play better and grow as a unit coming out of a rough day between the hedges. |
↔️ | Everyone is waiting to see more of he freshman wide receivers. Tennessee’s receivers on Saturday had a hard time with press coverage. And they had a hard time getting any separation with their routes. The newcomers have more speed than the veterans. Sunday night those newcomers got some meaningful scrimmage reps. Does that mean we start to see them some on Saturday? |
