Secondary
Daniel: The secondary did its job, even with Brian Randolph playing reduced snaps and hobbling around a bit. ASU only threw for 190 yards and averaged just 5.3 yards per completion. The tackling was pretty good, especially from Cam Sutton, who makes it just about impossible to run any kind of quick hitter or screen pass to his side. A very solid job overall against a talented player in Fredi Knighten. Grade: B+
Houston: I actually thought the secondary played fairly well. They didn’t get beat over the top and the only real success that ASU was able to have in the passing game was when Fredi Knighten bought time with his feet and his receivers altered their routes. No ASU receiver had over 48 yards receiving and the defensive backs did a good job of flying to the football when Knighten scrambled. Grade: B
Reed:Todd Kelly Jr. played very well in his expanded role. Michael Williams and Cam Sutton made some very good tackles in the open field and were more than solid in coverage. Williams did give up a TD when Tres Houston beat him to the inside near the goal line, but he had a great day otherwise. Coleman continues to be the Vols’ biggest liability on defense. He missed tackles and was the most constantly targeted Vol defensive back. I didn’t see one busted coverage from this unit and, with the exception of Justin Coleman, they didn’t miss many tackles. Grade: B+
