Running Backs
Daniel: I liked the effort. They ran hard with the ball, but there were a few times where they could’ve been a little smarter, perhaps taking it outside instead of staying straight or vice versa. Butch Jones said to not look too much into the number of carries for each back, but it’s somewhat telling that Jalen Hurd got 10 more carries than Marlin Lane. I thought Lane had maybe the best run of the night though – an 18 yard spurt where he broke the tackle of a blitzing cornerback and got to the next level. Some small steps, but still a long way to go for the backs. Grade: B-
Houston: Mixed reviews for the running backs today, in my opinion. I thought they ran for tough yards at times and missed open hole at others. It is very hard to judge the running backs at this point because of how much the offensive line struggles to create consistent running lanes. Jalen Hurd and Marlin Lane combined for 137 yards and a touchdown on 36 carries, so they did improve their rushing numbers and pass protection seemed much improved from a week ago. Second week in a row with no lost fumbles – although Hurd did have one that he was able to recover. Not an electric performance, but solid nonetheless. Grade: B
Reed: It wasn’t a great day for the Vol rushing attack, but I put that more on the offensive line than the running backs. Lane made something out of nothing on his 18 yard run in the first half and Hurd did a great job of keeping his pad level low and fighting for some tough yards. On the rare occasions the Vol backs got into the open field, they didn’t make many people miss. Like Houston wrote, it was a step in the right direction and a solid day, but I’d like to see more electric plays on the few chances they get the ball in space. Grade: B
