Running Backs
Daniel: If we’re just talking about Jalen Hurd’s effort running the ball – it’s possibly an A+. The true freshman is an absolute stud in the making and where is Tennessee without him at this point? His 119 yards on the ground kept Tennessee in it and he matched Gurley’s production for much of the day before the junior Heisman contender went off late in the game. But there was more to the story. The two botched exchanges (Hurd was involved in one, Marlin Lane the other) and the lack of production behind Hurd have to be factored in too. Perhaps Derrell Scott, who went through warm-ups but didn’t play, can give some spark because Lane isn’t doing much to help the position right now. Grade: B
Houston: Jalen Hurd looks better than advertised and he’s done it consistently behind an inconsistent offensive line. He runs fast, he runs hard and he runs angry. As the line gets more comfortable in front of him, he could be in for a monster season moving forward if he continues to play like this. Marlin Lane has been extremely selfless this year; lead-blocking for heard in the wildcat and celebrating with the freshman after big plays. Lane deserves a lot of credit for mentoring Hurd since last spring to speed up his development. The two fumbles really hurt this group yesterday (although both were on handoffs and not contact fumbles), but outside of that I thought they ran hard, caught the ball well and did a nice job in pass protection. Grade: B-
Reed: Where would this team be without Jalen Hurd? He’s gone over 100 yards rushing the last two games and is exceeding even his lofty 5-star expectations. He’s wise beyond his years in pass protection and is in for a great career as long as he stays healthy. His 119 yards rushing were the most by a Vol true freshman running back since Jamal Lewis in 1997. That’s elite company. Like with the QBs, two missed exchanges hurt their grade. No one behind Hurd did much and the Vols need to get Derrell Scott into games if Lane can’t get going. A couple of times, Lane had some holes to run through but just missed them. He’s in a funk right now and they need to find someone to share the load with Hurd. Grade: B-
