Offensive Line
Daniel: I thought UTC’s talented defensive line might make a play or two against the offensive line, but I never envisioned the Vols giving up five sacks and struggling to get much of any push in the run game. There are other factors involved. Missing the top two RBs for much of the game hurt the ground attack obviously. And Butch Jones said that some of the sacks were on Justin Worley or the receivers for not doing their job properly. But even three sacks would’ve been too many and there’s really no excuse for rushing for just 123 yards against an FCS squad. That’s not getting the job done. It’s scary to think what the Ole Miss defensive front will do to the Vols next week. Grade: F
Houston: Giving up five sacks in a game is unacceptable…Giving up five sacks to UTC on homecoming is absolutely abominable. The absence of Marlin Lane and limited snaps for Jalen Hurd didn’t help the rushing average, but there was very little room to work with for Derrell Scott and Justus Pickett on the ground in this one. I know they are young, I know they are inexperienced…but this group is getting worse from week-to-week. I don’t think that there is an answer for their struggles this season, so the Vols are going to have to get creative moving forward in how they call plays in order to keep the quarterback healthy – not to mention moving the football and scoring points. With Ole Miss and Alabama on the schedule over the next two weeks, I would expect things to get worse before they get better for this group. Grade: F
Reed: It was another bad day for the Vol offensive front. They gave up five sacks, a season high for UTC, and struggled to open up holes for Vol running backs. Tennessee averaged under three yards per carry and UTC notched 9 TFLs. They’ve got to improve but looked like they almost took a step back against the Mocs. When Kerbyson was playing right tackle, this group was much better. Jones remains adamant he won’t make any personnel changes, but things can’t get much worse up front. The Vols will be fortunate to escape Oxford with a healthy QB. I don’t know if they rush for more than 30 yards next week unless things improve. Grade: F
