1st Quarter
13:56: The entire right side of the Mocs offensive line jumps early on a 3rd and 1. On the previous play, center Jacob Revis had to leave the game because his helmet came off. The timing seems to be off with him not in the game, the Mocs get backed up with the penalty and are forced to punt after not being able to convert 3rd and 6.
– As soon as the Vols went nickel on the first defensive drive, it was Emmanuel Moseley that came in at CB, Justin Coleman slid to NB and it was Derek Barnett who came out with Curt Maggitt at defensive end.
12:41: Nice return by Cam Sutton. The Vols practiced field UTC’s rugby-style punts all week and he was prepared for this one. I had a hard time seeing the numbers, but there were at least two missed blocks in the back. They got away with it on the field, but they won’t in the film room.
12:26: Nice run by Hurd in his limited action. We talked a lot about how the running game looked bad, and it did, but that’s a good reminder that Hurd helps it out a lot and the Vols obviously would’ve had more success had he played more.
9:26: This play is almost never wrong. Quick drop, throw it to the high point and let Marquez North go get it. He had a five-inch advantage over UTC cornerback Dee Virgin.
9:06: Vols put eight in the box to counter UTC’s full-house backfield look. Curt Maggitt might be playing the best football of his career. He flies into the backfield from his outside linebacker spot and gets to the back before the pulling guard even has a chance.
7:59: Chris Weatherd and Derek Barnett meet right at Jacob Huesman. Weatherd actually got the sack, but Barnett had the better play because Weatherd went unblocked, while Barnett just beat his man.
– A lot of Daniel Helm at tight end early over Ethan Wolf. Not sure if that was an injury issue or Helm earning more time
5:46: So close to completing their first really true deep pass of the season…Marquez North has several steps on the UTC defender who slipped, but Worley overthrows it.
5:01: Georgia transfer Derrick Lott just beats Jashon Robertson for the sack here. Worley held on to the ball a little too long, but Robertson didn’t get much depth in his pass set and Lott works his way past him.
– Side note from seeing a shot of the sideline: tight end Joe Stocstill didn’t dress and was in a walking boot
1:45: This is when North takes the big shot. Dee Virgin hits him right in the back of the legs with his helmet. Wouldn’t be surprised if that was a thigh bruise or something along those lines. North never came back in the game.
1:25: Jason Croom comes in for North the next play and makes a good grab. Nice post route by Croom and Worley does a nice job fitting the ball into the window in the zone defense.
1:10: This might be when Young hurts his ribs. He walks off very slowly and looks like he is in pain after getting crunched by a couple UTC defenders.
2nd quarter
14:22: The Mocs mishandle the handoff and Derek Barnett is there to jump on it. There’s obviously some degree of luck when recovering a fumble, though Barnett is in great position – parallel to the line and ready to make a play. That pays off.
13:57: Speaking of paying off, just a few plays later, Justin Worley takes the keeper around the right end, “trucks” a UTC defender and dives in to give the Vols the 17-0 lead.
11:02: The Vols used the cut block technique and rolled Worley out more in this game to try to buy time in the passing game.
7:36: I thought this was one of the best plays of the game for the defense. The Mocs try to run an option to the wide side of the field and it looks like every UT defender wins his battle and is in position. A.J. Johnson runs through Derrick Crane before he can field the pitch cleanly, the ball is loose and even though Huesman picks it up, LaTroy Lewis pursued from the backside and cleans the play up for a huge loss.
5:50: This is just Kyler Kerbyson getting beat by Keionta Davis. Kerbyson seems to overset on his pass protection. By that, I mean he was so focused on making sure that Davis didn’t get around him to the outside that he left the inside exposed and that’s where Davis went, hit Worley from the blindside, caused the fumble and the turnover.
3:45: The safeties had a good day tackling. Brian Randolph had a nice open-field tackle here in the red zone to keep the Mocs from threatening the end zone.
– Nice hold by the defense near the the end of the first half. They had to defend another short field after the turnover, but only gave up one first down and forced the field goal. Had they given up a couple more plays, it easily could’ve been 17-7 at the half and the game would’ve look a lot different.
1:20: Best run of the day by Derrell Scott on a draw. The offensive line does a nice job setting like it’s a pass play and Jashon Robertson gets his guy turned at the point of attack and Scott uses his speed to get through the hole. They get a little assist from the official who gets in the way, but the Vols will take whatever they can get in the run game at this point.
:55: Davis Tull shows why he’s an FCS All-American here. He runs around Coleman Thomas and running back Derrell Scott, chases Worley out of the pocket and his teammate is there to grab Worley by the ankle as he tries to escape for another sack.
:23: We’ve said it several times this year, but Johnathon Johnson is one of the best route runners on the team. He runs a nice out-and-go here and Worley puts it right on the money to cap off an impressive two-minute drill drive and to give the Vols a commanding 24-3 edge.
3rd quarter:
15:00: Great start to the second half and great start to the kick-returning career of Evan Berry on this play. You can see why the coaches are trying to find ways to get this guy the ball. He bobbles the ball on the initial catch – something he frequently does in practice – but is able to regain his composure, bounce off of the initial contact and break a tackle before getting into the open field. After that, it’s a foot-race against the kicker – who Berry stiff-arms to the ground – and then the jets turn on. If Rashaan Gaulden and Cortez McDowell aren’t in Evan’s landing-zone after his hurdle, then this is likely a touchdown.
14:14: Really nice play-action off of the counter here to set up the touchdown. All of UTC’s linebackers and the safety over Johnathon Johnson bite on the fake handoff and Johnson torches the corner for the score. Even though Tennessee wasn’t running the ball effectively, the threat of the run set up this touchdown. Just a very well-designed, quick-hitting play that I would expect to see more of moving forward.
12:48: As good as this defense has played all season, they continue to take their play to the next level on third downs. Even against UTC you can see the energy level increase when the sticks have a ‘3’ on them. John Jancek deserves a lot of credit for the work he has done with this defense oner the last year and a half.
12:27: Vic Wharton getting some action with the first team. Nice catch by the freshman.
10:35: This appears to be a run/pass option that Worley messed up by keeping the ball. He is supposed to keep the ball and hit the tight end if he is uncovered, but Downs is covered on this play. If Worley hands it to Pickett he probably gains enough for the first down. Instead, Worley keeps the ball, Downs is covered, and a sack is surrendered. Jackson needs to do a better job in protection, but I’m not sure that this one is on the OL.
9:40: Davis Tull for UTC absolutely whips Coleman Thomas on this play while Kyler Kerbyson actually does a decent job of making his man take the ‘long way around’ on the top of the screen. Kerbyson’s move would normally allow Worley to step up into an open pocket, but Thomas over set to the outside and Tull beat him inside with a spin-move for the sack. The left side of the line did their job here, but the play is dead as soon as Tull breaks free to the inside.
8:24: True freshman cornerback Emmanuel Moseley does an outstanding job in run support here. He’s the outside corner on the play, but as soon as he recognizes run he flies to the football and stops this play for a two-yard gain when it could have gone for much more. He’s going to be a good one.
7:30: LaDarrell McNeil is just a touch late getting over to help out A.J. Johnson in coverage here and the Mocs connect for a big play. McNeil has been excellent all season, but it looks like he got caught flat-footed here when Huesman rolled out of the pocket. If that happens this week, it will likely result in a Rebel touchdown.
6:35: Credit this interception to Danny O’Brien. O’Brien pushes the guard back into Huesman’s face which doesn’t allow him to step into the throw. The ball sails and Justin Coleman has an easy fly-ball. The only thing wrong with this play is that Coleman misses a cut-back…he should have scored.
– I think LaTroy Lewis needs more snaps. He has played well whenever he has been given the opportunity. I’ve been very impressed with him this year.
2:47: Even the best make mistakes…A.J. Johnson was completely fooled on this play and it results in a 13-yard run for the Mocs.
2:09: But #45 quickly makes up for it with a stop on the next play.
:55: And again…A.J. Johnson is good at football.
4th quarter:
14:55: Great anticipatory throw by Nathan Peterman here between the coverage. You can see that he is actually pretty accurate with the football when he isn’t being slammed into the turf.
14:12: You get a taste of what Derrell Scott is capable of on this play. The middle is jammed, so he makes a quick jump-cut and lowers his head for the first down. As he gets more comfortable with the scheme and this offensive line, Scott will only get better.
– The commentators are talking about Rocky Top being one of the best fight songs in the country…I just wanted to point out that they are absolutely correct here.
12:28: Nice job by Peterman to escape pressure and take off upfield for a nice gain on the play. Mobility at quarterback can help an offensive line in the stat-column and this is a prime example. Justin Worley is probably sacked on this play, but Peterman turns it into a seven yard pickup.
11:20: The breeze stole three points from Aaron Medley on this kick.
10:30: Looks like Todd Kelly Jr. may have forgot to cover the motioning receiver on this play. The bust results in a first down for the Mocs.
-The secondary for the Vols at this point is D’Andre Payne, Rashaan Gaulden, Todd kelly Jr., Emmanuel Moseley and Devaun Swafford. Wow, that is a lot of inexperienced players getting a lot of valuable reps.
5:14: Ummmm….This is just terrible all around. Missed block, miscommunication, Peterman gets hammered.
4:37: Derrell Scott again showing what he’s capable of by bouncing this one outside for a nice pickup.
3:49: Nice keep and a nice run by Nathan Peterman for the score. The offensive line actually blew UTC’s defensive line off the ball and created a lot of space for Peterman to work with. He did a nice job keeping his balance as he bounced off of Brett Kendrick to find the endzone.
– Garbage time.
