Special Teams
Daniel: Pretty solid work here. My biggest issue was that Cam Sutton left some punt return yards out there. I understand his first job is to make the catch, but it felt like he made a fair catch multiples times where he could’ve had at least 5-10 yards and maybe even more if he broke a tackle or two. He also muffed one that UT was able to recover. The punting, kick and coverage were fairly well done. Aaron Medley continues to be dependable, especially on shorter kicks. Evan Berry held onto the ball and made some respectable returns. Alabama has some explosive athletes and the Vols never gave them room to really make Tennessee pay. Grade: B
Houston: Cam Sutton’s muffed punt could have been catastrophic if not for the hustle by Mike Williams to recover it, but other than that I thought this group had a great night. Matt Darr’s punts were high, long and angled in a way that forced Christion Jones to have to field them on the move. Tennessee’s kick coverage was outstanding and Evan Berry was able to make the most of a couple of returns. Aaron Medley doesn’t seem like a freshman anymore and is as dependable as any freshman kicker I can recall. This group isn’t making enough plays to win games like this for Tennessee, but the Vols aren’t being dismantled on special teams like were only a few short years ago. Grade: B+
Reed: Cam Sutton muffed another punt and the Vols were fortunate he didn’t cost them a possession. Matt Darr had a decent day punting the ball (41.8 yards per punt, but 2 of his 5 were inside the 10) and Aaron Medley made a couple of pressure kicks. He’s been one of the best kickers in the SEC this year and a real bright spot for the team. Evan Berry came close to breaking a really long return but was stopped short on another. Nothing spectacular from this unit but nothing catastrophic either. Given Tennessee’s special teams struggles the last few years, that’s improvement. Grade: B-
Average Grade: B
