Linebackers
Daniel: It was a relatively quiet night for the linebackers. A.J. Johnson got his standard 10 tackles, but wasn’t in on any impact plays. Jalen Reeves-Maybin had one TFL and eight sacks. Curt Maggitt had some big plays, though he was often lined up more as a DE in those situations. The run fits weren’t great and the Gamecocks had some big running lanes at times, especially when Brandon Wilds broke free for the 70-yarder that almost sealed the deal for the Gamecocks. The LBs do get some credit for helping the defense step up late on the last true drive of regulation and in overtime, but all in all, not a real impressive night. Grade: C-
Houston: A.J. Johnson and Jalen Reeves-Maybin combined for 18 tackles in this game and did a pretty good job of keeping South Carolina’s Mike Davis bottled up, but they really struggled against Brandon Wilds. Wilds finished with 8 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns, including a 70-yard scamper during the 4th quarter. That 70-yard run came against a Tennessee defensive alignment that only featured 10 players, so it’s hard to blame the linebackers for that one, but even without that run they still struggled against Wilds and let Dylan Thompson escape up the sideline a few times. Not a terrible night by this group, but certainly not one to hang their hat on. Grade C
Reed: You have to wonder if all the snaps Johnson and Reeves-Maybin have played this year are piling up. They combined for 18 tackles but they haven’t been making many explosive plays of late. They had their share of missed tackles and took poor angles on more than a few occasions. It wasn’t a disastrous day, but they didn’t do much to spark Tennessee’s defense. Look for them to play much better against Kentucky in two weeks. Grade: C-
Average Grade: C-
