Offensive Line
Daniel: Another effective night for the offensive line. Jacob Gilliam got burned and gave up the lone sack of the night to Bud Dupree, but that was the only significant error for this group. As he regularly does, Joshua Dobbs helped the o-line out by moving around and dodging would-be sacks, but he had time on most of his throws. The Vols put up a very respectable 214 rushing yards and averaged 4.2 yards per carry – a number that would’ve been higher if it didn’t factor some of the “garbage time” running plays. It’ll be interesting to see how the line does if Mack Crowder misses significant time after his injury. Dylan Wiesman is the most likely full-time replacement, though the Vols do cross-train several guys at guard/center and have some flexibility there to get the best five on the field. Crowder hasn’t necessarily been the strength of the o-line, but he knows the calls and has done better recently. Grade: B+
Houston: Only one sack given up in this game (by a guy playing with only one ACL) and 214 rushing yards make for a solid night by the offensive line against the Cats. They paved the way for Jalen Hurd’s 118 yards and gave Joshua Dobbs plenty of time to pass on most plays, which allowed the passtronaut to throw for 297 yards and three touchdowns. They were in sync with their communication and didn’t have any procedure penalties that I can remember, and I thought Dylan Wiesman filled in admirably for Mack Crowder after his injury. Altogether, this was another very solid night by a group that has improved a ton over the last month. Grade: B
Reed: The Vols allowed just one sack and rushed for 214 yards. Jacob Gilliam gave up UT’s lone sack but played fairly well the rest of the game. Tennessee didn’t run all over Kentucky like I expected, but they did get a decent push and opened up a few nice holes. Dobbs had a decent pocket to work from most of the game and communication breakdowns were at a minimum. Grade: B
Average Grade: B
