Receivers/Tight Ends
Daniel: With Marquez North still limited with his shoulder, the Vols barely missed their most talented option as Dobbs spread it around to nine different receivers, six of which had multiple receptions. Strong performances by Jason Croom, Pig Howard and Von Pearson anchored this group’s effort. And the tight ends were very involved as well, combining for five catches for 75 yards. Keep in mind, the tight ends, as an entire unit, had less that 100 yards receiving in all of 2013. Pearson clearly looks healthier and his strong efforts close to the goal line were evidence of that. Croom’s 52-yard catch and run to start the second half ended any thought of a realistic UK comeback, but his most impressive play might’ve been the one where he drug three UK defenders to the first-down line. Getting North and Josh Malone more involved going forward will be important, but the guys in the game did their job on Saturday. Grade: A
Houston: The fact that the staff was able to rest Marquez North for most of the game and still get the production out of the passing game that they did should tell you how well this group played. Pig Howard, Von Pearson and Jason Croom all made some nice plays in the passing game, especially Pearson and Croom. Von’s two early touchdowns put Tennessee in cruise control and Crooms catch and run to start the third quarter broke Kentucky’s back and put the Wildcats away for good. Ethan Wolf and Alex Ellis each made an explosive play from the tight end spot and did a nice job when called upon to block for the running game. Josh Malone still needs to elevate his game to the next level, but the talent is clear to see from watching him run around. Considering their primary target didn’t make an impact on the game due to injury, this was a nice night by Azzanni’s group Grade A
Reed: The disappearance of Marquez North the last two weeks certainly isn’t a good thing, but he’s been a little more banged up than people realize. Von Pearson, who is finally regaining his pre-injury form, showed just how electric he can be with three catches for 44 yards and two touchdowns. Pig Howard turned in another solid day with four receptions for 43 yards. Jason Croom played like the large man he is with three catches for 87 yards and a touchdown while tight ends Alex Ellis, Ethan Wolf and Daniel Helm had five receptions for 75 yards between them. Not much to critique here – it was a good day for the Vol pass catchers against a Kentucky defense which hadn’t been terrible against the pass this season. Grade: A
Average Grade: A
