Quarterbacks
Daniel: When stacked up to his other performances, this looks like a massive letdown for Joshua Dobbs, but I didn’t think he played that poorly, all things considered. It was by far the most pressure he’d encountered and, while he maybe could’ve avoided a couple of them, there wasn’t a ton he could do on several of the six sacks that he took. He threw for a good completion percentage (64.8%), ended the game with 195 yards passing and actually ran for 50 yards as well, though his sack total only netted him 13 on the night. He lost one fumble on kind of a fluky play (it looked like a teammates’ knee knocked the ball out) and his interception is virtually 100% on Malone for dropping a well-thrown ball. So all-in-all, there were some reminders that Dobbs has some room to grow, but I thought he played a decent game. Grade: B-
Houston: It’s tough to knock Dobbs when he appeared to get so little help from his teammates, but it looked like he got frustrated in this game and let it impact his decision making. The offensive line didn’t do a good job protecting him and his lone interception came after Josh Malone bobbled a catchable ball into the waiting arms of a Missouri defender, but Dobbs never looked like himself in this game. I didn’t feel like the play calling allowed him to get into a rhythm, but it also looked like he missed some throws that he should have made and the lost fumble was a mistake that should have been avoided. This wasn’t Dobbs’ best performance, but, as is the case with young quarterbacks, he’ll watch the film and get better after this one. Grade: B-
Reed: Considering the pressure he was under, he didn’t play poorly. He had two turnovers, but one wasn’t his fault. Dobbs saved a couple of plays with his legs and made a couple nice throws on the run. He did get rattled a few times after the hits piled up and he struggled to settle into the game. With just a little help from his receivers, perception of his play is probably much different. Even with the constant barrage from Missouri’s defensive front, he was clearly Tennessee’s biggest weapon. Grade: B-
Average Grade: B-
