Quarterbacks
Daniel: He did not have a good night throwing the ball and it’s odd that two of his worst career performances have come against Vanderbilt. But, by definition, a dual-threat quarterback can hurt opponents in different ways, and that’s what Dobbs was able to do against the Commodores. Playing without Jalen Hurd for much of the night, Dobbs became a de facto running back at times, taking many of the crucial carries down the stretch and putting UT in great position to win the game. He finished with 91 yards on the ground officially, but would’ve had a good bit over 100 if the sack total wasn’t factored in. From that standpoint, he was a huge factor for the Vols and Tennessee simply doesn’t win that game if it had a pocket passer who was off target on the night. The two interceptions (and a third that was negated by a penalty) are big concerns and he needs better accuracy in UT’s bowl game, but as Butch Jones said, the most important stat was him finding a way to get UT a win, and he did that with his feet. Grade: B-
Houston: It wasn’t the best night for Joshua Dobbs from a passing perspective, as he sophomore struggled mightily with his accuracy and control all night. That led Mike Bajakian and the coaching staff choosing to lean heavily on Dobbs’ legs rather than his arm, and it proved beneficial. He finished his night 11-of-20 through the air for only 92 yards and two interceptions, but added 21 carries for 92 yards and the two lone offensive touchdowns of the night for Tennessee. Not his best performance, but Tennessee doesn’t win without Joshua Dobbs at quarterback. Grade: B
Reed: It was a weird night for Dobbs. He clearly got rattled a couple of times and made some poor decisions. He was also all Tennessee had on offense. With the inability of UT’s receivers to get open and Hurd’s injury, the Vols simply don’t win that game without Dobbs’ legs. He escaped Vandy’s pass rush to complete several big passes and was UT’s only consistent threat on the ground. It wasn’t a great day by any stretch, but his grit and playmaking ability was enough for the W. Grade: B-
Average Grade: B-
