Linebackers
Daniel: Where would Tennessee be without Curt Maggitt? The redshirt junior flew all over the field, helping rush the passer and making some big stops in the run game. Jalen Reeves-Maybin was active as well, collecting a team-leading 13 tackles as well as a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry. Kenny Bynum wasn’t perfect in his first career start, but I though he did some good things and gave the Vols an upgrade there over what Jakob Johnson did the last couple games. That inside linebacker spot will be an interesting one to watch over the offseason – it certainly will be up for grabs. Grade: B-
Houston: Jalen Reeves-Maybin had a monster game for Tennessee, collecting a team high 13 tackles on the day and meeting Iowa running back Mark Weisman in the hole for a critical 4th down stop in the first half. Kenny Bynum played well at middle linebacker, but was caught out of positions a few times that led to a couple big Hawkeye runs. This group hasn’t made a lot of “impact plays” this season, but they have been incredibly solid and this performance mirrored that sentiment. The backups got some valuable reps in the second half and performed decently, but, like their starting counterparts, didn’t really impact the game. Grade: B-
Reed: Jalen Reeves-Maybin had a massive game with 13 tackles and should be on some preseason All-SEC teams for the 2015 season. Curt Maggitt made a few plays when lined up at linebacker in UT’s 4-3 defense. Kenny Bynum, though exposed a couple of times, had the best game of his career with a couple of tackles and a pass defended. This was definitely a step forward for a unit that must continue to adapt to A.J. Johnson’s absence next season. Grade: B-
Average Grade: B-
