Secondary
Missing several key pieces, including safety LaDarrell McNeil, nickel RaShaan Gaulden and even coach Willie Martinez, this group had a few concerns coming into the game and seemed to get exposed by Bowling Green. Falcons quarterback Matt Johnson had a career high 424 yards through the air – good for a top 10 performance all-time in school history in a single game. The Vols got beat deep early and often and looked lost at times – leaving some Bowling Green targets wide open for easy yardage. The Falcons, wisely, stayed away from Cam Sutton for much of the game, but the couple times they tested his side, he responded as usual. He laid a huge hit on running back Travis Greene on a screen pass, knocking Greene out of the game, and almost picking Johnson later in the game on a comeback route that he was able to break up. Still, this group left Nashville looking like a big concern overall with particular concerns mounting at the second cornerback spot, the nickel position and the safety opposite of Brian Randolph.
Grades
Daniel: D-
Houston: D-
Reed: D
Average Grade: D-
