Linebackers
The stats in this one can be a little deceiving. If Tech didn’t possess the ball for over 41 minutes and didn’t run off nearly double the plays the Vols had (96 plays compared to Tennessee’s 59), the Vols’ defenders wouldn’t have recorded so many tackles. But the fact that the Yellow Jackets ran off that many plays meant Tennessee needed players to rack up tackles, and that’s just what the linebackers did. Daniel Bituli lead the team with an eye-popping 23 tackles. Colton Jumper added 18 himself, and Cortez McDowell tacked on another 13. The Vols’ linebackers combined for just over 41 percent of the team’s 131 total tackles. But all those tackles means that Tech’s rushing attack was usually getting to the next level, especially considering only McDowell recorded a tackle for loss (and it was only half of one at that). This unit didn’t play poorly, but it still could’ve been more disruptive.
Nathanael: B
Will: B
Mason: B+
