Defensive Line
Nathanael: C
Emmit Gooden had a decent game today and looked pretty good when he was on the field, and Alexis Johnson made some plays. But I didn’t see the same intensity out of Shy Tuttle as I have the first two weekends, and Kyle Phillips was doing some good things at times but ultimately wasn’t particularly impressive. The Vols did limit UTEP to just 95 yards rushing and 3.4 yards per carry, and that starts with the defensive line. But all in all, they just didn’t impress me today.
Ben: C
The defensive line continues to be average against lesser opponents. Alexis Johnson had five tackles and a quarterback hurry, and defensive tackles Paul Bain and Emmit Gooden had a tackle for a loss. Aside from those three, the rest of the group failed to produce big plays. Shy Tuttle wasn’t his usual self, and Kyle Phillips didn’t have the same impact on Saturday as he did last week. As Nathanael said, UTEP only rushed for 3.4 yards per carry, and that starts with the defensive line taking up gaps.
