Running Backs
Nathanael: C-
Ty Chandler had a much better day against Georgia than he did against Florida last week, but he was really the only bright spot for the Vols at running back. He led the team both in rushing and receiving, running the ball five times for 27 yards and hauling in four receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown. Tim Jordan had a couple good runs, chiefly his one bigger run out of the wildcat. But otherwise he was relatively ineffective, and Madre London failed to make an impact. Jeremy Banks once again fumbled, and that’s been a consistent problem with him.
Ben: D
Tennessee’s running game was non-existent on Saturday. Part of that was due to the play of the offensive line, but the backs didn’t exactly perform well either. I did think Ty Chandler impressed when he had the ball in his hands, specifically on his touchdown reception where he made three different Bulldogs miss. On five carries, Chandler averaged over 5.0 yards-per-carry. The big disappointment is that Chandler finished with five carries. That can’t happen going forward. Chandler is clearly the best back on the roster and needs to have 17-to-20 carries each game.
Many have complained about Jeremy Banks not getting enough carries, but on Saturday you saw why the coaches have been reluctant to put him in the game. Banks has a fumbling problem, and that’s the absolute worst problem you can have as a running back. If he doesn’t get that corrected, we won’t see him in the coming games.
