Linebackers
Nathanael: C-
Tennessee’s linebackers racked up a lot of tackles, but that’s not always a good thing. The Tide forced a lot of missed tackles, and a lot of those came from the linebackers. Quart’e Sapp finished with a game-high eight tackles, but how many of those were after Alabama had already gained five or six yards? Daniel Bituli missed the first half of play due to his ejection in last weekend’s game, but he still finished with eight tackles. Will Ignont added five tackles, and Deandre Johnson got three tackles in a start. It wasn’t a dreadful performance by the linebackers, but it wasn’t memorable either.
Ben: D+
Keeping up with the theme, Tennessee’s linebackers just weren’t good enough to keep up with Alabama on Saturday. Quart’e Sapp, Will Ignont, and Darrin Kirkland Jr. made a nice play here and there, but they didn’t impact the game in a huge way. The outside linebackers failed to produce a pass-rush, and as a result, Tagovailoa had all day to throw the football. With his accuracy and arm strength, that can’t happen. Combating the pass, Alabama rushed for over 200 yards and four touchdowns. Like Nathanael said, Tennessee’s linebackers didn’t play horrendous football, but they didn’t play great football either.
