Linebackers
Nathanael: D-
Darrin Kirkland Jr. had the only big plays from this group. Otherwise, the Vols’ linebackers were simply out-played on Saturday. Kirkland recorded a tackle for loss and should’ve been credited with a forced fumble at the goal line. But other than that, Tennessee’s linebackers failed to make much of an impact. Daniel Bituli and Quart’e Sapp made a decent amount of stops, but most of those tackles came after Rico Dowdle or another Gamecock running back had already gained five or six yards or more. The outside linebackers failed to get much pressure on Jake Bentley either. The unit also struggled in pass coverage when asked to do so.
Ben: D
The defensive line was poor in run defense, but the linebackers did just as poor of a job. It wasn’t just the linebackers, but the defense as a whole missed far too many tackles. Quart’e Sapp, Daniel Bituli, and Darrin Kirkland Jr. weren’t very productive on the evening, combining for just one tackle for a loss. Will Ignont contributed just two tackles.
For the outside linebackers, it was the same song and dance. Not enough pressure. Darrell Taylor and Deandre Johnson combined for just one tackle and zero pressures. To put that in perspective, wide receiver Brandon Johnson had two tackles on special teams.
