Secondary
Nathanael: D-
For only giving up 152 yards, you’d think the secondary would’ve received a better grade. But that’s not the case at all.
Alontae Taylor and Bryce Thompson made a few nice plays in pass coverage and in run stoppage, and Nigel Warrior was tackling well in the first half. But second half Nigel Warrior was a completely different player, and not in a good way. Baylen Buchanan got beat a few times, and the Gamecocks completed far too many deep passes and gained way too many big plays. The secondary continues to struggle with tackling as a unit. South Carolina averaged almost 14 yards per completion, and it could’ve been worse had the Gamecocks’ receivers not dropped a couple passes or had Bentley been a little more on target.
Ben: D
The secondary had a rough afternoon, both in run support and in coverage. Nigel Warrior led the team with nine tackles, but he also missed quite a few tackles that led to big South Carolina rushing plays. Todd Kelly Jr. added a boost to the secondary in run support, making six tackles, but neither safety made a key play in coverage.
At corner, Tennessee was burned multiple times. Alontae Taylor allowed Deebo Samuel to sneak away and catch a touchdown in the back of the end zone, and Baylen Buchanan was burned a couple of times. Bryce Thompson was also burned a time or two. Jake Bentley only threw for 152 yards and a touchdown, but he was a drop or a couple bad throws away from having a big game in the box score.
