Offensive Line
Nathanael: D+
The offensive line got better at run blocking from Week 1 to Week 2, but I still maintain that a lot of the yardage on the ground that UT picked up was because of the running backs and not the offensive line. There were still far too many plays where Tennessee’s backs had to turn a potential negative play or short gain into a positive play or a bigger gain. That stands out the most when you look at Tennessee’s short yardage success — or lack thereof — in third-and-short situations. The Vols were just 3-of-7 when facing four yards or fewer on third downs. That starts with the OL and their lack of push. UT also failed to pick up two short fourth down conversion attempts.
I do think overall the line did a pretty good job in pass protection, but that was still a struggle at times against a BYU front seven that isn’t exactly dangerous.
Ben: C
They were better, and that’s all you can really ask for considering the circumstances. The offensive line was inconsistent in pass protection, but dominated for much of the game when Tennessee ran the football. The group helped lead Chandler to a 100-yard rushing game. On the day, the Vols ran for 242 yards against a tough and physical BYU front-seven. That was in large part because of the effort up front.
One Response
I’ll always have your backs Vols, just promise to work harder. The players look really fatigued out there. Please work harder getting in better shape. We’ve all heard that games are won or lost in fourth quarters.