Secondary
Nathanael: B
Tennessee’s secondary got burned a few times, most notably Bryce Thompson on a deep pass and Alontae Taylor a couple times. Other than that, though, I thought UT’s defensive backs played well, especially Nigel Warrior. The senior totaled six tackles, a tackle for loss, and two pass breakups. He continued his strong play on Saturday, and he made a beautiful open field tackle for a huge loss. That’s a play Warrior doesn’t make last season or even in the first month of this season. Shawn Shamburger had an okay game except for that really bad late hit penalty. That hurts this unit’s grade a little, too.
Ben: B+
Nigel Warrior continues to play great football down the stretch. Warrior was great against the run, recording six tackles and a tackle for a loss, but he also had two crucial pass breakups in the fourth quarter that helped seal the game. Kelly Bryant threw for 166 yards and a touchdown on 16-of-28 passing, which was a little better than I expected.
