Tennessee’s 45-24 win over Georgia Tech came with a clear split story: plenty to like on offense and defense, but a special teams night the Vols would rather forget.
Faizon Brandon didn’t have to carry the load, and that showed in the stat line. He finished with fewer than 150 passing yards and 22 rushing yards, but he kept the operation steady. He wasn’t missing many throws, and his decision-making was clean enough to earn a B+.
The real hammer for Tennessee was the ground game. The three running backs who actually handled carries combined for 277 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, a performance strong enough that the game would have been tied without those scores and the PATs. That kind of production made the offense look comfortable and dangerous at the same time, and it easily earns an A+.
The passing game never really needed to become the headline. Radarious Jackson led the wide receivers with 60 yards, and the group finished with just seven receptions and one touchdown among them. There just weren’t many explosive moments there, which kept the overall grade modest.
At tight end, Tennessee got more than just a receiving contribution. Ethan Davis scored the first touchdown of the game for the Vols, and DaSaahn Brame stood out as a lead blocker. That all-around impact put this group ahead of the receivers in the grading.
Up front, the offensive line had mixed results. Tennessee allowed only one sack, but the unit also gave up five tackles for loss and drew a bunch of flags. That’s not a clean night by any stretch, even if the line helped spring the running backs enough to keep the offense rolling.
Defensively, the Vols had some real disruption. Tennessee recorded three sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss, enough to create problems and control stretches of the game. It wasn’t flawless, but it was still a solid showing from the defensive line.
The linebackers added to that pressure, with a sack and several tackles for loss of their own. Jeremiah Telander also delivered one of the biggest plays of the night, intercepting a pass in a crucial moment. That’s the kind of swing play fans will remember.
In the secondary, the grades were a little more complicated. Derek Jones gave his cornerback group a C+, but the overall defensive backs unit gets a B+.
Dejuan Lane was outstanding and finished with an interception, with another one or two chances that were dropped. Tevis Metcalf also picked off a pass, though it didn’t count because of a penalty.
The flags, especially late, held this group back.
Then came the roughest part of the night. Special teams muffed a fumble and also allowed a blocked punt that Georgia Tech turned into six points. By the source grading, this was Tennessee’s worst special teams performance of the season, and there’s no way around that.
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