Vol Report Card: Western Kentucky

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KNOXVILLE— The Vols moved to 2-0 on the season with a 52-20 win over WKU. Here’s how we graded the performance of each Vol unit. We’ll have a report card from the Oregon game next Monday.

Quarterbacks

Junior QB Justin Worley got off to a rough start. At the half, he was 3-9 for 35 yards with 20 of those yards coming thanks to a highlight catch from Marquez North on a badly under thrown ball. What gets lost on that throw is the correct read Worley made on the play. He was under pressure yet spotted the wide open North, just didn’t quite have the arm to get it there. Though he struggled in the first half, he settled down with an 8-10 performance in the second half (107 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT).

The lone Worley turnover of the day (and the season) was costly. The Vols were in field goal range, Worley was under pressure, and he threw a duck up for grabs off his back foot when he easily could (and should) have thrown the ball away.

Worley is a starting QB in the SEC and must be graded accordingly. Did he run the offense efficiently and refrain from costly mistakes? For the most part. But at some point the Vols need quarterback play that allows the coaches to open up the playbook, and Worley isn’t there yet. He’s tied for 12th in the SEC in passing yards per game (123.0), and that’s with the Vols playing two very substandard defenses thus far. He does rank 6th in the SEC in passing efficiency. Butch Jones has said it repeatedly: He needs to step up and be on target with more downfield passes for this Vol offense to blossom, we’ll see if he can do that in the coming weeks. Grade: C-

Running backs

Marlin Lane and Rajion Neal labored through a first half which saw the Vols gain just 49 yards on the ground on 15 carries (3.3 yards per carry). It was a disappointing first half for a Vol ground game which should have dominated an inexperienced Western Kentucky defensive front. Some of that is on the offensive line (see below), but part of the responsibility belongs to the running backs for not running as hard and decisive as Jones would like.

The Vol running back corps rebounded in the second half to punish a tiring WKU defense. They ran for 192 yards on 30 carries (6.4 ypc) and walk-on Deanthonie Summerhill was effective in a reserve role (9 carries for 40 yards). Summerhill looks to be Tennessee’s No. 3 running back at this point. When all was said and done, it’s tough to heavily criticize a rushing attack which put up 241 yards on 45 attempts, for over 5.3 yards per carry.

The Vol running backs did a much better job of running north and south against WKU than they did against Austin Peay. Though Lane didn’t start, he was the most effective running back on the field (16 carries for 98 yards, one TD, 6.1 ypc). Neal turned in another solid effort (15 carries for 74 yards, three TDs, 4.9 ypc) and became the first Vol running back to score three touchdowns since Montario Hardesty (UK game 2009). Grade: B+

Receivers/Tight ends

One spectacular play from Marquez North cancels out a costly drop by Jason Croom. There were a few communication issues between Worley and the receivers on several occasions, but those are to be expected with such an inexperienced group. True freshman Josh Smith led the Vols in receptions with three catches for 36 yards. Jonathan Johnson (two receptions for 57 yards) had a solid day in the slot in Devrin Young’s absence (broken hand, out 4-6 weeks). Tight end Brendan Downs hauled in his second touchdown in as many weeks. The tight ends and receivers have been better than average run blockers. Pig Howard needs to be more involved in the offense moving forward. He had just two touches and is one of Tennessee’s best playmakers. Grade: B

Offensive line

Tennessee got stuffed on a 3rd and 1 in the second quarter. That simply can’t happen against a Sun Belt team with an inexperienced and outmatched defensive front. Regarded by many as the best line in the nation, the Vol line struggled to create running lanes in the first half. They turned a corner in the second half and dominated the line of scrimmage. They continue to excel when pass blocking and gave up just one sack. The challenge for this group moving forward will be to wear down SEC-level defensive fronts. Grade: B+

Defensive line

The Vol defensive front didn’t turn in their best performance. They were consistently gouged for yards up the middle, something that didn’t happen last year even with Tennessee’s well-chronicled defensive struggles. Western Kentucky gained 171 yards on the ground on 34 carries, good for 5 yards per carry. Antonio Andrews gained 117 yards and averaged 8.5 per carry. The Vol pass rush improved and was credited with 2 sacks and four quarterback hurries. Trevarris Saulsberry continues to show he can make things happen at tackle and Jordan Williams is emerging as a playmaker at end. Corey Miller had a nice QB hurry which led to a Brewer interception but Dan McCullers didn’t have his best day. The Hilltoppers guards were able to contain him one-on-one for the most part. He has to play better moving forward. Grade: B-

Linebackers

Dontavis Sapp made a great play when stripping the football from Antonio Andrews and had two tackles for a loss. Brent Brewer made an alert play to pull in an interception and A.J. Johnson made several impact tackles close to the line. Western Kentucky attacked Johnson in pass coverage and victimized him for a couple first downs and a touchdown. The linebacking corps as a whole didn’t do a great job in pass coverage in the middle of the field. They’ll have to improve drastically in that area to have a shot to upset the Ducks this week. Overall, the linebackers made some big plays and looked like a much quicker unit than we saw last year. Grade: B

Secondary

Anytime you pull in five interceptions, you have to credit the secondary (which recorded four of them). Brian Randolph hauled in two, a feat that earned him SEC defensive player of the week. Justin Coleman made an alert play after a ball bounced off a WKU receiver’s hands and returned it for six. After being beaten on a comeback route early in the first half, freshman corner Cam Sutton made a great play and jumped the same route for a pick-six. LaDarrell McNeil made plays all over the field and Byron Moore was effective in a reserve role. Safety Max Arnold showed good awareness when scooping up a fumble and returning it 23 yards. Yes, there were some zone coverage busts, but for the most part the Vol secondary performed adequately. Grade: A-

Special teams

The lowlight of the game had to be surrendering a blocked punt. That play changed momentum and allowed Western Kentucky to claw back in it  before the half. Jacob Carter and Vincent Dallas fielded punts and kicks cleanly and Dallas even returned one for 36 yards. Palardy continues to play well and is perfect on field goals and extra points this year. He averaged 46.3 yards per punt and had one downed at the one yard line. If not for the blocked punt, this would be an “A”. Grade: C+

Coaching

Through two games, the Vols have been penalized twice for 17 yards. Jones and Co. have turned the Vols into a disciplined and focus in just a few months on the job. The staff put together an offensive game plan which played to Tennessee’s strengths and though the players made the plays, Jones’ emphasis on turnovers was clear. Butch Jones-coached teams lead the nation since 2011 with 70 forced turnovers. That bodes well for the Vols moving forward. Grade: A

Up Next: Tennessee at Oregon (3:30 ET, ABC)

What grade do you give the Vols for their win over WKU?

About The Author

Reed Carringer

A native of Knoxville, TN. I grew up saturated in all things Big Orange and began taking an active role in Football & Basketball Time in Tennessee the past several years. Make sure to catch Football Time on Tennessee Sports Radio Monday's and Friday's from 6-8 pm. I strive to cover the Vols in a fan-friendly, but informative way. I value your input and interaction! You can follow me on Twitter @FootballTimeMag.