Sep 19, 2015; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Preston Williams (7) scores a touchdown against the Western Carolina Catamounts during the second half at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won 55 to10. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Offensive Grades
Quarterbacks: B-
Quinten Dormady helped move this grade out of C range by showing that the Vols definitely have depth at the position, but for the second straight week Joshua Dobbs struggled. And despite his 15 of 21 stats, he still is showing some big issues.
When the line breaks down, Dobbs is too quick to use his mobility, and while that is an asset, he misses some quick easy reads. He missed a clear first down on a crossing route one play while trying to run for a touchdown.
And then, twice when he was on the run, he overthrew receivers, one of which would have been a sure touchdown and forced the Vols to settle for a field goal. Dobbs is still a good quarterback and exactly what the Vols need with all of their weapons, but he can still struggle to be the passer he will need to be against elite defense.
He’s got to play better against Florida.
Betsided
Running Backs: B+
Alvin Kamara and Jalen Hurd looked like Alvin Kamara and Jalen Hurd, although Kamara should have broke off a couple of longer runs. Hurd continues to show himself to be elite with his vision, his power, and his under-rated speed for his size. He carried the ball 11 times for 68 yards and a touchdown while catching two balls for 12 yards and a touchdown.
Tennessee could just give it to him every play.
Meanwhile, Kamara brought the grade down a bit in the running game because despite his seven carries for 47 yards and a touchdown, he actually could have had a couple more big plays. John Kelly ran hard but knocks the grade to a B+ because he missed some gaping holes.
But overall, the running game was fine.
Offensive Line: C+
Once again, this is a reflection of the running game. The offensive line did a solid job all game blocking, but it was against a very soft front seven, and it would have been shameful had they struggled at all. At the same time, the less than four and a half yards per carry is a terrible look, even if it is skewed by using backups at the end of he game.
The line has got to get more physical in protection, and that is also true in pass protections.
While Dobbs still struggles under pressure to throw and showed it yesterday, there was no reason for him to be under pressure to begin with against such a weak defense. This unit still has some work to do.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: B
It is hard to gauge these guys to the fullest, as Preston Williams clearly showed up, and Ethan Wolf is becoming a very reliable tight end. And with so many short fields, it is hard to measure this unit in yards.
But the pluses were the impressive catches Williams made, the reliability of Wolf, and the improvement of Jauan Jennings. Josh Malone had a couple of nice plays too, but that brings us to the minuses.
Despite some inaccurate passes by Dobbs, guys like Malone were brought in to still make those catches, and too often he missed. Marquez North also seems to be missing on a couple of plays. The elite receivers have got to do a better job of showing off their athleticism by going up and making catches they have no excuse not to make. Until then, they cannot get an A grade.
Overall Grade: B
You can’t really be mad about 55 points, even against an FCS squad, but it needs to be pointed out that the Vols almost always got the short field, and they still should have scored a couple of other times. In the first half, they settled for two field goals that should have been touchdowns too, so this game should have been more of a blowout than it even was.
Next: Defensive Grades
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